I wonder how many times this has been used as a title for a post? ๐ The NC500 is well and truly over and I could say, ‘Huh, it’s back to work on Monday,’ but as my work is so easy… I can’t. I probably have the easiest job in the world and they pay me well. And parkrun is back!! As if you didn’t already know? We seem to have heard nothing else here for weeks. It’s strange, since the pandemic small things now appear so very important. Such as inviting a friend into your house for an evening’s entertainment. Who would have thought it?
The Olympics are over and didn’t we do well? Apart from most of our top track athletes getting injured and C.J. Ujah suspended for possible drug use, it was a good result and now we can start looking forward to Paris. Anyawaysโฆ back to the plot. We had a wander down to the Beck and out onto the pastures. Itโs about a 10 minute walk from home and flat! ๐
I finished my book ages ago and have been searching for possible agents. The Siege of Mr Khan’s Curry Shop has now been submitted to nine of them. So in eight weeks time I will be able to report nine rejections. But it’s okay I have 261 agents to go.
I have a ten mile race tomorrow so really looking forward to getting back out there and the dancing lessons have started again. We we’re considering contacting the Guinness Book of records as I’m so bad at it they kept us in the beginners class for the second year. Now because of Covid we’re still there.

Have a fabulous weekend my friends ๐
Have a nice weekend too Charlie!
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Thank you Carla ๐
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You are welcome ๐
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Your new nickname is Cha Cha Charlie.
Glad to hear you’re having a great summer. Stick with the dancing…it gets easier with time.
Barbara
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Haha, I like that, Barbara and thank you. Iโm sure it will and I quite like being one of the better beginners ๐
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Have a nice weekend too !
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Thank you Luisa ๐
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We’ve just gone into lockdown! But, it hasn’t put much of a dent in my reality, Charlie – most of what I do is done at home…
The Delta strain is reeking havoc in our state (NSW). The numbers are increasing daily and there’s been about 40 odd deaths. This strain is effecting the youngsters, more so than the previous strain. It’s pretty dire for some. The vaccines are just beginning to flow with many now very happily to have the jab. Before the delta strain and with very few infections many were against the vaccines. Now, though, with the youngsters (as young as newborns) being infected those of parent age are seeing things quite differently.
We Aussies did quite well too at the Olympics. Wasn’t it wonderful to watch!? We were entertained thoroughly. I thought it was the happiest games I’ve ever seen.
All the best with the run.. I hope you do/did well… ๐
Ahhhh… dancing!
xoxoxo
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Wow, it sounds dreadful, weโre lucky in a way, I guess, everything feels like itโs back to normal here. I really think the only way out is full vaccination. Yes the Olympics were fab, sadly I missed the early stuff wandering around Scotland but managed some catch-up on BBC iplayer, despite the buffering ๐You did have a good games too ๐ Thank you for the catch-up, hope you all stay safe over there Carolyn ๐๐๐
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According to the current forecast we should be 70-80% vaccinated by end Oct. Thankfully, the vaccines are coming – even Poland (of all places) donated 1 million doses that just arrived. With the change in understanding by the younger people, teens, 20s, 30s and 40s we are finally surging ahead. For our smallish country of 25 million you’d think we’d be far ahead… Alas, our earlier success closing our borders gave the impression (to many) that we were invincible… HUH!
So how did your run go?
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Thats great news, Carolyn. I hope you continue to progress and get everyone vaccinated ๐.
Run was hard, ankle, knee and hips seemed to rebel, ๐ But Scotland threw things out a bit, especially sitting in a car for 9 days. Iโll get them in shape for the rest of the season. ๐
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I know you’ll do everything in your power to do that… ๐
Good luck…
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So great to see you’re upto so many things all at once and your enthusiasm and humor is praiseworthy ๐๐ป๐๐ปโบ๏ธโบ๏ธ
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Thank you, I get bored easily ๐
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Welcome back. All that dancing and running. I think you’re wonderful for your age.
I’m thinking about writing an article on rejection. Take heart, like many things, it doesn’t hurt so much after you’ve done it a few times. You will have to add your own example there as Julia has told me none of mine are acceptable in polite society.
Stay strong, and remember to put my name down for a copy when it’s published.
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Awww, thank you. Probably all down to stubbornness ๐.
I really donโt expect an agent to pick it, I seem to written something that is difficult to put into a genre and I know they like it to fit somewhere lol. Think Julia might agree with Gillian there, โYou canโt put thatโโ is something i hear a lot ๐
Yup your name is on the list ๐
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If no agent is forward looking enough to sign you up there is always the self-produced eBook route. Like many things, I’ve read about it and it seems simple enough but I have never actually attempted it . . .
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Yes that is my last resort. I’ve had it edited 3 times and Esther (editor) said it deserves to be out there, so that’s good. Self publishing has evolved greatly over the past few years but to do it seriously is quite a lot of work. there’s Amazon and I noticed the other day you can become an author on Goodreads for no fee too. So plenty of options ๐
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Good, I will then enter it for the Diagram Prize. Then you can say “Nominated for the Diagram Prize” on your blurb. No need to say what it is.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bookseller/Diagram_Prize_for_Oddest_Title_of_the_Year
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Oh wow, that sounds like a great place for it. thank you ๐
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๐
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Well I, for one, will buy your book. Just the small matter of getting it published. I have tried and failed. It is a long hard slog and you need to have thick skin to deal with the inevitable rejections but I believe you will succeed, because your writing here is always so crisp and well thought out and the humour is always delightful. Best of luck, Charlie.
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Aww, thank you, Pete, that means a lot. Iโm not expecting any takers so, the disappointment will be fairly low key ๐
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Love that you are optimistic ๐
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Thank you, Marjorie. It’s the only way to be ๐
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Good luck with the book! ๐๐โ๏ธ๐๐๐
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Thank you, Victoria ๐๐๐
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Youโre right, the smaller things or the basic freedom of easily going out to do whatever we want now seem like big things. I think thatโs one (maybe only) silver lining to all of this with greater appreciation for what & who we have in our lives.
โI probably have the easiest job in the world and they pay me well.โ < I have never, ever heard anyone say this about their job!
Thatโs amazing about being on the search for an agent! Wow. Iโve always wanted to write a book, but never did get to doing anything. Another one of those pipe dreams, but youโre doing it. Whatever the agents say, youโve already achieved something epic that most people might dream of but never actually do.
What type of stuff are you doing in the dancing lessons at the moment? I hope they're giving you a discount for staying in the beginners class ๐
Caz xx
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Thank you, Caz. Like anything in life, the second book is far superior to the first (in my humble opinion) and that’s nearly finished ๐ I guess though it’s about passion. I’d love to be an accomplished guitarist I just don’t practice enough lol. To be fair it’s taken me since I was 15 to achieve this job and It’s nothing like what I started out to do lol. Ahh! The dancing lessons. We do Cha Cha, Rhumba, Quickstep, Foxtrot, Tango and Waltz. Strange thing is I started because I wanted to learn tango and my favourite is the waltz hahah xx
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I am so fascinated by your canals and canal boats. I follow an artist in Manchester and does beautiful watercolor renderings of them. Are they fun to ride in?
So…you can run but, not dance?
Those horses are gorgeous. Are they close by to your home?
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You know, Iโve never been on a barge. But I think it would make a wonderful adventure one day. Hmmm, thereโs an idea a canal/ running adventure up all the old canals? ๐
I can run but not walk?? Dunno, physio told me this. Walking is bad as my ankle is in contact with the ground longer. He taught me to kinda โglideโ when I run ๐จ๐ปโ๐ฆฒ
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Are there pathways alongside the canals to run on? If not, maybe you can “glide” on water…๐โโ๏ธ๐
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I just realised there will be pathways, in fact there should be on every canal. Originally a horse pulled the barge where it needed to go ๐
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Ah. That would make sense.
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Oops seemed to have clicked wrong thing there ๐ Anyway, I guess dancing means going in different directions, whereas running is in a straight line ๐
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Well, would that be an ankle problem or just a coordination problem? ๐บ๐
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Itโs a remembering problem. When there are lot steps I get two thirds through and stop ๐ The only way to learn it, is to do it over and over so in the end you donโt realise your doing it, if that makes sense? Itโs muscle memory I guess. But we only do the one hour lesson a week. We should go to some dances but itโs trying to fit some in, with everything else thatโs going on ๐ค
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Repetition = Familiarity. Practice, practice, practice…collapse. ๐๐๐คช
“Busy” lives always get in the way of recreation…or, tyrant leaders…๐ ๐ก๐คฌ
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Yup… but we have a saying over here, โIf you want something done, ask a busy man.โ ๐
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I’ve heard that, before.
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Nooo, the horses are in Falkirk, 500 miles away
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Ah. Beautiful babies…
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I can’t comment on your latest post, so…here is my comment for that:
You’re a diver…but, you don’t swim? ๐ค๐คจ Got a good laugh out of the demented frog remark. More chuckles over the sperm remark (baby frogs resemble sperm, BTW…just sayin’ ๐๐ธ๐๐).
I know what you could do. Have Sooty do a review on your book. ๐
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