Books and Movies

Lots of stuff going on round our way at the moment. We've repainted the living room and had wood flooring put down in that room and also in the hallway, since our carpet (which was only three years old) had been beaten into submission by baby food splats and smears. Bizarrely, banana stains were the worst culprits -- even super carpet cleaner wouldn't get them out! We've also got a new sofa suite coming and I am starting to make lists ready for our cottage holiday in a couple of weeks' time. Hurrah!

Little Frog is still not walking (boo), but learning a new word pretty much every few days (yay). New additions to his repertoire include CAR, BEAR, POO-EEE (during nappy change), and GO! GO! GO! He resumed his Water Babies swimming lessons yesterday following the summer break and did really well, considering we only got round to taking him to the pool twice during the hiatus... At the end of the month he has an underwater photoshoot and I am nervous about it but very excited to see the results.

He's also got more interested in books now that he is a bit older. I'd heard it was never too early to start reading to your baby so I began when he was just a few weeks old, but he didn't really care and when he got to the grabby stage he just closed the book and threw it on the floor. Now, however, he will actually sit with me and look at the book, and sometimes we manage to read a short one through to the end. His current favourite is Little Monkey Says Goodnight, which involves me making lots of funny noises and movements. Here is a picture of him unpacking an Amazon delivery and preparing to read Run Among Thorns by Anna Louise Lucia and Honey Trap by Julie Cohen.



So, on to the movies part of my post. I've decided it's been WAY too long since I've done a contest of some sort, and I have a neat little prize to give away: a two-month guest pass to LoveFilm. This entitles you to sixty days free membership, whereupon you can have the movies, games and TV series of your choice delivered to your door absolutely free to enjoy at your leisure! (I use this service myself and we have saved sooo much money in late fees because with LoveFilm there are NONE!)

All you have to do is tell me your favourite childhood book (inspired by Little Frog) in the comment section. I'll draw a winner just before we leave for our holiday. Due to LoveFilm mailing restrictions, this prize is only available to residents of the UK and Channel Islands, but if you live outside these areas please do comment: I may bring a little something back from Cornwall for an international winner :)


Just finished reading: My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier

Cake Helps You Write

Question: How can we already be a week into February?!

It's been a time of great milestones for Little Frog lately. In the last fortnight he sprouted his first tooth, finally worked out how to sit up unaided, spent a trial day with his childminder (during which he went to a birthday party and was helped to play pass-the-parcel: be still my sniffy motherly heart), and then promptly sprouted his second tooth. How can this be when he was only recently a little pink wrinkly person who just knew how to sleep, poop, and cry??

And so to writerly things... I meant to post my February "To Do" list on the 1st, but got distracted by baby teeth and suchlike. So here it is:

1. Continue subbing my motherhood article. (Am still waiting to hear from the first magazine.)
2. Write chapters two and three of Truck of Luck.
3. Write another short story.
4. Update my website.

I finish my maternity leave next week and will be back to proofreading, but I am going to try my best to continue to meet my writing goals. I may need a couple of slices of Marks & Spencer's chocolate fudge cake to help me, but if that's what it takes then that's what I gotta do!


Just finished reading: One Night Stand by Julie Cohen