Tempus fugit to the max! I could hardly believe my eyes when I looked at the date of my last post and saw it was somewhere back in the foggy beginnings of March. Has it really been six weeks since I went to London? Surely not!
There is something rather odd about how time moves through March and April. Here in the Lowlands, there is a saying that roughly translates to March shakes its tail, and April does what it will. This often refers to the weather, but down here in the Shire I feel it is also apt for any weirdness that goes on in these eight will-they-won’t-they weeks when we’re never quite sure if we’re still in the darkest depths of Winter, or welcoming the fluffy blooming joy of Spring.
And to add a little more interest to the confusion, the clocks also change. Despite it happening every year, it still takes a lot of people by surprise and discombobulates the whole shebang.
Anyhoo, all of this is to say that it’s been a hot minute since I last graced these pages with something to write about.
Not that I’ve been resting on my laurels (how many idioms can I cram into one piece of writing, you ask?). It’s been a very productive period of scribbling, travelling, painting, drawing, planning, working, and generally enjoying the ups and downs of this tumultuous time of year.
On the writing front, I’ve been puzzling over a rather difficult section of my Reaper Girl novella. The editing of this has been a very instructive experience, but I hit a point last month where I realised I had a very messy and badly structured next chapter that needed some serious work. Unfortunately, it is also a chapter that has to be placed before any further chapters, so I couldn’t set it aside and publish another one while it percolated. Thus, it had to go back to the drawing board for a bit while I pondered how to fix it.
So, I did what many writers do when confronted with a problem. I put it away and went and did something else. I went to France.
I am lucky enough to know a few people who have acquired properties in France and who then spend their hard earned lucre on fixing said properties up. I am enormously inspired by anyone who takes on DIY projects of this magnitude, so when invited to go and help with some renovation work, I am happy to oblige. I have a very romantic idea about doing this myself one day, despite the fact that DIY is not really a hobby of mine. I am hoping that being around other DIYers will eventually rub off on me…as if I needed another project.
I spent a lovely eight days in a very small and very quiet village with little to no mobile phone reception. I scraped off wallpaper, painted walls, walked the dogs through the rolling hills, and pretty much forgot all about life back in the real world. It is easy to do. These little villages in the Haute Marne region have not changed in hundreds of years. Their old pale stone walls whisper secrets, and the screech of Tawny owls is often the only sound that breaks the silence of the night.
After that little break, I returned to the Shire to a mountain of little tasks and a lot of work. I started the editing of my upcoming cozy mystery novel set in a steampunky alternate universe London; I got invited to take part in a two day art show at the beginning of June and have started working on a new series of paintings for that; I picked at the edges of my Reaper Girl problem and am feeling fairly confident that I have found a solution, and I completed some editing work for a couple of fellow writers. And then there was also the day job.
No wonder time flew by.
The Haute Marne is indeed lovely and a wonderful place to lose yourself in. Just remember, though, at May will have her way, so if you think you’re back in control, watch out! By the way, we’re all looking forward to the next episode of Reaper Girl. I love the painting you’ve used as a header too.
Lovely blog! Celebrate your talents. They are endless!
Loved this blog, Jodie. Really fascinating. Your getaway seems to have worked wonders for you. Thanks so much for sharing your experience. And I must add that I love your art!