Here we are set for another ramble through the week that was so, without any faffing about, here goes.
Hobby Horsing
Hot on the heels of last week’s gull-screeching thing that I didn’t know was a thing (but will now never be able to forget) comes hobby horsing. Not only is it a thing, but competitions take place all around the world, giving enthusiastic hobby horsers the opportunity to show off their skills and creativity. It’s especially big in Finland, where more than 1500 people participate in the annual championships.
As a sport hobby horsing is so big that in 2019 the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) proposed it for inclusion in the Paris Olympics. It’s also inclusive – after all, anyone with a stick can conceivably train for the Olympics.
If you’re interested (and, why wouldn’t you be), the Queensland State Hobby Horse Championships will be held in Morayfield on Friday 5th July 2024.
Writing
I haven’t been posting my line a day for the last few days as I’ve pushed the draft for Philly Barker No. 3 to one side to focus on the edits for Christmas at Fountains Hall.
Edits are usually in two parts:
The structural edit stage helps with the, well, structure. In this stage, we consider voice and believability, whether things work or not. Scenes are added, deleted, or moved around—the same goes for scene breaks and chapter beginnings and endings. Moving a single sentence from the end of a paragraph to the beginning can make a massive difference to a scene. This stage adds texture, layers and dimension to the story.
The copy (or line) edit is the nitty gritty. It’s punctuation, grammar (the difference between em-dashes, en-dashes and hyphens does my head in), show don’t tell, depth of feeling, active vs passive voice, speech tags vs action beats. It’s at this point we decide what dictionary is used to check spelling against (the Macquarie Dictionary), what spelling regional choice (Australian English), and whether contractions are appropriate (it’s vs it is). As overwhelming as it is, it’s this stage where the words are polished.
In any case, it’s not been too bad. I have one additional half a scene I want to add as an epilogue and I’m done.
From here, the cover will need to be done—I sent the brief to my designer a couple of weeks ago—and I’ll need to write a back cover blurb—something that generally takes me longer to write than the initial 90,000 words. After that it gets formatted for ebooks and print.
In any case, next week I’ll let you know about proposed publication dates and preorders.
For everyone waiting for the next Philly, I’ll be back into that story later this afternoon. I’m still aiming to have this out by the end of the year too.
Reading
I’m currently reading Dissolution by C.J. Sansom. It’s a murder mystery set in the reign of Henry VIII at the time of the dissolution of the monasteries. It’s the first in the Shardlake series of mysteries, and apparently there’s a series on Disney based on the books.
Also on the go is Giulia Crouch’s The Happiest Diet In The World. While I’ve read a lot about blue zones and the science behind them, this is about eating for pleasure and flavour, food that is nourishing and flavourful without trying—joyfully healthy.
The Vintage China Spot
I scored this Royal Doulton plate from the op shop in Mooloolaba the other day. The backstamp was used in the 1930s, but this pattern - Countess - was first used in 1927.
In other news, I’ve signed up to do some volunteer work for the group of op shops Grant works for—in the collectables department. Grant thinks it’s a tad like leaving the fox in charge of the hen house.
Dr Michael Mosley
I can’t finish this week’s ramble without paying my respects to Dr Michael Mosley who has long inspired me. Even though I’ve never properly followed his diet (although ironically I signed up to the Fast 800 just before I got sick and intend actually sticking to it from July 1 – mark the date), the way he went about his research and then wrote about it makes sense to me. His brand of science was never patronising or eye-glazing; it was personal, practical and inspirational.
Just One Thing – his podcast turned into a book – remains the best non-fiction “help” book I’ve read. There’s nothing flowery or woo-woo about it. It’s about setting one habit at a time and building on that. I began following it (and blogging) at the beginning of last year, and … well, I fell off the wagon #storyofmylife. I love the idea that no matter what’s going on you can (usually) find just one thing that, if not great, is at least ok.
He was a broadcaster who followed his curiosity wherever it led him and for that I admired him. RIP Dr Michael Mosley. Thank you for the inspiration.
It’s fitting that this week’s recipe comes from his Fast 800 plan – although these peas would go with any protein. We added an extra touch of vinegar to them – not so much for taste, but to lower the glycemic effect of the peas slightly (although they’re already a low-ish GI carb as long as they’re not overcooked. Also, I didn’t trim the loin chops of the fatty bits because, well, where would be the fun in that? The little “tail” on a lamb loin chop is one of the great pleasures in life. And, because it’s not July 1 and I’m not following the plan yet, we also had some little boiled potatoes with it.
Lamb Chops and Minted Peas
Ingredients (serves 2)
260g lamb loin chop, trimmed of fat
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (for the lamb)
200g frozen peas
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (for the peas)
20g pine nuts, toasted
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely diced
60g feta cheese, crumbled
fresh mint leaves, chopped
Method
1. Fry the lamb chop in a fry pan with the oil for a few minutes each side (until cooked to your liking). Set aside to rest and keep warm.
2. Steam the peas until soft.
3. Mash the peas slightly and mix through the oil, chilli, feta, pine nuts and mint.
4. Serve mashed peas topped with the lamb.
Love C J Sansom’s books but not sure about the Disney program. Sometimes I like the characters to stay as I have imagined them.
Grant’s comment about working in the op shop made me chuckle! Love that plate design.
Feeling very sad about Michael Mosley, especially thinking of his wife and four children. He was very inspirational and yet so down to earth.
Thank you for sharing your behind the scenes in the writing process. Always interesting
You put me onto Michael Mosley in one of your posts ages ago Jo and I now love his podcasts, so sad!! I'm always keen to read about the writing processes, so thanks for sharing.