Well, hello there Friday and an extra big hello to August. I am thrilled that we have finally entered the last month of winter. I am really not very keen on the cold at all. Summer is a much friendlier and happier time of year. The evenings stay lighter longer, the sun is already up when the alarm clock sounds, you don't have to smother your body with clothes and you can open the windows to let the horrible smells out of the house! The fact that summer also coincides with 6 weeks of holidays certainly doesn't hurt either. Now don't go thinking that I love summer because I like to get outside and spend time in the sun. That would be stupid. My skin has only a couple of shades...lily white, lobster red and peeling. Tanning is something that happens completely by accident, if at all, and usually rather erratically depending on my attire. Several years ago I was teaching physical education and spent my days in the sun wearing 3/4 track pants. I ended up with a very attractive lower shin/calf/ankle tan that looked awesome with shorts. I actually have a deep aversion to tanning. Given the prevalence of skin cancer in Australia, and having known people who have not survived the condition, I avoid spending time in the sun and follow the SunSmart guidelines to the letter. I'm also rather diligent about teaching my students the importance of protecting their skin now rather than having to deal with the consequences later.
Suffice to say that, over winter, I've not been exposing skin to sunshine because of the cold, which means that I'll be heading into the UK autumn looking like a little Aussie snowperson.
UK Holiday
49 days today. That's only 7 weeks! I am pretty much organised I think, just the spending money situation to attend to now, so I'm saving furiously. I'm still rather terrified about spending several days in London and worry that I will just hide in my hotel at night because I lack the confidence to go anywhere. I'd love to go to English pubs or shows or something, but I'm just not an 'alone' type personality when it comes to doing stuff like that. I don't even like going into pubs in Australia by myself where I know where I'm going. Pathetic, I know, but not a habit I'll be breaking any time soon.
The New Addiction of the TitleI have finally succumbed to the temptations of Merlin and the very gorgeous Colin Morgan and Bradley James. I blame the very corruptive influences of my inspirational writing buddies... Millionstar and +swivelsister42. I have already been lured into the fanfic Merthur world, which sits ever so sweetly alongside my Belldom writing and reading habits. It probably won't be long before I'm tempted to churn out a Merthur fic, but I'm not quite ready to fall down that path just yet. I'm still in the 'getting to know them' stage of my obsessive relationship.
Having said that, the fantasy Merlin world would be a perfect training ground for my personal novel project which will most definitely be of that genre, so perhaps I should indulge sooner rather than later. Watch this space.
A New Follower on Twitter
Now, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this, but my 17 year old son has decided to join Twitter. I have no idea why, and I'm rather concerned that he's chosen to follow me. I can't see that lasting very long given that I am prone to spamming Muse pics on a regular basis and he is not all that enthusiastic about them. There are some songs that he has time for, but I don't think he could cope with my adolescent fan-girling tendencies.
Shedding Kilos
Rather bravely, I have challenged my sister to a weight loss challenge. She has been spouting off about the latest fad diet product that works wonders and whips extra kilos off in record time. I've never been a fan of fads and consider them dangerous and ineffective in the long term. My problem is not the lack of a fancy gimmick product. It is purely that I lack motivation. So, the challenge... See who can lose the most weight over a 30 day period. She is going to use her fad, I'm going to eat healthy and exercise. What she doesn't seem to get, is that even if I lose, I still win. My goal is to be rid of unwanted kilos. I am happy to forgo bragging rights if this little exercise takes me in a healthier lifestyle direction. So, publicly putting this out there...84.5kg. Updates will happen on Fridays along with the blog.
That's all for tonight people. There is writing to be done and Merlin to be watched. Talk to you next week. x
