A day spent in Leeds beckons

I was still working at 9.45 last night (so much for semi retirement).

I recently started working as a tutor for the Writers Bureau. Because the procedures are all new, it takes me quite a while to mark each script. I’m sure I’ll speed up given time but when you start something new, it’s important to try and get things right. I’m not in it for the money. The truth is, I always wanted to teach. I applied to teachers training college when I left school and was accepted by one of the best in the country (Borough Road). I was also accepted by London University.

I didn’t take up either place. Instead I took a series of not very good jobs. Why is too complicated to explain here, but, as you might guess, it had a lot to do with my parents. It wasn’t until I was in my forties that I even thought about writing. I casually mentioned the idea one day and my husband immediately encouraged me to sign up for, you guessed it, a Writers Bureau course. So now things have come full circle. I’m not teaching natural science of English as I’d hoped, but writing instead.

Yesterday I sold my music separates on eBay to this very nice man who turned out to be heavily into music. I shamelessly picked his brain over what system I should get. I’d bought a cheap and cheerful compact system but longed for something better. He recommended a Bose Wave. They are expensive with a capital E but for sound quality, he reckoned they were the bees knees. So, I’m going to get one. I’m actually going to spend something like a thousand pounds on a music system. Even typing that sounds daunting especially when the man also recommended getting an iPod too!

 My whole life I’ve got by on second had and second best, cheep and not so cheerful. It’s going to take time and effort to change that but I’m determined to have a go.  

Music has always been one of my biggest loves. I was musically gifted at school and was sent to music college to develop my talent. Sadly I wasn’t allowed to practise at home and after a year, I stopped going to college, playing the clarinet, the recorder, the piano…. Sadly, I can’t play anything anymore. It’s been too long, but I still love music and I love to sing. Once life has settled down a bit, I must try and ferret out some kind of choir and make an effort to go to it. Right now, I’m sticking with one day at a time. If I even try to think ahead, my mind goes into freefall. One step at a time. Today, I’m off into the city to see Julia, then on to a hairdresser to get some advice about my hair. I may even pop into Currys and have a chat about cameras. What I’m after is a proper camera, a digital SLR with video capability. You may sense a theme here, but I used to be heavily into photography, back in the days when people used slides not memory sticks. I still have hundreds of photos with Frank Lane (www.flpa.co.uk  search under Linda Lewis). I’ve had a digital camera since they first came out, but it’s not capable of taking the kind of photos I used to take. Of course, a decent digital SLR doesn’t come cheap so again I’m going to see if I like myself enough to actually spend the money.

Tonight is another dinner shuffle with Spice so I hope the rain holds off. I’m tired of going out in the evening and splashing through puddles. What the rain is doing to my strawberries is a nightmare.