The weather has just been amazing and it’s days like this that I wish my summer wardrobe was better…
Today was spent looking after mad mental weans, tidying up after said mad mental weans and making salt dough for two of the mad mental weans to play with. Basically, started the day with a trip to Lomond Shores where me and my two kids went for a walk, admired the beautiful Loch Lomond scenery, ate cake in the Thornton’s cafe, did jigsaws in the visitor’s centre and generally had a lovely time in the hot, hot sunshine. We came home to find my daughter’s friend who lives next door waiting for us and the two of them played happily til lunchtime.
The friend stayed for lunch and I made them salt dough to play with after we’d eaten. It was actually a ruse to get them both to stay indoors for a couple of hours because it was so hot outside. Then they flitted back and forth from both houses, jumping in the paddling pool, getting soaked, begging sweeties and biscuits off both mums and generally being demanding as all three and five-year-olds are. The wee fella - now eight-months-old - spent the day playing with his toys; rolling around the living room floor and then playing with his sister’s toys (she was out at this time otherwise she would have had a fit and a battle would have ensued); eating; drinking; sleeping and generally having a lovely old time to himself. I, however, spent the entire day cleaning up after everyone and catering to their every whim. Such is life as a parent!
Anyway, what have I been up to lately? Well…
Did a couple of readings at two Waterstone’s stores near Glasgow recently for their Storytelling Saturday on July 19. Was in the Newton Mearns branch in the morning where I read to four lovely kids and their equally lovely mums. Hope I didn’t witter on too much! Then it was a leisurely drive down to Braehead shopping centre (a large mall in Renfrew on the outskirts of the city…Renfrew Town Hall is mentioned in DarkIsle because I love the architecture of the town hall, it’s so pretty).
I did a little bit of shopping first having been given a Marks and Spencer token by my lovely friend Sandie as a gift for having given birth to my wee boy. Unfortunately it was addressed to him, so I felt obliged to spend it all on him! Only joking…I loved it AND there was a sale on so I got lots of lovely clobber for the wee man.
Then I visited the baked potato takeaway place in the centre and, with hope in heart, bought a bake potato with cheese. I say ‘hope in heart’ because I always order this and always, always it comes back with an overcooked potato and cheese that is hard and not melted into unctuous loveliness…as was the case then. I love baked potatoes and cheese, but it’s got to be cheese that’s melted and stretchy and just lovely…you know what I mean!
Then I was off to W’s for a spot of reading. Unfortunately, the children (except one) were a little too young for the book, but they were beautifully behaved and didn’t fidget too much…which was a blessing. It definitely helps having a mad mental couple of weans myself because you can easily recognise the signs of boredom and twitchyness in others.
Am still working on my new book Elvz…well, until my editor Graham gets in touch to polish DarkIsle 2. Don’t know if the former will ever get published, but it’s good fun writing it. DI2 (as it’s known in my publisher’s circle) I believe is coming out early next year. It’s really long compared to the first one and I’m hoping it stays that way…I’d hate to see it chopped to bits, but we’ll see.
Anyway, that’s if for now. Got some readings organised for after the summer, but will tell you all about them nearer the time.
See ya
Dawn xx
Ooh…nearly forgot. DarkIsle is now out in Spain. It’s called El Ojo de Lornish…I think.