Deigh

Thanks Tracy, but finishing it is not part of the plan. The sci-fi book got finished because everything had been told. The Asthma book got finished because it was a definite target. My present writing is only to occupy time made vacant by sleeplessness. I can't think why I got involved in worrying that the basic plan was faulty! Perhaps that is why many books get written, someone writes a quick thesis and then adds to it and gradually a whole tome is created. At the moment my memoirs are just purely for the family but you never know! Deigh

Well, I've certainly got everyone's interest in buried treasure. My first book is Sci-fi and nobody wants to buy it. I thought of wring a book about crime but that is well covered in the market already. I thought of writing about sex but I don't know enough about it (hee hee). I wrote a medical book about asthma and no-one wanted that one. I've written one about my life but that is only for family. Already in this forum are four prospective customers for my latest and they are all expecting me to tell lies........... Deigh

Yes, I think I may have been taking an author's responsibility clause too seriously. Will continue writing and throw in a few more unsubstantiated facts, I might even give my hero super powers while I'm at it. Deigh

I enjoy writing and at the moment am writing a blood and thunder novel. I do it to keep my mind busy when unable to sleep. I just keep going over and over a chapter getting it all correct but don't actually commit it to writing till I have time during the day to do it. A couple of months ago I found a problem with the story and couldn't solve it. I thought I might have to abandon the book, but last night I had an epiphany and thought I'd share it with you all. My book concerns castaways on a French controlled island in the Pacific. It also is about buried pirate treasure ..........but ...... there is no such place in today's world. The French have no colonies I can find in places where pirates could have existed and my story lacks sincerity. Then I realised that many of the films I watch are science fiction where goodies are involved fighting baddies in star systems that don't exist, most of the police drama TV programs have computer operators who can do facial recognition world wide, find a DNA in a few seconds, locate a person instantly even when their phone is switched off and do all sorts of other marvelous things including entering data at a speed that would cause a keyboard to burst into flames. So why should I worry if my book is unrealistic? Deigh

Becky, I quite agree with you there, I had a very active lifestyle before the stroke and now although the brain has slowed down only a bit, the body physically cannot handle anything like the load it used to and I spend far too much time just watching TV rather than actively doing things. The brain however has not really accepted this new pace and keeps churning out ideas for me to work on! Deigh

I'm not in mourning for the past, it is quite pointless, but what I am having problems with is memory. Short term memory is pretty lousy but the long term is going a bit overboard and I keep getting reminded of a lot of things I'd like to forget. I seem to be digging up resentments from the long past and going over them again. This is not me, I've never lived in the past and I have always been an advocate of 'forgive and forget'. At the moment I am trying to laugh off the incidents but this is not working as well as I'd like. Deigh

Penny, I'm not sure what sort of dancing you mean but I like ballroom dancing and on our club nights if the music is a slow waltz we have an attempt to get round the floor. Quite often I have to stop completely, forgetting what I have to do next! The old trick of adding a bit of rock and roll to the repertoire has been dumped, try anything like that now and I'm asking for a tumble! The other club members are aware of our situation and give us a wide berth. One circuit is usually enough! Deigh

I must have missed the psychic paper episode, but it sounds exciting. Deigh

Heather, I didn't know about the Kipling butterfly but the butterfly effect is a classic science fiction story about the man who goes back in time several million years and by accident squashes a butterfly with his boot. When he returns to present time the entire world has altered because of the removing of a single item from the time equation. Deigh

I am recovering steadily with my walking and my hand and arm movements but am not satisfied with my speech. My question is whether I could call on an acupuncturist to aid me with this. Look on the total problem. I obviously have some muscles around my mouth and jaw that are not working fully. Add to this the fact that my tongue has lost a lot of flexibility and strength. I do not want to walk into the local clinic and ask them. They are bound to say yes!!! I'd like to know if any other stroke victim has actually used this medium for the same reason and what sort of results were obtained. Deigh

No reason why you shouldn't Heather, although you might have problems with authority over the colours. Linnie, Valerie read your answer and in a very cold voice said "You should keep away from there!" I hear there are rumours of a fence being built around Mexico, I wonder if I should move there and get some rustproof paint? Deigh

For many years I have not been a good sleeper. I have written two books over the last thirty years of laying in bed missing many hours of sleep. I make up for the loss with a nap after lunch. Please don't tell me that if I stayed awake after lunch I would sleep all night, I've tried it. Many years ago I worked out that if I could get the brain to stop thinking then dreamland would come. Painting can be very boring (I was in the painting trade for some years) so I looked for something I could mentally paint. I decided on the Great Wall of China and decided to paint the bricks with a transparent brick preservative to extend its life. I started this thirty years ago and now have completed one and a half kilometers. All I have to do to do is concentrate on painting the few bricks within my vision and stop the brain from wandering on to more important things. Next moment I awake and find it is morning. I found initially two problems, one was erecting scaffolding and the second was the nosiness of the local inhabitants who kept asking me questions in Chinese. I overcame this problem by borrowing an anti-gravity device I had invented in my science-fiction book 'Pooti', and used another device (the Force) used in the 'Star War' movies of making myself unnoticed. Last night I had a problem. The wall was surrounded by armed soldiers and plastic 'no entry' tapes. "Oo-oo", I thought, certain countries leaders have been stirring things up with the Chinese government and they have decided to clamp down on non-nationals. So I had a restless night. Tonight I may have to find something else to paint. Anybody got any ideas? Deigh

Brilliant, Give Lesley and her mum our regards! Valerie and Leslie had a long chat on the phone when she was here and my ears are still burning so I expect you and I were being discussed! Deigh

Snakes are the most hated and feared animals on earth, not only by us but also by other animals. Yet despite everyone trying to kill them they still survive and are not even threatened so they must have some magic formulae in them that comes to their rescue whenever danger is close! Deigh