On Monday evening I made a dent into the word count shortfall after being away at the end of last week, but as this week has gone on that is a small mercy as the daily target moves further and further away from where I am (13,404 words for those of you that are interested).

My plans to make up some of my word count during my lunch hour have been fruitless. My lunch hour has ceased to exist. I’ve been so excited and busy with work that midday becomes 1pm, then 1.30 and the other day even 1.50pm before I have nipped to the staff room to have something to eat. There just isn’t time to bash out a sentence let alone a couple of hundred words.

Tuesday I popped out for a swim before my tutor session. That was good. However the tutor session was not. Only one tutee turned up and after nattering for 15 minutes I called it a night, but having walked up, down and around Durham as well as swimming 1km I got home when it was late and dark, to a cold flat. There was only one thing I could do. Sleep. Wednesday was a colleagues retirement party, after 47 years in the job he got the fantastic celebration he deserved. Of course completely underestimating how much I had going on I’d also volunteered for Cake Friday this week, so my Thursday evening was spent cake baking once I’d returned from Body Balance. The Rotweinkuchen went down very well though!

Tonight I was due to be on a date but by this morning my head was starting to ache and there was no chance of making coherent conversation with anyone by this evening. I don’t think a headache combined with random babbling is the way to attract a potential future boyfriend. I’ll hold off on the dating until I’ve caught up on some sleep! It’s not surprising I’m so tired. I wrote a list of all the things I’ve done at work this week and it seems that I have managed to warp time as I’m not quite sure how I have actually fit it all in.

This evening I’m recharging the batteries. Catching up on TV I’ve recorded on my overflowing PVR, accompanied by a couple of strawberry beers. Tomorrow I’ll be around 10,000 words behind in NaNoWriMo but I can make a start on catching up. As long as I get a decent nights sleep it’s realistic to do in a couple of days (NaNo is about quantity, the quality comes later!) I am still determined that I will complete the NaNo challenge this month and am aiming to hit the 50,000 word mark on Sunday 29th. I am a deadlines person, always have been, and I always pull it off. I’m just hoping that next week gives me time to write during the weekend, as I don’t fancy writing 12000 words every weekend this month!

This week has been quite something though! I met my tutees at Trevs. I can’t believe how nervous I was, more so than my last job interview. And we had a quiz on Tuesday, we didn’t win but I thought we’d done rather well (especially as some teams had TWO tutors and some freshers reps too!) I remembered that Mork came from Ork, but should have had more confidence that IBM made the first floppy disk. I was also mistaken for a fresher by another fresher at the bar. So that means I can wipe eight years off my age, I’m 18 again!

I did two days of Freshers Fayre and it almost killed me. By Wednesday afternoon I was a babbling wreck downing Red Bull to keep me awake. But Tuesday was lots of fun, and I have lots of pointless freebies. Our sparkly bug was possibly the best freebie (we were told this on numerous occasions) but the plastic sombrero and stick on moustache were also pretty impressive.

Back in 2001 as a Fresher I heard rumours of free pizza at Freshers Fayre. I was thoroughly disappointed to discover this was a lie. Eight years later as the smell of warm dough and melted cheese wafted across the room the 18 year old me was incredibly excited… and it kept the 26 year old me in lunch for two days! And it wasn’t just pizza that was free – cakes, biscuits, sweets… I tell you Freshers Fayre is not the place for those on a diet. Or those who have let there exercising lapse the past few weeks… oops!

The trauma of Freshers week is now over and I’m taking a couple of days off to recharge and recover. And bake. I need to make cakes for tutor hour on Tuesday!

Before you know it’ll I’ll be back to my blogging self.

p.s. If you are in Durham – Nichols make very very very nice cakes, which I ate too many of at Freshers Fayre! They also make nice sandwiches too. I think it might be my new favourite place for baked goods!

I would also like to thank my wonderful friends Liz (@LadyBowers) and Catherine for exploring the city with me on my trips. Also Hannah for being a complete star and showing us the hidden gems of her city.

New York

Welcome to my whistle stop tour of New York. Before we start I will warn you that a week away in New York will leave your feet aching from walking, and your face aching from smiling so much!

Getting around…

It’s worth investing in a 7-Day Unlimited Ride Metro Card for $27. Bear in mind that the subway isn’t like the tube and so if you need to change lines you may find yourself going back on yourself to be able to change. It’s worth doing a bit of extra walking and seeing the city too. As the week goes on you’ll hopefully find your bearings, walk more and use the subway less.

Sightseeing…

Ellis Island and Statue of Liberty (Battery Park): Ellis Island museum is great. I’ve never got off on Liberty Island because the views are spectacular from the ferry. Now that the statue has reopened the climb to the crown if you can get tickets it might be worth it.

Broadway Show (TKTs Times Square): It wouldn’t be a trip to New York without taking in a show. Get reduced tickets from the TKTs booth in Times Square, if there’s a show you want to see it’s worth the wait.

Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Centre): In my opinion, having done both, Top of the Rock is better than the Empire State Building. The view over Central Park is fantastic. And midweek mornings are virtually queue free.

MoMA (11 W 53 St): A chance to see some of the great works of modern art in real life. Definitely a good choice for a rainy day.

Guggenheim (5^th at 89^th St): For art I prefer the MoMA, but it is worth having a wander past, and even sticking your head inside to take in the impressive architecture. Don’t forget it’s closed on a Thursday (a fact I remember thanks to Sex and the City, Carrie and co do have their uses!)

Central Park: I fell in love with New York the day I first visited Central Park. Hire bikes if you want to see as much of the park as you can, an hour will get you round the south of the park, but you’ll need a couple of hours or more to see the north of it too. Alternatively it’s just as nice having an afternoon wander around the various sights.

Grand Central Station (87 E 42nd St): The first time I walked in it took my breath away. The second time it did it again. This is a truly magnificent building so don’t miss it.

New York Public Library (5^th Ave at 42nd St): For those of you who are librarians, this is an amazing library. For those of you who are SATC fans, this is where Carrie nearly married Big. For those of you who are neither, it is another stunning building in the city.

LOVE sculpture (6th Ave): At W 55 St. 6th Avenue you’ll find the LOVE sculpture by Robert Indiana, which is a photo taking moment. (I’ve included the address as some of us spent a week hunting for the damn thing!)

Sex and the City Tour: For the fans of the show this is an absolute must. You see a lot of the city whilst enjoying SATC trivia and get a free Magnolia Bakery Cupcake too!!!

Shopping…

Times Square: My favourites are Toys R Us (I still haven’t been on the ferris wheel though!), M&Ms World (because there is something fab about M&Ms in more colours than you can imagine), Hershey’s (the outside of it is fantastic). I also loved the HUGE Virgin Megastore, but sadly it shut earlier this year. I have fond memories of being asked out for coffee by a cute guy whilst browsing CDs… only in New York!

Department Stores: Top end you have Saks and Bloomingdales. Macy’s is great once you get your bearings, but it takes time. Century 21 is fantastic if you have a clue what you are looking for, but it can be completely chaotic and overwhelming.

Apple: There are Apple stores across Manhattan which are great for checking email and using the internet (but remember to log out of Facebook!). However if you only visit one make it the flagship store on Fifth Avenue. It is a sight to behold.

For the Girls: Tiffany & Co. is a must. Meander round the floors, drooling at the gorgeous jewelry. Whether you like classic and simple, or more diamonds than you can imagine, there will be something to make your jaw drop. Victoria Secret is the other stop. Though I enjoy perusing the lingerie my favourite things are the PINK sweat bottoms, I live in mine when I’m at home, they are so comfy!

For the Labels: Head over to Greenwich Village for the various designer stores (there is also 5^th Ave, but I prefer this end of town). Here I find my favourites of Mulberry, DVF and Louboutin. I also discovered Fresh, and the best lipbalm I have ever owned.

Afternoon Tea…

Magnolia Bakery: These are the best cupcakes in the world. The original shop is in Greenwich Village, but there a couple more now including on in the Empire State Building.

Alice’s Tea Cup: Missing a good old cup of English Tea? Well this is the place to come. There is a bigger selection of tea than you could imagine, as well as the most amazing scones. They do other wonderful food too. You may have to wait an hour or so for a table, but it is worth it. Trust me.

Max Brenner: Apparently this place does more than just chocolate, but it does chocolate best. Again you may have to wait for a table, but the trip to chocolate heaven is more than compensation for the queuing.

Saks Cafe SFA (8th Floor): Get a table next to the window in their café and overlook the roof stunning gardens of the Rockefeller Plaza buildings whilst enjoying traditional afternoon tea.

Food & Drink…

Any Diner: Another New York tradition that can’t be missed. At least one breakfast trip for pancakes, and dinner visit for burgers and a shake. There are a fair few to pick from, so no excuses for missing out.

American Favourites: Dunkin’ Donuts, Tasty D-Lite etc these are the places you’ll immediately recognise but haven’t made it over the pond

Starbucks: Because mid-afternoon you will need a sit down, drink and a toilet break (not necessarily in that order) and they are perfect for all three. The only time you won’t be able to find one is when you are absolutely desperate!!!

Europa Café: You’ll find these dotted around the city and they are great for a reasonably priced delicious lunch. The sandwiches are lovely, and fresh salad is made whilst you wait.

Flickr is another thing in the realm of “social networking” that it took me a while to get to grips with (see my post RSS… WTF!) but now I love it for showing off the best of my photography. I find that with my Nikon D40 I’m now taking hundreds of photos but getting some fantastic results, sometimes completely by accident! For example at Lucy & Dave’s Wedding I took approximately 400 photos, 96 made it to Facebook, but only the best 10 made it to Flickr.

I work on the principle that Flickr is for showing off the best of the best. People only like looking at lots of photos if they are in them, they are from an event they were at, or they show friends making idiots of themselves. In all other cases people don’t want to sort through piles of boring photos. Digital photography means we can take many more photos at a much lower cost, however it doesn’t change the fact that looking at someone elses holiday shots is as boring as it ever was.

A friend who also subscribes to this principle on his website is Graeme Watson (who I also have to thank for being my teacher in DSLR photography, getting me to a level of understanding to be able to take the pictures you see below.)

Anyway, sit back, enjoy and if you’d like to see more please do mosey on over to my Flickr Photostream.

The first is sunshine. Every year without fail it has been sunny for whatever birthday celebration or event is planned. When I was little it stayed dry for obsticle courses and treasure hunts. On my 16th I sat in the backgarden revising for a GCSEs. On my 18th we took a break from revision to have a BBQ. The day of my 21st I spent on Bournemouth beach. Not once in the past 26 years has it rained. And this year was no exception.

Secondly you can always guarentee that everyone will know it’s my birthday. Some people hate birthdays and hate the attention they bring. I don’t. I enjoy it. I like getting cards, presents and cake. This year I even requested that my family sing “Cumpleaños Feliz” (Happy Birthday in Spanish) as my niece and I are now learning it together every Thursday. My dad’s response was “Get lost!” but even he surrendered and joined in!

The third thing you can guarantee on and around my birthday is an abundance of parties and celebrations. I like to celebrate with my family, my close friends, my wider group of friends and if none of these events fall on my actual birthday a pint in the pub with friends is likely to feature too. For example last year I managed a party with my friends in London, a night out with my friends in Southport and a chinese meal with my family.

The party with friends has often been a joint party with others who have the good luck to have been born in May, but this year we decided to give it a miss. In fact I also gave the celebration with close friends, and the pub a miss too. In the grand scheme of things this year has been my quietest ever (I must have had two celebrations on my 1st birthday!) I ditched the big night out and the copious drinking for a lovely day with my family and one of my best friends. We ate a lovely Sunday roast prepared by my sister and then made the most of the sunshine by going for a wander in the woods. I would say it was civilised but we are talking about Thornber’s and their descendants so there was still a fair amount of noise and chaos!

Next year I might consider returning to the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle of previous birthdays – on the other hand I am very tempted to spend the weekend at the Hay-on-Wye book fair… I’ll save the partying for when I turn 30!!!

and for those of you who missed the glory of Good Cake Friday last week here is one of my mother’s wonderful butterfly cakes…

The first half (or so) of the book takes place around the area of Colliers Wood and Morden in South London. (Google Map). I had hoped to be there before sunrise on what would turn out to be a gloriously sunny day. However my wish didn’t come true. But as an eternal optimist I believe that every cloud has a silver lining. On this overcast day there were plenty of clouds and therefore an abundance of silver linings!

It did turn out that there was a benefit to the overcast weather, especially at this time of year when things are only just coming to life. My rose tinted glasses of the past (I used to live in the area) had edited out the not quite so beautiful aspects along the River Wandle. I furiously made notes and snapped away noticing all the small interesting details that I’d neglected to see in the past.

And there were some fascinating details. Not long after I arrived I spotted a bird gathering dead grass in its beak for nesting. It was quite happy to carry on its business and let me watch – until I got my camera out. Understandably we all have those moments we’d rather not be photographed!

There was also a stand off between a heron and a couple of canada geese. I say stand off, but what I mean is the heron stood on the bank absolutely still looking down on these two geese in the river who were getting increasingly agitated and making more and more noise when they couldn’t get a rise out of the heron. Eventually the geese gave up. One of them did insist on continuing to squawk loudly, whilst the other one swam up ahead (obviously trying to distance herself from the pain in the neck behind who wouldn’t shut up!)

I did make time to stop for tea and cake in my note making and photo taking frenzy. I headed to the National Trust café for a spot of tea and carrot cake. The cake was delicious and made up for missing Cake Friday at work (which had been a Red Nose Day special).

The end of the trip marked the end of the research phase of my book. Now it’s onto the writing of the novel. The first draft is the hardest. I have this amazing exciting story in my head and I have to do it justice in words. I really don’t want to let my imagination, and potential readers, down. Wish me luck!