The Gold/Blue Dress of Summer...

Here we are again. A new week's begun and an old one's been filed under 'memories'. When I was both a kid and a teacher, it would be at this point that I'd start to dread the return of school. 'It's like nearly September and ev' might have been something you'd hear me wail at ten. And thirty-one. Instead, for non-kids and non-teachers, we're still slap bang in the middle of August. It's still summer, it's still hot, and it's still ages til the dark nights. Basically, we've a way to go until the time of year when I thrive. But it'll come soon enough. So for school kids and school staff, fair play to you. Enjoy the rest of your break with my full-throttled support.

More Kitty here.
I URGE you to click.*

Writing News

Lockdowns were a necessary yet problematic situation for so many people and their jobs. Working from home in a cramped flat share, Zoom meetings replacing face to face chats, or having to shut down completely and hope for the best. My own work life was relatively unscathed in comparison. I was already working from home, so all that happened was my brain stopped functioning. Standard. It came back eventually and things cracked on, but there was one thing I hadn't realised I'd missed until it happened again. Last week I was having a pedi - natch - and the woman next to me was spouting an absolute mine of comedy gold. All she was doing was telling her beautician about her house renovations, but her turn of phrase was fantastic. She didn't stop for breath, and came out with perfectly brilliant randomness. (Think a younger version of Victoria Wood's Kitty.) So I did what I'd always do in this situation. I got out my phone and typed everything she said - into my 'Notes for Future Projects' file. This sort of thing used to happen a lot. On trains, in pubs, in coffee shops... but it's been a while. It was nice to remember what a goldmine of inspo unexpected people in earshot can be. 

Buy here,
if you fancy it.

Culture

I'm flirting with more highbrow Culture this week. Mostly. Due to his shocking attempted murder as well as the fact I should have boxed this off years ago, I'm reading Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children. So far I'm loving it. I usually give literary fiction a swerve because it feels like Uni. 'I did my time and now I want to escape into froth', kind of thing. But Rushdie's writing is beautiful and it's dragged me in whether I like it or not. It also feels particularly pertinent as the 75th anniversary of the partition of India and Pakistan was marked last week. This Bunker podcast episode with Ahir Shah and Eshaan Akbar was a sobering reminder of how grim that was, and the effect it still has on families today. Then, BBC4 showed The Buddha of Suburbia during the week, and I finally got to watch it. I was 'not allowed' when it was broadcast in 1993 (living with small siblings meant even as a fifteen year old I couldn't watch perfectly suitable TV for my age group. Boooo!) but I read the book at Uni and finally got to watch it on Friday night. Hurrah for delayed gratification.

I think I'm addicted.

Food and Drink

I don't normally buy supermarket pizza. Because I'm - and I think the technical term is - up my own arse, I fully believe I can make them better myself at home. But! Hold that thought! Tesco might have done it! I happened to try their Garlic and King Prawn pizza a couple of weeks ago, and instantly revised my opinion. It's gorge. I've had it three times in the past ten days and I fully expect I'll be eating it again soon. 

Out and About

A birthday present of Mowgli vouchers got seen off in the week, so that was fit. Then there was a little road trip to Leeds to see the oldest niece and neph. I played swing ball in the garden and got to quiz them on their latest reads (research for my new Leeza book). Then there was a lovely walk around Sefton Park now the weather's had a think and calmed down. 

It can be interpreted in two ways. Like that Internet dress that was either gold or blue, depending on how you looked at it. If you're a kid, or work in a school, there's absolute ages to go, honest. Soak it up, take it in, enjoy your summer break of which there's buckets more left. If you're anything like me - or even just me - keep the faith. It's coming, slowly but surely. Autumn is in air. Can't you just SMELL it!

Have a lovely week, folks. 

*I hadn't intended a Patricia Routledge appreciation post but we are where we are. I stumbled across this piece of brilliance and felt the need to share.