It's friday! That means time for the weekly good news thread! What's your good news from the week? Big or small, personal or professional? What's made you smile?
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Apart from a very enjoyable, and very useful trip to London, which you know about already, all Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister episodes have been made available on iPlayer.
I’m going to see Sinners on Monday! But I suppose that is next week’s news.
This week my partner and I popped up to London midweek for a little wander around southwark. Felt like a holiday. I also saw school kids out all dressed as pirates, including some of the teachers, by The Golden Hind!
Getting to go to my best mate's birthday weekend - including two barbecues, live music and pork scratchings.
My daughter's continuing love of reading and stories.
And the release, today, of @brianbilston.bsky.social and the Catenary Wires' collaboration (pictured) - it's a lovely album!
I'd forgotten it was going to be green! I love a bit of coloured vinyl!
And, thank you for making something so awesome (and your poetry in general - which amuses and touches in some form of balance).
My Mum had a stroke 6 weeks ago. She has been home 1.5 weeks.
Today, between her, myself, and my 3 sisters (we live together), we managed to get her into - and out of! the shower.
And she wore pretty clothes for Mother's Day (Aotearoa New Zealand).
My good news is that my son has now read the first two Loki books and the whole way to school this morning he was quoting the end of book 1 with increasing drama. “Mere mortals!” etc. His new favourite series!
He’s a big Greek myths nut but doesn’t know as much about the Norse stuff, which he now really wants to learn more about – so if inspiring Norse nerdery was part of your intention, job very much done!
I finished a monster edit (for an amazing client), and tomorrow I get to run away to @gladlib.bsky.social for a week-long writing retreat! No chores, only writing and sleeping!
We’re trying to find a house as our landlords are selling so I definitely feel your pain and excitement! Also - Norwich is amazing isn’t it? I’ll be there tomorrow with my kid, rampaging around museums and lunching etc… ❤️
Getting a box of shells from the lovely @bookwormvaught.bsky.social, after I said I missed being able to see the sea, which meant I could make this shell grotto in my mini-garden
Lamented to friend about feeling nervous about sending my query letter out again after lots of work > friend was supportive > she remembered her friend used to work in publishing > she asked friend to look it over w/o me asking she said yes?! Huge learning opportunity im so grateful for like wow
I ran some training this week (not a thing I enjoy as not keen on being centerstage) but have had multiple lovely positive comments, which have even filtered through to my manager from attendees managers, so taking that as a win.
I’ve had Long Covid for 5 years but I had a pastry and a walk round the park with a lovely friend and we identified all the plants we didn’t know with an app and appreciated all the beauty and I didn’t collapse. Hurrah!
My big news is that I now, officially, a FULL TIME AUTHOR, yay! It's incredibly exciting, but also please buy my books 😬.
#AuthorLife #WillWriteForFood
I loved first half. Loved the music bit. Bit too much blood and gore in the vampire bit for me! Sat with eyes closed and fingers in ears few times in cinema!
You can go look at it without going on it, if that helps! I did go on it but couldn't make it all the way across, I had to turn around. Also a nice walk at the bottom. My parents said I didn't miss anything not going to the other side!
I have enjoyed seeing the world watch a cute gull family pottering round a roof for hours (and that baby gull was safe when the smoke came out). And that I have friends kind enough to send me proof that baby gull was safe when I was worried for the little floof.
Me and my son got his hammock out in the garden, and he swung with the newest Skulduggery Pleasant book from the library and his brand new Pokemon plushes he saved up for and enjoyed small pleasures.
He is obsessed with the entire series! He reads them again and again and spends hours telling me about the characters and the storylines. He loves the spin-offs too. I love watching him read them as he is forever chuckling and making little comments to himself. They really have brought him joy.
I met a whole bunch of ✨amazing✨ people yesterday evening ☺️, still buzzing from the joy of it! (and now fully addicted to chai, no more coffee for me when I'm out and about)
My 12 year old hasn't read anything in months and I thought I'd lost him to YouTube but I gave him Donut Squad yesterday and he giggled lots and kept showing me bits of it and was horrified when I said I was Team Bagel - he he! He finished that one so he picked up another book this morning. 😀
Battle of the Books in Beaver County, Pennsylvania! 180 5th and 6th graders who did not get bored during my talk about my middle-grade novel Prisoner 88. Followed by GREAT questions and a book signing. I even signed some shirts!
Copies of Nate Yu’s Blast From the Past are being sent out by my publishers! It’s that old feeling of excitement and dread again! And I went for lunch with Dr Melanie Ramdarshan Bold this week too!
All three amazing female poets I had on my ‘Write a Blurb for my Pamphlet’ wish list have said yes to doing so, and I have a cover image using a photograph I took, and basically this is the Best Friday for AGES!
I met my MP over trans stuff and it didn't feel like a complete waste of time. Not as good as it could have been, but much better than many other people have experienced.
I have my teenage daughter’s friend round for a sewing lesson today, it’s nice to pass on useful skills 😁 I also sold a piece of art which is off to America!
It’s from last week but I either missed last week or it didn’t happen but I graduated! Still buzzing after the event. I’m going to try and publish my research with two of my lecturers. Exciting times!
Comments
This week my partner and I popped up to London midweek for a little wander around southwark. Felt like a holiday. I also saw school kids out all dressed as pirates, including some of the teachers, by The Golden Hind!
My daughter's continuing love of reading and stories.
And the release, today, of @brianbilston.bsky.social and the Catenary Wires' collaboration (pictured) - it's a lovely album!
And, thank you for making something so awesome (and your poetry in general - which amuses and touches in some form of balance).
Btw - The Boy was very excited that there was a quote by you at the back. 😆
Today, between her, myself, and my 3 sisters (we live together), we managed to get her into - and out of! the shower.
And she wore pretty clothes for Mother's Day (Aotearoa New Zealand).
Trying to temper my excitement until its confirmed lol! 🙈
Have a good day out tomorrow!
https://www.sewingstreet.com/en-gb/programme-guide/details/?from=2025-05-09T07:00:00&to=2025-05-09T08:00:00&channelID=118
https://bsky.app/profile/laurahallain.bsky.social/post/3lo2haa5v222s
#AuthorLife #WillWriteForFood
Absolutely stunning!
New and old book friends ftw! 🤗🤗🤗