Given that I’ve just had a long weekend off work, you might be forgiven for thinking that I would have caught up on book six.

Sorry to disappoint, but I huvnae.  I wrote about 5000 words, so wasn’t completely bone idle, but given that I’m supposed to be covering the Edinburgh International Film Festival for The Edinburgh Reporter over the next couple of weeks on top of work (and blogging, job applications, etc – you know the drill by now) it probably wasn’t the best way to go.

Some things I did do included going on the radio (Leith FM on Friday, which I now have a recording of so I will put that up this week at some point), watching Camelot (which wasn’t the plan I had, it just sort of happened) and going to Blairgowrie to see my family because my sister just returned from a month travelling in Thailand but is off again in a fortnight to spend four months in Canada.  As you do.  I had every intention of excusing myself when jetlag caught up with her to go and write, but instead I took the opportunity to catch up with my folks.  And I’d do it again!  Although I might not be saying that come the end of June…

To add insult to injury, I reckon the 6,509 words I do have almost definitely won’t end up in the final book.  They’re sort of background chapters which I’m doing almost to figure out the characterisation in my own mind (I’m acutely conscious of the fact I don’t want them to be cliches), and I think they’re a by-product of having read Case Histories last week.  Although there’s nothing technically wrong with them, I’m pretty sure they’ll be edit out-able when I see them next.

So why am I cheerily writing 6,509 words of pointless preamble?

To be honest, I think I’m just about at the stage (or quite far past it, actually) of needing a holiday.  Not a long weekend where I’m doing so many random bits and pieces that it’s over before I know it, but an actual holiday – perhaps spanning a period as long as a week – where I can give my brain a bit of space.  I remain rather smug about the fact that I’ve only flaked out once since this project began, but as I think I said in Saturday’s post I am flagging a bit now.  It would be nice not to be juggling quite so many things, if only for a little while.  I’m writing this post at 12:57am on Monday morning, for goodness sake.  I’ve got to get up for work in 6 hours.

Still, I did take this pretty picture in my mum and dad’s garden in between showers this morning.  So there’s nice.