It's nearly here, folks. Had you realised? The longest day of the year is almost upon us. At this point I should clarify, I'm talking about the Northern Hemisphere. Having a real-life Australian person staying here, reminds me not to be so Northern-Hemisphere-centric. I can only apologise to the south of the globe, and send my warmest wishes for your own longest days in six months time. But I digress.
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| Me, on 21st June. |
You know me by now. You know I hate the summer. I hate the warmth, the light, and the heat of the thing. You'll also know, as I do, that I tend to be in the minority. Most people love it! They like getting out and about. They want to be in gardens and parks. They want to tend their plants and sit in beer gardens. They want to feel holiday-vibes in their downtime and replenish their vitamin D levels without popping a pill. Well, good for them. They should lap it up and relish the light evenings as we have them. For me, I'll be patiently waiting for the shorter days to arrive. I'll be longingly stroking the arms of my jumpers whenever my wardrobe door is ajar. I'll be waiting for the first frosty morning like a child who's written their Christmas list in October. I'll be here, biding my time, keeping the faith until I can watch telly under a blanket, with fluffy socks once again. Until then, happy Midsummer, everybody!
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| Remember this little lady? |
It's a funny thing. You spend two years creating a book. You plan it, you rough draft it, and you edit it. You smooth it, polish it, reread it, and reread it again - dozens of times actually, in the weeks leading up to publication. And then it's done. It's out into the world, and out of your control. Gone into the hands of the reader and gone from the inside of your head.
After one of my books has been released, I tend not to look, or even think about it again.* What's the point? I'd only spot things I'd want to change. I'd look at a sentence and now - years later - think of a better way to write it. You never finish editing, you just decide to stop, right? Once a book's done, it's done. It's out of my head and I forget what I wrote.
So, it's the funniest thing. My Aussie cousin is currently reading Assembling the Wingpeople. She arrived having finished her book on the plane and asked to read the next book I'd written. (She'd read the first already.) Can you imagine my ego! I was thrilled! In between our sight-seeing and family history outings, she's been sitting on my sofa, reading away. But you know what? It's terrifying! Brilliant, but terrifying. I can't remember what I wrote. She's about halfway through as I type, and I've no idea what's going on in the plot. Part of me wants to go back into my hard copy and remind myself, but the other part says no. I can't be an anxious presence around her, hoping she likes it and wondering what she thinks about each tiny thing. What would I be like if I was a proper famous author with copies of books all over the show? I'd be a nervous wreck, that's what. It's another reminder, once again, that the scariest part of writing is having people read what you create.
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| This episode was excellent. |
Culture
I finally watched Adolescence. I'd decided not to bother when it came out. There was too much hype and too many think pieces. It felt cluttered and encumbered by public opinion. But fast forward to now, and I have.
It really was excellent in places. You'll already know that the young lad that plays Jamie is phenomenal. I LOVED with capital letters, the episode where the vast majority is a conversation between Jamie and the psychologist. There's something real and raw about seeing counselling and psychotherapy well-depicted in drama. There's something real and raw about it in reality too, but that's another story. (It reminds me why I love watching Couples Therapy so much - also another story.)
Did I think they threw too many issues into the narrative to fully do them justice? Yes. Did I wish they'd not bothered with the one camera shot thing because it took me out of the story occasionally? Yes. But was it excellent telly with a gripping story told well? Also yes.
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| Asda - always inspiring. |
You know I said I hate the summer? There's one thing I like. An entire evening meal consisting of breadsticks, dips, and icy white wine. That's what. It just doesn't work in winter, does it? You don't feel cosy in the beautiful gloom of a rainy November, by stabbing breadsticks into a jar of pesto. Nope, this is purely a summer experience. I took this photo a few weeks ago. It's pretty basic, right. An Asda pack of dry bruschetta bites and a couple of dips. I didn't even buy it. The photo was to remind me to make some dips and breadsticks at home. Straight-from-the-oven grissini, with home made romesco sauce is one of the nicer eating experiences I can think of. Just putting it out there, you know, to balance out my negative summer opinions above.
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| The recreated Cavern in the Beatles Story. Not dissimilar to the recreated Cavern on Mathew Street. |
I've walked past The Beatles Story (a Beatles museum in Liverpool) loads of times. I used to live nearby, and it's right by the cash machine I used to use. Not once did I consider going inside. Why would I? I don't need to visit the must-see sights of my own hood. That'd be weird. But last week, with my visiting cousin, I finally went inside.
It's actually boss, you know. There was a recreation of the Cavern Club, a recreation of 1960s Mathew Street, the red Strawberry Fields gates, and a load of facts, photos, and music along the way. It was hard to be cynical in the face of it all. Plus, despite it being a Tuesday afternoon in term time, it was rammed with tourists from all over the world. Most of them looked slightly overwhelmed to be in the presence of the memorabilia. It reminded me that, along with all the other marvellous people Liverpool has sent out into the world, these four local lads really did create a mad legacy.
What will the week ahead hold? More sightseeing? More grave-visiting? More chats about great aunts and uncles? For me - yeah! Bring it on! For you? Who knows? Whatever you're doing, whoever you're doing it with, have fun whilst you're doing it.
Have a lovely week, folks.
*The exception is when you're writing a series and you have to check back now and then for a detail you need. The first two Leeza McAuliffe books are currently getting an occasional look in, while I write the third.
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