Busy Ducks...

The good news is my trip to Bath is booked, so I'm hoping the weather will be dry even if it's not warm when I eventually go.

The first batch of manuscripts (for the writers' club's national competition) are on my desk waiting for me to start reading and giving a few lines of feedback on each one.

And my diary for the next few months is filling up quickly, so I'm glad I got my weekend away booked before these other appointments came in.

The other good news- well it is to me- is that I have a small payment from ALCS this year, so that will be saved up toward funding a future research trip to who-knows-where...

Passing visitors...

It's also getting time to tidy up the garden, now that the buds are opening on the trees and bushes; and the small birds are becoming regular visitors.

So it was quite unexpected last week when a pair of Ducks flew into the garden for a quick snack and wander round.

Of course they chose the least photogenic area of the garden to land on...

The female did the sensible thing and pecked up any bird seed that she could find, while the male Mallard went for a short stroll.

Obviously the garden didn't meet his requirements and he flew off, quickly followed by the female- they synchronised flying too.

This pair make regular appearances around the area: from walking across the road, to settling down for a rest on the front lawn of someone's house.

They're not that far from a number of ponds and water channels so they can easily fly from place to place.

Waiting for the other half...

They're obviously an adventurous pair that like to get away from the crowds...

Reading is Essential...

It's been a busy few weeks, so having time to think ahead for writing blog posts has been like wading through a room full of individual macrame strands hanging from the ceiling. You get through one set and can breathe for a moment before tackling the next set...

Despite the disruptions I've been able to do some writing- my 1920's based story- and I've finally started reading a few of the many books in my digital to-be-read list on my Kindle.

Every year I buy a few books that are set against a Christmas backdrop, and I always intend to read them over the Christmas holiday, but I never do. Now it's almost Spring, and I'm reading an historical romance set at- you guessed it- Christmas.

Actually I'm also reading a couple of Simon Whaley's books too, one chapter at a time when I have a spare ten minutes; The Positively Productive Writer, and Volume 1 of his latest book, The Business of Writing.

Books and Bath...

I've signed up to Readily.com, so I can read a number of different magazines each month- and back copies too. When many of the magazines are £3 and upward an issue, a monthly charge of £7.99 isn't bad. And it's a good way of finding filler opportunities.

The latest issue of Writing Magazine arrived today, and it has the first of the two competition specials they produce each year.

Next week isn't as busy as the second half of February was, so I'll be getting back to the keyboard and raising my word count.

And I still need to sort out the dates and bookings for my trip to Bath.

All that will keep me out of mischief... :D