Sometimes it just has to be American

I have lived in the UK for over 22 years now but in that time I have remained consistent in my longing for a top loading washing machine. The vast majority of UK washing machine are front loading. It makes sense as most are in the kitchen, under cabinets. But front loading means smaller. It also means leaks (I know I have been there -- one memorable occasion I managed to flood the utility room).  After the flooded utility room incident, I did buy a UK top loader...over the phone as the Internet was not that advanced. It duly arrived. A UK top loader is a slim line loader and the drum is turned on its side. It is not designed for heavy use. I wore out four drums before the warranty expired...So I went into my local John Lewis and had a long conversation with the staff where I learnt that all washing machines were not alike and that some are designed for light use. With three young children (at the time) and a husband who ran, I needed heavy duty. They did not stock an American top loader so I went with Miele. I had that Miele for 11 years, constantly on and running and never had to call out the washing repair man. This is opposed to becoming friends with the repair man over the other two washers... However over the last year, it was clear that my trusty machine was not working as well as it should. The time had come. My husband mentioned the top loader again as he always liked the washing machine at my mother's and the speed at which our laundry was done.
I was very pleased when I discovered John Lewis does sell American top loaders (the John Lewis Internet site is wonderful) and they sell Maytag. The Maytag advert about the lonely washing machine repair man has lived long in my memory. Maytag is a brand to trust.
Yesterday, it arrived. It is wonderful. It takes a much larger load than the old Miele. Laundry breeds in this house.
 The delivery man said that he hoped I knew how to use it as he didn't have a clue! Umm they are very simple to use.
My youngest took one look and proclaimed it American and large. It is ironic how pleased I am to FINALLY have the sort of washing machine I grew up with.
I hope it lasts and that the old advert was right...

Frustration

I am currently attempting to update my website. I think the new bits are there but I am not certain. The excerpt for The Viking's Captive Princess should be there. It should be. Can I see it? No. SIGH.

The builders have had to come back to redo the fireplace, having forgotten an important piece. This piece was most emphatically NOT my fault. I do not care whose fault it was. I just want a working fireplace in my living room...please.

Can I find the various bits of paper that I need to sign for my youngest and his ski trip? No. Do I even know when the highly important meeting is? No. People have been moving things on my desk...I know it. Hopefully Hardy has not eaten it. He is going through a paper chewing phase.

Tess has nearly recovered from her operation but still needs to be on the lead. Both Hardy and Tess object. Hardy keeps trying to chew Tess's lead as well as leaping in the air. This may to be to show Tess that he can...

And the revisions continue. Why are the problems so obvious once one's editor has pointed them out?

Lost and found

Six months ago as my cats were busy dying (and the puppies being born but I did not know that!), I lost an earring. Nothing in the great scheme of things but it was one of my favourites. The fact of it going missing somehow made the day seem even worse.
I looked and looked but could I find it? No. I came to the conclusion that it was gone forever. Forgot about it and got on with my life as searching for missing objects is not high on my priority list when other crisises are happening.
However, this morning as I was getting the dog food out of the shed, I looked on the path and there it was -- a bit scuffed but there. I then hurried upstairs to make sure that somehow the puppies had not brought down the one remaining earring. Nope, I now have a pair again.
Now I have swept that path over the intervening 6 months as have the children and my husband and nary a sign. So either it was in the feed store and got knocked out (how particularly as I cleaned the dumb thing out two months ago and nary a sign!) or there is a hole in the space-time continuum and things just reappear at random intervals. Personally I am inclined to the later as it explains a lot of things...

Making love in a canoe

Yesterday was Canada Day and I learnt from Margaret Moore that one definition of a Canadian is someone who has made love in a canoe. I had never heard that about Canadians before! And my mind boggled as canoes tend to be rather cramped affairs and inclined to tip if one is on the water and open to the elements. I assume the journalist who coined the phrase was speaking about the large canoes rather than the one man kayaks. And I wondered about bugs. Bugs, lakes and canoes tend to go together. But bugs and romance are not a natural combination. Maybe in a story where the bugs can be airbrushed out...
Any way, it is an interesting insight into Canadian life...or may be it is a vanished way of life and Canadians have become far more staid.
Hopefully all Canadians had a great time yesterday -- in and out of canoes.

I am busy with my wip -- moving scenes about as I woke up in the middle of the night and realised that it would be better if...so I am doing it.This book has been a strange one to write. But then hopefully the end product will be worth it. It is all about the experience that the reader gets rather than the journey that author takes to get there. And every scene must move the main story forward.

Hardy managed to get into my husband's study yesterday morning and decided that the pile of magazines were left for his pleasure, rather than magazines my husband intends to read at some point. It took several minutes BEFORE I realised why he was being good and quiet. The study took rather longer to clean up as it was extreme anti-womble behaviour. My husband's pile of reading material has now been pruned...

No puddles

This morning I woke up to -- no puddles. Both puppies were very good and waited until we went outside. Significant progress as I have spent the last few mornings cleaning the kitchen floor.

They are really growing rapidly and where once they could squeeze through gaps, they can no longer. Although, they have developed other habits...for example, one running off in one direction and the other deciding to go the opposite way after I have let the duck off the back lawn. Or my son ignoring my warning about flour monsters, and leaving the cupboard door open. No flour, but the puppies did investigate. I discovered Tess inside the cupboard...whereas Hardy had simply pulled a nearly empty bag of raisins out and was playing with on it the floor, enjoying the scrunching sound.

Luckily Hardy had not gotten into the raisins as raisins can cause renal failure in dogs IF they consume a large quantity. But hopefully my eldest will remember next time. Although he did think I was being paranoid. Uh no, there have been a number of cases. But all is well that ends well.

And the puppies have decided that they prefer dry dog food (Purina Beta) to wet Pedigree puppy food. Do not ask me why. They keep eating the biscuits and leaving the meat behind. Chile the Labrador is quite happy when he is given the bits of leftovers. Perhaps this is why he is being far more tolerant to Tess and Hardy.

Today, it is my talk to the Blyth writers' group. It should be fun.

My wip is coming on so I am pleased with it and I am trying to bleed on the page -- something I normally hate doing until revision time but this one calls for high emotion.

Done and off to my editor

My revisions are done. The manuscript is stronger. But I really believe in this story, so if my editor sees any more problems, I will fix them.



I now have a week to relax and think up new ideas before seeing my editor and sr editor for lunch on the 16th.



Some moments are made to be savoured.

You do not want to know what my house looks like...