Month: September 2014

8am

Posted on by Libby Price

I was wondering what to write about for this week’s category over on The Sticky Fingers blog Photo Gallery for the topic of ‘8am’.

At the moment there isn’t really a typical 8am to photograph.

There’s 8am on a Saturday – when we’re willing the kids to sleep in, although often have an Ocado delivery scheduled for 8.30am – so won’t be sleeping for much longer….

There’s 8am on a Sunday – again willing a lie in before husband and oldest 2 head off to rugby for the morning (the sport, not the place, that would just be weird every Sunday!!)

On a Monday husband tends to do the station run for the eldest, so my 8am is chivvying the other 3 to get ready for the day – and I’m not sure quite how a photo can capture the nagging!!!

Tuesday through Friday I usually do the station run at 7.20am and then head straight to the office early doors, or back home. But piglet number 3 started reception last week – and me going home again before she heads off with the nanny tends to bring about a meltdown (much as having Daddy around on school mornings has often done the same when the older ones were little). Today I have a meeting at home at 8.30am – but the family don’t head off on the school run until 8.20am – so I have come to hide in Starbucks at the motorway services – with a plain porridge and skinny decaf latte! So this is a picture of 8am today.

Starbucks

Perfect – catching up with blogs / my book in peace!!

I’m going to pop across to The Gallery later to see if anyone has actually managed to encapsulate the nagging in a photo……..

Sticky Fingers Photo Gallery

Monday meltdown….

Posted on by Libby Price

As I’ve mentioned before, our eldest has started a new school and this has given me lots of time to wait around at the train station for her – and catch up on my reading. A Monday is the one day of the week when we have no childcare (4 children and running our own business means that a nanny is the best option – and she works Tuesday to Friday every week).

This morning husband did the train drop off. Today was the day the train was 25 minutes late. He will not have been reading a book (he doesn’t do reading – unless it’s work or rugby team related, or trying to find an edition of NCIS or one of the Bad Boys films on the Sky planner) but will have used that half an hour or so to start the days work – emails / calls aplenty. Now he was also supposed to do pick up – but the delay to the start of his day meant a later train back from London – so I had to take the 3 younger siblings to pick their big sister up.

They were INSISTENT that they should wait on the platform rather than in the comfort of the car – even the bribe of another viewing of Frozen on DVD would not entice them to remain in the vehicle.

Here they are waiting excitedly:

Monday meltdown

This was before:

a) a lady was struggling with a pushchair, and loads of commuters and teenagers just watched her – so I had the 2 year old in one arm and helped carry her pushchair up the stairs with the other

b) an overtired 4 year old (first full day at school) had a full on meltdown because she didn’t want to walk quickly up the stairs to go home once we’d rendezvous-ed with her big sister

c) the 2 year old stropped to be put down and proceeded to run off down the road in the opposite direction from the car

d) the 4 year old wouldn’t be strapped back in to her car seat unless it was moved from the middle row where I can easily do the seat belt to the back row by her brother

e) my phone started ringing with a problem at work

Roll on tomorrow when I can sit in the car on my own and read my book after a nice relaxing day in the office……………

Book Review: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes

Posted on by Libby Price

My eldest starting a new school means quite a lot of kicking about at the train station waiting for her to get on the train in the morning (she’s only 11, I wait until she actually heads off, I am sure, given time, I will slow at the kerb for her to jump out of a moving vehicle!)  and for her to arrive back in the afternoon – I have made VERY good use of this time by reading loads.

I was recommended ‘I Am Pilgrim’ on my Facebook page and in person by a number – and eclectic mix of friends – so I thought I would see what it was all about.

I_Am_Pilgrim_-_hardback_UK_jacket

This is the publishers synopsis:

“Pilgrim is the codename for a man who doesn’t exist. The adopted son of a wealthy American family, he once headed up a secret espionage unit for US intelligence. Before he disappeared into anonymous retirement, he wrote the definitive book on forensic criminal investigation.

But that book will come back to haunt him. It will help NYPD detective Ben Bradley track him down. And it will take him to a rundown New York hotel room where the body of a woman is found facedown in a bath of acid, her features erased, her teeth missing, her fingerprints gone. It is a textbook murder – and Pilgrim wrote the book.

What begins as an unusual and challenging investigation will become a terrifying race-against-time to save America from oblivion. Pilgrim will have to make a journey from a public beheading in Mecca to a deserted ruins on the Turkish coast via a Nazi death camp in Alsace and the barren wilderness of the Hindu Kush in search of the faceless man who would commit an appalling act of mass murder in the name of his God.”

And I have to say it is BRILLIANT!!  It is very graphic – sexually at the beginning, but violently right through the book. At one point I was reading it through gritted teeth (and if I’d been watching it on TV would have covered my eyes!!) but this does not feel gratuitous, it is in keeping with the storylines.

The story is quite complex, jumping in terms of timezones and eras – and it feels very fast paced – so much so that you don’t want to put it down. It’s the writer’s first novel – and he has been a screenwriter – and you can feel that in the descriptive text he uses – this HAS to be made into a film. One of my friends has admitting to fancying Pilgrim – and I can see what she means (the casting for this film would have to be just right!)

I finished ‘I Am Pilgrim’ at 1am today (I Am Tired!!)

We are family – I’ve got all my ‘cousins’ with me!!

Posted on by Libby Price

According to Wikipedia ‘A cousin is a relative with whom a person shares one or more common ancestors. In the general sense, cousins are two or more generations away from any common ancestor, thus distinguishing a cousin from an ancestor, descendant, sibling, aunt, uncle, niece, or nephew. However in common parlance, “cousin” normally specifically means “first cousin”.’

And I am lucky that I have brilliant ones – seen here along with my sisters (well, one of my sisters and one sister’s arms!) at my ‘epic’ (well I’d say that if I was younger) 40th birthday party earlier this year.

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And I love that my children and their cousins recreated this photo last Saturday at my Great Aunt’s 80th birthday party (although this photo, and party, was less booze and boob filled!!)

DSC_2614

Having a big family is great – my parents went from no grandkids to 7 in 7 years – and then I had an extra couple for good measure! And whilst it’s noisy and chaotic when we’re all together – it’s also great fun.  I wish we could do it more often – but geography doesn’t permit.  So until next time cousins – ‘cheers’ x

3rd Time Lucky?!

Posted on by Libby Price

Today is piglet number 3’s first day at school! Well, I say day, it’s actually 2 hours and 20 minutes – but it’s her first proper foray into reception. Here she is looking very grown up and proud:

P1010901

She has the same reception teacher who taught the older 2 – and the teacher is in for a bit of a shock – as she is very different to her elder siblings!! We can look forward to our first parent’s evening (unfortunately at our first parent’s evening with the same teacher for the boy, the teacher was bent over in a cupboard as we walked into the classroom – husband commented ‘nice arse – shame about the face’!  Yep – I was really proud that evening……..)

But back to reception starting – and the big difference for number 3 child, is that she is entitled to the new Government scheme of free hot meals for all.  Lots of people have been chuffed with this – saving them the £2.20 per day it would otherwise cost (or the faff of making packed lunches each day) – but I have to say I think it’s ridiculous.  We could easily afford the cost – and surely there are better things that the cash strapped local authorities could spend money on?  I realise that some children don’t eat properly – and addressing that is fine – but the broad brush of ‘everyone’ seems a bit mad.  My daughter?  Kai Rooney?  Harper Beckham next September?!  My husband was entitled to free school meals as a child as his parents didn’t have much cash – and then, as now, there could be a stigma attached to this – so maybe extending the scheme to more people would have been sensible – but everyone??  Perhaps people claiming child benefit (although let’s face it, that is also a controversial cut off – but a line has to be drawn in the sand anyway!)?

As well as the fact that people who can afford dinners are being given them for free – there are also the practical issues for the schools – many don’t have the canteens to make the food, or the space for all of the children to sit down to eat them – so we will see how they cope.

For me it was seen as a vote winner and is political posturing that hasn’t been properly thought through at all.

It would appear that my poor 3rd child’s start at school has been hijacked by me having a rant – but then with the title of this blog being ‘This Price is Usually Right’ I’m just surprised it hasn’t happened sooner!!

De de de de, de de de……

Posted on by Libby Price

Tonight is the night – sequins and spandex ready – Strictly is BACK!!

SCD

I have loved Strictly Come Dancing back since the very first series – where Natasha Kaplinsky and Brendan Cole rumba-ed on (and allegedly off) the dancefloor to lift the glitterball trophy! For the last few years eldest daughter and I have been glued to every episode together and have even been to the live shows – and I suspect another couple of little girls will want to watch this year (although not tonight – it’s on too late for a 4 year old who starts reception tomorrow morning!) With the advent of social media – I also like watching it in the company of Twitter – where dances / outfits / fights with the judges are replayed in real time and discussed at length!

The line up this year looks fab – something for everyone?! And the fact that Brucey has (FINALLY!) retired and been replaced by Claudia Winkleman means there will no longer be the cringey links – hoorah! I have to confess to a little bit of a girl crush on Claudia – and would like to be her friend!! Let’s face it – there aren’t many high profile shows presented by two 40+ female presenters!!

Tonight is just the launch show, where the celebrities get partnered with their dancers (who now are mostly celebrities in their own right!) – and we have to wait until 27 September for the show proper – but a quick fix tonight can see me through for a few more weeks!

I really want to become famous just so I can go on Strictly and learn to dance, wear lovely outfits and get fit in the process – but in the short term, I will just have to live vicariously through my TV screen and maybe do some more Fitsteps classes!

So everybody – ‘Keeeeeeep dancing’!

Guest Blog: Ugly Babies

Posted on by Libby Price

I am very excited to have my first guest blog.  Emily has set the bar pretty high – but if anyone else is up for a guest spot – then blog away!!

 

Ugly babies

How kind of Libby to hand over her blog to me for a guest slot!  I am feeling highly honoured to have been asked, but also slightly nervous.  You see, I don’t normally do this kind of thing…write that is, and certainly not for public consumption!

It’s a very brave thing to write a blog…to write anything really and put it out there for people to paw over.  You are immediately inviting people to comment on a certain aspect of you, a part of you, or your life, that you have decided to share with others.  Who would want to do that?

Well, lots of people actually.  Every book or piece of writing you have ever read has been crafted, agonised over, erased, re-written, erased again, wept over until finally, finally, there is something that the author feels happy with.  That they are willing to (to quote a famous Snow Queen) – “Let It Go!”.

Some authors say that writing is like having a baby; you spend months creating this thing, making it perfect, and then you hand it over to people who might say…”Oooh!  Isn’t your baby ugly?”  Again, who would want to do that?  And who, might you ask, would be so cruel and harsh to criticise such a labour of love?

Erm…well, that’s me.  I am the person who might tell you your baby is ugly.  I am the person who crushes dreams.  I am AN EDITOR! Mwahahah!!

I don’t really crush dreams…in fact I try to make dreams come true wherever possible.  But as a fiction editor (and one half of editorial consultancy Ruston Hutton) it is my job to make sure that the books/writing I edit are practically perfect in every way…not ugly babies, but beautiful, strong and gorgeous babies that everyone wants to munch (or read).  Because, believe it or not, not every book starts out this way.  Most authors will require revisions at some point and it is this process that can take a story from pfft to phenomenal!

So what do I do?  Well, I don’t go around criticizing babies – let’s just clear that up!  Primarily my job is to work with an author to ensure that their book is structurally sound; that characters are motivated and likeable and behave in realistic ways.  Also, that there is a sustained tension or conflict running through a story giving the reader that page-turning quality that makes a book completely un-put-down-able (not sure that’s even a word!).  I work with authors to help hone their writing style, or craft, and brainstorm new plot ideas if she (or he) has hit a brick wall.  It’s very much a collaboration to make their book the best that it can be.

And authors now come in all shapes and sizes!  You don’t need to have a huge contract with a publishing house to get your name in lights.  There have been some wonderful achievements by authors who have simply self-published their work (much like Libby is now!) and have found an online readership – a group of people thirsty for the story they are telling.

So in addition to helping an author to get their story to shine, I might also offer advice on commercial positioning – where a book might (or might not) fit in the current market.  As much as an author wants to write the story of their heart, there must also be a market for that story – a readership just waiting to be engaged.  What is a book if it isn’t read?  A doorstop.

Perhaps the most exciting part of my job is finding new shining stars in the writing world; whether it’s an amazing story waiting to be told or a unique voice just waiting to be heard.  Nothing beats that buzz of finding something special…a bit like when you get that tingle watching X Factor when plain Sam Bailey walks in and Simon looks bored but then she BLOWS them away!  That.

But the favourite part of my job is reading.  Lots of lovely books!  All day.  I read anything from romance (love a strong Alpha male!) to YA Fiction (Hunger Games blew me away!).  I know many of Libby’s friends share her love of reading – hurrah! – and it’s wonderful to see her book reviews generate debate and opinion on Facebook and Twitter.

But what do I like in books?  It’s so hard to choose, a bit like picking my favourite (non-ugly) child!  I suppose my favourite books reflect my personal interest in the role of women in society; how strong women in particular are portrayed, often feared and often  maligned.  I like books that have powerful leading ladies who are not always likeable, but who have an innate strength.  My top two are probably Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, so totally different to the film (which I also LOVED), but a soaring epic nonetheless, and The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory – we all know the story of Anne, but this turns an old tale on its head – a wonderful read!

So that’s me in a nutshell.  What’s your favourite book or what’s the one book that would become your doorstop?  How might you make that book better…?

Thanks Libby for inviting me over!

Emily xx

You can contact me at rustonhutton@gmail.com or visit our website rustonhutton.com  if you would like me to tell you your baby is ugly…or advise on your writing dream!!

Ruston Hutton fiction editors

New school daze…….

Posted on by Libby Price

So – in the next few days we have 3 of the 4 children starting new schools – all a bit of a new school daze here!!!

Today children 1 and 2 have their ‘first days’. For number 2 this shouldn’t be too much of a stress – he’s moving from First School to Middle School which is in the same building, and all of his friends are moving too. Some other First Schools feed in, so the classes will be bigger (yet more potential girlfriends – he is his father’s son after all!), but it shouldn’t be too much of a change. I am slightly concerned that he’ll now be responsible for his own homework / planning etc – and even getting him to do his reading in First School was a battle – but hopefully he will rise to the challenge – we shall see!

(And looking at the photo of his first day at First School – it was buying that first pair of his school trousers that caused me to weep in M&S in Redditch and decide we needed more children!  It was them that caused the vasectomy reversal and extra 2 children!!!)

First day at first school - cheeky chap!
First day at first school – cheeky chap!
First day at Middle school
First day at Middle school

For eldest daughter it’s all a bit more complicated. Husband had wanted the kids to go to private school from day one – but I have dug my heels in saying I would prefer for them to go to the village schools, where we can walk to school and they can build a friendship group of people in the village. This is totally what’s happened – and the support network to us all as a family of other village families is fabulous, However, I’d always said we’d reconsider at 11. In our bit of Worcestershire we have the Middle School system – so she could have stayed in the village for another 2 years – but this was the best time to move her, if that was to be the plan. She did AMAZINGLY well in all of her 11+ and entrance exams – passing for the local grammar school (where I went, and husband’s first wife went, there’s a whole other post in that one day?!), the high-flying academic private school in the middle of Birmingham, got a scholarship for another all girls private school in Solihull – and in the end is going to a small all girls school in Droitwich. The dealings we’ve had with them so far have been great – and everyone I know with girls there is really happy. She can go on the train every day (eek!) and be more independent. She is beyond excited.

First day at first school
First day at first school
First day at Senior school
First day at Senior school

How quickly they grow up…………

2007
2007
2014!
2014!

(It was the boy’s idea to recreate this – honest!!)

This post is for this week’s ‘The Photo Gallery’  topic of school over on The Sticky Fingers Blog. Pop across and see what other people have posted (and weep at their photos too!!)

 
Sticky Fingers Photo Gallery

Book review: Stoner by John Williams

Posted on by Libby Price

Now I know I said I didn’t think I’d do another book review before going away again – but I’ve snuck in another book (mostly whilst lying in the dark trying to persuade 2 pre schoolers that they really want to go to sleep despite it being light outside and their much older brother and sister still being up!)

Stoner – by John Williams

Stoner

This book was one recommended by a friend when my Facebook page became a virtual book club a few weeks ago.  It was actually the 2013 Waterstones book of the year – despite being written almost half a century ago, and it being 20 years since the author died.

It’s the life story of the eponymous William Stoner set in the US at the turn of the 20th Century. Most of it is based around a University where he first studies and then works and falls in love with literature.  It is beautifully written and I found myself completely enthralled by it.

If you’re after blood / guts / red room sexual exploits / humour then this is most definitely not the book for you – but if you appreciate great, well written. moving, absorbing literature then it’s well worth a download / purchase / borrow from the library. Now back to some blood and guts with the next recommendation from a friend ‘I am Pilgrim’…………..