What happened to this year?

How come it's September? Why does my car have dew on the windows every morning? and why are there spiders spinning their webs everywhere? I noticed some of the shops are evn starting to stock Christmas lines. I can't believe where the time has gone.

Planning ahead

I'm hoping that I'll be able to finish the first draft of Crystal Clear over the next few days. I know I need to do a lot of polishing and sorting out my wonky timeline etc but it's so exciting now the finishing line is coming into sight.
The belles are looking forward to a weekend away with Mr Nell in the tourer - they are going to try out the new porch awning. I'm looking forward to alone time with no one demanding food, help with homework, clean socks or a lift to somewhere. I wouldn't like that status permanently you understand but for a little while it's bliss. Thanks to everyone who is helping with the Diva fund for my friend. There are more books to bid for, critques etc.Visit Here!
The romance business is one of the nicest, kindest, most generous group of people and its wonderful that people are stepping up to help a fellow writer who really needs a lift right now.

The small stuff

Today has been taken up with small things. Paying a bill that required a trip to the bank, looking for new jeans that actually came close to fitting, adding in the edits that my cp suggested for A Scattering of Leaves, writing and mailing out this quarters newsletter to my subscribers, posting up promo notices for mine and Phillipa's book launch and generally doing all kinds of stuff that needed to be done.
I can't believe we're almost at the end of January already. Outside the sky is grey and sullen but in the garden the snowdrops are beginning to peek through and the squirrel is on the fence chattering abuse at the magpies.
My brochures have arrived from the Welsh tourist board and I'm happily dreaming of some warm summer days by the sea.

The infinite nature of time

It never fails to amaze me how elastic time can be. Waiting for an answer on Charlie time seems slow, dragging. I look at my word count for Blue Remembered Heels and all the work I've done in that same period, 21k written, major edits, galley proofs, three books to promote and time has hurtled past me at a scary speed.
Only four weeks until school breaks up for the summer and then once the holidays are over Christmas planning will begin with hardly time to draw breath in between.
Sometimes I wish I could stop the clock, hold the hour for just that beat longer. My children are growing up so quickly. In September my eldest begins her options year, my middle daughter enters her final year at primary school and my baby will be year five.
Where did that time go?