Busy Times!

Just because there hasn't been a whole lot of posting action going on here doesn't meant there hasn't been a whole lot going on here... In fact, when too much starts happening in the real world, silence falls over blog-land. Facebook doesn't help, of course. The highlights include: the week-long megalaunch of Double Take: Karen Brain's Olympic Journey. Karen and I spoke to hundreds of students at a bunch of schools (the talks continue - we have several more during the next few weeks...) and also took part in a couple of panels. One was about Living the Dream (what does it mean to live a dream life? what are the challenges/the delights?) - another focussed on the joys of publishing with a small (but mighty!) press like Sono Nis. We also enjoyed a spectacular launch hosted by Greenhawk - many, many people came... many, many books were sold... many children's crafts were made... much cake and coffee consumed... A good time was had by all!

The vet came out to our place last week - and $1400 later (and, yes, that would be in beefy Canadian funds!!) everyone has been vaccinated, wormed, palpated, ultrasounded, filed, sedated, irrigated, prodded, and extracted. They should all be good for another year. Touch wood. Saved the gnarly old teeth we had to pull from good old Emma's ancient mouth. How that pony keeps going, I don't know. I am now soaking her hay to soften it up and she's consuming (proportionately) more soft foods like soaked beet and soy pulp and softened senior horse pellets.

Travel plans are being finalized for my Saskatchewan tour. And, yes, I will be going to Kindersley! Who knew that a trip to Kindersley could elicit excited squeals!

More on that as departure day draws closer!

These days I've been alternating listening to novels (most recently, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress) on my Ipod while I muck out the paddocks... with studying Italian lessons. I've been wandering around with my manure fork repeating Italian phrases to the horses and cats and squirrels and ravens and eagles and bunnies and goats and the dog and anyone else who might care to listen... This, of course, in preparation for our trip to Bologna (children's book fair) and Tuscany (recovery from the book fair) at the end of March.

Dani is still making noises about organizing a mini-tour in Japan after I get back from Italy and I have applied for a writing residency next fall in Tasmania... Better make sure my passport is in good shape!

But before I go anywhere, several writing deadlines loom... and I've got some reading to do prior to serving on the BC Arts Council grant jury... and a course description to write for a class I'm teaching in the spring at Malaspina. And stuff. Which, taken collectively, is why I haven't been blogging much of late.

Oh, and I nearly forgot - samples (one hard cover, one soft) of Behind the Scenes: The Racehorse are en route from Toronto as I type! The full shipment should arrive at HQ during the third week of November... Which is all very exciting! Can't wait to see how the finished books look!