The picture is of a magnifying light my dear husband (my very own house hero) has rigged up for me to work following my first cataract operation on 17th December. Vision in my right eye is now near normal. But, because I still need to have my left eye operated on, my vision is distorted. This has left it very difficult to see close up, hence the magnifying light.
Now, as a result, I can work on revising 'A Suitable Young Man' for about an hour or so at a time. It's slow progress but better than not working at all. In between, I'm usually listening to one or other of my audiobooks which serves the purpose of allowing me to 'read' while resting my eyes. 'I'm currently listening to 'A Happy Hoofer' written and read by actress Celia Imrie. It's highly amusing and, in places, hilariously funny. She seems to be naturally disaster prone. I can thoroughly recommend this autobiography. Other problems include not being able to read instructions on packages etc. (Why do manufacturers make these so small?) With these, a hand held magnifying glass helps.
Filing my nails has been a problem too. I've overcome that by keeping my nails short, at least for the time being. Unfortunately, having got to the stage where unsightly hairs often crop up on my chin, I haven't been able to get at them. If I can feel one starting to sprout, my house hero is very handy with a pair of tweezers.
Finally, my article about 'Working in t'mill' has appeared in the January issue of 'Discover Your History.' Unfortunately, in the photo they have included, My very red cheeks make it look like I've been at the wine!
With my eyesight deteriorating rapidly, I've been struggling to read. And I do read a lot! I can manage still with my Kindle because I can increase the font size but I've had to give up on normal print books. There's always large print books at the library although I've found the choice a bit limited. But audiobooks are wonderful for people like me! I can listen for hours without straining my eyes!
I really admire how the narrators manage the different accents of the various characters. It seems to add to my enjoyment and make the characters come alive for me. But have you seen the price of audiobooks to buy? Between £20 and £25 on average! Thank God for public libraries.
Last time I posted I mentioned about tackling yet another rewrite of A Suitable Young Man (I've more or less decided that will be its title). Unfortunately, the rewriting and the cataract problems have come into conflict. I'm find it hard to concentrate on writing for more than an hour. This means that it will be slow progress but I'm hoping the cataract operation will be scheduled early in the New Year. In the meantime, I shall just have to learn patience - not one of my strong points!
Yes, at last, some good news. A couple of weeks ago I pitched a two articles to a couple of editors, one to a magazine I have written for in the past, the other to Discover Your History, a magazine I hadn't heard of before but was mentioned in Writing Magazine. I'm pleased to report that the editor of that magazine has accepted my article! I haven't heard from the other one yet but he may be up against deadlines or on holiday.
The other good news is that I have made a slow start on my latest rewrite of A Suitable Young Man/Save The Last Dance For me (I still can't decide!). I suspect that once I really get down to it, the process will speed up. At least, that's what I'm hoping!
Unfortunately, some bad news to counteract the good, I knew my eyesight was deteriorating but now that I have been to see my optician, I have learned that I now have two cataracts not just one. She has referred me to the hospital but goodness knows when anything will come through about that. In the meantime, I'm struggling to read (oh, horror!) and typing this through a fog.
