Too early

It’s 5 a.m. which is far too early for a Sue to be awake. The thing is…I woke at 4.40 for the loo and then couldn’t get back to sleep because my screenplay was twirling around in my head.

When the children were young I can remember being exhausted by 8 in the evening, ready for bed, but not wanting to go to bed because the next thing I knew I’d be waking up with the children, and the day would start all over again and I’d have had no time at all for myself. Relentless is a word that comes to mind when I think about looking after small children day-after-day.

Last night I was tired earlier than bedtime but I didn’t mind sloping off, because I knew that when I woke up there’d be peace and quiet and I’d have my writing brain recharged. And here I am! I finished the first draft of episode one yesterday and I’m starting on episode two. There are not many things more wonderful that writing when it’s going well.

In the meantime, I know you guys like photographs of where I live, and here’s one that my friend Liz  (Happy Birthday week, Liz!) took in August. I love this photo. It’s a picture of the gate down the road that Dave and I always lean on  and think of Isaac and family way out west, and wonder what they are doing.

The gate makes an appearance in Plotting for Grown-ups.

Richard came to tea and afterwards we sauntered to the end of Goose Lane to look at the sunset. We leaned on the gate and looked at the sky and I said, “I wonder what Daniel is doing right now, in Denver, this very minute.”

“There’s no telling,” said Richard, being someone with no imagination. He’s like the man in the Thurber cartoon who doesn’t know anything except facts.

“Well, you make the conversation,” I said.

“I listened to a podcast while I was walking Pippa’s dogs this morning,” he said. “Melvyn Bragg on In Our Time. There was a fascinating discussion about the development of the scarf joint.”

“No, talk about something else.”

“OK. I’ve been making a list of potential income streams to boost my pension, and I think the one to crack is pet embalming. A cheap stuffing service would go down really well.”

And now – to work/play. Well, anyway, to write…