Okay, this is a first; I started the new book Zero Point on 16th April. This is a first because I have never before actually recorded when I’ve started a book, only when I’ve written the last line. 3500 words done thus far (yeah, I know, but I had holes to dig in the garden, seeds to plant, walls to scrape off and repaint etc) and, all being well, I’ll soon be getting on with my 2,000 words a day five days a week.
Other stuff to occupy my mind: planting a pomegranate tree, obtaining a big plastic container and burying it in the garden for the grey water, and translating a leaflet detailing a garden health plan here. The last comes from a guy who sold me pomegranate trees in Sitia. The simple exercise of going to him and buying four trees (some for friends) at a price I already knew, took half an hour whilst he told me everything I must do to plant them and look after them. He then had to detail stuff about a further two plants I bought – a cucumber and a melon. I have to wonder how he makes any money when an explanation for two simple plants at a total of 90 cents rambled on for ten minutes. Later he caught Caroline and I walking back to our car, and gave further explanations, along with the leaflet. You gotta love this place.
It’s nice to note that the banana tree I planted last year, which was a brown dead looking mass when we came back, is now throwing out new leaves. Also, in the same part of the garden, an avocado tree (about four inches high) has survived. This last comes from a meal of avocado and prawns eaten about two years ago – the pits shoved in a pot outside.
So, all the planes across Europe have been grounded for about a week. I didn’t realise until I saw the location of the volcano on a map just how close the thing is to Britain. Some people are stranded here too, though sitting in the sunshine drinking beer as they await notification of their flights. I don’t have any memory of this sort of thing happening in my lifetime and wonder what other effects there will be. Certainly, the European economy doesn’t need this right now, but what about the weather? I guess we can all be assured that the global warmers will have something on which to blame this coming year’s cold.
We walked to a place called Etia a couple of days ago. This is an old Cretan village containing a restored Venetian villa (and a taverna). People who buy houses there can restore them, but only to the period of the place, though I suspect that doesn’t mean mud roofs and no electricity. We had a nice meal in the taverna, with a couple of beers, then walked back, picking wild gladioli and flowering broom (shit, there went my street cred).
Still no joy with the Internet. I’ve put my name forward as one of the hundred required to get broadband up here. The woman, Marita, who I said could put my name down, tells me that we only need to find about 90 more...
12 comments:
can't wait for the exciting denouement where you take out your machete in the dense jungle of your backyard, hack your way into the heart of the shrubbery, and find the ghoulprawn's death creche. this is gonna be a hell of a ride.
Do you actually have a 100 houses locally ?
Your best bet is going to be WiFi Max.
I want some of the plants Vaude's been eating!
hehehe - I think he's been smoking flute grass again.
Although I am waiting for Neal to clear some of the garden and find a small sphere - the surface of which seems to move/ripple when he touches it..... suddenly he doesn't need broadband any more as he can access the internet just by thinking about it.
The screens of his blog readers erupt as strands of fibrous vine reach out to engulf.... hmmm, calm down Graeme
you throw anything in the backyard and it grows right?
throw some discarded cell phones, dsl jacks, and a dish with LAN written on the back in there and see what happens.
Good luck with the novel Neal, 2,000 words a day, oh I wish I could! I just began an SF story about a mission to Pluto- a bit ambitious for a short story but not sure I have the kahunas to do a novel!
Larry
You regret the things you don't do, not the things you do, do. You can't buy back time, so the time is now. You don't need balls, just start pressing the lettered keys. 2000 words a day is relatively easy... making them all connect together is slightly harder. I have found it’s the re-reading and writing that’s difficult. Dropping in notes to self and elucidating them.
In my humble opinion, it is far more difficult to convey a message succinctly with as few words as possible than it is to write shitloads.
A good exercise is to write to your local paper, about an issue close to your heart. Write everything you want to say, then shrink it to 200 words or less and still maintain the point and the punch. There are one hundred and forty eight words here and it took five minutes to write.
Graeme,the trouble with writing or any creative exercise is it requires the right environment in which to work. At the moment my time is taken up with two young kids and I have little me time. I did write a short horror story a while back and am working on another.
Pleaae note that above post with the line of dots after it (…………) is spam! I've seen a few of them about, all linking to japanese porn sites!
I always delete them when I see them, Larry.
I think there might be a Jain tech sphere in one of those slabs I just made...
As for writing ... I think Gary Gibson said he always tells people not to do it, in the sure knowledge that the real writers will ignore him completely.
You remebrance the things you don't do, not the things you do, conclude. You can't buy guide time, thence the circumstance is seeing. You don't craving balls, correct rear viperous the with it keys. 2000 speech a season is relatively plain sailing... creation them plenary adhere responsible is slightly harder. I deem produce it’s the re-reading again writing that’s hard. Dropping string notes to self also elucidating them.
In my obsequious opinion, irrefutable is broad further unyielding to pipe a knowledge succinctly cache due to few speaking through doable than stable is to knock out shitloads.
A well-suited exertion is to write to your essential paper, about an come earn to your focal point. letter existent you crave to say, so cower substantive to 200 speech or less again stormless stay on the speck again the extortion. crackerjack are individual hundred further forty eight utterance here besides essential took five register to write down.
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