the pigeon deflector and other such nonsense

A season went by in a heartbeat.

Since my summer was less than ideal, upon my return to Kuwait I hit the ground running and ended up with shin splints. I was running on empty, you see. Being promoted to Language Arts Head of Department has its advantages, but the workload is staggering. On top of that, I am now also on the committee in charge of our school's curriculum. Needless to say, I am getting a lot of practice treading water.

I realize that I'm not the only one whose life is overwhelmingly busy, and I really do feel guilty about not staying in touch with people as much as I used to, but please believe me when I say that I do miss you all - despite my falling off the face of the planet. It's just that on the rare occasions when I do have some time to myself, I would rather not look at a computer screen.

Now, before you start reminding me of the importance of rest and relaxation, I must mention that I do make an effort to sleep at least 6 hours per night, and that I'm out on the Wanderer at least half a day every weekend. It's my mental clarity and I won't give it up, no matter how many papers are screaming to be marked.

Classes are going well, as is the new novel. I find my mind cluttered with ideas that miraculously manage to find their way to the paper (or the screen, rather) and I expect to have a working manuscript ready by the end of the school year. And no, Mumsy, you won't get to see it until it's complete - you'll understand why once you start reading it.

Let's see... what else? Oh, yes! The new apartment's renovation is going well. The master bedroom, guest bathroom, and kitchen are now finished, and I expect the office and living/dining room to be done by the end of January.

And on that note... remember how I was complaining about the pigeons here in Kuwait? Well, I stumbled across some miniature plastic cones (you know, the orange safety ones) in a local shop, and an idea struck me. Why not use them to make the pigeons' landing strips unusable? A length of twine and some creative positioning later, and voila! Pigeon deflectors. They work like a charm - I have now been pigeon-free for one whole week and this morning's lie-in was positively delicious.

Before I sign off, I should probably warn you that I'm only home for one more week - I'm heading to Kenya for winter break and don't expect to have internet access. Half the time I will be on the coast, where I hope to get a chance to go cage-diving with great white sharks; the rest of the time I will be inland on safari. I promise to take pictures. I also promise to take better care of my camera's memory card. You know what I'm talking about.