To say it has been a busy, stressful week would be a bit of an understatement. It was one of those weeks that a lot seemed to be going wrong and very little to be going right. My day job was beset by one system issue after another and a constant reminder that technology causes complications when it doesn’t function as it should.

Throughout it all, I wanted nothing more than to slink away and hide out in amongst my stories. Switch off my office anxiety and step into one of my worlds to roam around and have a chat with some characters. The urge to run away was strong. My manager asked me at one stage if I’d gotten any writing done that morning. I hadn’t. If I had picked up a pen, or sat in front of my story, there was little chance I would have made it into the office.

To keep me sane through the day, I was hiding out at my desk at lunch, eating as fast as I could and then hunched over a notebook to sneak in writing time. My colleagues and work friends are familiar with this desk gremlin and know that when I have that far away look in my eye, I am off in one of my stories. I do get worried that I will come across as rude sometimes, especially to those that don’t know me, but luckily, those that do know me are well aware of my quirks.

Today is the first day of the weekend, a weekend which was too long in coming (in my opinion). It is a wonderfully overcast and rainy day. My husband and I braved the outside world long enough this morning to complete a grocery shop and run a few errands, before being safely ensconced at home where we could have a cuppa and watch the rain fall.

He is currently figuring out a recipe to bake bread. I am much looking forward to the wonderful smell of fresh baked bread which will transport me back to my childhood and days spent visiting my grandparents. It is amazing how the sense of smell can be such a time machine.

I have retreated into my writing room and will soon type up the chicken scratch that I frantically wrote into a notebook during my lunch breaks and then continue with my chapter. It can be nice to have a little in when it comes to sitting down to write again. It’s one of the reasons I don’t like to finish a paragraph and have even been known to finish a writing session with a sentence hanging there, incomplete. A wonderful way to dip a toe back into the story before feeling confident enough to dive bomb.

I have been looking forward to my writing time all week, and I find myself quite fearlessly protective of the writing blocks I manage of a weekend. It would be safe to say that I can be a bit of a homebody, and I don’t think there is anything wrong with that. The world can be a scary, confusing, and expensive place to be out in and although I do like to spend time with friends and enjoy some fresh air, it is at home where I feel most comfortable.

Luckily, it is a rainy day and the perfect excuse to stay inside and do one of the things that I like best. I get to sink into a story, unapologetically. While others are likely being driven insane trying to keep kids occupied and considering a trip to the shops or the cinema as a reason to get out of the house, I am comfortable, in my pajamas and sipping a peppermint tea while my world loses focus and I tumble, headlong into my draft.

A bit of rain is wonderful, and a lot can be a dreadful thing. Luckily, all seems right with my little corner of the world at the moment. The rain moves in sheets, interspersed with temporary dry spells as it takes a breath. There is the low, grumble of thunder that reminds me of a suitcase being dragged along. The noise disturbs me occasionally, before I smile, and hunker down to write some more.