Oh what a Beautiful Morning

Not like me at all, but this morning I was up at 7.15 and by 8.00 I was walking up the lane with my camera. heleninwales is a bad influence on me, obviously.

There was such a heavy frost that all the trees were sugar-sprinkled and sparkling in the early light.

Our road dwindles into a farm track. Once upon a time, before Blind Jack of Knaresborough built our turnpike road, this was the main road from Denby to Holmfirth and on mornings like this you can still see ghosts of farm carts and the occasional mail coach.



I've been amazed by tales of mevennen's daffodils. This is why we don't have daffodils yet. the poor little things are struggling against hard frosts. They've barely stuck their heads above the ground.

Oh what a Beautiful Morning

Not like me at all, but this morning I was up at 7.15 and by 8.00 I was walking up the lane with my camera. heleninwales is a bad influence on me, obviously.

There was such a heavy frost that all the trees were sugar-sprinkled and sparkling in the early light.

Our road dwindles into a farm track. Once upon a time, before Blind Jack of Knaresborough built our turnpike road, this was the main road from Denby to Holmfirth and on mornings like this you can still see ghosts of farm carts and the occasional mail coach.



I've been amazed by tales of mevennen's daffodils. This is why we don't have daffodils yet. the poor little things are struggling against hard frosts. They've barely stuck their heads above the ground.

The Dangers of Being Too Polite

In September 2006 I submitted 'The Ballad of Tom Ling'  to Scholastic's slushpile. (That's Scholastic in London, I even got their new address.) Then I waited. Patiently. Politely. Don't hassle the nice editors we are told. So I didn't. Three months ago I sent a written query... after fifteen months I didn't figure that was too much hassle.

No reply.

Today I finally plucked up the courage to phone them. Spoke to a nice foreign lady who didn't know the term 'slushpile' but who was willing to look up my submission history. Yes, they received it in mid October 2006. It was number 14163. They are currently reading number 14600 but... there's no record of my manuscript at all. It has vanished.

Nice lady says to send it again and she'll try to make sure it doesn't go to the bottom of the pile.

<sigh>

The Dangers of Being Too Polite

In September 2006 I submitted 'The Ballad of Tom Ling'  to Scholastic's slushpile. (That's Scholastic in London, I even got their new address.) Then I waited. Patiently. Politely. Don't hassle the nice editors we are told. So I didn't. Three months ago I sent a written query... after fifteen months I didn't figure that was too much hassle.

No reply.

Today I finally plucked up the courage to phone them. Spoke to a nice foreign lady who didn't know the term 'slushpile' but who was willing to look up my submission history. Yes, they received it in mid October 2006. It was number 14163. They are currently reading number 14600 but... there's no record of my manuscript at all. It has vanished.

Nice lady says to send it again and she'll try to make sure it doesn't go to the bottom of the pile.

<sigh>