What a mild day for the 1st of November! I've been up since about 9, had a few coffees, a shower, and then I sorted the logs. At this time of year here, the logs get delivered and are all piled up in the glade at the front of everyone's houses, and, since half nine, the chainsaws have not stopped. They're sawing the logs to smaller sizes and making their own great piles, and every time I look out the window, there's at least two men standing talking to each other and showing each other some peculiarity of their chainsaw.
My task has been, or rather is, because a new pile is forming, to collect the logs in a wheel barrow and bringing them around to the back of the house and stacking them in the corner of Little G's aviary. Then, Big C will split them and they'll be stored in the woodshed and hopefully last all winter (though the speed at which they burn makes me doubt this somewhat!). Finally, in dribs and drabs, they'll be moved again to stand next to the fire.
And that's this morning. This afternoon, well - I'm in a slightly awkward position. I haven't mentioned this before because I didn't think it would be an issue, but I have no word processor right now! We've needed a new laptop with Word and the like on it for a while, and ordered it at the end of last week. It should have arrived yesterday, but didn't, however we were sure it would arrive today. It seems, unfortunately, our confidence in the GPO was slightly misplaced. There's an outside chance it may arrive if it is coming with another courier, however as I was shifting the logs I saw two different couriers arrive, neither with my laptop.
So novel writing will be done the old fashioned way today! I remember when I was taking my A' Levels, I spent one hour of a three hour exam planning. Mostly, I was just thinking, jotting down a few notes and the like, and after the exam a few people asked me if I was alright and couldn't believe I'd "wasted an hour". As it happens, I came out of that exam with an A. So, as scary as it is, a day, one day, of planning with no real amount of words if any isn't going to screw anything up. In fact, it may be more beneficial. Obviously, I'd really rather have the laptop and get started, but I don't so I need to keep up productivity in another way. I can also write whatever I can write on either here or Gmail or something and keep track of the word count with an online tool and then transfer it when my laptop does arrive. It is, I'll be honest, a little frustrating, but it can't be helped.
Whatever the case, you can see my first morning of November has been productive, and I'll just have to be slightly more inventive to continue this for NaNoWriMo!
Sorry if you saw that last comment I deleted - my work computer is mucking up and moving slowly so I posted in the wrong spot!
ReplyDeleteWhat I meant to say was that I really enjoy reading posts like this because its so foreign to me.
Apart from the fact im coming into Summer now, here in winter (Sydney, Australia), you don't even often need a heater in winter let alone a wood fire. Sounds lovely sitting by the fire (apart from the log cutting!)
No worries - I've done that before. I've "lost" many a comment leaving them on the wrong blog!
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, it is nice with the fire on at the time of year. Bringing the logs in, though.... :s Need to get to it, actually. Today is day 2 of bringing in the pile. Hoping it will be done by lunch, but at the rate I'm going (ie congratulating myself for getting up on time by cominig online and achieving nothing!) it might take a little longer!