Becca’s World

OK, maybe not. While-you-wait cleaning might just catch on, though. Not sure what to do while dinner cooks? Spruce up the kitchen or bathroom! Counting down the minutes till a friend arrives for a visit? Whip out your Swiffer duster!

Now that I’ve totally lost the connection with my audience, who thinks I’m crazy for talking about a mundane subject such as cleaning, I think I’ll go fetch lunch from my freshly-cleaned kitchen.

This tidbit of insanity brought to you by Sunlight dish soap. And Becca, of course.

I went for a long walk this morning, and now my legs hate me. I wanted to see the Fredericton Botanic Garden and after walking through, I decided to come back up through Odell Park. Took me about an hour and a half, though in the future I could shave off some time by driving to Odell and then getting my exercise.

My plan for the rest of the day involves cleaning the kitchen (how do the dishes pile up so fast? ), working on my novel-in-progress and probably reading a bit more of “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.” (I’m working my way through the series again, watching the movies after each book.) In case you wondered, I firmly believe in making the most of my days off – today is light on chores but heavy on relaxation.

On my playlist today: Bif Naked (Superbeautifulmonster), Ashlee Simpson (Autobiography), Black Eyed Peas (Monkey Business), Natalie Imbruglia (Left of the Middle, Counting Down the Days). That should keep me happy for quite a while.

I loved the newest Harry Potter book! The bookworm in me wants the seventh book right away, but the aspiring writer very much understands that J.K. Rowling needs time to get it right.

For no reason I know of, I thought of the following song this morning:

Down by the bay
Where the watermelons grow
Back to my home
I dare not go
For if I do
My mother will say
“Did you ever see a bear
Combing his hair
Down by the bay?”

Down by the bay
Where the watermelons grow
Back to my home
I dare not go
For if I do
My mother will say
“Did you ever see a whale
With a polka dot tail
Down by the bay?”

My long trek across the country took me all night, but I made it. Even got to chat about books while waiting for my flight to Toronto. (I pulled out a copy of the sixth Harry Potter novel and that started the conversation.)

I’m doing laundry now and I’ll probably unpack as I decide what’s for supper. It’s even more humid today than it was in the week before I left, but I’m coping fairly well by staying in my (relatively) cool apartment. Wearing a bathing suit to keep from getting too warm has the side-effect of making me feel like I’m having a day at the beach.

I read “The Corset Diaries” (Katie MacAlister) before my vacation and didn’t get around to mentioning it here. I highly recommend it, even for those who don’t usually read romance. Katie is very good at injecting her stories with humour, and I applaud her ability to have me laughing out loud as I read. (Just a warning, though, it’s a book for adults. Younger readers should look for great stories under the name of Katie Maxwell.)

While on my vacation, I read “October Song” (Beverly Lewis) and “Island of Refuge” (Linda Hall). I enjoyed both, but if I had to rank them, Linda’s book would come out on top.

I’m almost finished reading/skimming “The Mists of Avalon” (Marion Zimmer Bradley) and may read another of her books in the future. We’ll see…

No, I didn’t spend all my time in Castlegar just reading. Spent time with my parents, my oldest sister, my in-laws, and of course my husband. Travelled to Deer Park, Nelson, Trail and many places in between. It all added up to a relaxing time and I was sad to leave.

Now it’s time to unpack and probably make more progress with “The Half-Blood Prince.” Before I go, however, special thanks are due to Amanda Jane. Among other things, she introduced me to an especially delicious beverage called a London Fog. Yum yum!