My publisher and the structural editor got back to me quite quickly with revisions on the manuscript, none of which surprise me, so in between marking assignments and teaching, I’ve been working out how to make the necessary changes to the book. Both the backstory and the plot were a bit too complicated, so I need to decide what to cut and what to keep, and then make the changes through the manuscript. Plus smooth out and polish some aspects, and add a couple of scenes.
Easy.
Ahem. Well, nothing I can’t do. Just have to keep butt in chair and do it. I have until November 1st to get the revisions done. I also have to mark another 40 essays, teach three more weeks of uni, and have two trips away between now and then.
I’m taking a slightly unexpected trip to Canberra for a few days, leaving on the (aarrghh!) 6.30am plane tomorrow. Which means getting up at 5 am to leave here by 5.30am to get into town to the airport. We can be thankful that small regional airports don’t require one to be there an hour before the flight. (Have I mentioned that I don’t do mornings very well??)
My Dad in Canberra has been feeling low, and I managed to snaffle some frequent flyer reward flights, so that’s the reason for my trip. I’ll mostly be visiting Dad in the nursing home, and seeing Mum and the rest of the family, but we might manage a visit to Floriade, Canberra’s huge spring celebration with millions of flowers. The other major event on at the weekend, of interest especially to those of us born in the southern part of the country, is the Australian Football League Grand Final. It’s in Melbourne, not Canberra, but for those of you who don’t know AFL, it’s a matter of fact that anyone born within coo-ee of Melbourne is genetically bonded to an AFL team from birth, or at least from a young age.
I followed Collingwood as a kid, because my sister followed Collingwood, and she was bigger than me. I don’t follow any code of football much at all these days, but my Dad does, and although his team isn’t in the Grand Final this year, Collingwood is. So, I imagine we will probably do the Proper Traditional Thing and watch the GF on TV Saturday afternoon, with beer and crisps and peanuts and other munchies.
It will be hard. I mean, watching a couple of dozen very fit young men running up and down a large field, jumping, kicking, tackling. For those who’ve never seen AFL, perhaps I should mention here that AFL uniforms consist of short tight shorts, and close-fitting sleeveless shirts. Here’s a little sample of what I may have to ‘endure’:
LOL- who cares which team wins?
Wow, wish I had to endure those games! Australians have all the yummies. 😉
Seeing as my darling Sydney Swans didn’t make it (next year!), I’m barracking for the Cats as everyone except Pies supporters understands it would be just plain WRONG to cheer for the Collywobbles.
Wishing you a lovely trip and enjoy Floriade. That’s a wonderful spectacle.
Lol, Bron, I don’t even follow AFL, but I appreciate their uniforms:-)
Enjoy Floriade – it’s almost worth braving the cold to see all those beautiful flowers. I’m sure your Dad will spark up with your visit. Daughters hold a special place in their father’s heart.
All this time and I never knew you were a Collingwood supporter?!?
Sigh. Oh well. I *suppose* we can still be friends 🙂
Berrin, LOL, yes Aussiw Rules can be pretty spectacular to watch. Sadly, half the country plays thugby… Er, I mean, rugby, instead. That half refers to Aussie Rules as aerial ping pong, or cross-country ballet 🙂 Having moved from Melbourne many years ago, I have spent much of my life surrounded by rugby enthusiasts. You can take a girl out of Melbourne, but you can’t quite take Melbourne out of the girl!
Cathryn and Erica, would I earn more respect if I said it’s only a childhood habit to cheer for Collingwood? I usually wouldn’t have a clue how the season’s going or who’s in the team or anything about them. And I definitely was barracking full-on for the Swans the year they won the GF -I even watched the last half of the game on TV that year, as my Dad has been a Swans fan since he was a wee lad, and hadn’t seen them win a GF until then.
Helene, LOL, won’t be too cold in Canberra for this mountain girl 🙂 I have plenty of warm clothes in my bag! Dad’s pretty special to all his three daughters – I wish I wasn’t so far away.