Surprise, surprise...I'm still in London and I'm enjoying my little bit of garden. I was delighted beyond words to discover this lilac in bloom last weekend. Each time I step outside I am greeted with a scent that transports me to my childhood. Growing up just outside of Boston, May was the month for our small garden to be rampant with lilacs. In fact they were so profuse that once a week I would take a bunch into school for the display of flowers in front of the statue of the Blessed Mother (May being Mary's special month and in a Catholic school that's a big deal). I can't begin to describe for you how this scent fills me with hope and happiness. I am twelve and I can feel the warmth of sun on my face and the promise of the coming summer. It never ceases to amaze me how powerful the sense of smell is. Lilly of the Valley means my Great Aunt Agnes who lived across the street. Her little garden didn't have any lilacs, but boy did she had a bumper crop of Lilly of Valley every year. What smell for you brings back your favourite memory or dare I ask your worst? Do you use this powerful tool in your writing? I do sometimes but I think not often enough.
I haven't posted any links in a while and as always there are some terribly useful ones out there. So in no particular order :-
For the Twitters among you two links - BubbleCow The Bookseller
BubbleCow comes up trumps again http://www.bubblecow.co.uk/2010/05/three-vital-steps-to-writing-a-novel/
David Hewson's sound advice on when is a book really done http://davidhewson.com/2010/04/30/when-is-a-book-really-done/
Another brilliant post by Anita Burgh on being organizing which is truly helping me at the moment http://anitaburgh.blogspot.com/2010/04/being-organised.html
That's all for now. Back to decorating (yesterday coming back from Ikea in rush hour traffic I looked like I had just savaged the nearest botanical garden - I didn't I promise) and reading Penderown....
6 comments:
I adore lilac, but our tree isn't quite blooming yet so we're a little behind you.
Great links, thanks.
London is always ahead from I can tell. You have your to look forward to :-)
lx
Ah, lilacs. They don't grow down here in New Orleans, but they were a constant in my childhood, too, and I really, really miss them!
Lilac has a lovely smell. It reminds me of standing at the railway station in my parents' village waiting for a train to London.
I'd like a link called When you know a book isn't done yet but this is how you fix it.
Thankyouverymuch.
CS - it's funny how things are so associated with childhood when we live so far from those locations - probably in many ways.
JJ are you going to write that post so I can link it :-)
lx
Lilac is wonderful but there's none round here at all!
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