Time to sit back at my desk
With just 10 days left in the month of April I am drowning in overdue things. I am determined that the month will end with me having a much clearer desk and in-tray than I am currently staring at. This will require me to sit at my desk and work methodically through a list, or more accurately several lists.
‘Sit at my desk’. Four short, innocuous words which represent a big, sometimes uncomfortable challenge. Firstly, the weather is warming up, the days are getting beautiful, the call of the outdoors is loud. Secondly, I’ve got a bad back which does not enjoy me sitting for prolonged periods at my desk. It isn’t always like it, thankfully, for I find it hard to write anywhere but sat at my desk, but for the past month, the problem has made one of its sporadic returns.
It was crippling enough to prevent me doing anything other than the bare minimum of work a month ago. I lost a couple of weeks to it. All I could do was try and get comfortable, walk as much as I could and read a lot of books. So it wasn’t all bad. But my work piled up. For a spell, my planned trip to attend All About Dogs in the UK was in jeopardy. I couldn’t sit in the car and drive, let alone for 12 hours straight. But it improved and last weekend I was indeed in the UK, helping on the Schnauzerfest stall and having a great time.
When I attend shows, a major highlight is getting to meet some of the dogs and their adopters the charity helps. I will never, ever tire of the joy of this experience.
Searching out Tsuki Look-A-Likes also happened.
One of the tasks which I needed to complete this week, and did, was open up entries for the Schnauzerfest 2025 Calendar. This is a always a busy time of year for the charity as entries flood in. It’s also great as we get to enjoy seeing hundreds and hundreds of photos of happy dogs. From these the judges have to pick around 100, it is a tough task, but, the result is a high quality, very popular charity calendar which each year raises several thousands of pounds. If you’re interested in submitting photos, see here .
As I ticked that job off the list yesterday another landed to take its place. It is ever the way. But, I must, I will, crack on this week and clear some of the mountain facing me. Not least, writing my next book, which is so close to completion, but which some days feels so far from it as other demands pull me away. I know I am not alone as a writer struggling to settle down and do the actual job of writing. There are always too many distractions. As this, from the wonderful Marnie Your Memoir put out yesterday, Virginia Woolfe was no stranger to it…
But this week I will make my plans and stick to them. I must. I will sit at my desk and do it.
