The deadline for the manuscript of Ruso 5 is getting very close now. How I wish I could say the same for the end of the book. Meanwhile this is my excuse for being even vaguer than usual, as is evidenced below:
1) I am driving along the motorway while Husband, the first victim for any manuscript, sits next to me reading Ruso 5 - The Story so Far. Husband has a tendency to mutter odd words as he reads, hence when I hear the word ‘Sixth’ mentioned more than once, I smile in recognition. He has reached the passage about the arrival of the Sixth Legion! I say nothing to distract him. I am somewhat surprised when he repeats the word for the third time, louder. It seems he is particularly impressed with this passage. Then he adds, ‘Gear.’ I ponder this for a moment, thinking of armour and shields.
‘Sixth gear!’ repeats husband, amazed that I am ignoring his helpful reminder. ‘You’re doing over seventy. Don’t you look at the rev counter?’
Er, no. My eyes are on the road. Clearly my mind is not.
2) I have just returned from yet another 200-mile drive (a frequent occurrence when you live in the West Country) and barely taken the coat off when a young man phones needing some information for a form. We confirm Husband’s initials and then he says, ‘And your name is Arthur Ruth?’
‘Just Ruth,’ I say, puzzled. ‘Not Arthur.’
‘Arthur?’
‘No, not Arthur,’ I repeat, ‘Just Ruth,’ adding, ‘I don’t know where the Arthur came from.’ ( mailmerge, I suspect, but don’t say so).
‘No, not Arthur,’ he repeats, with the patient voice of someone who clearly thinks he is dealing with a total nitwit, ‘I said, R for Ruth.’
I hope to rejoin the real world shortly after 31 December. Meanwhile, dear reader, please bear with me.
