It's not often you hear complaints about giraffes.

So, another weekend done and dusted; it was quite a good one though I was crippled with fear for some of it, worried about the amount of work that I'm meant to be handing in. Still, I managed to finish my feature on friendship off, the first one that I'm actually positive about handing in. But not started with the novel yet. Was meant to be handing in four chapters tomorrow but that's never going to happen. I got myself in a bit if a state about it on Saturday to the point that I had to have a bit of a lie down to stop thinking about it. So, I've decided that the reason I haven't been able to get into the writing of it yet is because I haven't yet done the preliminary work around it. So yesterday and today I was working on the main premise and also the synopsis which has made me feel a lot more confident and happy about what I'm doing. It's kind of good actually, because I recognised from times before that I was suffering from writer's block and remembered that I got through it before so I can do it again. So tonight I'm going to make sure I have my synopsis completely tightened, a structure for at least the first four chapters and then I can go to bed happy. I'll still have to tell Derrek I haven't done the four chapters in the morning but never mind. It's in my own best interests to get it done and I will when I'm ready. The first 10,000 words I handed in were awful and a waste of time because I didn't really know what I was doing and I don't want that to happen again.

Anyway, steering off the subject of work; yesterday I went round to my friends David and Toni's for a Sunday lunch. Toni is a fantastic cook and made the best roast chicken I have had outside of my Nan's house. I went with Jenny and we had a really nice afternoon. Their daughter, who's three, was so sweet. When we arrived we asked how her weekend was. She had been out for the day in the rain with David and replied with, 'It's miserable out there. Bloody raining.' It was so cute. Then later, she was telling her stuffed (not taxidermy style) giraffe off saying, 'He's not even walking properlay. He has to crawl.' I didn't know how to reply to that. It's not often you hear complaints about giraffes so I just said, 'Oh no. Is he okay?' And then she wandered off chattering to herself.

It's kind of funny how advanced children are at three. I always thought that kids couldn't speak at that age, that they were just bigger babies. With hair styles. But how wrong I was. Or maybe David's daughter is an exception to this rule. I don't know since I can't remember being three myself.

Anyway, I'm off to have a drink with Jen and Joe and then home to dive into the novel.

Hurrah!

xx