I’m back from Cornwall. Well, officially I’ve been back since Wednesday, but this is the first point where I’ve actually felt like I’m properly sorted – I’ve spent a big chunk of the last couple of days sorting out my room, tidying, doing the shopping, and preparing for what promises to be a pretty damn busy September. I’ve got a reasonable amount of work to do this week – and then I’ve got some proofreading arriving at the end of this week. I’ve got just under three weeks to do it – and I’ve also got the Asylum Steampunk weekender at Lincoln one weekend, and Fantasycon in Nottingham the next weekend. And then, just after the proofreading is finished, I’ve got a lightning-fast trip to London for the Gollancz Autumn party on the 24th of September. And then, possibly, I will collapse in a corner and not move for a while. But not until then…

I’ve also got writing to do. I’m not going to let the fact that I’m going to be busy derail me. There’s lots to do, and not too much time to do it…

Meant to blog about this in my previous entry – but better late than never…

One of the unavoidable and inevitable things about coming back to the place where you grew up is the way things have changed. Cornwall doesn’t change much – and there are plenty of places here that are still identical in every respect – but there are also plenty of differences, especially since I haven’t really spent an extended period of time down here for a number of years (the month when I was writing and house-sitting in 2006 doesn’t count, as I barely went out!) It’s always a bit odd spotting the changes, or seeing a building and saying “I don’t remember that being there…” but nothing quite prepared me for what’s happened to the ‘Old Site’ of Pool School, my old secondary school.

A brief explanation – when I attended it (from 1985-1990), Pool School was divided up into two sites on opposite sides of one of the main roads in Pool. There was the ‘New Site’, a sprawling bit of late Sixties concrete that housed the 3rd-5th years (and the majority of the classrooms), and there was the ‘Old Site’, which consisted of a building which had (if memory serves me correctly) originally been the main school, along with a whole collection of Portacabins and small buildings, and this housed the 1st and 2nd years. There was quite a lot there, and I can remember it being a busy and thriving place, even if it was somewhat restrictive, and it was a bit of a relief when I finally ‘graduated’ to the third year and only made occasional journeys back.

Now, there’s been lots of changes in Pool – last time I was down, Tris and I had a wander around Cornwall College, and I was somewhat shocked to find that the Humanities block (one of the main locations for my video project The Alchemist) wasn’t there anymore, so I’m used to the idea that stuff is going to be different. But the Old Site… well, Tris offered me the chance to have a look, so I wandered up there, expecting it to be pretty changed – and it wasn’t so much the fact that the Site was gone, it’s the fact that there isn’t any proof that it was even there in the first place! The main building is still there, but the rest of the buildings are all gone without trace, and the whole thing is now owned by a development company and is standing empty for the moment. It’s ended up massively overgrown, with plants covering the site, and it’s genuinely eerie to walk along in a place where I spent so much time years ago, and have it feel like (as Tris described rather accurately) something from Planet of the Apes, like we’d just wandered into a post-apocalyptic landscape.

If I’d been sensible, I’d have gotten some photos (the idea didn’t occur to either of us, and Tris’ camera was back in the car). Nonetheless, it’s a sight that’s going to stick with me for a while – and probably the scariest evidence yet that however much I might want to avoid it, time is going to continue marching on…

Monday evening. I’m parked on the bed in the guest room at Dad’s house in Cornwall, and so far it’s been a very nice break. I ended up having a birthday weekend, of sorts – my actual birthday on Friday was fairly quiet (but very nice), while my sister, her husband and her son came down and stayed the night on Saturday, and then on Sunday I met up with Tris for the latest in our long run of bizarre photoshoots. Sadly, thanks to the terminally unpredictable weather, we ended up with grey and glowering skies and occasional spots of rain, which was far from ideal photography weather, and the both of us were a bit tired, so we ended up drawing things to a close mid-evening instead of the somewhat epic night-shoot we’d originally planned. Some good shots were created, nontheless, and it’s always a huge amount of fun to see Tris.

And also, had a massive number of people wishing me happy birthday, and each one made me extremely happy.

Received various presents – including a small mountain of Doctor Who DVDs, which I’m currently exploring (and will be writing about at length fairly soon, for certain…), and am endeavouring to make sure that I’m actually having a decent break. It’s good to be down in Cornwall – Dad’s actually aiming to move at some point in the next eighteen months or so, and may be going as far afield as Scotland, so my days of having an always-available bolt-hole in Cornwall may be coming to an end. But, I’m going to enjoy all the time I spend down here, while also remembering that although it’s lovely to go back to the places where I grew up, there’s still way too many places that I haven’t been. And sometime, I’m going to have to start doing something about that…

In just over forty minutes, I’m going to cross the barrier into being 35.

Gulp.

I’m spending my birthday down in Cornwall, staying with my Dad. Relaxation, reading, walks on the cliff, and an upcoming day of photo adventure with my friend Tris.

There have been plenty of points recently where I’ve been down, or depressed, or lonely. I may lack confidence in myself. But I’m not going to let that stop me.

Being 33 was rough. Being 34 was even rougher.

I’m aiming to make 35 a whole lot more fun.

Warning: Downbeat content. Do not read further without consulting your Doctor.

Sunday night. The start of another week, and once again what I’ve got to look forward to is a severe dose of proofreading. I’ve got a pretty major chunk of proofing to get out of the way – it’ll get done, but the result is that it’s going to be a week of intensive routine, which aren’t often weeks that make me excessively happy. The one thing I am attempting to make certain is that I get plenty of writing done. It’s nice to get to the end of the day and remind myself that I’ve actually acheived something more than the appointed “keeping myself in food and comics” tasks. The project I’m working on at the moment is starting to come together, or is at least evolving in my head in an interesting fashion, to the extent that I really wish I could get a completely clear week so I could sit down and do nothing but work on it. At present, this isn’t a possibility, so it’s just trying to cram everything in to as small a space – and I may be able to get some done on holiday, as I’m disappearing off to Cornwall next week. There shall be relaxation, there shall be walks in the country – and all things being well, there shall also be another photo session with Tris, in a slightly more experimental vibe.

But there’s this week to get through. And at least I’ve got a ton of stuff to watch, including a new haul of Classic Who DVDs for £3 at Fopp. For now, a little more sorting out stuff before bed. Monday morning is a little too close for comfort…

Good gracious. The massed network attack that’s been hitting Livejournal for the last few days seems to have ceased. It’s actually quite bizarre being able to access this and read my friend page again. Anyhow, no massive news (other than lots of proofreading), but there’ll be a more detailed post in the next day or so. I’m off to watch some Classic Who DVDs I was once again able to pick up from budget discount store Fopp. Ah, nostalgia…