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The good morning, good night thread

Started by Ed, October 22, 2007, 03:49:05 AM

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Geoff_N

I've just returned from a holiday in the Maltese islands. Lovely warm weather and the sunset light on the mellow yellow limestone is surreal. There's photos in my blog today.

I was there on Gozo and Malta two years ago and thinking of hiring a bike for this time. What put me off was the maniacal drivers. They are lovely laid back people until behind a wheel. Arriva have taken over the buses and have those bendy buses for many routes. The driver yells at those standing to move back to the rear section but you'd only do that if you like being hurled to the floor when it lurches around corners at 60. Quite exciting on the one hand but I can't see cyclists surviving a glancing blow. Of course you couild cycle off road. On Gozo that means not cycling on the main roads. All those are smoothly finished thanks to European funding but the smaller lanes are just like off-road tracks in our hills. I was shamed though cos there were families on bikes (2) and lycra-clad carbon-fibre cyclists (4) so perhaps next time after I get an all-round airbag.

delboy

After several years of umming and ahhing I've finally got a new laptop.  :cheers: Windows 8 has got to be the worst operating system ever  :bangh: but at least the laptop boots up in minutes rather than hours and I don't have to wait ages for every page to load  :cheers: Now starts the long task of getting all the applications that I need loaded, transferring ten years of files across, having a good clearout etc etc. Microsoft already refuses to accept the Serial Key of my old legit version of MS Office so that could get interesting after 30 days, but all in all I think it's going to be good.

In other news I've signed up for some guitar lessons and have sent in an initial video for assessment:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJFcZL1dh2g

and in a few weeks I'm off to New York City for a short break :dance:

All in all, a good week.

Kind regards
Derek
"If you want to write, write it. That's the first rule. And send it in, and send it in to someone who can publish it or get it published. Don't send it to me. Don't show it to your spouse, or your significant other, or your parents, or somebody. They're not going to publish it."

Robert B. Parker

Ed

Congrats on getting the new lappy, Del. Know what you mean about windows 8, though -- I'm dreading mine ever going wrong, because I can't find my way around my son's laptop. I find it utterly confusing and nonsensical.  :idiot:

Have fun in New York :afro:

Me -- I'm still flat out busy. Will be staying away from home all next week, which isn't so great. You can only eat so much restaurant food before you yearn for ordinary fare, and beer every night isn't good for the waistline or the liver.

It's been hard work, but it is quite rewarding. I've actually had to get somebody else on to deal with some of the admin bits and bobs, and a book keeper, because Mrs Ed wasn't coping with the extra paperwork. Not sure what the rest of the year has in store -- my guess is it will be manic.
Planning is an unnatural process - it is much more fun to do something.  The nicest thing about not planning is that failure comes as a complete surprise, rather than being preceded by a period of worry and depression. [Sir John Harvey-Jones]

delboy

This morning I took the opportunity to head out for a few hours on the motorcycle. We followed some beautiful roads, snuck over the border into Wales, tracked the beautiful River Wye and ended up at Tintern Abbey: http://www.castlewales.com/tintern.html. It was a great morning. Used to to do this a lot and have got out of the habit. It was a great reminder of what life is about!
"If you want to write, write it. That's the first rule. And send it in, and send it in to someone who can publish it or get it published. Don't send it to me. Don't show it to your spouse, or your significant other, or your parents, or somebody. They're not going to publish it."

Robert B. Parker

Geoff_N

I can't resist mentioning that Tintern Abbey features in my Hot Air thriler - only available on ebook now
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hot-Air-ebook/dp/B0084OZL9E/
Less than £2 - also on Amazon.com
I have a hot air balloon crashing onto the abbey after they were shot at by villains trying to stop them reporting the villainy they saw from the balloon when over Bath. Loved writing that book. I had to go to Mallorca for the research - wife not happy cos she had to stay here for work. I was arrested on the island for trespass. Haha. If you like adventurous thrillers with authentic settings and a feisty woman MC - just click above to see her picture - then grab a copy quick!

marc_chagall

Great to see the Tintern pics, but Geoff, you're shameless! I wouldn't dream of mentioning that Tintern Abbey doesn't appear in my novel Serpentine, though Durham Cathedral does. Available from http://www.circaidygregory.co.uk/serpentine.htm Other books may also available; terms and conditions apply.  :azn:

Geoff_N

ha ha. Yes, I'm shameless these days. I used to be such a shy man before this writing lark grabbed me by the bicycle bells. And I wouldn't then have dreamed of mentioning that Chester Zoo features in ARIA: Left Luggage with the appropriate excerpt at
http://www.ll-publications.com/leftluggage.html
T&C? LOL

Ed

Well, it's official -- Britain does not have talent :cheers: The show was won by a bunch of Hungarians putting on a show of British patriotism. You've got to laugh, haven't you?

Their previous performance was very cleverly done, had the judges in tears and I thought they had a strong chance of winning, but I thought there was no way for the Hungarians to overcome the fact that they weren't British and were playing to an audience made up largely of Sun readers, UKIP and BNP voters. Then their act began with Land of Hope and Glory playing with a union flag in the background, then they evoked Churchill, Britain's finest hour, the queen's coronation, etc. I turned to my wife saying, "Wow, that's cynical -- surely the British public won't fall for that old chestnut."

We really are a nation of lager swilling morons, aren't we? :grin:
Planning is an unnatural process - it is much more fun to do something.  The nicest thing about not planning is that failure comes as a complete surprise, rather than being preceded by a period of worry and depression. [Sir John Harvey-Jones]

Rev. Austin

I was watching it with my best mate and she turned to me and said "I'm not entirely sure why, but this is making me feel ill". I said it's the unbridled jingoism, added to the fact it's some foreigners (oh man I'm starting to sound racist) shoving it down out throats, is enough to make anyone queasy. Unless you're a typical BGT viewer, evidently. It did make me wonder about the rules - I thought anyone of any ethnicity etc could enter as long as they were a UK citizen, as that's the point of the 'Britain'...? Obviously not. What a funny old world!
facebook.com/waynegoodchildishaunted
Stay in touch! I don't mean that in a pervy way.

Geoff_N


desertwomble

http://chaucers-uncle.weebly.com/

www.paulfreeman.weebly.com
 
Read my most recent winning Global Short Story Competition entry:
http://www.inscribemedia.co.uk/assets/october-ebook.pdf

Ed

Earthlings Got Talent -- it's got a ring to it :afro:
Planning is an unnatural process - it is much more fun to do something.  The nicest thing about not planning is that failure comes as a complete surprise, rather than being preceded by a period of worry and depression. [Sir John Harvey-Jones]

Rev. Austin

In a bid to rekindle my former writing discipline, I've been re-editing a cyclical novel I sent out aaaggggeess ago and got nice feedback on but no takers, with a mind to target some specific publishers again. Maybe it didn't do well enough before because of the lack of bikes in it. BOOM BOOM  :cheesy: :bangh: ::)
facebook.com/waynegoodchildishaunted
Stay in touch! I don't mean that in a pervy way.

delboy

Just like to say I've had a bit of a tour of the interweb thingy and there's no place like the Café Doom when it's thriving! We need to reinvigorate this place  :dance:
"If you want to write, write it. That's the first rule. And send it in, and send it in to someone who can publish it or get it published. Don't send it to me. Don't show it to your spouse, or your significant other, or your parents, or somebody. They're not going to publish it."

Robert B. Parker

Ed

Nothing reinvigorates like a competition, but I still have the same problem as before -- no time to run it/manage it. If somebody else has the time I would be happy to put up some prize money.
Planning is an unnatural process - it is much more fun to do something.  The nicest thing about not planning is that failure comes as a complete surprise, rather than being preceded by a period of worry and depression. [Sir John Harvey-Jones]