Editing

Editing my stories is proving a struggle, and Pete also wants me to edit his - the short story I am hoping to include in my collection.  It would be fun if the Publisher accepts it, as with Bea's pic on the cover it will be a real family and friends affair.  Bur, as I have probably said, times are hard for small publishers. And so many others.

Poor Col spent the whole of Monday morning on the phone trying and trying to get a hospital appointment which he needs. I don't know how many different numbers he had to ring, and how many of those interminable phone waits he had before he actually got through, to someone who could help.  Then the phone ran out of charge!  Thankfully he had given the young lady his phone number and, bless her, she rang him back. And he now has his appointment.  But it was a titanic effort to find his way through the system and its delays to the person who could help.

If Col had a photo of an especially baffling maze I guess it would be appropriate as a pic to head this blog.  Actually, if I had ever had a best seller and a mansion of my own, I would have liked to plant a maze. Two mazes: a children's maze made of lavender, and a grown-ups one made of, well, not sure, but a good mixed hedgerow would be both lovely and ecologically sound. 

Once again, maybe, in the restored earthly paradise... who knows?  Could we ever get tired of gardening the earth - caring for the paradise, in perfect health and happiness - no aching backs?  Then we will be able to care for all the earthly creation properly.  It is all we can do to care for our balcony plants at the moment.

Anyway, I have found a lovely photo Col took of the lavender at Bailiffscourt, the year we managed to remember and celebrate our wedding anniversary.  We really ought to celebrate this year...  if we are equal to it.

It will be our Fiftieth.  Will we have 50 more, 500 more, to come?   If you are young, you will find it hard to believe how quickly 50 years goes by.  It is actually a very short time to have with the person you love.

I can understand now that the Thousand Years (spoken of in the Book of Revelation) will go by so quickly, and as they go by all the sadness and suffering of this present system of things on the earth will fade and be gone like a bad dream - never to return.

And before I go, I must mention how much time Col has also spent this week in helping me edit the stories for the book.  He will be in the acknowledgements, of course!

And he will be very glad to get back to his metal detecting tomorrow.

It is a wonderfully grey, rainy and windy morning here. II would write a stormy weather poem if I could, but my poetry writing days seem to have gone.  Which reminds me, I was pleased to see that the poet John Cooper Clarke is the guest in Dictionary Corner this week in Countdown.