The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Lately, there’s been a lot of all three around. I’m not going to dwell on the usual newspaper fodder – crazy weather, annoying (possibly corrupt) politicians, shamefully mistreated military personnel, crime, violence, binge drinking and mind-bendingly dull ‘celebrities’. I’m sure you already know all you ever wanted to (and probably quite a bit more) about those subjects. Instead, I offer you just a few examples of each from my own recent experience:

The Good:

1. The members of lovely online writing community WriteWords have been enjoying a lot of success lately. Recently published books include Mothernight by Sarah Stovell, A Vengeful Longing by Roger Morris, Chips, Beans and Limousines by Leila Rasheed, Thorn in the Flesh by Anne Brooke, Split by a Kiss by Luisa Plaja, and Ways to Live Forever by Sally Nicholls - also the well-deserved winner of the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize.

2. I have discovered (via a WW tip) The Big Green Bookshop blog – it’s always been a secret (or perhaps not so secret) ambition of mine to open my own bookshop at some time in the future, and reading about how these guys have done just that is really inspiring. I wish them the very best of luck!

3. Having wanted a fob watch for ages – and more specifically for Shadow Road’s Christmas production a few months ago – but not having any money to spend on a ‘proper’ one, I stumbled across an attractive faux-silver one at my nearest tube station the other day. At a mere £6 for the watch, chain and a spare battery, I thought it was something of a bargain!


The Bad:

1. My excellent ‘Leg Master’ exercise machine has just broken down. Just as I’ve worked my way up to 1,500 repetitions in a day – I kid you not, people, I’ve (almost) sweated blood to get here – the cursed thing has given up the ghost and John Lewis have sold out of replacements. Grrr!

2. Public transport in London – crowded, expensive, dirty, slow, and, depending on whom you end up travelling alongside, occasionally dangerous. And this is what people are supposed to leave their cars behind for?

3. My inability to maintain a regular posting schedule on this blog. It isn’t that I forget to write anything, nor that I can’t be bothered, it’s more that I don’t feel I ought to post unless I’ve got something worth saying. And then I remember that just because I think a thing is worth saying, it doesn’t follow that anyone else will necessarily agree with me. *Sigh* I suspect I may take myself – and this blog – a little too seriously. I am determined to be more trivial (and talkative) in future... ;-)


And The Ugly:


I am reliably informed that this is a sculpture of a ‘Lion Dog’. Hmm, I may still resent the fact that my parents wouldn’t let me have a puppy when I was little, but I don’t think even I would have wanted to go ‘walkies’ with one of these.

Any good, bad or ugly things happening in your life at the moment? If so, feel free to share...