I really didn’t mean to be gone this long. But the internet connection I have at my granddaughter’s house is, um, iffy at best. And as a result, every time I almost got a post going, the connection would vanish.

Which it may again post haste.

I have given up trying to post pictures. That is impossible. No connection would last long enough for one to upload. So you will just have to think about all you know about Cannes and imagine George Clooney or whoever you wish on the red carpet (which is more than you would get from my pictures anyway) until I am somewhere more reliably connected.

The good news is that Christo’s book is going like a house afire. I’ve written 14000 words since Monday. Don’t let my editor see this or she will banish me to Texas every time I have a book due.

I think it’s that I had nearly a month where I couldn’t get anything written, and the ideas kept building up. So they came tumbling out when I finally got going. Then there is the fact that, other than the sick 8 year old, there are no distractions here. Nothing that I specifically need to be doing — except writing.

And then there’s the odd fact that I seem to be writing this book front to back to middle. Which is to say, I wrote the first four chapters, left them with a pizza and couldn’t get past it. To save my life, I couldn’t.

So finally Monday I began in chapter nine and wrote it and chapter ten, and now I’m going back and filling in. But at least I know where I am going — an unusual and happy occurence, believe me.

So wish me luck. Today I’m tackling Brazil. Another 1500 words would be a great blessing. Then again, I may have all weekend alone to write which would be somethng that has never happened in my life before. No dogs, even. Boggles the mind. Wonder if I can stand it.