Pies and Pythagoras

This morning I woke up at the usual three am. Sometimes it's two, but today is was three. Perhaps it's because I've been thinking about the number twelve, and it's a multiple of three. Though, two is too...

Anyway the number twelve has been on my mind a bit lately from the potential plot point of view. I discovered that the date 1717, can equal twelve if you minus the ones from the sevens and add them together. I also spent some time hunting for names that fit the same dozen bill in terms of Pythagorean numerology. Turns out that it's quite a good technique for falling back to sleep.

But this morning as I lay awake, I started thinking of the time. Also related to the number twelve, in that there are twenty four hours in the day; but more importantly I often feel there should be more of them.

I'm sure you've felt this too. For instance, today, I realised that I had to work quite hard on my manuscript with a deadline approaching. I've loads of books to read and I have also been neglecting my practice. I'm teaching in the afternoon and need to create a Kahoot, oh and decorate a pink sequin hat (not entirely essential I admit). There is also cleaning, washing and I should do the shopping, instead of making random soup concoctions out of what's left in the fridge that hasn't grown legs and run away. Which reminds me, I also need to go for a run.

But as I lay there this morning, thinking all these things, I decided to start reading Agatha Christie's Murder in Mesopotamia. I've been doing a bit of research into traditional instruments like the Iranian Kamancheh, so it seemed to suit the theme.

What was really interesting though, is that it starts with a Forward by one of the characters; Dr Giles Reilly. He is recommending Nurse Amy Lutheran to write the account of what happened, as the story had been misconstrued in the American Press. (Hmm..sound familiar?). But then, there is something called a Frontispiece. I'd never really noticed one of these before, so I had to look it up.

Wikipedia and the Cambridge dictionary told me that it is an illustration or a photograph of the author, or the front of a building. Now, I've been known to say that I look like the side of a house, but it wouldn't be very flattering to be mistaken for a facade.

I found another article that explained it was a bit like a Prologue; from the Greek, Pro (before) and logue (saying). So I guess the presence of a Forward meant that you couldn't then have a Prologue— because you've already started saying the thing that you were going to say, before you started saying it.

So as I was saying....

Oh yeah, Agatha. So Agatha used to say that "the best time for planning a book is while you're doing the dishes." I know, you're wondering where I'm going with this, but bear with me.

What I've come to realise after a few months of broken sleeps, is that it's usually quite productive. I don't get up and wash the dishes or get any of those other chores done; but I do often figure out problems in my book. So thanks to Agatha, I think I may have found a solution to the first chapter this morning. I also remembered that there are still some home-made pies in the freezer for dinner. Yay!

At the end of the day, I've decided not to worry about these nocturnal interludes as most of the things got done, apart from the cleaning and the hat. Instead I used that time wisely to draw Pythagorus in a Pie.