Feeding the soul

A scene from 'Dreaming Our Woods'

I don't have much of a daily routine, because my work is different each day; I rise and retire at varying times, depending on what the day promises; and I eat when I'm hungry, not at set times. However, even I'm feeling out of kilter at the moment. The 'Dreaming Our Woods' performances were wonderful, although I say it as shouldn't, but the post-show comedown has been bleak. What on earth am I going to do with myself now it's all over?

Well, one thing I've done today is to attend 'Continuum', the last event of the Our Woods festival, postponed from March when storm Doris was in town, so once again I found myself in the Corby woods thinking, 'I've never done this before!' A fabulous walk led by artists Carol Miles and Jo Dacome found me lying on my back looking at the tree canopy through a mirror-prism device to mesmerising kaleidoscopic effect; and making a show of human bluebells with sheets of Perspex. All great fun.

They say that if you want to be creative you should mix with other creative types, and I've certainly been doing that recently. Early fruits include a short story in the current issue of Ireland's Own magazine.

I really must get back to normal, though - or as normal as I ever am. This week I shall get more exercise, eat better and, as a result, I hope, sleep better. So much to do, so little time.

Just a quick word

I'm still up to my neck in stuff, but I wanted to drop you all a quick line in case I disappear again.

I sent a book submission to a publisher last week and was pleased to get a reply almost straight away; so often submissions seem simply to disappear into the ether. It wasn't good news insofar as my book wasn't what they were looking for. However, they did offer me the chance to join their team of freelance editors. Result!

Elsewhere, I have had a story accepted by Ireland's Own, which is pleasing.

It has been KettFest this weekend, the appalling name for a burgeoning arts festival here in Kettering (and if you don't know where that is, ask Lindsay Lohan). I bumped into a local author who has recently launched a small publishing company and we are going to get together to talk about future projects. Watch this space.

Naturally, one of the venues for events was our lovely independent bookshop Not Just Words. The shop is on the first floor of a  little complex of outlets and the risers on the stairs have been painted (by customers) to look like book spines. My picture doesn't do them justice, but aren't they lovely?