So, after many years of my trying to get him to get his hair cut short, the boy has finally made up his own mind to do it. He asked me to take him to a local Turkish barbers where his very good friend goes – it must be the ‘in’ place for 11-year-olds to get their haircut! I took him two days ago, after school and when I was tired after having a hard day working on books and stuff. We went in, he was taken right away and I was delighted to see his long-ish mop being reduced to a much more manageable and neater short haircut. What I didn’t envisage is what happened after he had gotten the cut. He did nothing but talk about it and admire himself in the mirror all the way home, all that evening and into the next day. And if I had to smell his hair (which was gelled) one more time, I would have screamed! I know what gel smells like, my darling boy, I was a teenager in the 80s! 🙂

Anyway, he’s stopped going on about his hair now – thank goodness – but informed me last night that I was rubbish at gelling his hair and he would do it from now on. Let’s put it this way – my gelling skills are SO much better than his going by the hairdo he went out with!! ha ha ha

So, how are you today? Hope you are all fine. I’ve had a busy couple of weeks writing and studying and visiting various people. I am still recovering from the trauma of a stupid accident I had at the local dump a couple of weeks ago. It was my own fault. I saw the piece of picture frame glass sticking out of the binbag before I dumped it at the dump and yet I still managed to cut my finger on it. It was a deep cut for not only was the blood flowing down my hand and dripping on the ground (it looked like there had been a murder!), but my fingertip was tingling indicating the cut was deep enough to have effected a nerve. More than two weeks later, the finger is healing – I should have gotten some stitches in it but I’m fed up going up to our local Minor Injuries Unit (the girl is particularly bad at injuring herself) so I didn’t – but if I accidentally touch the wound, the nerve sings and it’s bloody painful. By singing I mean the type of pain you feel when the dentist, poking around your mouth to check for holes, accidentally touches an unsuspecting and unguarded nerve. You nearly hit the roof. I have that in my right index finger. But, hey ho, it is yet another minor injury to add to all the rest. Well, you did wonder where the girl got her clumsiness from? 🙂

What else has been happening here? A friend of mine recently turned 50 – happy birthday Mark! – and I’ve been carrying on writing and editing my novels. I’ve also been studying my uni course and this year’s module is coming to an end at the end of this month. I have loved every minute of this course, it’s hard work, but so worth it. I’m doing a degree in English Literature and Creative Writing with the Open University and it’s brilliant. Did you see the programme on the OU on the BBC celebrating 50 years of it being in existence? I had no idea Harold Wilson had been behind the push for the OU along with Jenny Lee. Good on them because it opened up a whole load of opportunities for adult learners. Anyway, I look forward to starting the next module in October – once I finish and submit my final assessment that is!

Talking of television programmes, it would be remiss of me not to mention Game of Thrones (all today’s images are dedicated to this amazing series) and the Battle of Winterfell. Oh my God! What an episode that was. It was so good I had to watch it all over again and I still had my heart in my mouth all the way through it (even though I knew what would happen). And this week’s episode, although not exciting, was still good on a number of levels, although why they had to kill off Missandei, I’ll never know? She was a great character and her romance with Grey Worm was just a lovely part of a show where lovely things rarely happen. I shall miss her. And Tormund (my second favourite character next to Tyrion) was hilarious – love that character. However, as a major fan of the series, I know there will be further deaths to come and I wait impatiently for the final two episodes with a silent prayer on my lips: “Please God, let Cersei die horribly!”

Anyway, moving on, I am currently reading Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Making of a Marchioness. You will know the author better as the writer of Little Lord Fauntleroy and A Little Princess, which are lovely books. The Making of a Marchioness is a great book about a poor gentlewoman who catches the eye of Marquis who asks her to marry him, which she does. Then she has to contend with his cruel and jealous nephew and his wife who are desperate to get the Marquis’ money for themselves. It’s another reprint from Persephone Books and I’d recommend it. It’s a good read.

Right, I am going to finish up here and say adieu for today, I have a whole list of things I need to do today. Til next time.

Dawn xxx