There is a vegan version of the Brown Bette in the oven making my whole flat smell delicious. It is my offering for dinner tomorrow at Paulette’s with Angus & Clive (we must select Hollywood monikers for them) and I’m really looking forward to scoffing it.
Had a wonderful afternoon yesterday meeting The Completion Club folks for lunch at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. Lovely Catherine gave me a Pomodoro so that I can practice the Pomodoro Technique, I’ve a feeling this is what will help me focus in the next few weeks on my determination to get this book finished. I have pledged to join her in NaNoWriMo in November, I think a few of the other members are going to try it too so that will make it really fun. I really loved the intensity of the three day novel writing contests I did with Sarah and Suzanne in Cardiff a couple of times so this will be even more of a challenge. A whole month of dedication to the page, wow.
Later I travelled out of town to see Ava’s new home in the countryside. What an amazing place. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the moment when I saw her beautiful loom in the far corner of a massive industrial greenhouse surrounded by bedding plants. It wasn’t until she got it to her new place that she realised the ceiling of her studio was two inches too low to get the loom set up in there but the lovely next door neighbours run a nursery and they kindly gave her a corner! It’s so hot in there she is weaving in her undies…
Ava is such a precious, glorious friend. We have both been through a lot in the few years we’ve known each other and our recent big relationships ultimately ended for the very same reason so we do talk a about that a little bit. But actually most of our conversations are about art and creativity and how we can make ourselves take big action to get the things we need in order to continue. I always feel inspired and strengthened by time around Ava and we are planning a week’s retreat for me to write amongst the geraniums and lupins sometime soon. Heaven.
We discussed how we felt about living alone and being alone (two different things) and I loved Ava’s point that, “You have to be alone a lot to create 2,000 pieces of art!” How very true!