Friday 20 March 2009

For a trip that went well that went badly

Well - that was a week:

Highs and less highs ...

A tale of two halves ...

Life's rich tapestry twining in its merry way

HIGHS
Loved the Chateau - decor - log fire
Accommodation
Saff
Activities
Food
Room
Grounds - beautiful in the golden sunlight and amber pink sunsets etc
The forty-odd were superb company who tried hard to use every word of French they'd learned in all the right places


LESS THAN HIGH
We travelled with Patient X and her stomach bug - sick as ...
Tuesday one patient
Wednesday four more sick
Thursday nine ill including me
14 (15 including the 'hysterically ill' attention seeker who didn't want to miss out
on all the fun!) (I still say that my use of the word is justified!)
each soundly and profoundly ill for 24 hours each

TWO HALVES
I remember uttering the phrase: 'This is the best day I have ever experienced on a school journey - ever!' on Wednesday
This was, of course, followed by Thursday - see above - being sick combined with caring for the sick when you're only the second sickest member of staff and the one with ' in charge' on the forms .
Oh! The guilt of going to bed Thursday evening knowing that two were still actively .... and four were sleeping off the affects of .... being sick - but being so ill that you've moved to camp next
to the radiator on the floor in the corner of your room so you can be warm and sleep.
Friday - no-one was ill from Chateau to ferry to home - bliss!

LIFE'S RICH TAPESTRY
Got 'The Host' for Valentine's Day this year - it's is truly amazing how accurate your partner can be when you have explained carefully to anyone who will listen what you really want to have bought for your present.
Well Wednesday I knew I was going to caves - been to caves full of salactites etc before - no big deal - however, I'd been there half a minute when I realise that thing I don't really remember reading is about caves in France that had inspired the setting for The Host - suddenly my Wednesday and the caves went from vaugely interesting to 'well badly'~~!
The images in my head of the 'rooms' escalated in the light of these caves and the way of life sustained in times of danger! Enough waxing lyrical - the kids dragged me out eventually with me still 'yeah but .. yeah but ... just imagining!'

DUNE ROAMING - DONE READING
Measles and the Mallockee - Ian Ogilvy
The boy in the striped pyjamas - I swear we had at least two Brunos away with us - John Boyne
Shakespeare - Bill Bryson
The talk of the town - Ardal O'Hanlon

I ran out of books at this point - thanks to Will for providing the side step into Sci-fi
Prador Moon Neal Asher

STILL WRITING - not 32,000 words so much as 32 - made major decisions though:
putting back the bit I'd cut - it's not just about the central romance - give the bit players their side step into humour and real life - it can always be cut by some 'insightful' (heartless) Literary Agent/Editor later.
I have saved from the rubbish bin a few thousand words - which is similar to writing them again
Then I figured out how to link between chapters 3/4/5 including shuffling the chapter order - so flexible I'm positivey bendy!!! (Yes - deliberate in joke only one other person can share - the best kind I find!)

Sleep next - tomorrow is Saturday and that is writing day!

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