Lissa Morgan

I'm really looking forward to Christmas this year.  That might be because I've got a whole ten days off work, or it might have more to do with finishing the edits on my current work in progress a few days before my self-imposed deadline of December 25th :)  Typically, having struggled through a period of  disenchantment,  now I'm full of enthusiasm again and itching to go back to it and tweak.  Isn't that the curse of being a writer?!  I will be disciplined, however, and leave it alone to settle, with just a final read through after the New Year, and then away it goes to the editors. But I'm not going to deprive myself of romance completely over the holidays - albeit in a purely fictional sense.  I've lined up a few of Georgette Heyer's historical romances to keep me happy.  Her characters are so full of life that they leap off the page and I love her spirited blend of romance, adventure and suspense.  Add in some wine, chocolates, minc...

I just couldn't resist sharing the latest news from my balcony, namely the arrival of a noisy little flock of Long Tailed Tits! I've been seeing them in the trees while out walking recently, busily gobbling up the late-autumn seeds, but didn't expect them to venture onto my balcony, as they are a flighty species to say the least. So it was a delightful surprise earlier this week to see them come out of the blue - and how! They swooped in en mass, twittering nineteen to the dozen, took over the fat ball feeder completely, tails pointing in all directions, then just as suddenly, swooped off again. The poor Blue Tits looked like they'd been mugged !!     But how sweet is this chatty, marshmallow-coloured little bird?  Their tails are longer than their bodies and, in rural areas in former times, they used to be called 'Bum Barrels' due to the tiny, barrel shaped nest they build. Hope they are here to stay for the winter at least :)