Grumble Mutter Whinge

On By Mick CanningIn blogging, editing, walking, writing

It is the first of March, today.

Meteorologically, it is the first day of spring. So, that virtually guarantees what weather we will have today; the sky is overcast and grey, there is a bitterly chill wind blowing and a spiteful, thin drizzle.

Spring! Oh, humour!

Arf!

Admittedly, the astronomical calendar tells us spring doesn’t arrive until around the 20th March, so winter still has cate blanchett to do whatever it will.

So that’s fine; it sort of reflects my mood at the moment, anyway. But at least going out for a walk always lifts my mood a little, and today is no exception. I’ve been working on my new novel quite intensely for a while, and I suddenly need to step back from it for a week or two.

Come up for air, as it were.

ladakh 5 panorama

Not this one!

And so I go for a walk in the miserably wintery springy weather. Ten minutes or so through the streets brings me to the common – a wooded area on the edge of the town which, on good days, is a pleasant enough place to walk, even if it doesn’t have any convenient mountains or long distance trails.

On bad days, though, it is full of dog walkers.

That sounds a bit mean, you may say. And, okay, you’re right. It is. But in my defence, when I say full of dog walkers (and dogs), I mean full!

Untitled-Grayscale-01

This one!

It is not unusual to be surrounded by dozens of dogs running madly around, the air filled with strident shouts of ‘Gawain! Guinevere! Come here at once!’ ‘Will you come here!’ ‘Put that down!’ ‘Keep still and he won’t hurt you!’ and then some wretched little tyke suddenly tugging at your trouser leg with a mouthful of razor-sharp teeth, to be followed by another shout of ‘Keep still, I said!’ from a voice that could etch glass.

But not today, fortunately.

And having had my walk, I can sort out a couple of other things on my writing list.

Once I got back, I edited a short story I promised for a project for our writing group. Job done – tick.

Next, I’ll begin the edit of a very long short story that has been hanging around for ages. So long, in fact, that I mentioned it in the ‘My Writing’ section on this blog when I first set it up, a year and a half ago. Tut. It’ll be good to get that finished, anyway. It’s my first attempt at a traditional murder mystery, and I rather got lost in my own convolutions.

If I get it to the point where I’m happy with it, I might put it out as an e-book, just to see what people think of it.

Ahem…if anyone buys it, of course.

And, as a bonus, I had an idea for another short story while I was out walking, so hooray!

Now to barricade the door against all the angry dog walkers.

35 thoughts on “Grumble Mutter Whinge”

  1. It is a dreary day here too. It snowed last night. Not a lot – but enough to be sloppy. Scooter doesn’t care. He looks at me like “what’s your problem” and soon we will be playing out the same drama you recorded above.

    Have as best a day as you can!

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  3. We’re already experiencing spring here. The days are hot and evenings pleasant. The arrival of spring in Indian calendar is marked by basant panchami. Usually, its pretty accurate. Enjoy the rest of winters Mick.

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  7. well i suppose i will have to unfollow you if that’s how you view our canine hoard. I really don’t have a choice; it’s solidarity thing, you see . We, of the canine union of nice tempered scruffs, have to stick together.

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  8. That seems a lovely place you described. It had me grinning thinking of the many canines runing around 😀 Not this though: ‘Keep still and he won’t hurt you!’ That’s scary.
    Looking forward to your murder mystery as e-book.

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  9. This is definitely going to be a fun stop on my daily WordPress reader rounds. Not very often do I see “strident” used in a blog post that isn’t a misspelled Lord of the Rings character or weapon wielded by Neptune.

    Isn’t it great to find little pockets of inspiration drifting among an otherwise dreary day?

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  12. I’m a regular dog walker, but not at all angry about your observations. Because just as “good fences make good neighbors,” leashes make for good dog walkers. If a dog is not in a yard or in an actual dog park, it is always best to keep it on a leash. Especially if it isn’t well trained and doesn’t do well with strangers.
    Good work with the continued writing endeavors. I enjoyed reading your book!

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    1. Thanks, Ann. Yes, I like dogs. And most dog walkers. But we do have a few around here that manage to regularly get on my nerves for various reasons – the badly behaved ones off the leash are particularly annoying (and their dogs!), as are the ‘professionals’ who walk up to a dozen at a time, and frequently let them all off the leash. Grrr.
      On the book front, if you’d be kind enough to leave a short review on Amazon, it always helps. And so glad you enjoyed it!

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  13. Hopefully, Mick, today is better. We have bright sunshine and light winds, so took advantage to trim some trees at the bottom of the garden before taking a pleasant walk in the forest.
    Dogs: we’re always asked where ours is when we meet dog walkers. They are generally surprised that we’re able to go for a walk without actually having a dog to exercise. Makes us smile.
    But, like you, I find that outdoor stroll is a great opportunity to develop ideas I’m working on or to come up with new ones. A lovely creative pursuit.

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  15. It’s nice dropping in at your blog again, Mick. I’ll try not to stay away so long from now things are gradually settling down. Having said that, my mind is completely empty of any blog ideas so I might be reading more than writing unless inspiration strikes. I have similar issues with canines as they often try to put themselves under the wheels of my wheelchair, George. I’ve had a few close shaves. By the way, it was a lovely day in my part of the country today – the first spring day here, I’d say 🙂 x

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    1. Thanks, Ellie. It’s good to see you back. Don’t worry about not blogging much – we all go blank, sometimes. At times I have no idea what I’m going to write about. Pretty nice here today, too . Not much sun, but very mild. All the best to you.

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