![](https://judebayton.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/IMG_5899-1024x683.jpg)
Hello again! It was my intention to keep the blog going every Monday – but since I have become Judy the homemaker, I have been working my arse off. I’ve also had no access to my desktop computer. There are a few guys in my house this week…. no wild orgies or anything of that nature……nothing quite as exciting as that….on second thoughts that’s not entirely true- it IS fairly orgasmic, as I’m finally getting bookcases built in my office…… I really have no business spending the money now that I have no paycheck, but I just decided once and for all (against The Gumpster’s advice), that I need them to make my office the perfect space to finish writing my best-selling novel.
It is odd having strange men lurking about the place though. I find it really difficult to pee quietly, plus there is the added inconvenience of reminding myself to put on a bra before they get here….not that they would notice I was bra-less, they’d just think I had two odd looking cysts on my stomach. But these guys are all nice, I’m sure I remind them of a grandma they had, or a bird dog they grew up with. One of them sounds like he is on the Simpson’s, you know, that raspy voice that says “Camel’s’…and I think I have been called m’am more in the past four days than I have in my entire life.
The guys are also working on the outside of the house, replacing wood siding that is old and jackhammered by our resident woodpeckers. We have multiple varieties of the woodpecker species, they are all so pretty, yet expensive to have around and somewhat irritating at 6am in the morning- rather like small children. The workmen have stayed very busy, in fact they have unhooked some of the electrics outside to gain access to where they need to work – as I type this I am engulfed in the distinctive odor of la sewer, I realize that they have unhooked the power to our septic tank pump, and now my house smells like my bathroom does after a visit from the Gumpmeister….of course you notice that I blame Gump entirely for the malodorous throat clogging scent – He is the responsible party! Just as I do not sweat, I do not crap.
Anyway, I’m staying busy getting my house in order, and sorting things out for the HUGE garage sale I plan to have April/May. I’ve been going through cupboards and drawers, finding things I forgot I had…..always fun.
I’m also trying to write several things at once. If you noticed on my website I have several tabs, one which is “Authors”. This is actually (for now) just me. I am using different pseudonyms for the type of genre that I’m writing.
I currently have a short story out on Kindle – the genre is Historical Romance, and my pen-name is Violet (my grandmother) London (My home town). This is my first foray into digital publishing, and I used a short story to experiment. I am also working on a mystery novel (Contemporary, oil patch), a Harlequin novel (Contemporary Romance) and a gothic novel (Historical) in the vein of Victoria Holt, for those of you who might have read her.
My ambition is (now that I am unemployed and have more time…well sort of) to try and get published/hired/whatever, in any written capacity I can write. Perhaps something will shake out for me? Who knows, but rather like the lottery- you only win if you buy a ticket. I also hope to explore more avenues with my photography and other literary ventures. Hey, it’s now or never in my book (pun intended)… Hence the website – I also have other ideas for the website – I’ll fill you in as they become reality.
I am enjoying life at home. I do not miss running my life by the tick of a clock. I do not miss shaving, make-up, outfits, rush-hour traffic, arrogant bosses, bitchy co-workers, hen-pecked husbands (see arrogant bosses), short lunch hours, boring meetings, teenage HR bimbos who call me ‘hon’, being nice to everyone when I don’t feel like it, being the problem solver, being under appreciated and under-utilized….and I could keep going. I like seeing the birds at the feeder, watching the daily life on my street, and going to the store when there are no lines. But what I love the best is that my mind is not fraught with stress and anxiety, I am starting to think like myself again, I am starting to like myself again.
I have also joined a gym! I can hear your gasps of amazement from here. I have been whining for ages that I had no time to lose weight and get in better shape – well now I have time, and I need to get on with it. So I go for my fitness assessment on Monday (it shouldn’t take too long as I will pass out pretty quickly) and then I will be a busy girl. I am going to take pictures of myself before (will not share or sell unless I get really skinny) and then I am going to report my progress to you dear people, just to bore you silly. The upside is that while the guys have been here all week, I have been stuck at home and forced to make an effort to clear all chocolates, candy, and British treats from the vicinity, so that I am not tempted after the weekend. God only knows what I weigh now, probably the weight of a small country. Anyway, stay posted for my progress reports!
I want to thank so many of you for responding after the first blog – I am really fortunate to have you all in my life- thanks so much for taking the time to send me your comments etc. it means a lot to get that feedback. I want to figure out a way you can communicate with me on the website too.
This summer I am going to have a Blog Party. I will let you all know closer to the time – I would love for all of you to meet in person (many of you have, many of you haven’t) I think it would be really fun to do.
Next week, I will let you know some of my other ideas for the website – This is just the beginning of my new chapter, and I can’t think of any other company I’d rather have on this journey than all of you!
Thanks again for all of your wonderful support – you guys rock!
Jude