Yup it looks like I am going to be constantly chasing my tail here, this month, but I am determined to get to each prompt, somehow!
Today, the prompt is brought to us by our very own dapper Dan. Thank you, Dan! Please be sure to visit Dan’s blog to read his posts and say hello. And follow him while you’re there if you’re not already.
Your prompt for JusJoJan January 10th, 2025 is “echo.” Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!
Is. it time to go rogue with the prompts?
Maybe.
I have several versions of the Amazon devices around the house, from the original tall tower first gen Echo in the kitchen, to a third gen Echo Pop and several newest gen Echo Pops which are in bedrooms and the laundry, and we have an Echo Show in the hallway. And I can’t forget the Fire cube in the Bedroom and Firestick in the living room.
I do love the convenience of these devices, being able to listen to whatever music I want, the playlists on Spotify, as well as Apple Music, and favourite Podcasts.
Then there are the random questions we ask Alexa. Lil Princess, particularly, loves to get Alexa’s wisdom!
Most of the time your choice of whatever you want to listen to is contained to the room you are in, though I can’t help but giggle when doors aren’t shut, or Alexa is feeling mighty sensitive wherever she is, and the choice of one person echoes through the house as all devices decide to play loud AfroPop or Bhangra!
“There’s nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.”
~Nelson Mandela~
Well, hello, my dear, dear Peeps! And, thank you, Spidey, for coming back with a great quote to start this post. 🙂
Thank you to those who have kept in touch over the last year despite my not being so active on here. I have visited blogs here and there and posted book reviews and book tour posts, but other than that, I have been a bit caught up in a whole load of other things, personally.
So, what’s been happening in the life of Ritu?
I left you guys dangling a bit when I went ‘on a break’ at the end of September, 2023, after finding myself at the point of breakdown.
Lil Princess suffered a lot these last few years, with still to be diagnosed ASD, as well as some severe Mental Health problems. And I was her chosen person, so I had to ride the increasingly dark lows as well as the manic highs with her. It took a toll on me and my own health, as she wouldn’t communicate with anyone apart from me and one of her teachers at school.
I ended up off work for six weeks before Christmas to support her lowest period.
I won’t go into the details, but suffice to say, I would never wish the situations we encountered upon any family. It was extremely tough. The hardest time of my life, to be honest.
It was even tougher as she wasn’t up to sharing anything with the rest of the family which impacted her dad, Hubby Dearest, as well as her brother, Lil (Big) Man. Feelings of helplessness were big…
But, over the last nine months, things have changed, and with a lot of support she is in a much better place.
Such a good place that, despite missing around 30% of her learning time and education, she still managed to pass ALL her GCSEs, as well as gaining an A in her Literature and B in English Language! She’s off to Sixth form this week, to start A-Levels – a day I wasn’t sure we would see, at some times.
Lil (Big) Man has completed his first year of his apprenticeship, and apparently, he is one of the top-performing apprentices in the company, which is a global firm. Fantastic news!
I’m still driving him around though, so we are working on getting that license, when I will be able to hang up mum taxi duties, for him at least. Keep your fingers crossed!
I’ve not been able to spend as much time with Pops and Mum as I would have hoped, because of being needed to ferry Lil(Big) Man around, but they spent time with us at Christmas, and a few days in. the summer too. Pops was in hospital, too, at one point, and it has just highlighted how fragile life is. He’s 78 now, and Mum is shouldering a lot. I am always there, as well as my Brother, emotionally, but not being able to be there physically, all the time, is a different drain on our hearts.
Sonu Singh is now ten years old, and still as wonderfully grumpy as always. I do love him!
Then, in April, Lil Princess got a new kitten, Minnie Kaur. She is a little minx! But, so, so cute. These two are still working on being friends, but they are getting there! Here’s Minnie!
School was tough in its own way, as we had our first full academic year as a part of a new academy. So many changes, and expectations that weighed heavily upon a much-reduced staff, with inconsistent leadership as our head left, and we had an interim head, (our original deputy) who moved on to pastures new. I had several members of my team who had long periods of time off, due to health, which impacted everyone, including the children. An unintentional injury sustained after trying to look after an SEN child has left me with a scarred arm and a dodgy knee. All this, plus I had that six-week stint where I was out, too, meant it was pretty rocky, most of the year.
However our new head joined in April, and things are beginning to ease into a more consistent routine.
I’ve spent the last couple of years spilt between two classrooms, as the EYFS Phase Leader. This academic year, though my management role is the same, I am now going to be in my own classroom for the whole week (bar my management time). I have a class name, too, Hedgehog Class, and have spent a lot of time in school over the holidays, shifting things around, cutting and laminating, and creating a new environment for my first batch of Hoglets!
Here’s hoping this academic year is more stable with a solid leadership team, and, fingers crossed, my own personal circumstances more settled, too.
Writing-wise, I have news, too.
It took a long while for my writing mojo to come back after a year or so of not being able to focus, given what was happening at home. However, in April, with everything on a relatively even keel, I wrote LOADS! And then, during the May half term, I wrote THE END on book three in the Rishtay Series, In God’s Hands.
The story has a heavy dose of infertility, which was quite emotional to write about, given my own fertility issues when trying to start a family, but I hope my own emotions helped to mold the story.
It’s with the publisher and editor now, and we are scheduled for a November 5th release.
Feedback from my three alpha-readers has been positive, and that is without edits. I’ve made a grown man cry several times, and been told it was real women’s fiction, gripping, and they felt compelled to read more.
So far, from my dear publisher, I got this: “Absolutely loving book three, think it’s your best yet. So proud of you!”
Lil Princess wants me to add a book to the series, highlighting Mental Health, too, so maybe that will be an addition in the future. I’m too close to that situation right now to write it.
Right now, I am planning another project, which, when underway I will reveal more about.
Healthwise – perimenopause is playing merry havoc with my system, right now. We thought we had the HRT prescription down, but things are not quite right so I am waiting for another set of appointments. The probable Fybromyalgia is still there, raising its head once in a while, and now there is a chance I may be lactose intolerant! So, I’m doing a bit of a lifestyle overhaul, but nothing too over ambitious. No dairy, and short daily Pilates session, along with a couple of supplements to help with hormone balance and gut health. Wish me luck!
As I did mention in a review post last month, I went on holiday for the first time in 20 years. Like a proper break, to Gran Canaria with Lil Princess. It was much needed, and we had an amazing time.
I also attended my first Romantic Novelist’s Association conference. A whole weekend, and two nights away, with no-one but romance writers, and plenty to learn. I met people I have conversed with, virtually, for years, and that was one of the most magical things about the conference. It was in the hallowed Royal Holloway University, and I think I 100% want to sign up for the next one in 2026!
Don’t worry, I shan’t be disappearing any time soon. I think my priorities have changed, and as that happens, so do we, as individuals, evolve.
I’ll still be reading, reviewing and blog touring, as well as popping in more regularly with updates and, who knows, I might have the energy for a few writing prompts, but no promises!
Also, I turn 49 in a couple of days, so this is the last year of my 40s… Eeeek!
But I Smile Anyway... 