The week has been spent working on Jo's business (mostly helping to advise on things rather than any actual work!) and sorting the loft (an unending task when every trip up the ladder is an effort). I also lost a couple of days being poorly (and sorry for myself). Another doctors appointment was deferred because I was too ill to attend – there has to be a funny comment there but I can't think of it.
At least a lot of the loft contents are now sorted and – thanks to Richard – back up the ladder. The result so far is about thirty photo albums downstairs waiting to be scanned into the computer; one box of books for the charity shop; ditto a box of miscellaneous stuff; five boxes of books (mainly obscure natural history ones) for Daughter-who-takes-photos to sort through to see if she wants any; one (large) box of books for Daughter-who-loves-food to do likewise. Any that the daughters and sons-in-law don't want will be off to the charity shop. By my reckoning that makes about 150 books have cleared out. A brave effort and the rafters will be relieved.
Back into the loft have gone nine boxes of diaries/autobiographies/journals ranging from Victorian rectors to Swiss philosophers. Many of these I have read but their prime purpose is as research material for a couple of books I hope to write at some stage.
A further eight boxes of books – general non-fiction and fiction – have also gone back up. I just hope the loft flooring I put in a few years ago is adequate....
What else have I done? Well, I've blogged, of course, And I've enlarged the font on my blog. A comment made by Sandra on another blog made me look at mine and I realised how small it was. Hopefully it will now be easier to read.
And it is nearly November. On November 1st I had intended to start writing my next book but the comments I have received on my last one have made me realise it still needs a fair bit of work. So it will be back to Victorian England for a while until I've ironed out the glitches. Then it will be off to the publishers again though they are going through such a bad patch that finding one willing to take on my work will not be easy. Perseverance will be the name of the game. Terry Pratchett didn't become a household name overnight. Well actually he did but never mind...
Which reminds me. In between other things I've read a few books. I must review them for my blog. One of them was a re-read of Terry Pratchett's 'Once More* *with Footnotes'. Even if you are not a Discworld fan it's a really instructive and humorous read. (Why does the spillchurcker reject the word 'Discworld'. Surely that should be part of the English language by now.)
Believe it or not this post was intended to be about the book marks I've found in all the books in the loft but I reckon I've toddled along enough for now so I'll leave those for another time.
Toodle-oo (or should that be Toddle-oo?)
My husband likes to say "let's go for a toddle", but he only says that word to me. If he were to say that to any other American here, he would get some very strange looks!
ReplyDeleteIt looks much better.
ReplyDeleteThat is a job well sorted.
I must get round to Discworld, thanks for the reminder.
Have you considered self publishing the first couple of chapters on a blog........'What I Have Wrote.' Or a title of your choosing.
An entertaining toddle indeed! Sorry to hear you've been so poorly you couldn't even maintain your doctor's appointment :-(
ReplyDeleteAll that work in and out of the loft must have taken its toll.
Your book box count reminds me of the boxes and stacks of books I still have sitting in the Third Room; they were meant to be sold at the big book sale in September here in our town, but it never happened... because I went on holiday that same weekend. Ah well, one has to have priorities!
Sounds like the loft's really coming along. Looking forward to seeing those boxes of books.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the photo scanning and book edits, xx
I'm sure, being as computer literate as you are, you are backing up all those photos you are scanning into your computer, not to mention all your writings. It gives me shivers to think they might be lost in a catastrophic crash!
ReplyDeleteYes, Jill. Even my back-ups back-ups have back-ups!! And one of them is kept off site in another house - that's what you call insurance.
ReplyDeleteI like your new font.
ReplyDeleteI've too have been spending time this week clearing out things to give away to charity. (No loft, but a basement storage room.)
Being a daughter I can relate to yours! What fun rummaging through the treasure troves, with permission, of course.;)
ReplyDeleteBy-the-way, years ago Frank Sinatra sand of...."Chicago, Chicago, that toddling town..."
ReplyDeleteOh dear, too sick to go to the doctor - I hope you are feeling better now! Thanks for the reminder that I have a Discworld book waiting to be read. My son left it for me when he was home recently and sorted through his boxes of assorted 'stuff". Now what to do with the also left very good hair clippers? I now know why I do not accumulate!
ReplyDeleteI love finding book marks!
ReplyDeleteTell us what you found, please.
This loft of yours must be massive...I reckon that going through the trap door must be like going through the back of the wardrobe into Narnia.
SP
Narnia, SP? So that's why there's a roaring noise coming from one corner!
ReplyDelete