Picture THIS...

I've cracked it. No, really, I have. I've finally taken a good photograph. Honestly, no one's more surprised than me.

If I was the insecure-about-my-photography-skills type, I'd be REALLY insecure. When I take a pic, I don't stop to stage it. I click the button at whatever is being presented to me. There's no thought about the background, the lighting, the shadow... no thought at all. I just snap. I'm not a professional, I've no exhibition coming up, it's simply my way of recording my memories.

Seriously with number 7?

I'm comfy with this, by the way. The only time I realised anyone had a critique was when my sister commented under an Insta post of mine. It was a collection of 'My most iconic photos from 2023 and she wrote, 'Seriously with number 7?' To be clear, number 7 was a photo taken in the middle of the night, on a train travelling through Canada. It was iconic because I'd had a cool experience on that train, seeing the towns flash by and watching the most beautiful scenery as the sun set and then rose, whilst I remained cosy in my cabin. That's what I remember when I see number 7. Of course to the outside world and my sister, it's simply a black space with two dots of green (my phone reflected in the mirror) and the nightlight over the door. Surely the fault lies with her own limitations? Hmm. Either way, whenever I take an iffy photo now, my partner says, 'Seriously with number 7?' Bantz.

But now? Now, there'll be no more 'seriously with number 7' snark. Oh no. I've absolutely NAILED a photo. It was last week and I'd cooked my brekkie. I don't photograph my food for anyone else, fyi. I do it so that when I can't think what I want to eat, I can scroll back through my phone and remember recent hits. That's why I snapped this particular pic. I didn't do anything to the lighting, I didn't deliberate on where the food should be placed, I didn't stop to think. It was only once I'd taken it, I saw how magnificent it was. It could be in a food magazine, honestly. Now, when people say, 'Seriously with number 7?' I can only assume they mean they're flabbergasted with how amazing the picture is. 

After all this build up, it's only right that I share the wealth. Scroll down to the Food and Drink section and see what you think. Let's hope I've not built it up too much. If necessary, do a direct comparison with number 7. See? Yeah, you get it.

Imagine if I hired Vanessa Feltz to spray
me with my own self-confidence though 

Writing News 
It's all so SATISFYING right now. Honestly, I'd love to bottle this feeling. That way, in twelve month's time, I can spray it all over myself when I'm in the 'everything I write is shit' phase. But back to now. It's going well. My random thoughts that I'd turned into bullet points, have now been grouped into chapters. I'm currently going through each plot line and checking it rises and falls throughout the narrative. I've also been having conversations with people. Now's the time to sound out some of my ideas before they become entrenched. It's all so wonderfully enjoyable and I wish it came this easily for the rest of the process.

Culture

I know everyone's excited about The Celebrity Traitors, and fair play to them, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. We're currently in the final throws of TheTraitors Ireland and it's been brilliant. On the RTE player, the Irish version of Traitors is my fave. The format remains the same, but I love how tailored the tasks are -  to the Irish language, traditions and folklore. Siobhan McSweeney is a fabulous host, and makes the character truly her own. I just can't begin to get excited about Celebrity Traitors until this one is over.

In other Culture news, I've also binged Ludwig (clever fun), Bookish (more clever fun), and I read A Room Above a Shop (achingly beautiful with a deep core of sadness.)

Food and Drink

After my ponderous intro at the top, this is where the magic is. Take a look at it. Soak it up. When the time comes, that photo should used on the front of my order of service. I'm still in shock that I took that pic, and that my random-ingredients-in-a-bowl-breakfast could look so good.

Enough of my photography skills, though. Here's what it actually is.

• A spray of olive oil (or fat of your choice)
• Two apples, cut into chunks
• A handful of stoned cherries, halved.
• A squeeze of lemon juice
• A shake of cinnamon
• Pomegranate seeds
• A handful of oats
• A drizzle of sweetness (I used date syrup, but honey would work. Hey, so would chocolate sauce. Whatever you've got.)
• A splodge of Greek yogurt

The recipe isn't really a recipe. It's a bung everything in a pan and stir it around until it's softened kind of situation. Oh, except I add the oats when the apples and cherries are soft so they can help coat them with moisture. That's about it. The upshot? The house smells like autumn and you've got a tasty, filling breakfast to start your day.

Out and About

This week included a Wednesday brunch, a writing group sesh, a mani/pedi, and beers with a mate. How cool is that? I got to chat at length with a range of different people in a range of different  settings. If variety is the spice of life, the past week was pretty spicy indeed.

The week ahead is shaping up to be busy AF. I've got a bunch of things to cram in before I abscond again. Yep, I've got a break coming up. This one is substantial, and packing for it feels like an overwhelming task. Never fear, it'll get done and I'll be off. Next week I'll be back here with... something. I'll work it out by then. So see you here, this time next week? Yes? Yes? Excellent.

Have a lovely week, folks. 

Responsibly Adulting....

The September Reset continues apace. Except! A curve ball has been thrown.

I have no idea if this is a curve ball
but it came up when I searched the term.

A relative of mine has been selected for jury duty. That means I'm doing the school drop-off for a smaller relative of mine, for a few days coming up. This is perfect timing. For me, at least. Can you imagine if I'd had to be up at the absolute crack, during my extended mental break? If - post-Leeza McAuliffe Book  3 - I'd had to drag myself out of bed, beat the rush hour traffic, and be responsible for a child's punctual attendance at school, all while my life was... dishevelled? Anytime between June and August, would've been beyond me. 

Thankfully, I've had my September Reset. As outlined last week, I'm waking up when the first alarm goes, and getting out of bed on the second. I'm starting the day with breakfast, meaning I don't crash into the inevitable nap a few hours later. I'm properly on it. Taking a child to school is well within my capabilities. It's also a reminder that I can be a responsible member of society when the need arises. Always good to know.

Writing News

It's more of the same. Ideas gathering, thinking about potential plot lines and story arcs, and having no filter on anything my pen/laptop notes down. THERE ARE NO BAD IDEAS should be stuck on a poster at eye level, whenever I'm at my desk. Except, of COURSE there are bad ideas. I've created characters, that live within a world, that is placed within a genre. Aliens landing outside the mini-supermarket would be a very bad idea. Perhaps I should amend the mental poster to THERE ARE NO BAD IDEAS EXCEPT WHEN THEY BREAK THROUGH THE ESTABLISHED NORMS YOU'VE ALREADY SET WITHIN THE PARAMETERS OF YOUR BOOK SERIES. Hmmm. It's certainly less pithy.

Culture News

The film podcast I do, Lights, Camera, Aggro?, is three episodes into its third series.We've still to record the final ones so it's excitingly fraught, making sure we can get each episode done before it's scheduled broadcast date. Fun! Having to watch and research films is like being back at school - in a good way. It's homework but it's interesting homework. So far, we've discussed Batman, An Evening With Gary Lineker, Aliens, and on Wednesday, it'll be the turn of All of us Strangers.

There's something self-indulgent about getting to dig deep into the films I love. Of course, every other week the film we talk about is not my choice. That's trickier. The whole point of the podcast is that me and Phil have very different tastes. (As I recently pointed out, I've had to watch a LOT of films set in space.) If you're so inclined, the new series of Lights, Camera, Aggro? drops every Wednesday and can be found wherever you get your podcasts. 

Food and Drink

How do you smash a croissant? Smashed croissants tend to be my brunch meal of choice if I'm eating in a place that does them. But how do they do it? Does the kitchen have a massive iron that presses all the air of the things before being cooked? Is a young pot-washer having to hand-smash each croissant as it's ordered? Or is there a special way of baking smashed croissants from the start - they're never fluffy to begin with? All these questions and more, swirl around my head whenever I've ordered them for breakfast. On Saturday, I decided to have a bash myself.

Here's my method. 

• Slice a croissant in half and place it on a baking tray.
• Cover with a sheet of baking paper.
• Find the heaviest oven dish/oven-safe pan you've got and put it on top.
• Put the whole thing in the oven for 15 minutes.
• Remove the heavy pan and baking paper.
• Cook for another 10 minutes.

Voila! A crunchy, crispy smashed croissant ready to cover with loveliness.

Check out the picture. You can't even see the croissant for all the loveliness on top. FYI it was rocket, guacamole, feta, radish, cucumber, grated carrot, poached eggs, and pomegranate seeds. (Also, the hash brown was totally unnecessary and I'm annoyed that it's in the picture.)

Waking alongside 
a Park Run

Out and About

It's been a quiet week in terms of venturing out. A couple of walks - yes I'm walking again because of the September Reset - and the regular Wednesday brunch, and that's about it. It needs to be this way. I need a few weeks of calm routine before it all goes to pot again. And it will go to pot, oh yes. Chaos and disorder is a-coming. It's always the way and I'll embrace it when it comes.

What are you embracing this week? Routines? Chaos? Something in between? Whatever you're up to, have fun. That's all we can aim for, isn't it?

Have a lovely week, folks.

Dial 999, I'm on Fire...

It's back!

My brain, entering the chat.

Yes, the routine, the excitement over a new project, and the work ethic that's been MIA for months. It's back, baby! Leeza McAuliffe Book 4 has begun to be planned. I'm writing these words, thinking back over the past week, and feeling a sense of productivity and accomplishment. Not, I should add, that I've written a complete sentence yet. Nope, all that is still to come. But... I've had thoughts, noted down ideas, and arranged those ideas into bullet points. It's a definite start. 

I also love, now that I'm busy again, eating sensible food at meal times instead of snacking on crisps whenever the mood strikes. I like that I'm getting organised with batch cooking, clearing out my wardrobe, and keeping my desk tidy. There're all sorts of life-laundry endeavours that can be completed now I'm back in the zone. As lovely as an extended break can be, there comes a point when doing bugger all work for a couple of months has a knock-on effect on the rest of your life. It's been interesting to see, over the last few days, how having a clear writing purpose has made me energetic and organised in other areas too. 

So I'm back! Back to getting up when the alarm goes off, back to getting my five-a-day, and back to being the competent, capable person I can sometimes be. Will anyone notice the difference? Probably not. I think I hide the worst of my slobbiness. But if you dig deeper, you'll find a new planner on my desk, a bunch of organising apps downloaded on my phone, and the fridge contains more veg than it did before. A new start has begun and I couldn't be happier.

The desk is still tidy! For now.

Writing News

Ideas gathering! That's the news. I've been reading back through my notes from the summer. That's been good for gathering thoughts about next steps. I've got some vague plot ideas for the next book, but I need loads more to make it a book. That's what I've been thinking about at my desk. And because my brain is switched on again, I've enjoyed letting it do its thing - make connections, spark ideas, ponder the what ifs. It's such an indulgent part of the process but completely necessary. 

Agnes Van Rhijn

Culture News

Remember I told you I was watching The Gilded Age? It's the 'Imagine Downton Abbey set in 1880s New York but done better' show I mentioned a couple of weeks ago. In it, there's a character called Agnes Van Rhijn who's played by Christine Baranski. She's stuffy, thinks she's right about everything, and expects people around her to behave with discipline and decorum. She does show a kinder side as the plot develops but she's quite the character. 

The thing is, after I'd finished watching that, I happened to start a new book. Recommended by a friend, The Correspondent is set in Maine in 2012. Made up solely of the correspondence of the main character to the people in her life, it tells the story of her final years as she mades good some of the troubles she's experienced. It's great but here's the interesting thing. Her name is Sybil Van Antwerp. From the second I read that on the opening pages, I pictured Christine Baranski's Agnes Van Rhijn. The names are kind of similar, right? What's mad is that the character of modern day Sybil is pretty similar to nineteenth century Agnes. The same initially austere personality and conviction in the right way to do things, later thawed by circumstance and able to connect with others. I was utterly charmed by the novel but found the connection between it and the TV show, utterly mad. Either way, I loved it and enjoyed the random connection my brain made. Damn, my brain was on FIRE last week!

My attempt at Stovies

Food and Drink

I read another book last week, too. After The Correspondents, I wanted something completely escapist and more befitting my newly seasonal mindset. Obviously I went with Saving Christmas at the Highland Repair Shop. It was gorgeous, Christmassy, snowy fun. It also included regular mention of stovies. Essentially a stew, I've seen this before on menus in Scotland. In the novel, it's used to nurture and warm a sad character who's far from home at Christmas. So when I got to the end of the story and saw a recipe included, I didn't hesitate. I made stovies the very next day. 

It's not crazily niche. Most regions have a traditional stew that uses potatoes, veg, and meat. I searched online for a few versions and ultimately merged them together. Using chunkily cut onions, carrots, and potatoes, I sautéed the lot with garlic and seasoning, before adding beef and chicken oxo cubes in a litre of water. Then, I diced a small tin of corned beef and stirred it through. It simmered for an hour and it was done.

The corned beef* melted into the stock to make a thick meaty sauce, and the veg and potatoes were soft and tender. The best bit was that I made it ahead of time, and warmed it up on Sunday. Read below to see where I was for the day, but after a long drive home, being revived by tasty warming food, was epic.

Not my hair do of choice,
it was a very windy day.

Out and About

As well as getting my routine back and being alert once more, I did a couple of road trips. Friday saw me head two hours up north for 'last-day-of-the-holidays' bants with the niece and neph. We walked to a castle, had lunch by the river, and had the last ice cream of the season. Then on Sunday, I headed two hours down south to see the other niece, in her new gaff that she's just moved into. Another marvellous day of aunt bants (auntie bantie?) to see out the week.

The cool thing about getting older is you reach a deeper understanding about how you personally tick. Like, I actually KNEW I'd feel good this week. I knew I was ready to get back in the zone. My hazy brain of the summer has gone and I'm back on track once more. The thing is, I know this too will pass. That's the phrase, isn't it? This too will pass and I'll be crap and unmotivated once again. The other thing I've learned is that that's OK. I just need to go with the moods, the vibes, and the season. For now, however, just know... I'm back! Woohoo.

Have a lovely week, folks.

*I know I don't NEED to explain myself but I'm going to regardless. My vegetarianism (pescatarian to be honest) is not ideologically led. It should be, and I recognise the impressive nature of people who eschew animal products for the greater good, but my own avoidance of meat is based on the fact that most meat grosses me out. I don't ever want to feel like I'm chewing on the arse of a cow, or the leg of a sheep. It makes me gag. A tin of corned beef, however, has nothing about it that makes me think of an animal. It's in a tin. It's not shaped like a leg. My brain doesn't think about it, especially when it's simmered for an hour and become part of a sauce. I apologise for letting down proper veggies everywhere, and I will continue to mostly choose the vegetarian option in almost all situations from hereon in.