My younger son is also at a new school and comes home full of enthusiasm, eager to tell us how he has spent his day. The school seems to be preparing its pupils for a forthcoming disaster, as there is a strong emphasis on crafts, woodcraft and self-sufficiency, but I've never seen a classroom with so many happy children. Other schools could learn something.
On the downside, my business is slowly dying - partly because I have to spend a sizeable chunk of the day ferrying my sons around, but also because I'm struggling to find a supplier. Two years ago, it was relatively easy to find stock, but the recycling industry is under far more pressure and separating old books is now regarded as too time consuming.
But even that isn't the end of the world, as my wife has just managed to secure a job in a publishing company. If we continue to live frugally we should survive.
As for me, I will try to juggle the demands of the school run, maintaining my business and running a house, however I realise that this is a normal day for thousands of working mothers, so I won't be expecting a special badge. As long as I have a strict routine, it should be straightforward enough.
In my darker moments, I worry about what I'll be doing in a few years' time, but that's an utterly pointless activity. The important thing is to focus on the present and make the most of it.
On the subject of making the most of the present, here's another batch of photos that I uploaded to Instagram recently. It's just a random selection of shots of East Sussex, but they all capture different aspects of the things I like about the local area at this time of year:
29 comments:
I'm now in 'that few year's time place' having been at home with 4 kids. It has been hard work, making changes and moving on, but the strength of mind and outlook that comes through your blog is great. Can you channel some of that energy into a new future?
I'm so glad your older son is happy at his school (and your younger son). Well done for fighting so long for him.
Beautiful photos too - you are inspiring me to join Instagram.
Have you thought of going into photography?
Beautiful photos! You have an eye.
Fabulous pictures - I love autumn...
And so wonderful about your sons being happy at school - something crucial to everyone in a family's sanity and the schools runs will stop surprisingly quickly. It's terrifying how quickly our children grow. Hope all continues to move on positively for you!
kaggsysbookishramblings
Katharine - Four children! I salute you. I hope you're now enjoying the next stage and not missing the hubbub. I have quite a few ideas about the next move - I'm open to most things as long as it's not a corporate environment.
Annie - You really must. At it's best, Instagram is armchair travel, giving fascinating glimpses of other lives and beautiful places. At its worst, you'll see lots of feet and cups of coffee.
Sandra - That's very kind of you to suggest it. The real photographers out there are in a very different league, but I'll do my best to get better.
David - Thanks. I wish they were better quality, but they tend to be spontaneous shots taken on my phone, often during a drive. My family are used to me suddenly swerving into a lay-by.
Kagsy - It's an odd thing, but the time hasn't gone by quickly for me. Perhaps that's because my older son seems a good two years younger than his real age and still wears clothes for 13-year-olds. But in some ways that's a bonus, particularly as he still snuggles up next to me on the sofa.
Such good news! xxx
what great news about your boys - it must seem like a different world. i am also very much enjoying your photos of this & that around Lewes - they are lovely - but now wondering - where is that splendid tomb? re: feet - perhaps this couple's stony (and no doubt decently shod) ones might have been a rather nice change for instagram...
Brilliant news about both your sons, and excellent that you and your wife will be able to juggle work/home between you.
I enjoyed all your photos, but especially the one with the rocks and moody sky: it made me chuckle. It looks like a set from the early days of Star Trek.
D.
what great news about your boys - it must seem like a different world. i am also very much enjoying your photos of this & that around Lewes - they are lovely - but now wondering - where is that splendid tomb? re: feet - perhaps this couple's stony (and no doubt decently shod) ones might have been a rather nice change for instagram...
Fabulous news about your boys - to be honest, it was sounding a bit bleak a little while back. And your photos are lovely - Sussex is an astonishingly beautiful county. We were down there today, my The Lovely Husband was taking part in the Chichester Half Marathon and I always enjoy the drive down from Godalming through the Downs to Chichester - it's a place I could most definitely live...
Lucy - Thanks. I'm almost afraid of jinxing it by writing about it, but this time it feels real.
Anonymous 1 - Funnily enough, I thought exactly the same thing and mentioned it on the Instagram page. All it needs is a few security guards in red pullovers (all of whom will get killed within five minutes of beaming down).
Anonymous 2 - I can't remember if their feet were on show. There was an inspirational quote, but it was in Latin and my school barely managed to teach English.
Mrs Jones - It was very bleak, believe me. I'm very relieved that there is a school out there that understands children like my son and brings out the best in them, but I'm rather pissed off that the funding only kicks in when the child has been through hell first.
Beautiful pictures!
Your images are wonderful.
And have you seen this?
You could write for Ladybird Books!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3269157/Ladybird-books-redesigned-adults-help-cope-mid-life-crises-hangovers-dating.html
Art - Thanks! Good to see your name in the comments section.
Gill - Ah yes, therein lies a tale - I think that's the phrase. I was working on a single book for Ladybird and the final draft was given the green light. Then suddenly everything went very quiet for a few months, before I was told that the format wasn't quite right.
Today, I read that eight similar titles are being released and the quoted page was spookily similar to the ideas I provided. I suppose they belatedly realised the full commercial potential of the idea and thought that eight books written by professionals would be better than one by a blogger. I also got the feeling that some of my ideas were regarded as too dark. Maybe it just wasn't good enough, but I got positive feedback from others. It's been a learning curve.
Wonderful photos, Steerforth.
I hope you are deservedly involved in this Steerforth
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-34503866
Thanks D.I. Dalrymple. I'm really glad that the photos have gone down well.
Rog - Sadly not. See above.
So very pleased that some of the pressure has been taken off you by the good news about your boys and by Lady Steerforth's new job. Long may it continue.
But what rotten deleted expletives those Ladybird tossers turned out to be. When I saw this I remembered writing the following as a comment on a similar story in the Guardian two years ago:
"I've seen this happen in the fields of television and publishing.
Author/artist/playwright/designer gets an idea, shares it with publisher/producer/commissioning authority, and later finds it produced or published, just slightly altered, and under someone else's name.
Seems like some people just can't help appropriating what's not theirs. Or think that the idea has now somehow become "theirs" by osmosis. Most commonly, however, the thief likes the originator's idea but has someone else they want to see produce it - so they "seed" it with their preferred creative artist and try to ignore the person who thought of it in the first place.
Happens all the time, and there's usually naff all comeback for the creative artist. I hope that this time a sense of fair play will assert itself in the UK and the true originators will get the recognition - and payment - that they deserve."
Check out that issue and the discussion:
http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2013/jun/19/thomas-heatherwick-accused-plagiarism-olympic-cauldron#comment-24456135
There's a discussion in today's Telegraph about whether audiences really want their Ladybirds contaminated with "irony".
Dale - I think it's complicated by the fact that I was using someone else's intellectual property in the first place - the original Ladybird illustrations, so I really don't have a leg to stand on. Also, I agreed to a one-off fee and signed a contract.
I suspect that for Ladybird, who weren't used to publishing this kind of book, it was a very tentative process and they weren't sure about what they wanted until they'd explored a number of options. I have to say that personal feelings aside, I think they made a sound commercial decision to commission eight books and employ professional comedy writers with a proven track record. I think the books will have more mass market appeal than mine and generate a much higher income, which is what counts.
I've no idea to what extent my original ideas had any influence on the final product - it could simply be that the illustrations lend themselves to a certain type of treatment and that the writers were unaware of my draft. Who can say.
Naturally I'm disappointed that it's not my work being published (I was looking forward to sending coopies to friends), but not completely surprised. I had misgivings from an early stage, as I didn't feel that the brief I was given would work (it's interesting to see that they've now returned to the narrative style). I got the feeling that my editor had to run everything past a committee and after being enthusiastic about an idea, was often forced to backtrack. She did her best to spare my feelings but actually I would have preferred brutal honesty. If it's crap, tell me it's crap. I can take it.
Anyway, I shall just have to put it all down to experience and if I ever find myself in a similar situation, I'll be more prepared for disappointment.
That's great about the crafts. As a teacher, I'm dismayed at how much time is spent on worksheet management. While it may be useful training for employment, I suspect kids would be a lot happier if their hands were occupied with making stuff (and it would probably be more useful for all, too). Also, jeepers: those photos are [ital please] excellent.
Thanks Peter. I'm sure that kids would be happier if they developed more practical skills and also did more activities that revolved around the changing seasons - it imbues children with a sense of meaning, I think. My son's lucky as his school's attached to a wood, but I'm sure that many urban ones could lose some of the concrete and buy a few chickens.
Glad you like the photos. I realise that I didn't answer someone's question about the Tudor tomb - it's in the parish church at Firle and the couple are the ancestors of the current Lord of the Manor.
You're being uncommonly gentlemanly about it.Don't think I would be so forgiving.
Yes, as they commissioned the original illustrations they own the copyright on those, which as you say complicates matters slightly. I have heard enough thieving shysters say "There's no copyright on ideas" to know that your concept ownership is not worth pursuing.
And it's certainly not hard to envisage the publishing committee saying "He's onto something - let's re-use lots of those illustrations!"
So your best option now, from what you've outlined to us, is to complete the work, as per your valid contract,submit it and TAKE THE FEE. Then it's up to them whether they publish the work or not - you have completed your contractual obligations.
If writing captions for an illustrated book, check out the provisions of your Public Lending Right scheme in the UK. It will stipulate a minimum text length and minimum number of published pages to be eligible for any author payment to you under the PLR scheme, and this is worth considering at the book contract stage. For one thing, only authors paid by a royalty scheme are eligible - fee-paid authors are excluded, for obvious reasons.
I'm sorry to hear about your business. I hope things turn around or that you find something else you love to do and that is profitable. Your photos are lovely and make me want to come back to England. And I'm thrilled that both of your sons seem to be happy in their new schools.
I saw a new 'dark' Ladybird in Foyle's yesterday & thought of you - I'm breathtaken that it was more than likely the fruit of your ideas, but it is the third instance of such poaching I've been told of in the last six months so I have no doubt you have been robbed. You really should pay attention to the compliments re your pictures. You really are a good photographer. Your younger son's school sounds to me as if it is run on Froebel principles - my primary school was a Froebel school & all we ever did was make things. It was absolutely great.
Yes, it is a Froebel school and I'm a complete convert. I love the way they manage to sneak maths into fun activities and will stick with a project for a whole day or two if they children enjoying it. My son now complains when it's the weekend!
Thanks for your kind words about the photos.
Dale - I did smell a rat at the beginning, when I was told that they didn't pay royalties and offered a fixed fee of £900. But when you're new and don't have a proven track record, your bargaining position is weak. I made enquiries, but was told that it wasn't unusual.
Joan - To be honest, my business is mainly drudgery and boredom, so it's not the end of the world. I like the books, but I don't enjoy standing in a dark, cold warehouse sorting through dusty, dirty boxes. Luckily, I still have over 7,000 books to sell, so it will still provide an income.
Glad you like the photos - I hope you manage to get over here.
I read your news with great relief. I was lucky enough to have been taught by Froebel trained teachers up to the age of 11. It all went pear-shaped after that.
If anyone can persuade me of the virtues of Instagram, you can. I have started formatting some square pictures as an experiment!
I am really pleased that the boys have found their niche ; nothing else really matters, does
it.
Anne
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