But I Smile Anyway…

I cannot believe that one week of our holidays is already over!

Have you got your drink?

• If we were having chai, I’d start by reminding you that I was in Birmingham with Pops and Mum for the first couple of days of the holiday. Lil Princess and I had a lovely few days just relaxing with them. We went on a couple of long walks with Mum and popped to one of the local malls, Resort’s World, with them both, and just generally did nothing but relax and eat lots of yummy food. It was a bit like a digital detox, in that I didn’t take many photos and post the,. Instead, we lived the moment. I did take one, though, of me in this t-shirt, which must have been printed with me in mind! If you know my history with silly accidents, you will know how apt it is!

• If we were having chai, I’d tell you that it was a break that Lil Princess needed for other reasons, as she gets overwhelmed so much that a chance to be somewhere where there was no expectation or pressure on her did her the world of good. When we returned, she wanted me to watch a series with her. It is a Korean drama called Extraordinary Attorney Woo, about a young autistic woman in the field of law and how she overcomes her quirks and disability with her brilliant mind to help her clients. It is an eye-opening series, and in light of things my daughter is facing…

• If we were having chai, I’d say that You know that cricket is around the corner, as Lil Man’s outdoor nets have started too and I have been looking at pictures from last year, comparing them to now. This child is definitely a MAN now, with his muscles and gait. He’ll always be my Lil Man, though!
• If we were having chai, I’d subtly tell you that Straight As A Jalebi is still pootling through the preorders, and I even got a first review on Goodreads, from one of my first readers, and such a lovely one, too! If you haven’t already, preorder on Amazon! https://mybook.to/StraightAsAJalebi

• If we were having chai, I’d remind you that I had my Society Of Authors meet-up, too, midweek. I was all geared up for a session about social media marketing, as many of the members are older and not sure of the more modern avenues to take, but because it was Easter and there was terrible traffic, there ended up being only 6 of us there. Still, it was a good evening, where we could talk all things writing, publishing and books, and also get a chance to talk on a more one-to-one level with some of the other members
• If we were having chai, I’d mention that since it is the holidays, I have had time to cook more from scratch, and I made some fabulous pakoras on Saturday when the in-laws came over for the day. We had them with tea, and a barbecue later! I also made Chicken Tikka Masala (with a little help from some prepared sauces…) which went down a treat with Hubby Dearest and Lil Man!

• If we were having chai, I would update you on Sonu Singh, who is enjoying having most of us around over the Easter break. Not sure he approved of my breakfast the other day, though, since it wasn’t chicken!

This week is the final holiday week before the last big term of the year. It was a bank holiday weekend, so we are relaxing on Monday, then I have a trip into school on Tuesday, Lil Princess has a sleep over at a friend’s, we will be going out on one of the other days, then Lil Man’s cricket starts up in full force, with some pre-season matches beginning from the weekend. Hubby Dearest has a couple of days off too, so it will be good to spend time together. Then prepare for school again!

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Hello there! I am so relieved that it is the Easter holiday! I think I really need the break!

Have you got your drink?

• If we were having chai, I’d start by saying that school was pretty fun this week, though quite hectic. We had a four-day week, or 3.5, actually, with the children and centred most of our learning around Spring and Easter. On Wednesday, we had a great day as I had arranged a Bhangra workshop with one of Lil Man’s old Dhol teachers, who happens to now be a parent at our school. He, along with one of his Dhol colleagues, spent the whole day doing workshops for the whole school, and we were buzzing! There was also a film crew there all day, filming a new promo film for the school! Quite a fun but exhausting week.
• If we were having chai, I’d tell you that I also had an EDI (Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity Group meeting with other colleagues in our new academy. It was pretty interesting to see the ideas that were swung around, with my own eye firmly on all three of the main concepts of the group. I can safely say that we are at a stage in our own school where we are pretty good at all three… and that our input, hopefully, will enhance the thinking of some others. We also visited some of the other schools on Friday, which was our INSET day, and all I can say is that though there are always positive takeaways from these visits, I am so happy to be working where I am!

• If we were having chai, I’d say that I had a pretty busy weekend (all will be revealed below!), but I managed to have my poached eggs, and read a lovely ARC, called Her Fixer Upper by Emily Kerr. A great book!

• If we were having chai, I’d subtly tell you that Book 2, Straight As A Jalebi, was put on Pre-Order on the weekend, and it has been pretty mad!

• If we were having chai, I’d excitedly say that we crept from #5 to #3, then #2 in the Hot New Releases in Asian Fiction! OMG!!! If you preorder, send me your proof of order so I can add you to a special competition, where I randomly pick one person who preordered to receive a signed copy when the paperback comes out!

• If we were having chai, I would update you on Sonu Singh, who has been busy on the promo campaign, too! He’s really boosted the preorders… I think he needs treats!

As I write this, I am in Birmingham with Pops and Mum, and Lil Princess. We have a couple of days here to visit them, then back home, ready for a Society of Authors meeting, and then the Easter Weekend. Not sure what else is planned, but I hope to get some words in, as well as relaxation!

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!