Stress, SCBWI, Songs and Sheep

Life in my little niche of Cornwall has been very stressful this past week or so, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. On Sunday we depart 20 miles south to Looe to do our annual Family Bible Week. I am heading up the 8-11 year old tent (with 40 kids in it!!). As well as helping to run the morning kids work I am puppeteering all week, which means six songs! I will have shoulders to rival olympic swimmers by the end of the week.

We are staying with dear friends of ours in Liskeard, so we will be having decent sleep (no ravaged tents for me this year) and good company! I also plan to take my little notepad and write virtually every evening (except maybe when we go and see Ice Age 3 with the kids!) Although Bible Week is hard work I do enjoy it and so do all the kids so it will be worth it.

On a different note I finally joined the SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) yesterday. It was a promised Mother's Day present and I have finally got round to doing it. I am really keen to go to the conference in November but a bit nervous about travelling to Winchester on my own and need to find £170!! However it looks FAB so I am saving all my pennies and seeing what possessions I can sell on ebay! Off now to write up song words for puppeteers such as "I just wanna be a sheep...baa, baa, baa-ba-ba" - Great song but don't ask.

Highs and Lows

I apologise for my terrible blogging at the moment. This past couple of weeks has been a series of highs and lows and it has meant that I have been through the emotional spectrum and had little time for blogging.


However here I am to share the highs and lows of early July!!

• High - Claire P has got a contract with an agent for 'Digging for Victoria' - FAB News


• High - Kat W has finished her first draft of her novel - well done mate


• High - Got the OK to organise Cornwall's first Children's Literary festival in February


• High - In connection with that, Helen Dunmore has expressed interest in being involved!!!


• High - My niece turned seven on Saturday and we had a lovely party despite the weather.


• High - Both my kids got great school reports

And now for the Lows

• 
  Low - Took my wonderful 7 year old son to see the Cleft team at The Royal Cornwall Hospital. Have been told he will need bone graft surgery in about 18 months time. He was born with a cleft lip and gum (see piccy above) and had his lip repaired at 10 days old. Since then we have put other surgery to the back of our minds, but as he now approaches 8 years old and more adult teeth are coming through, the time has come. He has to have a brace fitted first to widen the arch before they take the bone from his shin and graft it into his gum. Three days in Frenchay Hospital in Bristol! Sob!


• Low - Done diddly on my novel for two weeks


• Low - Stressed to eyeballs with work, delivering stuff and getting everything done for my schools before the end of term


• Low - Chicken problems -red mite infestation in chicken house. Chickens fighting and not getting on, one has gone broody and two have now stopped laying!


• Low - Point when I felt that I am wasting my time as I am probably not talented enough to even get my book finished, let alone read by an agent or a publisher!
  So there we are...strange fortnight. I am quite stressed about my boy, although it is all at least eighteen months away as I had almost convinced myself he would not need it. Deep breath and big sigh. Hope to be sunnier than the weather soon!