it's warm in The Netherlands

Temperatures have soared to 35 degrees. Don't ask me if that's farenheit or celsius, whatever the Americans use, we use the opposite. Last day of gymlessons and Joel Jan opts not to go. It's too warm to bike in the sun, too warm to go cavorting indoors. He's got Nynke with him in the backyard. I've filled up the inflatable swimming pool and they're doing everything with the water but swimming in it. Oh well, I suppose I'll just have to clean my windows again...they've decided that it's great fun to throw water on all the windows and looking at the weather, I can already guess that I'll have stripes when the water dries up.

Oh well, they don't do it everyday...so that's part of the fun, I suppose.

News...news... I've signed up for the online writers workshop writing marathon. So, I'm going to try and get 1,000 words a day on my book and hopefully by the end of the month, I'll be almost at the end of it.

I've gotten this version started right, I think. Instead of using Inhabitants of the Earth, I've opted for the version that I started a couple of years ago, the one with the black cat and the sorceress on the island. So, I'm curious what will come out of this. I realize that I actually already have finished three novellas! Can you believe that? Of course, they're all in rough draft form and still need super-rewriting.

Perhaps, I'll save working on Inhabitants of the Earth for another time of year. I think that it's at the stage where I need to seriously rethink why it's worked out as it has so far. I'm now stranded partially through that novel with a hero who blinded himself and a cast of characters that include an unstable minded fanatic. No, no, I do not want to write a trilogy or any kind of logy...I just want to finish it because I can already see the ending, clear right in front of me...but I just am stuck on the way to the ending.

Which is why I've decided to do Little Islands first. While it's not halfway as dramatic as Inhabitants of the earth, I have always liked Parisu and it's about time I told that story, I suppose. Especially seeing the connection between Parisu's tale and the tale of Ligaya...

Ha, won't give away the story line, not yet...especially since I don't know which way it'll go. He, he.

I'm reading Mary E. DeMuth's devotional book. It's really encouraging, like having a heart to heart with this mom whom I've never met in person. Funny how connected you can feel to a person who responds in kindness. Another connection...she likes Hannah Hurnard's, Hinds feet on High Places! I remember a time when I read and reread and marked and remarked the pages of that book...and I was much-afraid learning all the lessons that the shulamite went through. I still have those journals...awfully embarassing to read now, but back then, I was in total chaos.

Joel Jan will be having his recorder recital this evening. It's at times like these that I really miss home. How proud Tatay and Nanay and the rest of the family would be...we'd probably be all going in convoy to the recital venue. No matter that it's just a group of kids playing children's pieces...

Anyway, it'll be just me and Jan. No grandparents because his dutch grandparents aren't into doing things like these. Yesterday wasn't very nice for Joel. When he asked his grands if they'd come and watch him and they said no, well...for a moment there, my heart cracked a little. Sometimes, I can get so mad at them.

I didn't blow my top. I simply stood up and said to Joel, "We're going home now."

And we went.

They probably still think we went home because it was getting late.

In the meantime, I'm just rambling on and on, because it's too warm to really do any housework. I went up to the attic and it was like being in an oven. So, I'm not going up there until tonight.

Once I figure out how to post pictures to this blog, I'll post some photographs of Joel Jan...maybe a short film from his recorder recital...for the family back home and anyone else who wants to view it.