Short term memory loss

O K I have promised myself that even if its meaningless dribble I will try and post some short little story or witty quote at least twice a week, my first one for this week you can see below and its called the price of coal.  A few nights back I was trying to recall which or where i could find my latest project of writing.  I have entered a few poems into writing competitions and hope that they come somewhere, so being caught up in that has caused me to forget where my present project is. 
I was looking for what some of you know as my NANO.  For those of you that don't its not a book about elves.  At the end of last year and every year there is a writing extravaganza where you have a month to write 50k this year I only managed about 15K and although I didn't reach the target at the end of it was left with a hefty chunk of writing certainly more than I have ever written in a single month.  Some of my fellow writers managed really well and completed it.  A few others didn't manage to complete it but like me they have a great chunk of words to expand on, and this alone was a great accomplishment. 
My Nano is actually the second in a series of four books.  The first one is on hold as I am dedicating my time to finishing my Nano and although they are all linked it will be the last one that brings them together so it is of no real importance if it's the first second or third one that is finished first. 
For the first time I have recently printed off my 20k that it now is and I am so excited at what I have written and I think that's the key.  I love the fact its now on paper staring at me and although its first draft and very rusty my chunk of book is amazing.  This is giving me the burning drive to complete it and say "yes, that's mine!"  a fellow writer in  the writing group I 'nip' onto from time to time (ROFL) has written a few brilliant ebooks and recently started the process of getting them printed and I loved it when he posted about the thrill of seeing his first book actually on paper and it sitting on his mantle piece ( sorry Kevin if that was the wrong place) and just from printing a few pages if this is how I feel wow its going to be amazing to finish so head down fingers typing for me, I need to finish so that's it for today have a great weekend and week to come everyone I wonder what my word count will be this time next week, fingers crossed I focus and do well.

The price of coal

Its funny looking back at my childhood, which I seem to be doing a lot recently.  I recall things I experienced like remembering waking up in the morning and having to get dressed under the covers because of the cold.  Power cuts causing us to find those little white candles and melting them on to saucers and placing them into safe alcoves.  Spam fritters for tea.  Wearing an extra jumper because it was too early to put the heating on.  repairing heals on shoes and your dad polishing the shoes with shoe polish that came in a round tin and brushes.  Putting your hand down the back of the couch and finding loose change.  Buying four chews for a penny.  That was about 35 years ago, except for the penny sweets it almost seems in this troubling time that things have come full circle.  The price of living has become so expensive that my family question when we put the heating on.  There are still power cuts, whether its because the electricity company are on strike or due to government cut backs there are not enough people to do the job.  My little white candles are replaced by jumbo packs of night lights and I repaired a pair of boots a while back that under other circumstances would have thrown and replaced.  The couch has now been replaced by bottoms of handbags, jacket pockets and tins of change.  The difference back then was we had never known anything different, where as now with how technology has changed us and our lives its seems strange that we are returning to old ways to survive.  The good things are lighting log fires and snugly blankets.  Spending time with family and friends and just accepting things for what they are, changing times.  And it is at times like this that I get my most inspiration from.  When things are tough you rise above it.  Who ever is reading this, take a minute to think about where you are in your life and if you are not content rise above it and make a difference even if its something small.