Decision made

Well, when I got home last night, my mum and I talked about these dratted ladybirds and a decision was made. Mum phoned the housing people who said they'd come at the end of Feb to inspect my bedroom window, and we believe that the insects will most likely still keep coming in in the meantime, so I know I'd be happier out of my bedroom whilst they still appear, and we decided that I'd move into mum's room and she would move into the spare room. But before she moves into the spare room, I have to decide which pocket dragons I do and don't want, so the ones I don't want (most of them I think) will be boxed up, the cabinet will be moved to elsewhere in the room, so mum can move her bed into there and a couple of bits of furniture with it. Then we will move my bed into her room as well as my bedside cabinet and one chest of drawers which has my daily clothes in. It will be strange sleeping in her room, being close to the traffic but I know that I will be a lot happier being in a room knowing that I won't be seeing any ladybirds in the morning and night. Let's hope that the housing chap that comes in Feb will decide that they can do something with my window this year, if it won't be for a year or 2 then I might have to find money to pay for a new window myself.

I am really pleased that I am now using organic products on my skin. I feel so good about my skin now although it's all trial and error now. I am currently using Essential Care stuff and both my mum and I have found that they are too drying. The facial stuff makes our faces a bit red and tight, and I have found the bodywash makes my skin very dry. I am using Barefoot Botanicals SOS body lotion and really like that, as it makes you feel as though you are pampering your body. I like their foot balm too, as that is the one that smells of grapefruit. I'm not sure about their hand cream as it smells a bit clinically. I like the Lavera Basis hand cream and also the Melissa Hand cream from Neal's Yard as they smell nicer. I will be trying BB SOS facial stuff then BB Rosa Fina facial and body products. I would like to go onto organic foods but found it hard to find them in Sainsbury's as the assistant told us that they are now mixed with the ordinary foods.

Writing - I haven't yet sent off my children's book to another publisher but prob will do next weekend. In the meantime, I am hard at work on my novella and still trying to find more than one publisher that might take it apart from the one I've seen in my writing magazine. I am on chapter 4 and really enjoying the story.

Must get on with some work now. See you soon.

British Rail and Ladybirds

That's a good combination of things. I, and most probably hundreds of other people, were fed up with BR on Monday. A little bit of fog and most of the network goes into meltdown. Within just under an hour, only 2 trains came that morning and because they were late, there were tons of people getting on them before me, so I had to wait in the cold for another one to come along, and wait and wait and wait. I waited about an hour then my friend and supervisor came along, who was surprised to see me there still. After thinking about it, we ended up going by car (hers - she'd parked nearby) to Nunhead and getting a train from Queen's Road Peckham. Thankfully one came just as we got there although we had to stand. I had left home say at 8.20am and got to work 2 hours later. British Rail, huh? A little bit of fog and they can't cope, I ask you.

Now ladybirds. There is a new variety from overseas that stink of wood when killed, and these have been appearing in my bedroom over the last 2 years. Last night and this morning was the climax, I tell you. I got home and found one and called my mum (I don't like killing insects as I'm afraid that they will land on me). Then when I went to bed, we found 3 more, before I would get into bed. Then this morning we found 6 more. We don't know where they are coming in from, although I believe there must be a nest of them somewhere outside for all those to appear like that. My mum is going to ring the housing people today to see when they are coming to renovate the house. They have a project of renovating all old flats and houses in our area by 2010. The flats have been done but not the houses. If it's not going to be for another year or so then we talked about moving my bed into the spare room, where my mum would sleep, and I would sleep in her bedroom for a few months until my room is clear and possibly having a new window put in (in the hope that it will solve the problem of the insects). I will know more when I get home today and speak to my mum. We shall see what happens.

Back to work now. Ho hum...

Contrasting worlds and food

Last Saturday I watched 2 tv programmes about food which I'd taped that week, and they highlighted to me the vast contrasts in what we eat to what other countries eat, especially very primitive countries. The first programme was about 4 junk food addicts who went to a primitive village in Pakistan to live for a month their way. The addicts had to eat natural food which was grown by the villagers, as well as the local yak, wash their clothes in the lake water and help labouring. Very primitive. They all lost weight at the end and I read that the youngest woman there has decided that she doesn't want to live in the UK anymore and is saving to go back there. This was in total contrast to the 2nd programme which highlighted how calorific foods in popular restaurants can be, one meal often exceeding adult and children's daily recommended limit of calories. Probably because they are full of salt, sugar and fat, all unnatural foods, unlike the first programme. It was really interesting to watch these programmes back to back.

Can you believe it? Last Friday my dad went shopping to a place he hasn't been for years, and on his way back to the mobility centre on the mobile scooter he'd borrowed, he heard a bang put his hand to his neck and found he was covered in blood. He was taken to the hospital where it was discovered that he'd been shot by an air gun/rifle. To cut a long story short, he had to go back to hospital yesterday to have it taken out but due to all the medications he's on they refused to do it. So my poor dad still has a long pellet/bullet in his neck with a huge bruise on it. I just hope that it doesn't move at all.

One thing I haven't got.

At the weekend, for a moment I thought I could have Candida but I haven't. My aunt who knows a bit about health issues said to my mum that Candida can be connected to raised cortisol and I thought this could be a possibility because Candida is yeast overgrowth and too much sugar can cause yeast problems in the body and I have a yeast intolerance. She mentioned a saliva test that I could do myself, which I did yesterday morning where you spit into a glass of water (not very nice I know) and if it drops to the bottom you're OK but if it stays at the top and grows you've got Candida. Mine went to the bottom so I was OK. I was both disappointed as it didn't give me an answer to my problems and glad that I haven't got Candida. But I've decided to try to cut down on sugar and try having fresh/frozen fruit on my porridge at the weekend. I am now waiting for an appointment to see my Endocrine consultant to see what he has to say about all this.

I managed to type up the amendments to my novella yesterday. Saturday I didn't do much apart from shopping when I bought a fleecy top and 2 jog tops from M&S and a nice top from Debenhams, then yesterday I was tired in the morning but managed to buy another top from Sainsbury's which shows off my figure quite nicely. In the afternoon I had a sleep which really refreshed me and I did the typing. Now I shall read what I've typed and maybe revise it a bit more before working on Chapter 2 of it.

Well, must get on with some work now.

Health and Writing News

I saw the dr yesterday and got a shock. My cortisol level had gone up even more than it was originally. The normal range should be between 600-700 but mine was over 1000. I am convinced that it was all the sugary foods over the break that caused my body to stress thus raising the cortisol levels. So, I have asked the dr to refer me to my Endocrine consultant here at Guy's in case it's to do with my hormones. In the meantime I am avoiding excess sugar as I am convinced it doesn't help me at all now. We shall see what happens.

I got another rejection from an agent this week so that leaves only one left to reply. I have in mind a publisher, whom I've been told are looking for teen novels and from their website encourage new writers to submit to them. So I will sort that out this weekend and post it out next week. I am still working on my novealla. I have recently read in my new writing magazine about a new publisher who are publishing novellas so might try them when it's finished. What I did like to read on their website was that the printers they use are through the Forest Council who replant timbers. Very green and recommended. One of the things that is persuading me to try them, as well as being new so they won't have many authors on their books.

Must get on with proper work now. Fashion shopping tomorrow and hope to try on some clothes with my shape in mind.

Queries out!

Queries have been sent out to agents now, and I've had one rejection already. That's life, I suppose. I think I might try publishers next if I get rejections from all 3 agents, or do both. Have been receiving conflicting advice. Some say agents, some say publishers and others say both. Maybe try all and see what happens.

Meantime I am working on the synopsis of the novella and novella itself. The epublisher I had in mind now says on their website they're closed to general submissions. So, I might see what they are up to when I've finished it and if they're still shut then try others, if they do novellas. We shall see.

Must get on with work. Only 6 min's to go now until home. Yay!

New year, new beginnings

Happy new year to anyone that reads this. Well, it's now a new year and I've decided that it will be new beginnings for me.
1. I have already mentioned that I am going organic and started to use all my new facial organic products last night. Too early to say if they suit me or not but so far no reactions. I do like the smell of the new foot balm I've got, it smells of grapefruit. I smell wonderful when I go to bed now. Grapefruit feet, strawberry lips, and other natural smells from hand creams, spritzers. I was hoping to go 100% organic but found that I can't as an important face cream I have to use daily contains mineral oil, which is another name for petroleum things. The rest of the time I am organic.
2. I had my blood test yesterday which wasn't too bad this time despite being very nervous before it. I am determined to reduce my stress levels and have already bought a yoga dvd for beginners. I have also bought a relaxation pulse roll-on to use which I will take to work with me and use there, as I can get quite stressed at times in the office.
3. I have started to clear out a lot of things that I don't want anymore, esp papers and magazines. But one major thing that I've collected for years and decided to sell most of is the pocket dragons. I have decided to enlist my brother's help in selling them on ebay. I will also at some time try to get rid of my old computer and keyboard either via charities or Freecycle. Will look into that next weekend I think.
4. Clothes - there is going to be a new me fashionwise, thanks to watching Gok Wan on How to look good naked and buying the book in sales. I now know which figure I have so know now what clothes to look for and suits my shape best. I tried on a wraparound top the other day and despite the low neck (I don't like showing my boobs) it suited me very well and made my body and arms look very slim, so that is what I will look for next weekend.
5. Writing - Bug has now been completed. The synopsis revised and I will be sending a query off this week to an agent, and 2 more next weekend. In the meantime, I will concentrate on revising the short stort I'd typed up before Christmas and working on the novella for epublishing.

Well, they are my new starts to 2008. I will let you know how each of them go.