Galloping forward

Day 39

Hell's bells, but I'm cooking with gas now. Even though I have a blazingly good hangover and can hardly write, I know I'll be able to finish the last four pages of my book today. (Thank God I can touch type, because looking at the screen is easier than looking down right now.) Went out for dinner with some lovely neighbours of ours last night, and were having such a good time we didn't even leave the dinner table until 11.45. Got to bed rather late, and spent a lot of time in the night applying 4head, but still feel really excited about cracking on with the next bit of my book, (whereas usually I would be needing to rest for a day or so). This is brilliant.

My 'To do' list currently looks like this -

• Finish the Blue picture - tick.
• Do the Multi-coloured picture - tick.
• Design the last page - tick.
• Start on the filling pages - tick.

Only got four more filling pages to go and all the designs are done. These will be completed today, then Steve and I will go to Hobbycraft tomorrow to get some silk-painting basics. Once I have some samples of how the finished illustrations will look on silk, then I can contact publishers and agents and start trying to get some interest. Then it all turns from an idea into a reality - yikes!

So, need to have a bath (and clean off last night's make up which is drifting down my cheeks), and get something to eat to settle my stomach. Need to kick the cat off her place on top of yesterday's paintings. Need to work for maybe five hours, then clean up and pack everything I don't need away, ready for the silk-painting to start. Then it's 'all systems go'.

I can't quite believe that after all these years of having to put this off because off ill-health and other hindrances, that the moment of completion is nearly here. It doesn't seem quite real. Feel happy and daunted and nervous and excited, all in equal measure. Time to put myself on the line and find out if anybody is interested in this book - whether I can actually make it happen.

So, a big 'thank you' to all those involved in the making of the film 'Julie and Julia', because it inspired me to start this blog, and to believe that I could use it as an aid to achieving my goals, the way it did for Julie. It has definitely helped keep me focused and determined, all through a shitty month, and I heartily recommend doing it. Watch this space to see how I get through the next bit, as I've no idea what will be required of me. My latest Rune spread described this as the "empty-handed leap into the void". No kidding.