Digging in.

Now that I am recovering from an exhausting week, I have finally managed to get back into the garden and have fun digging in the dirt. I managed to get some tomato seeds (though I ran out!) and bean seeds planted. I had been hoping to do this a few weeks ago (and put them under glass to keep up the heat) but the rain has been too steady, resulting in sodden earth; it is really not a good for the soil to dig it too much when it is wet.

With a sense of achievement, I returned to my current short story The Magic Lantern, finally putting the final scene on paper. I had 1000 more words to write. The Australian Writers’ marketplace online has a weekly writing race. This has been a good kick in the butt when I have been slack at writing. (It has been a bad month.) I had a very rough work in progress plot for the last scene. I just had to dig in and do the work.

As usual, I got a good start, then had to pause for a quick bit of research (I needed to know - buttons or cuff links for a middle class man’s shirt in 1880s?) I kept writing beyond the race deadline and managed a (very) rough first draft of 2000 words. This will definitely need a rewrite and edit. But, as so often I read, any words are better than none at this point.

After a long night of writing, I had a day off.  To let it settle. I had the bones and now it needed some time to flesh out and rewrite itself in my subconscious.  We had an appointment in the city.

As luck would have it, the Diggers shop was in the city Botanical Gardens. I needed more tomato seeds (heritage red fig and yellow beams pear – both small tomatoes, perfect for eating off the bush). I really don’t get to stroll around the Botanical Gardens enough. It was a peaceful and relaxing few hours with a ‘catch-up’ for lunch with a friend of ours. These are times I wish did not have to end.

Back home and I am exhausted physically but rejuvenated emotionally. The rain just started to bucket down (so I don’t have to keep the water up on those seeds), the home-time traffic was starting to pick up (I am thankful I am not in it) and my Dear Heart was making me dinner. All is right with the world.

Digging in.