Quick Coffee Catch Up

Hello and thanks for joining me on a Tuesday instead of our usual Monday Coffee date.

It has been a very busy week and weekend so I’m playing catch up this week with all the odds and ends that were put aside. Grab a mug of your favourite beverage and join me on the sofa while I regale you with what I’ve been doing.

Last week saw my Literacy Enrichment plan working as the school enjoyed a re-run of the recent Royal wedding. At the end of a hardworking week, the children were rewarded with a Royal Reception of their own with representatives of the royal family chosen from our year 6’s. The children and staff made a huge effort to dress up and I spotted at least three fascinators with pretty feathers and flowers donned by teachers as they went around serving the children juice and water.

After filling their mouths with as many snacks they could fit in one sitting, off they went to dance – after the dance floor was opened by the royal couple and family members. I do believe the queen could boogie! Once the party was over, it was as though my fairy godmother waved her magic wand: tables and chairs were whisked away at fairytale speed making my head spin, and by the time the parents were allowed onto the playground to pick up their precious princes and princesses, no one was the wiser that children had been frolicking in their fancy footwear mere minutes before. I am now convinced that the staff and children have super hero capes hidden in their lockers for occasions like this!

Well that was one Royal Reception out of the way. On Saturday, I was lucky enough to attend another wedding with a different prince and princess. This time they appeared to have stepped straight out of a Bollywood movie!

Set on the De Vere grounds in a picturesque village in Mortimer, the couple celebrated their nuptials in style with a stunning backdrop of the Manor House. As though that wasn’t awe-inspiring enough, their Reception was held in the hotel with a huge chocolate fountain to keep adults and children entertained while we waited for photos to be taken of the beautiful bride and groom.

Aromatic food and music filled the evening air and by the time it was time to leave, most of the guests were catatonic from full bellies and sore feet, a sign of a brilliant evening had by all.

Sunday saw a more serene family get together as everyone reminisced the previous day’s events with the new relatives and more good food. A good end to a long weekend of celebrating.

With all this happening, there was no time to write and to be honest, no real inspiration to do so. I’m losing focus again and my deadline is looming. Let’s hope that it returns soon or I’ll see another year pass with my stories sitting in draft form.

What about you? Have you had an exciting or boring weekend? What did you get up to? Let me know in the comments.

Wine o’ clock

I love long lines of traffic, moody children complaining in the back and the scowling sky threatening to cry out to the world below. Love the stress of trying to balance a workday with after school clubs and meetings for four different children preparing for their new year in a new class (two at new schools!). Love the plucky looks of parents eyeing out my dog hanging out the back window as I park because he’s decided to make himself sick and nearly die, and me spending sleepless nights watching over him then going to work.

Yup. It has been fun. 

Suffice it to say, I am declaring it wine o’ clock and all my worries be damned! As I pour my glass of Shiraz and slip into my oversized pjs that don’t match but are the most comfortable clothes I possess, I feel bubbles of excitement fill my body. The thought of a night of relaxation with XXX on Sky (yes, of course I love Vin Diesel but not in the way you would think – I want to be him, not be with him!!) and my secret stash of Turkish Delights just waiting for me, I plan on forgetting the pending appointments for the week ahead, the deadlines on books I still haven’t finished writing and my start with the Open University where I will be studying a degree in English Literature and Creative Writing. 

Yes folks, the future may be bright and filled with opportunities, but just for tonight, I’m taking a break. 

Please, be kind and leave reviews for my books. I will try to keep posts flowing on my blog but they will be intermittent (as they have been for the past few weeks). Apologies if I miss your posts. I will try to keep up but a few will fall through the cracks. 

If you need me, send me an email or contact me through my social media sites. I’m still around, just focusing on not drowning under children, work, studies and pets! 

Hugs to you all. 

Sunset romance

A fragile as glass
Heartbeats slowing
As shadows run past

Twighlight’s fever
Purple bruises so dear
The pain of living
In love’s final sphere

Dusk is moaning
Orange passion now gone
Blues are holding
Vigil over love’s song

Night creeps over
The warmth of the sun
Ink is spreading
Love’s colours have run

Monday Coffee: Home

I have reached home.
Today I took the steps leading me to the future, the place I want to be. I sit here revelling in the feeling of achievement I so rarely get to enjoy and…I am in awe.

Sometimes wishing is not enough. Sometimes, settling only gets you so far. But I have to ask myself why, on this journey here, did I question the fundamental right of anyone to pursue more than what their goal is? I ridiculed the idea that pushing further would reap rewards of happiness and success equally. I postured the idealism that greed is the main source of pursuit, leading down a slippery slope to materialism and superficial lifestyles. I know it is. 

But here I sit. The hunger is dated. I have reached the point where I want to be and that gurgling murmur of delight escaping my lips is not one of greed or want; it’s the sound of knowing that taking the risk to reach my happiness was not complete madness.

My happy place: a wet log covered by a doggy sack to keep my posterior dry whilst I type this drivel. 

My view – exquisite! A soft clearing half way up a hill overlooking the valley of wild grass and heather below. The sound of crunching leaves behind me as Henry pursues the heady scents of foxes and birds in his happy state. I can’t say everything here is perfect. As I crossed the gulley surrounded by gorse bushes, I honestly thought I wouldn’t make it. But I did. And once in the clearing under the tall redwoods, my celebrations were greeted by a dead bird lying on the damp grass. Not to be dissuaded, I moved further away after praying for its little soul. Yes, if we have souls, so do the beasts that co-habit this earth. There, I found my log, riddled with woodworm and all things unpleasant. This is where I sit, content. 

Sometimes, pushing for those dreams is definitely worth it.

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Monday Coffee

Yes, I know.  It’s Tuesday! I blame the public holiday yesterday.  It threw me and I assumed I was still in Sunday mode.  So, let’s pretend it’s still Monday and have a quick cuppa before tackling Tuesday.

I have been mulling over the stories I have written over the past few years and have made the firm decision to mix a romance/thriller that has been sitting idle with my two intrepid detectives, Perkins and Jones.  For those of you who haven’t had the chance to meet them, I’m shocked.  The Iron Pendulum has been out for a while now and I can guarantee you will enjoy it.  Plus, it gives you a chance to meet Perkins and Jones on their first case that highlights their personalities. With this in mind, I shall start stirring the story pot and see where the book wants to go.  Watch this space for tasters.

Judith emailed me yesterday to give me some amazing news: I won second place in the Tenby Bookfair Short Story Writing Competition.Needless to say, I was bouncing around the house, squealing with delight. My lovely sprogs and hubble gave me huge hugs and we had a mini celebration.  It’s not often I enter competitions or come anywhere close to winning, so that was a big deal to me.  Please, raise you cup and lets give a toast to the person who inspired me to enter this competition in the first place – Hugh!  Through the process of joining WordPress and meeting incredible artists from different genres, we have the opportunity to meet the most inspirational people who will keep us going during the dark times and push us to go further, try harder; to succeed.  Hugh is one of those amazing individuals that I am lucky enough to know.  Thank you, Hugh.

Some more exciting news.  A few of my other incredible blogging friends are preparing to send their books out to beta readers for a last check before releasing their babies out to the big wide world.  Have you ever thought of becoming a beta reader?  If you’re an avid reader who enjoys receiving releases before anyone else has had a chance to read them, then you should get in touch.  We are always looking for good beta readers who will give feedback to our special creations and would love to share them with you.  Get in touch.  It might be fun!

Have a lovely Tuesday and we will catch up again later this week.

 

 

Facing Mortality

 I’m sitting here thinking about our mortality.  We are trudging around the life-long treadmill only to find a weary end to our existence.  If we are lucky we get in a few years of happiness before the light blots out.  But, how many of us achieve our dreams and expectations before this happens?  How many of us reach the plateau of contentment before the fall?  There are millions of sites dedicated to giving you instructions on how to improve your life, change your habits, eat your way to a healthier lifestyle, reach your goals by placing you feathers in the positions A-B-C!  Whilst we thresh out the bullshit trying to find the right solution, maybe it’s sitting right there, next to us, waiting to be noticed like a wallflower at the dance.
Receiving news that your friend might have the big C can squash your 2016 positive parade faster than a cruncher squashing old scrap in a junkyard.  Add to that the the fact that her mother is slowly fading and there’s nothing we can do about it, and she is the primary care giver since the rest of the family aren’t that interested. It’s a real humdinger of a situation.  Happy new year!  Let’s find that eternal happiness whilst we wade through this shitty situation!  My take on life is…the storms are going to come, the landscape is going to change.  I either stand fast and fight or I get out my waders, my wellies, my overcoat and prepare to hunker down until it passes.  Emotional outbursts will be allowed, just a few, but there’s no room for sappy behaviour until it passes.  My friends react in different ways.  Some cry and want me to cry along, others understand that I don’t tap into that side – it stays internal until it I can’t contain it anymore and it oozes out.  My friend seems to fall under that category and we get on well.  All I can offer is support and love as she closes the latch on her next ride to hell and back. Maybe it will be enough, maybe not.  I don’t know.

So, back to my “how to find the end of the rainbow before you die” spiel. It’s simple.  There is no rainbow. There aren’t any Fix-It Felix makeovers that will last.  It’s mind over matter.  I have known a few bloggers since I’ve joined this bandwagon with such severe sicknesses, I cannot even fathom their positivity. But, they are positive! They send out messages of hope, love, humour and sincerity.  On the blackest of days, they can get a little dark.  I like that.  That for me is the honesty behind it.  Life can’t be rosy everyday.  I salute those bloggers, my friends and all of you for living through your diverse tragedies of life.  Forget the self-help new year new you crap.  Celebrate yourself instead and what you’ve overcome because I can guarantee more adversity is coming your way; more hope, more happiness is coming too.  Be brave enough to grab them whilst you’re wading.  Remember, we aren’t going to be here forever and there’s always a break in the storm.  Breathe in that fresh air when it stops and clean out your worry bags because more is bound to come.  That’s our reality – our mortality.  

I’ll be thinking of you and I hope you will spare a thought for me as we cheer on our mortality and ride it like its our favourite bike (I chose to use a less offensive analogy there!).  Those are my thoughts for today.

Pixie Mischief

  Frolicking through the woodland

Tiny footsteps dance

Dewdrops flicking upwards

As each leaf bounces in a trance
Tinkling bells of laughter

Flittering fluttering free

As they wake the daisies

From their lazy sleep
Watch out for their mischief

Pixies love a trick

Walking through the woodland

One might trip over a stick!
Naughty little images

Faster than the speed of light

Tiny specs of energy

With not a care in sight.

Picture courtesy of The Pixie Pit.co.uk

Happy #Wensfriesday

  
I’ve put together some of my favourite treats for this week.  Promise I won’t eat them all!

What treat are you having this week?  If not a treat, maybe a song, sport or anything to make you smile!

Sometimes it’s the smallest things that make us happy.  My illustrator has shared a pic of Mr Barns from Cecil The Bully.  It made my week.  Since I love to share the happiness, I would like to share it with you. Let me know what you think of it.

  
Share a little love this mid-week break and makes someone’s day.

Big hugs to you all.  xxx

Copyright held by Eloise De Sousa (2015) for all pictures, poems and stories posted on this site.  

Happy #Wensfriesday

Now that the days are getting shorter, nights are donning their chilly suits and the autumn term has well and truly begun.  We are back to searching for little pick-me-ups to carry us through the long weeks ahead.  What better way than celebrating #Wensfriesday together?  

For my #Wensfriesday treat today, I’m picking out a savoury snack.  With a cheesy flavour and crispy, crumbly body, it snaps under mouth-watering bites expelling the delicious herbs, salts and peppers trapped within its mix.  

What is my snack of choice?  Can anyone guess?

Monday Coffee

We are gathered today in the surgery of Mummy De Sousa!  Grab your masks and make sure to wash your hands.  Coffee will be served after.  Our case on file today is the loose tooth of the youngest sprog in the family.

For the past four days we have been watching the top right incisor slowly loosen to the point of no return.  Tonight, said tooth has shown significant movement and might decide to release itself from gum imprisonment.  Whilst a firm grip and wriggling and squiggling have worked in the past, tougher measures might need to be taken.  As you stand there with me watching the tooth fight to hold onto its warm, cosy existence, I have a deeper question for you: when is the right time to let go?  As milk teeth refuse to budge until their secure home is shaken to the core, when do we seek to change our lifestyles and habits of co-existence?

My eldest turned sixteen today and I am amazed at his confidence and individuality.  I possessed little to no confidence at his age and was only discovering myself, let alone the big world outside.  Yet, he has already travelled to two different countries on his own, stayed with families he never knew and spoke foreign languages to communicate with them.  Watching him coax my youngest to allow him a crack at loosening the offending tooth, I envy him.  Maybe I would have been a different person if I had been given the opportunities he has in life.  So many roads not taken and so many choices left to drift unanswered in the winds of time.

Back to the case at hand.  The tooth is on its last leg but I think a coffee break is in order as the youngest has decided to go brush his teeth again so that the tooth fairy pays prime gold coins for said bounty!  Coffee? Tea? Hot chocolate whilst we wait?  I don’t know about you, but being over forty does not rock as much as one would have you believe.  You’re faced with the realisation that mortality is waiting round every corner and you have so little time left to be happy, every consideration is made to make the most out of life.  

The kettle has boiled.  Sugar? Milk?  

How do you face the dilemma of changes once the children grow and you discover that this is the second half of a marathon to achieve something…anything before joining the lost souls roaming the ether?  

Ah, little sprog is back with his big brother.  It seems the tooth has won this round and we are back to the surgery tomorrow to extract the offender before it inflicts too much pain on our patient.  As I kiss them good-night, I wonder what their forties will be like and whether they will ask the same questions as I do now.

Well, it is much quieter now and we still have time for a second cup.  Tell me about your Monday…