:: surprised to find a few plums in the tree. We thought there weren’t any
:: thinking it’s funny that I can take so many pictures inside when the color of the day is forest/grass green. I didn’t even start taking pictures of my grandmother’s breadbox and other things in my kitchen
:: guessing I love green
:: pulling out a lot of green in the little strip of garden at the side of the house. I’m letting go of the idea of growing medicinal herbs (for several reasons, mostly because I’m not feeling confident using home grown herbs) and turning it into a flowerbed
:: looking forward to buying flowers for it
:: wondering if it’s possible to plant a rainbow of flowers? Could that work? I think it would
:: catching up on those colors (I can’t post them in the pool anymore, but I think they’d make a nice collage at the end of the month. Plus, I wasn’t in the mood to do anything useful today)
:: taking a few weeks off from writing (books and stories that is, not this blog). All three girls are having exams here and the grand total of all the stress flying around here is taking up all my energy.
:: giving myself some time to play instead. Photography, knitting, blogging, maybe even some sewing. I think that’s just what I need to be the patient, helpful, reliable mother they need right now.
:: hoping they all pass. We just heard Esther passed her minor – English translator -, so that’s a good start. (thanks again, E., for helping her out. She got 80% on that particular translation)
:: thinking it’s a shame that I didn’t read that earlier
:: finding myself wanting to catch up with the colors that I missed
:: already behind on my writing
:: but believing taking time for one sort of creativity in photography may spark the creativity I need to finish today’s words (or that’s my story anyway)
:: only halfway our vacation on Bali (I know, three weeks, it’s a bit outrageous, but it was a great deal)
:: doing almost nothing besides sleeping, swimming and going for a (little) walk
:: having a bit of a sunburn going on, despite not being one to really bask in the sun. It’s just that hot and sunny here
:: thinking that burn may soon become a nice tan
:: marvelling at how wonderful it is that we still have ten full days of Bali ahead of us (and two days travelling)
:: looking forward to the two excursions we planned to see a little bit of the island
:: smiling at our trying to explore Denpasar on our own. It was a bit of a disaster (and I guess that’s where my sunburn comes from – wandering around a big filthy city in the middle of the day), but it was fun to try it.
:: feeling a bit funny to admit that one of our favorite places to spent some hour at night (coming just after the seats on the beach where we sit and watch the stars) is an Irish pub. Yes, really. They have live music each night and some very nice people working there.
:: finding it hard to explain that the best band they have is called The Leprechauns, is playing Irish drinking songs (and other Irish songs and even a bit of U2). Not surprised? The band members are all Balinese. Really. But they do have the most wonderful Irish accent. On Bali everything is possible.
:: glad we finally found a restaurant that serves real Indonesian food. That’s not so common in Sanur it seems. Most restaurants have the same items on the menu: pizza, steaks and pasta. Oh, and we had some japanese too.
:: having very limited computer time (only when my husband needs to do some work, so let’s hope it stays limited)
:: wondering how it’s possible that I’ve neglected this blog for two weeks now
:: falling off the bandwagon of taking daily pictures too
:: so very, very busy
:: and very, very tired
:: but leaving for a three week vacation on Bali this Friday (oh my, Bali!)
:: happy to report I have finished another of those short novels (#3), submitted a synopsis for a new one and got a go on it, submitted a synopsis on a longer novel with my other publisher and got a go on that one too.
:: still feeling blessed for reconnecting this morning with a friend after more than 20 years (we talked and talked and talked, just like we did when we were teenagers)
:: thinking I’m going to sleep and rest and sleep and rest and maybe see a bit of Bali too these coming weeks
:: still looking at those geraniums waiting for me to plant them
:: not happy about all that rain lately
:: but looking forward to the next few weeks. Forecasts are good.
:: struggling with that third story.
:: relieved that I finally realized why I struggle with it so much.
:: admitting that I fell for the money-making part of this writing gig. I just forced out a synopsis and expected to be able to write it as fast as the other stories. But the difference is that those first two were coming from my heart. I made them fitting for the basic storyline I have to follow, but those were stories I wanted to tell anyway. Those women were alive in my mind. The people I’m trying to write about now just aren’t. Yet. Luckily a 400 word synopsis leaves me a lot of space to change things around. I’m going to think about these two women and find out what their inner conflicts are. That’s what missing. Outer conflicts, check. Inner conflicts? Nope. But I’ll find out and then I won’t struggle writing their story anymore.
:: in which I may try to catch up with some writing though. It’s funny. Working in the weekend feels like a treat. I guess that’s because it’s really a choice
:: hoping I will remember the depth of the story I started last week. The headaches and the taxes drained every emotion out of it
NOT A STATION 