Ouch. Anniversaries again.

Every year it catches me out: my no. 2 daughter's birthday is on the 22nd, my eldest daughter (who died) is on the 28th, my wedding anniversary is on the 30th. So, sandwiched between two lovely events is one I will never forget but was horribly stressful. Giving birth to a baby with a condition that will almost certainly kill them is the most bittersweet of experiences. On the one hand, the baby's here, alive and (relatively) well (hooray!); on the other hand she will need massive, life saving surgery twice in her first week before starting eight years of medical interventions and ill health (ouch). So I'm melancholy, and poetry is easier to write when your emotions are engaged. Even the sad ones make you remember the good things too. But this year I think the sad is outweighed by the good because I have to go back to Winchester for one last month. It's been much harder to get organised to go, although I'm looking forward to seeing fellow students and the lecturers. The assignment dates are racing up at incredible speed as well - terrifying!

Today I followed the advice in the Big Blue Book and the assessment booklet about writing the commentary. I roughed out 750 words before realising I needed to go back and actually put into practice some of the things I have laboriously learned and written about. Wow. What a difference! Each scene makes more sense, links to the other scenes and draws the reader in (hopefully).