Spring

Spring seems to be creeping into Northern Ireland. The temperature's nudging double figures, the floods are receding from the fields, I've spotted buds on trees and even some flowering daffodils. Our rabbits have been allowed back into their runs on the lawn, the dogs are bouncier than ever and the children cleaned their trampoline and spent an afternoon testing all sorts of shapes and jumps on it.

Perhaps that's what inspired me to try a new angle to the editing process this week. I've been reading 'How To Write A Blockbuster,'  - lots of scribbles and post-it notes now adorn the book. I found their ideas about passive voice clear and concise and decided to check my MS for how many times was and were appeared. So, what was the most effective way to do that? The trusted Find and Replace feature. There I was, feeling pleased with myself as I worked my way through the MS, finding each was, checking how appropriate, passive or overused the word was. Tad ironic ending to that last sentence. I'd reached the halfway point and come across something else I wanted to change. I still don't know how I did it but here comes the cautionary tale to the spring clean. I made my changes and saved them (always very careful to keep saving as I work). Then I pulled up the Find again, typed in was and waited for the answer. Not a single one to be found. I ran it again. Surely I couldn't have been that good and not used was again for the rest of the MS? Right - I wasn't that good. I'd managed to delete every was in the entire 274 pages, including all occasions when those three letters formed part of another word.

It's been an exercise in finding every double blank space and every misspelt word in the MS but I've finally done it; I've replaced each missing was and am ready to continue where I left off. I hope.

The change in weather we've seen this week has been a welcome distraction from my mistake. Caitlin would be proud of me, digging over and starting to prepare the greenhouse for the new growing season. The children are off school so we had a day out and I have plenty of pictures to share the beauty of the Mournes on a Spring day.

Newcastle, Co.  Down 

Foot Bridge Over The Shimna River, Newcastle

Newcastle, Co. Down

Shimna River, Newcastle

Newcastle Beach

Newcastle Beach. Towards Slieve Donard Hotel & Dundrum

Up In The Mourne Mountains

Approaching Spelga Dam From Kilkeel

Spelga Dam

Spelga Dam