A Golden Glow

Mixed blessings this week for me, a heavy working week for sure.  Funding applications, more planning and attending meetings, mowing lawns, cleaning the house to shine like a new pin; one offer on our property under our belt and after two more viewings and several rude comments we're still in limbo, but absolutely resolute the price is the price.  Like passing through the veil on a cusp of a dream, it has proved a milestone in terms of deciding what we would move for and what we would not, what is important to us in the homestead stakes and what isn't.  Watching three men exert their testosterone and ego by thinking they have the business negotiating prowess of Donald Trump, when in reality all they can do is bully and lay rude comments at ones feet, has proved humorous and interesting viewing, sadly they have missed one fundamental point in so much as everyone has a price, the price is the price we will move for.  If their wives want the house badly enough they will have to damn well cough up or shut up.  Funny how they hate it enough to make an offer, as if they are doing us a favour, we are nowhere near charity cases yet, I can still afford champagne when I want it (which admittedly seems to be with less frequency than years gone by) and sadly they fail to understand that with the introduction of new money comes poor social etiquette and attitude, and that homes take decades if not centuries to evolve, so they can take their magnolia paint and MDF kitchens and not darken my Edwardian walls again and jog on... no amount of badgering, bullying or cajoling can change our minds.

On a happier note, I have been organising and planning the next stage of the film networking event called 'Sequel to Cannes' due to take place, guess what?  after the Festival de Cannes. Some funding is already guaranteed and in place and the new Short film screenwriting cash prize is set up and ready to be launched at the event.  The script readers have exceptional credentials, Lucy Vee from Bang2write, Danny Stack the Stackmeister!  AND in addition to the small entry price of £15 entrants will receive a bullet point feedback sheet and, whilst there is no guarantee and it is certainly not part of the prize, who knows some of these short films might create production company interest and may even be taken up with film festival entry in mind.  

After extensive discussions and weeks of consideration, I am also on the verge of a new venture and a partnership with a long standing friend.  Whilst initially nervous of risking our friendship through a business association, he has reminded me we are very reasonable people and we both believe we can maintain our friendship whilst running a successful new business. Of course it will be properly structured, registered and formed, but yet another exciting challenge sits on the horizon, especially as we have very different skills to bring to the new venture.

So all in all things are looking Rosie... sorry, I mean rosy...  I have spent this glorious sunny morning and early afternoon, not at my beach hut, but tapping out another funding application and writing budgets. This afternoon will find me in my little summer house lazing in the sun, reading a good book. That is after I have washed the car and filled it with fuel.  Next week will see my thoughts turn to my cat woman outfit in time for Patrick and Catherine's mammoth party on the 17 th, and meanwhile only two regrets 1) I won't be able to attend Adam's Hollywood party which falls on the same night and 2) Sam will not be coming to stay next week after all, as we both realised we have really over committed ourselves.  So we will have to wait until the summer when he will travel up from Bath and stay for a week in either my new home or old and travel around in my new car, whatever that is.  Meanwhile our long weekend catch up in May looms, when Kristen will travel down from London to Bath where I will collect her and Sam before pootling on to our Arvonites reunion in Hereford, tenderly referred to as 'Gathering nuts in May'...