It’s been a tough week in the partition. That’s sort of normal for January- and February- but this week has been super hard. I think it’s because everyone, well nearly everyone, is back at work. And, just like how everything needs to be done before Christmas, everyone has hit the ground running in January. Did you notice the office speak there? Hit the ground running?
I suspect it could also be that post holiday blah thing when the one that you’ve just had seems so long ago, and the next is way deep into the tunnel.
Anyways, enough of that, to the five:
What made me laugh…
This post by Smaggle. I sometimes stay away from posting on Facebook for weeks on end, ok, days and days, in fear that someone will say something about something I’ve put up in all innocence. This (tongue in cheek) guide to what we’re not allowed to talk about in 2016 is just about perfect. Don’t write to me.
What I discovered…
Canva. I’ve been madly turning photos into pinnable blog titles or instagrammable images.
It’s super easy to use, free (as long as you use your own- or their free- images), and more than a little addictive. I’d put the link in, but I think it would take you straight to my designs. In any case, it’s canva.com.
What I’m listening to…
I’ve started listening to the new podcast from Mel Kettle and Annette Jones- The Activity Pod. I’ve been Facebook friends with Mel for a while. We do Fitbit challenges regularly and we’ve even come close to meeting up for real. The tagline is “where we help you get stuff done.” Seriously, how could I resist that? In the podcast they interview people who do just that- get stuff done.
Where I ate…
Meze Me at Annangrove. It’s in an old garden centre on Annangrove Rd not that far from us, but a long way, I’d suspect, from most of the rest of Sydney.
The menu is Moroccan and, although you can order main dishes, we tend to go with the sharing plate option. Yes, I’ve eaten here before. Normally I can’t resist their cauliflower with eggplant jam and tahini sauce- but I’m so over trying out different things with cauliflower (I’ll tell you about that on Monday) that instead we went for the harissa chicken wings with buttermilk dressing, the grilled halloumi cheese, the salt and pepper squid, and the spicy lamb mince and hummus on pita bread.
It’s all very yum, and we ate outside- which made it all even yummier.
What I’m working on…
I’m getting to the end-ish of the first draft of what was called Finding John Smith- which really means that I’ve written the end two chapters and need to pop in three in the middle. As I’m getting closer to finishing, I’m re-thinking the title. Of course, once I’m finished this draft, I’ll need to do a full re-write to tie it all together. That’s one of the problems with not being a plotter.
This one is largely set in The Cotswolds in England and Queenstown in New Zealand. Don’t worry, it does make sense. As I was writing the Queenstown pieces, I was going through photos I’d taken to help me with sense of place. Like these I took on the road to Paradise. Yes, there is such a place, and yes, it is a potential new title.
I was also looking for photos that could make it onto the cover. Like this one. Maybe. Or one of the others that I took on that day. If you’re interested, you can find the photos and the post here.
How was your week?
And Anyways... 
I’m yet to listen to Mel’s podcasts though must. I’ve never downloaded a podcast before – at least I assume you download them and then listen to them at your leisure?!
Yeah. I subscribe on itunes & then listen in the car. But you can also listen on your laptop too, of course.