But I Smile Anyway…

Let me just sit back, and put up my aching feet… It’s been another manic one, Peeps!

You ready with your drink?

• If we were having chai I’d remind you that this week, I had planned to be on a mission. Mission Clear Out. And I am happy to report that I have been extremely productive in that respect. As of now, both kids rooms now only have their beds, desk, a hanging rail for clothes, and a set of plastic drawers, for bits and bobs. Should make life easier when moving furniture to paint! The living room is down a couple of bookshelves, and sans CDs, with the consoles not used anymore all packed up, ready to sell. The side board is being emptied, precious dishes wrapped and packed intp boxes. The upstairs bathroom is being prepped for some extra tiles, and regrouting in the existing ones. The downstairs one has been totally ripped out. The builders exposed a leak which has been sorted out. We haave people coming to sort out a guttering issue, quotes rolling in for painters for internal, as well as external walls. The kitchen will be Marie Kondoed again, soon, so what we have is only what we use and need, not what we were gifted because everyone thought we would be using certain things. The next big job is our bedroom, which has become the place to hoard things. I’ve moved a lot of stuff, but there is still plenty to do, which I hope to achieve this week. And the Skip has arrived. So that is two large wardrobes, three book shelves, a small chest of drawers, so far, that I have demolished, ane one shelf that landed on my foot! OUCH! But, I’m okay, don’t worry!

• If we were having chai I’d mention sullenly, that my writing has taken a hit, because of sasid activity around the house. I managed to add 1.2K to the manuscript, and wrote, published/scheduled several blog posts. I did manage to read, though, and got to the end of my ARC list for now, so I am working on the paperbacks by my bedside… (Once read, I can decide if they are worth keeping or passing on – less to pack!)
• f we were having chai I’d tell you that the local Age Concern charity shop has benefitted from two cars full of donations, and there are more to come! Seriously, where did all this stuff come from????
• If we were having chai I’d ask you to cast your mind back a few weeks, when I finished term, and was disappointed because I couldn’t set up my classroom, due to the flooring being done. Well, I got a message on Wednesday to say that the guy who was meant to be doing it, got caught up in the quarantine thing, and so they’ve had to reschedule… Which means I managed to get in to set the furniture up, at least, but also means that I will have to dismantle everything again come October, when they have been rebooked!
• If we were having chai I’d tell you that I am really tired. I’m not sleeping well, knowing that we have so much to do, but also thinking about getting back to school. I am having a few more soaks than usual, to ease my aching body, after days of hefting boxes around. The thought of everything looking sparkly-new is what is keeping me going, though! And the possibility that we could be selling up, and in our forever home sooner rather than later! (I’m dreaming of office spaces/libraries, and a lovely kitchen!)
• If we were having chai I’d say that this week has been a week filled with reflections. That Marie Kondo has something, you know. I am so sentimental, and I keep a LOT of stuff that I never look at, but they are things that, when seen, trigger memories. I have had to think long and hard about whether they are really worth keeping, if the memory is in my head, anyway? It has helped me to let go of a lot of ‘stuff’ that I am keeping for the wrong reasons, and also, my thinking has spurred both my mums on, to start their own sort outs, too! It’s quite freeing, you know!

This week, that dentist appointment that we were meant to have? Got cancelled, so we are going today. They time to school shoe shop… give me strength!

More charity shop drop offs, too, as well as more clearing out to do.

I also am officially back in school come Thursday, so life is gettinng back to some sort of normality…

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I’m sorry, where did that week go? It feels like mere moments since we last sat down and had a chat!

(Gotta tell ya, I do miss going out to Costa and grabbing a Chai Latte, but at least I can have one at home with you!)

• If we were having chai I’d excitedly tell you that even though it was short, the time we spent with Pops and Mum was wonderful. We went on walks, and I dicovered parks and places I never realised were so close to their home! And Lil Man found a cricket club too, so he was over the moon. We ate plentifully, as Mum didn’t stop with her cooking, and consumed many calories, talked so much, and just generally made up for the eight months we had missed.

• If we were having chai I’d mention that I was so worried about the drive back, as we had been lucky on Sunday, getting there in record time, considering it was HOT and we had no a/c, but Wednesday’s drive back was good too, phew!
• If we were having chai I’d let you know that it was the week of the Grandparents. We’d been back one night when we went to the in-laws to stay there one night too, as we have managed to meet fleetingly, in gardens, and one evening where we had dinner together, but not spent quiaality time. The kids hada fun watching film after film, and the grandparents were most happy.
• If we were having chai I’d have to tell you, excitedly that I have managed over 10k again on the manuscript, and the word count stands at over 53k, now! I know my output is going to drop drastically now, because life has things planned for me, but if I can keep going, a few words every day, hopefully Ill have a completed first draft before I know it! (I’ve already got a cover, but I’m not showing that off, yet! 😉) Been too busy to post many more pics, but that is one from mid week, before I hit my target, so you can see, I’m getting there!

• If we were having chai I’d have to share my latest lettering project, which I am soooo proud of!

• If we were having chai I’d be able to sigh with relief at the fact that I can finally say I have started that dang clear out! At least two day have passed filled with emptying wardrobes and collapsing the ones that are falling to bits, and sorting out cds, DVDs and books that I an sell, or donate to charity. It breaks my heart to lose books but sometimes you have to do these things. There are certain books I’ll never get rid of, but a lot which I held on to for nostalgia’s sake. However, my childrens books, nope. They ain’t going nowhere! And as you would expect, the kids got imvolved too, including my furry son… Though I’m not sure whether he was more hinderance than help!

• If we were having chai I’d also have to say that reading is still going, too, at least another 3 books read and reviewed this week. I am currently at 106 read this year, and another 4 months to go!

This week, I will be extremely busy. Hubby Dearest has the week off too, so we are on home improvement mission, with clearing out to continue, and some workmen coming to do some bits around the house that we can’t. So much stuff!!! But I am determined to become Mrs Minimalist… (Yeah right, Ritu… we’ll see…)

I will attempt to write some. If I can get another few K written, I will have hit 40K written in four weeks, which was my target, before term starts.

I will still have a few more days before school officially opens, but I need to go in from next Monday, to sort my classroom out. Hopefully the flooring is set by the end of this week, so I can do it! I still have some paperwork to do, too, which my laptop refuses to let me access while I am at home, so that needs sorting out as well. All means less writing time, but I am determined, when I get my mind set.

There is also dentist appointments, and a catch up with friends, too, so yup. Another busy one!

Oh, 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!

Another week of holidays have slipped by, and as I type this, I am actually sitting in a different location, for the first time in 20 weeks! That is why I apologise for the delay. Being with Pops and Mum, I forgot to write and schedule this last night, but I think that’s a good enough reason to be late to the posting party, isn’t it?

But I have had a really great week, so if you grab that drink, we can get started.

• If we were having chai I’d tell you that Monday started with Rakhsha Bandhan, or Rakhri, as us Punjabis are more likely to call it. This is a day where brothers and sisters celebrate their bond with one another. Us sisters tie a speciat thread around the wrists of our brothers, and pray for their good fortune and health, and they in turn, vow to keep us safe from all harm. The original Hindu name for the festival means exactly this, Rakhsha means to look after, and Bandhan means to tie together. so we had a mini tying ceremony for my two, then I spoke to my brother who is not here, with me, and we popped over to the in-laws in the evening, so I could tie one on my brother-in-law. The extra bonus, for us sisters, anyway, is that the brothers tend to ‘gift’ us, so it can be quite a profitable day, if you have a lot of brothers! But the most important thing, is the love we shre, ovbiously!

• If we were having chai I’d have to update you on the writing front. And I wrote every day, again, except for Sunday, where we were travelling. Another 10k plus added to the manuscript, so I am beyond excited! I even started to look at covers for book two, as I think that will spur me on even more!

• If we were having chai I’d hang my head in shame and admit thata, rather than actually doing it, there was more talk about clearing up the house. We had a set of builders come over to give quotes, but beyond that, nothing. What we have realised is thta we need to empty our closets, and get rid of them (some are falling apart!) so that we can paint all the walls, so that will need to become one of my missions…
• If we were having chai I’d mention that unexpected cricket took over the weekend, with Lil Man having a match on Friday, a friendly with players of all ages from his club, and he took another wicket, bowling and catching the batsman out, and a bonus game with the 4ths (he’s going up in the teams) where he took another wicket. Things are looking up for him and his cricket, and as long as the weather is good, I’ll be there to support!

• If we were having chai I’d excitedly tell you that I was also interviewed, TWICE, this week. One for a radio show about Human Interest stories, talking about my teaching and writing, and the second, well, I’m going to be a guest on the Great Writers Share Podcast! Me? Asked to be on the GREAT WRITERS podcast? Wow! I was so stoked to be asked. I just hope both the episodes are okay!
• If we were having chai I’d tell you that one of the things I invested my Rakhi money into, was a new set of brush pens, for all the letterring I am about to start doing! I was ridiculously excited, I can’t explain! But before I got them, I was practicing lots, and here’s another of my little projects.

• If we were having chai I’d tell you that, as I mentioned before, I am finally with Pops and Mum. I was dreading the journey, as the AC isn’t working in the car, and it is rather hot here in the UK, and the last few years, I haven’t had the best of luck with the traffic on this usually three hour long journey. However, the weather/traffic Gods were looking down on me. I think they felt bad that I’d had to wait eight months to see my parents. Warm weather, but manageable with the windows down, and no traffic meant that we arrived within three hours! And it is so wondeful to be here, to wake in the morning, knowing I’m going to spend the day with two of my favourite people in the world. 💜💜
• If we were having chai I’d leave you with a photo of Sonu Singh, who is currently missing us, but keeping Hubby Dearest company!

This week, I will enjoy a few days, relaxing with the folks, but we aren’t going anywhere. Just a few walks around the Green that is in front of their house. When we get back, I must try and do some of that clearing out I keep on mentioning!

And, yes, the writing thing, that is still there, too. If another 10k appeared that would be awesome, but No biggie if it doesnt. I’ll be happy with any words.

Oh, 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!

Week one of the holidays done, and I hope you’ll be proud of me. I haven’t thought of school once (except checking my email preiodically – as SLT come September, there are some responsibilities I have… but so far, no emails. And buying a couple of new books to read to the kids!)

But I have had a really great week, so if you grab that drink, we can get started.

• If we were having chai I’d tell you that one of my two main nintentions during this break is to get some major clearing up done. If we are going to find a place and move, we need to get this house on the market pretty sharpish, and that means prettying up a rather full house… Good excuse to declutter, me thinks! So I have so far gone through my DVDs and set a box aside to donate. I think it will be ruthlessness in the wardrobes again next… not a huge progress, considering that was two small shelves, but still, baby steps.
• If we were having chai I’d excitedly tell you that I came good, very good, on the other intention! I wanted to use time I had in the mornings, before the rest of the family rise, to write, and add words to my WIP, which will be Book Two … and I did! I think it was over 12K that I wrote this week! Phew! I am loving using Scrivener, as it helps to organise the manuscript, and the project tracker is great to help me see what my goal is, and to set a realistic word goal for a day. It looks like I shan’t take twenty years to write the sequel!

• If we were having chai I’d have to admit to feeding my stationery addiction… I think I added six new notebooks, but they were so pretty, I couldn’t help myself, and a writer never has too many notebooks, isn’t that right?

• If we were having chai I’d whisper that Lil Man and I have been watching an old 70s classic from British TV, this past week. Mind Your Language is a series following a teacher and his class of adult students all trying to learn English as a Second Language. I used to watch this with my family as a child and we laughed so much, so I though, what the heck? Let’s watch it together now, and reminisce the silliness of those days. Silliness, totally non-PC and a whole lot of stuff that would never get aired nowadays. So many racist slurs and stereotypes – I was shocked, but then, back in the day, it was almost normal, and no one who may have been offended complained. Still, it gave some great fodder for me to disuss with my viewing partner, who found a lot of it extremely funny, but also hard to swallow as a child of the current generation that is so aware of the BLM movement and equality for all races.

• If we were having chai I’d tell you that I have been trying out my lettering, too. I have a couple of projects on the go, but so far I managed these two. And I hope to have a couple more to share next week.

• If we were having chai I’d confirm that I am still taking my downtime to seriously plough through that TBR list of mine… currently standing at 175 books to read! But I love reading, and it’s not a chore. I’d rather have too many books to read, than not enough.
• If we were having chai I’d mention that a friend of mine has been experimenting in her parents Indian Sweet shop, and she trialled aa few new dishes, so I popped in to buy some bits to try, and they were delicious! A little naughty, a lot nice, though!

• If we were having chai I’d share that we may be having a bit of a breakthrough with Lil Princess, and getting her out of her room all day, every day. Since our picnic the week before, we have met with the same friends once more, and she spent at least three afternoons out on her bike. Hallelujah! But she wasn’t impressed that we had to pop in to see her brother playing cricket on Saturday. Still, she managed an hour without too much of a mood! He’s been doing very well, too. After a one to one training session for an hour with a professional Kent Cricketer, and another booked for next week, he was over the moon, and played a great match. They won!

This week seems filled with appointments… Orthodontics, then my Rheumatology one, but that via the phone again, another bike that needs to be taken to the bike shop for a repair. Added to that, I’m booked to do a radio interview recording on Wednesday and a Podcast recording on Sunday, too! And the kids have some Zoom Tutoring sessions booked away for the key subjects, Maths and English…

And the intention is there to carry on with writing for an hour or two every day. If I can write like I did this week, that would be just awesome!

Oh, 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!

Well, hello all, and welcome to a more relaxed Ritu, this Monday morning!

I’m finally on official school holidays! So, have you got your drink, yet>

• If we were having chai I’d start with my school update. It was the last week of term, officially, for the children and us, so there was three days of enjoying time with my reduced class, and lots of silliness, as well as a day to try and get the classrooms into some sort of order… More on that, in a moment. It has ben a truly disjointed yeaar for all, staff and pupils, as well as families, because of the pandemic, as we all know, and I feel robbed of the chance to have spent aa full year with my class. There hasn’t been the same closure that we usually have at the end of the year, with hugs and laughter, a few tears, and plenty of fun. I haven’t been able to see them all blossom, as is usually the case in around term 5 of the academic year. The moment we went into lockdown was the cuspy time that many children are starting to ‘get’ things, and are feeling confident in their learning, so this was a true kick to them as well as us. However, as I said, we still had fun with the children who were in, and even though I had no expectation, as usual, they, along with certain colleagues, were so generous with gifts and cards filled with thank yous.

• If we were having chai I’d need to explain my previous comment about the classrooms. Now, obviously, at the end of any academic year, we have great fun, trying to get all our classrooms cleared out, and prepared for the next aacademic year to start. This year is no different, though, given the fact that we have had less pupils in, some teachers have had a long time to get themselves all ready. There are countless new guidelines in place, in order to welcome the whole school back in, in September, so there has been much movement of furniture, removal of soft furnishings etc. to comply. and my room is no different. Though we are in the early years, and that means that we aren’t required to have children sitting at desks in rows, there is still a lot we needed to change; taking soft toys out, and resources that are not eaasily cleanable, removing dressing up items from the home and role play corner, etc. But for me, aside from making sure all new books were labelled up, and wall displays were sa up to date as I could manage them, I could do nothing. Because the wooden part of the flooring in my room, is being resanded and varnished during the break. The management have made a decision that the whols school building will be shut for three weeks, to allow everyone to have a full break, then we have one and a half more weeks of the break left, so if anyone needs to pop in to finish setting up, they can, before we are officially back. But, my room will be out of action for the first week of that time too, so I effectively have four weeks where I can’t go in, and I now have a pile of furniture in my room that can’t be set, until the flooring is done! It pains me to see my room as I had to leave it, but I hvea three days before we go back officially, to get it sorted… Check it out…

• If we were having chai I’d let you know that I have a new addiction… T-shirts! I have started buying silly slogan ones, in large sizes, to chill in, and this is my newest, and favourite one!

• If we were having chai I’d mention that we were due to have a picnic on the Friday, once school was finished, with my Tootie Frootie pals, and their kids, but it ended up being only two of us, and my friend’s sister… still, we had a great catch up. I needed that, and it was wonderful to see Lil Princess interacting with others, for a change.

• If we were having chai I’d tell you excitedly that another review was left on Amazon for Marriage Unarranged, and it was another lovely one! Always thrills me to see ❤

• If we were having chai I’d reassure any of you that are waiting for another book, I have managed to start getting words down, and hit 20,000 on book two this week! The hope is that I can carry on over the next four weeks, daily, and get a substantial amount down.

• If we were having chai I’d tell you that I haven’t been eating particulraly healthily this week, because there has been far too much other stuff going on! And it ended with a huge slab of cake on Saturday, as it was my sister-in-law’s birthday. No one can argue thta birthdays require cake, and it would be offensive of me to not eat my portion, would it not?

Absolutely nothing specific planned this week, apart from meeting friends again for a picnic, weather pending, and starting a blitz on the house, trying to rid the rooms of the excess ‘stuff’ that we have accumulated.

Oh, and writing, hopefully! I am aiming to give myself a couple of hours daily, while the kids are still asleep, and get words down! Wish me luck!

Oh, 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!