But I Smile Anyway…

It’s the last day of January! Can you believe that? Felt like a month that never wanted to end!

Anyway, are you ready for your catch up with a drink?

• If we were having chai I’d begin with school which was an interesting place to be, this week. Despite the government telling us that we’re finally seeing the back of the Covid monster, right now, primary schools are seeing the worst ever case numbers in their pupils, as well as staff. I didn’t have more than 21 children all week, which is a rarity, in itself. At lesat four of the absences were Covid related. And in the other Reception class there were at least 3, too. There were staffing ups and downs, too, which feels like the norm, right now. All I can say is that I ended every day exhausted.
• If we were having chai I’d tell you that I was treated to a little gift from one of my colleagues, too, which brightened my day on Thursday.

• If we were having chai I’d say that despite feeling under the weather, I still managed to keep up with the chores list, and I have to say that it is working well for me! (Still not much help from the kids, but at least things are manageable.)
• If we were having chai I’d tell you that my poor Finndian family have all succumbed to the C-19 virus and we can only hope and pray that they come out of it, unscathed. Prayers for them, please!
• If we were having chai I’d mention that I was true to my word of writing 2k at the weekend. I actually managed over 2500 words! Yay, me! The story is really coming along now, and all that planning last week really helps!

• If we were having chai I’d end with a pic of Sonu Singh, who likes to find the oddest places to chill out! This time it was in Lil Man’s suit carrier!

This week, I don’t really know what is going on. It might be a long week, if absences continue, staffing-wise, but it might just be a little easier, too, if the numbers fall a little. I come to the end of my #JusJoJan challenge today, too, so every day, I can try and devote half an hour to the WIP, which should get the word count up! We also hit February, so the in-law birthdays also start, with my brother in law’s on Thursday.

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Another week went by. Can you believe January is almost over? But thank goodness payday is around the corner!

Are you ready for your catch up with a drink?

• If we were having chai I’d begin with school as always. It was a different week, as my team teacher for the beginning of the week was in isolation. My other team teacher did a full week for a change, and that helped, so the children got continuity. And to be honest, we wouldn’t have found a decent supply teacher, anyway. Not sure if there are Covid cases, but I was left with 21 children on Friday. Heaven knows what Monday will bring. In other business, I have been busy ordering equipment for the outdoor area, to get things more interesting for the children. There is also a presentation I will need to be doing for the rest of the school staff, but due to shortages of teachers, I was unable to get that done, so another task for this week.
• If we were having chai I’d tell you that the housework timetable has worked for me so far. I tick off the chores that are done daily, and if there is time, I do others early, which means that the weekend is an easier time for me to spend being creative, and writing words! Still hasn’t been that successful with getting the kids on board. Lil Man thinks if he washes dishes badly, I’ll stop asking him. Instead, I made him rewaash, and stood behind him, with my arms around him, guiding him with the sponge! I think I embarrassed him enough to make sure he does better int he future, because I am not afraid to do that to him in front of others, and if he doesn’t want embarrassment, he needs to pull out his finger, lol!
• If we were having chai I’d say that on Thursday, we celebrated Sonu Singh’s 8th Birthday! He got some special treats, which I have locked way, so he can’t reach them unaided, and a new toy!

• If we were having chai I’d tell you that on Saturday, Lil Princess and I ventured out to Bluewater, so she could meet some friends. I had hoped for a quiet day, so I could write, but, instead, I spent it having a leisurely lunch, with my Kindle for company, as well as a long chat with my brother. And she needed it. She has been struggling since the pandemic, and we are trying to encourage any time she wants to socialise, for her own health’s sake.

• If we were having chai I’d mention that Saturday was also a day for me to try and write. I’ll admit that maybe no words came out, on that particular session, however, I did get some great selfies! 😂😂

• If we were having chai I’d then reassure you that I did do WIP related work on Sunday, after a leisurely read of my book with brunch. I have made some sort of skeleton plans so I can follow a direction with my story, because, otherwise, I will waffle on and on about all sorts of unneccessary things! Then I added around 800 new words to it, too!

This week, I am sure, will go by in a blur, as they all seem to be doing, recently. We definitely have one school staff member who tested positive, this weekend, so there is a chance more could follow. Let’s seen what the numbers in class are like, Monday morning. I will attempt to keep up with my household jobs plan and daily blogging/writing, and other than the fun of an eyebrow appointment, there is nothing more to get excited about!

And while you’re here, did you sign up for my mailing list? I am in the middle of writing an exclusive Chickpea Curry Lit story for my subscribers, and there will be news, tips and even recipes! You know you want to join… go on! Click the pic below to sign up!

It was never going to stan a smooth run, was it?

Are you ready for your catch up with a drink?

• If we were having chai I’d begin by telling you that school was not as smooth saioing as the week before! Another staff member down, this time, in the EYFS team, aka mine! So, I had a whole day in Nursery, covering, which I really enjoyed, then two days of juggling other staff, and hoping for a supply that was decent. on top of that, one of the other staff members needs to isolate, so planning for the week after was a joy! Still, we managed to get through, just!

• If we were having chai I’d tell you that on Monday I had a lovely Zoom call with some like-minded ladies, who I was introduced to via Diana Frajman, and her blog. We all contributed to a post on her blog at the start of the year (feels like so long ago, but it was only two weeks!) and decided to have a catch up, or really a first informal introduction. What a fun way to spend an hour!

• If we were having chai I’d say that I have been trying hard to develop that daily writing habit, b using Linda’s JusJoJan challenge, and it has been working! Soon enough this daily blog post habit should morph into writing words for the WIP every day, instead!

• If we were having chai I’d excitedly tell you that Spellbound have officially announced the re-release date of Marriage Unarranged. 6th June! And pre-orders will be up at the end of this month! It really is happening!

• If we were having chai I’d mention that I was so touched that my dear friend and fellow author, Matthew Goodall, made a video on his TikTok, all about my book, too!

• If we were having chai I’d groan and complain that I had to go and do more sport based shuttling around on Saturday! Lil Man planned an indoor football session with some friends. But I used the time practially, getting the car washed, and spending a little time at the In-Laws, along with bringing my photo albums back to our new house from their temporary home in some boxes, sat in their garage since the summer of 2020! I am so happy to have my photos back!
• If we were having chai I’d be quite proud of myself as I tell you that on Sunday, after an early awakening from my brother and my Finndian nephews, at 7.30am, so they could chat to their aunty, I knuckled down to some work! It started as housework, and laundry (three loads of washing as I changed all the bedsheets the night before), then I completed the mamouth task of rereading all the words I have already written on book two, since 2019… ready for the addition of more, so I can get this first darft complete! It’s amazing what you forget when it comes to your past words, and I read scenes I had totally forgotten that I had written! Still, at least it is all fresh in my mind, now, ready for more!

This week, I shall keep my fingers crossed that school is as steady as can be, with no more Covid-related hiccups. As always I will be blogging daily. I also want to create a housework timetable, so I spread tasks ot over the week, and assign some to others, meaning it won’t all need doing on the weekend in a big massive whirlwind of cleaning. I rather like the idea of a daily thing to do, so everything is bite-sized!

And while you’re here, did you sign up for my mailing list? I am in the middle of writing an exclusive Chickpea Curry Lit story for my subscribers, and there will be news, tips and even recipes! You know you want to join… go on! Click the pic below to sign up!

What a first full week of the year, eh!

Did you get a drink?

• If we were having chai I’d begin by telling you that I tried my hardest to enjoy my last day of the break on Monday, since it was a bank holiday. I did precisely nothing, other than read to be honest. I definitely needed it, as Sunday night, I barely slept. So at least on Monday night I was in bed early and I woke bright-eyed and bushy tailed, ready for the first day of term!

• If we were having chai I’d tell you that the start of school went relatively smoothly. Well, actually the whole week did, to be honest. Deep down, I had this dread that something was going to happen, and we’d be flung into the disarray of remote learing, but thankfully that didn’t happen, so we had a pretty normal week, all things considered. It was, honestly, lovely to be back with the children, and my team. There was a renewed sense of positivity, which I hope, lasts for a long time!

• If we were having chai I’d slip in a little something here, that a lot of you probably have already read about, but that publishing thing I’ve been hinting about these last few weeks? It’s all official, now! I have signed a contract with Spellbound Books. A three-book deal, which includes a rerelease of Marriage Unarranged, so the whole series will be under them. That’s right, it is a series! Officially called the Rishtay Series. Rishtay means relationships, and can encompass all types, from romantic to family to friends, and I explore a lot of different relationships through my writing. I officially signed on the Wednesday evening, and floated through Thursday and Friday!

• If we were having chai I’d say that on Friday evening, I arrived home to these lovely flowers, balloons, and cards from Hubby Dearest, one of my lovely work colleuages, and my favourite author, ever, Amanda Prowse! I was so touched, and I just keep going back to them, and smelling the gorgeous blooms!

• If we were having chai I’d mention that I have written a little bit, too, since I now have DEADLINES! Well, that’s a way to get things written, I suppose! But it has been fun. I have organised myself a bit, so fingers crossed I can do this!
• If we were having chai I’d share that we are now a fully vaccinated household, with Lil Princess receiving her second vaccination on Saturday. Obviously, she is milking the side effects as much as possible, but, at least we are all done. If the powers that be say they need boosters, we will arrange, but at least for now, we are all as protected as we can be.
• If we were having chai I’d tell you that I even managed to do some from scratch cooking, which I have done very little of, recently, relying on easy cook things that just need reheating… I know. Bad mummy! But I was rather proud of my chicken biriyani style dish. Lil Man was very happy with it, too, so it can’t have been all bad!

• If we were having chai I’d whisper ‘Guess who’s back at cricket, from this week?’ And the answer would be ‘Not Me!’ Lol! So, Lil Man had an opportunity to join some winter indoor nets, and obviously he was going to jump at the chance, but it is slap bang in the middle of Sunday afternoon, so Hubby Dearest took, him instead leaving me time to do whatever I wanted! YAY!
• If we were having chai I’d ask if any of you are on TikTok? I’m trying ot out, you know #BookTok and #authortok and all that… follow me if you are there. I am trying to make videos that entertain, a little, too! https://www.tiktok.com/@ritubhathalauthor Thank you in advance!

This week, I am hoping to continue my streak of writing on the blog in January, as well as a little more every few days added to the WIP. I don’t have anything major planned with school, or at home, so hopefully it will be a relatively smooth week!

And while you’re here, did you sign up for my mailing list? I am in the middle of writing an exclusive Chickpea Curry Lit story for my subscribers, and there will be news, tips and even recipes! You know you want to join… go on! Click the pic below to sign up!

And bring on the new year! 2022, we are waiting for you!

Grab your first drink of the year with me and let’s see how the end of one year passed into another!

• If we were having chai I’d begin by saying that as soon as I scheduled that post, last week, we made a plan for me to get to Birmingham to see Pops and Mum. The next update regarding restrictions was going to be on Monday evening, so I thought, rather than waiting, and then possibly being told I can’t go, I would grab the bull by the horns, along with Lil Princess, and we would take the three hour road trip to see them. Just for a night, but I’ll not look a gifthorse in the mouth! We left plenty early, so we could maximise our time there and arrived at 11am. It was just bliss to be able to be with them. Pops is looking so much better, after the operation, and is itching to te out and walk, or exercise, but he knows it’s too soon, yet. Mum, well, she was hobbling around with her knee injury, but she was mobile and happy to have us there. We sat and chatted and just made up for lost time. I left on Tuesday morning, sat to be going already, but so, so happy that I had been with them.

• If we were having chai I’d tell you that once we got back, I have just been trying to laze a bit, getting ready for that back to school start, this week, and rest, too. I read plenty, as always. In fact, I finished the year with my Goodreads total being 145 books! I think there may have been more, with some arcs and such like, but still, that’s a lot of books!

• If we were having chai I’d mention that I still had a whole other Christmas dinner in the freezer, so we had our own mini Christmas, take two, on Thursday, at home. It was lovely, just the four of us, snuggled up around the coffee table, and we played games together too!

• If we were having chai I’d say that once it hit that last day, we popped over thto the in-laws for a couple of hours, but wanted to see the new year in, in our new home. We chlled together, watched TV, and then waited for the countdown on BBC One before ushering that new year in. It was a peaceful start to the new year. Here’s hoping it is a better one than last year!

• If we were having chai I’d mention that since the start of the year, I have already ordered a special journal to help organise my writing journey over the next couple of years. I have blogged every day, using the JusJoJan prompt, and read three books! It’s not groundbreaking, but I have also jumped on my mini trampoline for a very short while, but that’s longer than I have done for a long time, so, yay to that!

This week, I am dreading the start of school again. We already know of staffing issues that will be occurring due to people being unwell or isolating. Who knows what will happen once we are all back together… My aim – to get through the week, but also, to add in bits for me, so to exercise a couple of times, and get some writing done at least twice a week… Here’s hoping I can do it!

And while you’re here, did you sign up for my mailing list? I am in the middle of writing an exclusive Chickpea Curry Lit story for my subscribers, and there will be news, tips and even recipes! You know you want to join… go on! Click the pic below to sign up!