A Weekend for Moi

Image: http://www.visualphotos.com

I must have had a good weekend because it seemed to last for ages. Last Friday already seems so far off in my mind that I have no doubt it was because of the amount I managed to pack into the weekend.

At long last I felt as though the holiday season had finally ended and I was back in some form of normality, or at least, able to squeeze in a little bit of “me time” at the end of a busy week.

No Jeans
Things began with my first trip up town on a weekend morning since before 2010 ended. I went for a long gander around some shops because I’ve been desperately trying to find a suitable place to buy a pair of decent jeans, but can’t seem to find a shop that sells the right size. I’m not talking about my waist here, I mean leg size. There are a thousand types of fit from boot to wide and slim, but none are comfortable and none work for me. Whatever happened to normal jeans with a normal leg size?

I hate clothes shopping.

Coffee in Central Edinburgh
So I gave up on that idea and stopped off for a large cappuccino, a blueberry muffin and a long, relaxing read of the newspaper. I only started going to Costa on Princes Street because it had a nice view and I can look out the window over the gallery while I’m reading, but I’ve grown to quite like it. It was only meant to be a stopover while I found a good independent, but they all seem to close down within months of me aquatinting myself. Maybe I’ve found my new home.

I checked in on Twitter from the coffee shop and noticed something very cool. I’d watched Reggae Britannia on BBC 4 the previous night and had been discussing ska and reggae with various fellow tweople. I recalled the time at a Selecter gig in Edinburgh many years ago when I got a peck on the cheek from lead singer Pauline Black as she was signing my gig ticket. When I checked into Twitter from Costa, I discovered that Pauline had decided to follow me! How cool is that?

Revision Time
Back home in the afternoon, and with Gail’s family coming for dinner on the Sunday, I spent a couple of hours cleaning the house. I then headed over to visit my Father-in-Law for a couple of hours before spending the evening tucked away with my words, BACCARA BURNING is still moving moved forward at a steady and healthy pace.

Coffee in West Edinburgh
Sunday came and for me it was much the same as the morning before: up town, this time to a coffee shop and wander around Corstorphine. I spent a couple of hours in Tesco (they have a Costa inside the store), PC World looking at DAB radios, and Pets at Home checking out their fish and bunny stock; I bought some vitals for my own bunny, Pippin while I was there.

DAB radios are an interesting thing. I was all set to buy one but I have two concerns, the least of which is why there is such a price comparison in the various models that all seem to do the same thing? The second is that the people I have spoken to that have (had) one, they took them back disappointed because in eastern Scotland they were only able to receive one station: Radio Tay. Unless this situation improves, I’m going have to remain listening to the radio mostly through my PC and iPhone.

It’s a nice bus ride out to Corstorphine. Starting in Leith, you get to see a good cross-section of the city of Edinburgh, east to west, from the port town and up Leith walk, through the city centre, the west end then right out past Murrayfield to the western edge of the city. There was no sign of the Six Nations International rugby match that had been played he day before, which saw Scotland hammered by the Welsh 6 points to 24. My poor old Dad was livid.

Deep into Revisions
Back home and after a quick lunch it was straight back into BACCARA. I’m resisting the urge to race forward but to keep focussed on where I am, to see the big picture as well as the immediate effect of each scene, and to stay true to the story and the characters. It’s getting harder, but as a result I’ve made some key changes to the story that have come as a direct result of recent workshops I’ve taken as well as Stephen King’s book, On Writing. The momentum is gathering and I’m determined not to lose the plot (if you pardon the expression) as I did with the first draft.

Family Food
I had my in-laws over for dinner in the evening and a fully home-cooked meal by my wife was enjoyed by all: Sweet Pepper soup to start, Marzetti & salad with garlic bread for the main and Gail’s first ever effort at Banoffee Pie – which was delicious. I stayed clear of the wine so I would be good for the evening, which was a good decision as it meant I could work further on BACCARA with a clear head.

Coming Up
This coming week will be an important one. I’m due to reach some major plot points in the book and I have to clear some other GDRs away before the weekend. I’m heading through to Glasgow on the Saturday so will have to clear me plate for that. And if you celebrate it, happy Valentine’s Day to you.

It’s going to be a busy few days.

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