I’m sitting at my work computer, it’s 9.26. I have read my emails, done something for Julia online, replied to a couple of emails and am now going to use 10 minutes to do the initial work on tonight’s blog post. It’s amazing what you can do when you are fresh.

One of the emails I had to reply to was one from an editor who normally accepts my work. This time he didn’t. Not sure how I feel about that. Everyone needs a wake-up call from time to time but I can’t completely escape the feeling that it’s part of a worldwide plot to stop accepting my work. It’s a tricky one to reply to. I’ve never fully grasped the etiquette of writing to editors as they are busy (and unpaid) people and don’t necessarily want me burbling on. On the other hand, it seems rude not to reply when somebody writes to you.

So I waited a few days to compose a suitable message. Later that day I was sent the results of a competition and found that I had failed to get into the top ten. To not get a prize is expected – competition is tough. I’m always ambivalent about competitions but every so often I have a go, generally unsuccessfully. However, they count as a submission towards my target, even if nothing good happens, and count as a rejection if I don’t get a mention.

So, misery piles on misery.

Then I got another email telling me about two acceptances. I already knew about one because I’d been asked to accept an alteration to it. I had assumed at the time that they only wanted one. It seems they want two. I’d mentally categorised the remainder as “available” and thought of sending them out again.  It’s a good thing I didn’t, as it’s embarrassing to make multiple submissions.

This all shows the advantage of waiting a few days – I was in a much sunnier mood when I eventually replied than I would have been if I’d replied right away.

I now note that I have a note from WordPress – You are currently using PHP 7.4.30 which will no longer receive security updates as of November 28, 2022. Please update to PHP 8.0.0 or higher by changing your hosting configuration. In other words “You are doomed. Change something, make your WP experience worse and keep paying through the nose.”

Or am I wrong? Will an update finally improve my life? There has to be a first time for everything.

Tonight, Julia went to visit a neighbour. She took plums and came back with figs.

Meanwhile my WP spellchecker keeps trying to make me spell like an American. I’m hoping this is just a phase it’s going through as I start on the new computer.