Well…things have been busy for me the past few weeks, that’s for sure. When I got back from Scotland, the full force of London living hit me in the face. Which is saying 
something, because before I went away, life was a bit boring and uninspiring. Now, I hardly have any time to write and have to work to find a slot where I can squeeze in ten minutes of writing.
Other people are distracting – not their fault, because I like being distracted by lovely people – but I feel more and more as if I’ve got some sort of blockage. It’s true that when you’re a writer, you have to book proper slots for writing, it can’t really be sporadic. The difficult part is sitting down and actually getting things flowing. I don’t want this to become something I give up before I’ve even started!
I’ve enrolled on an Open University Creative Writing course. It will probably count towards a Diploma in Literature and Creative Writing – I have to choose one more course next September. This course is 9 months long and starts on Monday.
I’m really looking forward to it – it’s different to the 10 weeks course I’ve done as it’s more in depth, is assessed, and is probably more intense. I felt as though this summer was baby steps towards opening myself up to writing again. I’m hoping this course will help me bloom, give me motivation and keep me writing.
This month – September – has been an interesting month. I’ve been to see Dirty 
Dancing on Stage – fantastic, and definitely worth seeing even it’s only once in your life. My sister and I are sorting out our jewellery business and are hoping to start putting things on Etsy soon. So don’t be surprised if I start talking about the joy of jewellery sometime!
I’ve also discovered Red Velvet cupcakes. I had no idea what they were til afterwards, and they were wonderfully scrumptious. They’re rich chocolate cupcakes usually with a cream cheese buttercream. I’ve been to Ella’s Cupcakes a grand total of two times this month in Covent Garden. I also tried their Peanut Butter Cupcake, lovely but I still kind of prefer the ones I make! 
Last weekend we all upped and left for Norfolk for the weekend – for two days of pubs, the broads and almost deserted beaches. The weather was wonderful – sunny 
and fresh, not too hot and not too cold. We had to take Georgina with us because when I arrived home from Scotland her fur was matted and she started ripping it out, wouldn’t let us touch her to brush it or anything. I think because she’s getting old, it’s harder for her to groom but she doesn’t like it much when we try to help!
So she had to be sent to the vet, the poor thing, and was partly shaved where the lumps of matted fur were. She was prescribed with antibiotics and so we had to take her with us. Fortunately, since my parents didn’t want to camp this year, we had rented a flat at the campsite and it was okay to let her loose for a bit.
Her behaviour was comical – she kept wandering about, sniffing, looking bewildered and confused. She slept the night with the man and I in our room but she kept moving about so I had a bit of trouble sleeping. Then she kept wanting to go outside 
and stared out of the french doors, waiting. Whenever anyone approached, she looked up and meowed, which was met with a resounding ‘No!’ and she looked so upset, oh dear. Never mind, she’s home now and is okay. The three hour ride home was very strange – she was so anxious that I had to open the cat box and stroke her until she settled down again.
The results of her blood test show that she has an underactive thyroid, so is going on tablets for a bit. If it doesn’t work, she may have to have an operation, but hopefully it won’t come to that. They are all old now – Q and G are 16 and Flossie must be about 14 or 15. They all give us a lot to worry about at the moment, but hopefully they’ll be with us for a while yet.
So, it’s been a strange summer for me, and one of different contrasts. On one hand, I’ve had the freedom to write, but a lack of inspiration. I’ve been trying to change my life and shake things up a bit. I’m glad to be home, but only time will tell – I need to get a job, keep the writing up, and try to enjoy life a bit more.
