Finished the judging for another contest last week. Now I have to prepare a workshop for Saturday. Meanwhile work on Allegra 3 is progressing nicely. Adding more words, fixing some plot glitches. Finally, it’s all starting to come together.

We took a break to Bowral, a lovely spot in the highlands south of Sydney. While The Bloke paid homage to Sir Donald Bradman I paid homage to a day spa. So here are my five favourite things about our trip.

1. Plenty of time to read.
2. A totally wonderful hot stone massage.
3. Fabulous food – the scampi with anchovy butter was yuuuummmm.
4. Gorgeous hotel. More about that next Friday.
5. The Elephant Boy cafe, which is decorated with shelves of old books. By chance I sat beside a row of books that contained a battered copy of a Bobbsey Twins title. Touching the cover took me right back to childhood. So often when you revisit a book you’ve loved it’s not as good. Thankfully that wasn’t the case with Nan, Bert, Freddie and Flossie. I had the best time reading snippets over a lovely lunch of salmon and potato patties and great cappucino.

New scenes done. More pieces of the ‘jigsaw’ in place. I had a couple of days holiday last week visiting Bowral. Will elaborate on Friday. Plus I judged a short story comp. So all in all a busy week.

This week I’ve been thinking about burnout. So here are five things I do to de-stress.

1. Meditate. I use a relaxation tape once a day and really look forward to this time of recharging my batteries.

2. Line dancing. All you can think about is the steps and the music. (Unless you want to crash into other people, which is not a good look.) Plus there’s the exercise factor and all those lovely endorphins.

3. Say no. This can be so hard but sometimes you just can’t take on anything more.

4. Read. I love books. Duh. And reading makes me happy on so many levels.

5. Smell the roses. Enjoy the colours of flowers, the shapes of clouds, the sound of birds…

What do you do to de-stress?

Reworking some old scenes. Got an idea for a new scene. The work has slowed to a trickle because hubby is on holidays. I figure I might as well enjoy his company while he’s at home.

Today I’m daydreaming about holidays. Here are some of my favourites.

1. England and Europe. I love the history. The castles, old houses, museums, theatres. I’m glad I got the chance to live and work in London.

2. West Coast America. What a trip! The magic of Disneyland and Universal Studios to the awesome Grand Canyon and totally surreal Las Vegas. Then finish up with the tropical delights of Hawaii. One of my very favourite holidays.

3. Hong Kong. Shopping, shopping and more shopping. Mmm. We went with empty suitcases and came home with excess baggage. I’m surprised the plane could take off.

4. Gold Coast, Australia. Sun, surf, theme parks. Perfect for a family holiday. We had some great times.

5. Hunter Valley, Australia. Wine country. Great food, close to home. I love it. And I’ll be back.

I’ve done a lot of thinking this week and made a lot of notes. It doesn’t feel as good as adding to the word count but… In the long run, it’s better to make sure the characters are true to themselves and that the plot makes sense. The first five or six chapters are looking okay. As for the rest, there’s still a lot of work to be done.

Another month has gone by, so it’s time, once again, to mention the books I’ve enjoyed, which are listed in no particular order. (Well, except for number one.) Apparently I’ve been living under a rock because I read Tess Gerritsen for the first time in January 2011. I’m so glad I did. I love this author.

1. “The Killing Place” by Tess Gerritsen. I haven’t enjoyed suspense this much in ages! You have to read this book!

2. “Virgin River” by Robyn Carr. I adore the Virgin River series. The characters are so sweet. I love hanging out with them.

3. “Vanish” by Tess Gerritsen. I’m going to be reading my way through this author’s backlist. Yum.

4. “Intern” by Bonnie Hearn Hill. More good suspense.

5. “The Fury” by Jason Pinter. And still more good suspense.

I’ve had a taste for suspense this month (Did you guess?) and it’s been well and truly satisfied. Mmm.

Looking forward to more great reading in February.