Storms and setbacks

Today I was meant to be starting my residency at Toi Pōneke, and with it writing the first words of my new YA novel.

While this isn't a live-in residency I do live quite a distance from my office space. I had a whole bag packed with my laptop and postits and Other Thing I Might Need and my partner lined up to drop off my keyboard (too big for my backpack) later in the day.

Yesterday wasn't looking so good weatherwise. I made some contingency plans - I could avoid the worst of it by getting a taxi to the railway station. I thought of how my friend Octavia was determined to start her residency as we went into lockdown. If she could do that, I could handle a little rain.

At some point overnight (a) a trampoline flew out of a nearby garden and down the road and (b) a little further down the road a tree fell onto a firetruck (no injuries, thankfully). I don't know at what point the power went out, but when we woke up we were told it was going to be restored by lunchtime of the following day (probably).

I realised that my plan to taxi to the railway station had flaws. Specifically (a) the trains weren't running and (b) the underpass to the platform was full of water.

So the welcome event has been postponed til next week and I'm starting the residency tomorrow. While this latest storm is serious for those more directly affected than I am, and as a sign of increasingly problematic climate change, it's a very minor setback for me. Power returned at lunchtime (of today, not tomorrow). I could have started work on my novel today but I liked the idea of writing the first words in my office, so I've done some other bits and pieces.

And perhaps the weather gods will smile on me tomorrow.

I've been tying up some loose ends before the residency starts - a lot of admin, but also I now have not one, but two Andi R. Christopher novellas with the editor. I am looking forward to - though as yet totally disorganised about - Ages of Pages. (I was disorganised the previous two years and still made it, so I'm sure it will be fine.) I've been enjoying reading Aliette de Bodard's A Fire Born of Exile and Emily Wilson's translation of The Odyssey. I'd somehow reached my forties without reading the latter in any form and my main conclusion is that it had much less sailing and more laundry than I was led to believe.

I also made probably my most ridiculous knitting project to date. The Emotional Support Chicken:

She's huge. Very supportive. And surprisingly quick to make.

Wishing you all calmer weather and emotionally supportive chickens.

mā te wā

Andi