Me, the Dyson, the cooker and the printer

I’m disappointed to find that winter’s back. When everyone else was complaining about it being too hot a few days ago, I wasn’t (complaining, that is.)

I’ve had a busy few days with more to come. The party went well – about 15 people, and my food went down well, and so did all the extras that everyone brought, including a very delicious chocolate roulade and a lemon drizzle cake, equally gorgeous.

The previous day I was with Jay and Irene, the Goldenford authors, signing books at the Book Boyz, Farnborough. This is the second time, that we've been asked there, which is a nice vote of confidence, though actually, I prefer it when we give talks. On the same day, we raced off to Anjali, a new friend at Guildford Writers, who very kindly asked Irene and me to her book launch. She's written a children's book, The Convent Rules, and I've bought copies for GD2 and GD3, who seem to be in the right age group. She ahd a lovely party in her garden, and generously put out copies of our books on a table for all her friends to see.

I was out at a committee meeting on Monday night, and out at Guildford Writers on Tuesday, having spent half the day at Irene’s. In a great rush, I copied out a bit of my novel which I’d written on holiday. Then I told the printer to print 7 copies – but I forgot to specify which pages. While I was away from my desk, putting on my makeup, the printer did the first 18 pages of the novel, and then ran out of paper. At this point I realised what I’d done – that that the printer now thought it had to print 150 pages seven time – and did the only thing I could. I turned it all off and went. Unfortunately, when I returned and switched it on, it still had this instruction in the memory and went on trying to churn the document at a time in print 1” high at the rate of one line per page. (It always does this when it’s been disrupted – it likes to have a bit of a nervous breakdown.) I sorted it out in the end.

Today, I have been wielding the vacuum cleaner and dusters and polish. I have no cleaning lady any longer, and so it was necessary to deal with the post party crumbs and the lurking spiders making cobwebs in corners. Having done an entire morning’s cleaning, I set to work on making a pizza and some chocolate brownies as nibbles for the Reading Circle, who came this evening. The brownies collapsed in the middle, but Michael ate all the soggy bits sitting in solitary confinement while the circle was under way.

This was my impression of the book, The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox

This was my first experience of Maggie O’Farrell, and initially, I was slightly irritated by it. It seemed a bit self consciously literary, with many onomatopoeic sounds brought in for no good reason. However, my reservations soon dissipated and I thought it was very good and enjoyed it very much. I very soon was empathising with the two main characters – Esme and Iris, who share some characteristics – like enjoying seeing the world from under the table.

I realised early on one of the most important facts about the story - partly because it was reminiscent of my own novel, Tainted Tree, and that rather spoiled the denouement about two thirds of the way through. I didn't regard that as the author's fault, as I was reading extremely carefully, on the lookout for clues. I didn’t guess at the ending though. A very good read.

Tomorrow, My brother in law is coming to dinner, and then the weekend is quiet, which will give me a chance to catch up with some of the things I should be doing. Next week, amongst other things, I expect to be meeting up with Irene’s friends from Germany; and we, the three Goldenford witches, will be giving a talk at Bookham library next week. A number of tickets have already been sold.

The Goldenford witches are flying again

A calm few days, since my return from Freiburg. The Son&Heir was supposed to come here last weekend with the family, but he put his back out, transporting his bike on to a train, and hasn’t been able to drive long distances. I thought cycling was supposed to be a healthy occupation. We weren’t able to go there, because accommodation was fully booked up for graduations.

There’s a more hectic weekend to come, with a party at my house for some friends, on Sunday, and on Saturday, I shall be with the other Golden Girls at Bookboyz, 28-30 Kingsmead, Farnborough, GU14 7SL, from 1 - 3pm. where we shall be signing books. After that, we’re off to the launch of a children’s book – The Convent Rules, by Angali Mittal - in Clandon, near Guildford. I am leaving M to his own devices, but I shall have to hide my good frying pan and saucepans, in case he decides to cook for himself. Tomorrow, I shall be getting in food for my do, though others will bring extra salads and desserts.

I thought I’d add in these additional pictures from our trip to Titisee – a well-known lake and beauty spot about 40 minutes away from Freiburg, where we went on our last day in Germany. Irene has already put a photo of three witches in her blog, and I too chose these, as being reminiscent of the three witches of Goldenford. I also loved the wall of cuckoo clocks – would have brought one home, if M hadn’t been around.

With non-stop sunshine, I have no excuse for not dealing with most of our post holiday washing. Tonight rain is forecast and I hope my New Guinea Busy Lizzies will get a drenching – and that, after that, the sun comes out again.

My gig at Freiburg

We are back from Freiburg – an excellent trip. First let me say how pleasant I found the Frieburg people. All absolutely charming and helpful and most people we spoke to able to help us with queries in English if we were lost. Can you imagine the majority of the English population turning to another language to help a visitor?

M & I travelled with Irene on Wednesday, and met her friends in the evening when we arrived from Basle (Basel) airport on the bus. We deposited our luggage and all went out for a pizza.

M & I were in a small hotel, The Minerva, catering probably for a dozen families – once again, very friendly. Only one problem. We awoke at 6 a.m. Would you believe the curtains were like ours at home with a very thin lining letting in the morning light? And we had left the masks back in England. So we rose with the lark, and during the morning in the town square outside the Rathous (Town Hall) watched and listened to a group of young Ukrainian dancers.

Frieburg, in case I didn’t say, is twinned with ten towns - Besancon, Innsbruck, Padua, Madison, Matsuyama, and Lviv in the

Ukraine – hence the dancers, Granada and Isfahan; it’s a historic town and you can find out all about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freiburg_im_Breisgau. It is also known as an "eco-city". More of that later.

The dancers overran their slot, and as the day got hotter and hotter, finally Irene came to read from her two

books in the tent for the performers. Sometime during the afternoon we went to a lecture on the environment, a subject of great concern in Frieburg. M was very interested and went on to an estate fitted with solar heating. I bowed out in view of my evening talk, and went to the Cathedral with Irene’s friends. Alas, it was really too hot to be out in the street and I got more and more uncomfortable as the day wore on. By the time evening came, when I was to meet Nadine of the German-British Society http://www.debrige.de/), who had invited me to Frieburg, I was already feeling decidedly queasy. Nadine, who was much younger than I had expected, had invited M & me to dinner. M ate enthusiastically, while I picked at a salad. After the heat, and with my talk in front of me, food was the last thing I wanted. Poor Nadine must have thought I would faint away, possibly throw up, by the time we arrived at the venue the Schwanhaeuser Bookshop.

Fortunately, adrenaline got me through the talk, and it was very well received. I also answered questions and, to my surprise, there was a great deal of interest in my non-fiction book, The Fruit of the Tree, and in the topic of cot death. For the second time, at one of my talks, M was full of praise. Refreshments followed and then we went with Irene and her friends for more drinks.

Actually, the queasy stomach remained with me for almost the whole time we were away, which may have been the day in the sun, or the meal the day before, but was certainly not just a case of stage fright.

Friday morning was wet and cold and Irene’s reading was abandoned. We had hot chocolate, and after Irene had returned to the Twinning tent, to the Guildford/Frieburg stall, M & I took a trip by tram and bus and then on the cable car to the Black Forest. All transport, except the cable car, was free with a ticket from our hotel. It was freezing at the top, and we had another hot chocolate, and Black Forest Gateau – as you would – to compensate.

On Saturday, after a walk around the old town, which is lovely, we found there was another solar heating trip – to a factory. M said, his face all eager like a little boy’s, ‘Can I go?’ So off he went, and I joined the Guildford contingent in the tent. I didn’t have lunch, but was happy to have tea and cake, provided by the Anglo-German society. (Lots of societies, there.) I enjoyed being part of the team promoting Guildford – much more fun than a solar heating factory. We all had a meal out in the evening.

On Sunday, we went with Irene and another lady to the Black Forest by double decker train, and took a boat on the lake. We returned to Frieburg to collect our luggage and took the airport coach back to Basel. Back in the UK, Irene’s daughter picked us up – and now it’s back to the old routine.

Our friends, the animals

This video is not featured to show off my amazing photography skills, but to introduce you to the newest member of the extended family - the gorgeous Sorrel, a three month old chocolate labrador. My daughter tells me that she resisted suggestions to call her 'Cocoa' and Cadbury. It was GD2 that thought of this so much more sophisticated name.

Animal life has had me worrying about bees. I understand the government is funding some research into the decline in the bee population and other pollinating insects and the WI is also trying to support bees. When the weather was pleasant a week or so back, I had a wander around the garden to see if we were doing our bit. I was delighted to see that the cotoneaster at the back of the garden had attracted many buzzy insects; so too had an evergreen hedging plant with variegated leaves, whose name I don't know. Though I have made the decision what to plant over the years, I am not always happy with my choices. The cotoneaster, for example, I thought was an uninteresting addition. Now though I'm delighted to have it there. I also noticed some bees around the rhododendrons and also visiting my perennial geraniums. These are an anassuming little plant with nice foliage and produce many small pinky mauve flowers; they're not showy like the rhododendrons, but they do stay around for several weeks from May onwards. Try to have something flowering every day of the year, I've heard it said. I can't quite do that but on the whole, I do achieve a flowering season from the early bulbs in February through to late autumn. This year, I'll be keeping a closer eye on them.

Today, I was in Guildford to give a talk at the Writing Your Life Story Workshop at the Guildford Institute. Mine was a contribution of one hour, talking about my own autobiographical book, The Fruit of the Tree. I had spent much time revising it since my last talk, and I think it was improved this time. The Institute are holding a two-day workshop once each term, and I will be there again in October. Now that I've finished with that, I am going to work on another talk for the twinning celebrations at Freiburg, Germany, which I am attending next week. I shall also have to sort out my packing list - is it to be winter or summer clothes. That's the crucial question.

The duo in the velvet masks

I haven’t managed yet to get my recent novel extract down on paper, and my desk is still choc-a-bloc, despite getting rid of the end of month statements yesterday. The good news is that there have been more orders for A Bottle of Plonk and Tainted Tree, and royalties from Virtual Tales for the American e-book of A Bottle of Plonk – Have Wine will Travel. Coming up soon, my trip to Freiburg in the Black Forest, to give readings of those books, and a talk at the Guildford Institute on writing your life story, at which I will give readings from The Fruit of the Tree. To add to the fun, Irene is travelling with M and me, and will give readings of her own books at the Freiburg twinning festival. This is a coincidence – I have been invited the German/English society and she is being sent by the Guildford organisation.

A continuation in the curtains saga - since putting up the wretched things, we haven’t been able to get a good night’s sleep. M, particularly, wakes at dawn – about 5 a.m., so I understand, and can’t get back to sleep. I contemplated getting the curtains lined, yet again. All our other curtains have millium lining – a metallic lining, and have had no problems with any of them. It just didn’t seem to be on offer this time. The lady at the curtain shop suggested that I either put up a roller blind or had a piece of lining attached to Velcro and velcroed the lining against the window each day. Not an ideal solution. Today, at a gathering of my Surrey graduate friends, I told them of my problem, and they suggested flight masks. What a brilliant idea. Tonight we will try that. It may even prevent a murder or divorce! The other thing that happened today was that some friends from the Reading Circle came back to my house, and we had a Q & A session about Tainted Tree. I probably talked for two hours. I enjoyed it – and they kept coming up with questions. And Guildford Waterstone’s are down to one copy of TT in each of their two shops – so thank you Guildford readers. Much appreciated.

Another view of Hotel Bon Sol, our holiday destination. Whilst ploughing through my holiday writing, I’ve found a blog, written early on, while we were there. Although I’ve already described the holiday, this is more immediate than my other description, so I’ve included it.

'After two days of rather dismal weather, the sun came out and temperatures rose to around 22 to 25 degrees C. – perfect Majorcan weather. M & I didn’t – don’t attempt to do anything adventurous. We have the same daily ritual – M gets up an hour earlier than I do and finds a good position in the sun. We meet up for breakfast in the restaurant by the sea – either in or out of doors. M heaps his plate with fruit, sometimes an egg and then French bread and toast; I eat cornflakes and two slices of toast and marmalade – my concession to being on hols. We don’t, as some guests do, indulge in a fry-up, or cold meats or sausages. Some people on half board, no doubt, store up food, so they don’t have to bother about lunch, but we enjoy the buffet lunches, as much for their visual appeal as for the food. Salads of red and greens – peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, strawberries, peaches, apricots; desserts – gateaux, creams and chocolate – ice-creams; and of course the meats, fish, roasts and veggie delights. I try to be modest when selecting, but the range is a pleasure to behold.

In between breakfast and lunch, I pay a half hour visit to the gym and cycle, walk and row away between 100 and 200 calories. The afternoon is spent under a perfect blue sky, the sun diffused by the shade of an umbrella, and in the evening, after dinner, there is chat with other guests. For me, this holiday is meant to be only a recharging of batteries and an injection of sunshine – a tonic if we are to have a miserable English summer. It’s also an opportunity to do things I don’t necessarily do at home, because something else is in need of my attention.

The paper reads – A late bounce in British bookings for Spain and the Balearics – a reminder how the recession spreads its tentacles into holiday places such as this. But hopes too that confidence is beginning to return. It’s 1 ½ years since Northern Rock – also since the Market hit its high point and started to descend. The Stock Market anticipates events as well as reacting to them. I hope the current rise is a genuine forecast of improvement in jobs and businesses for the wider community.'

Curtains for the bedrooms and curtains for democracy?

Before we left home, we had to prepare for the decorator who was coming in, in our absence. We moved all the books from the bookcase, the videos (yes, we are old-fashioned) and ornaments. At the same time, the kitchen was invaded by ants, and we had to leave ant traps down on the kitchen floor. That, I’m pleased to say was successful, though the high season for ants hasn’t yet arrived. For years we have ant invasions throughout the summer, so let's hope this brief incursion wasn't a forerunner of another bad ant year.

When we got back, we had to get everything back to normal. The decorator, who made a very good job, had not been able to reinstate all our pictures and ornaments, and had left all the furniture in the middle of the room, so that the paint could dry. It was not something we really wanted to tackle mid afternoon, having got up at 6.30 a.m to get to the airport, but we had to make our living room liveable in. The decorator popped in at 5.30 p.m. and helped us put back the heavy curtains, by which time, we’d managed to reinstate order. Just before we went away, we heard that the ProdicalD and family were going to visit, as it was half term. We arrived home on Friday, and she, spouse and GD2 – and another visitor, a three month old Labrador would be arriving on Sunday and staying till Tuesday. We had had new linings fitted to the curtains in our room, but had borrowed the curtains from the little girls’ bedroom. So this was another priority job, before our granddaughter arrived – to take down one set of curtains from our bedroom, put them in the girls’ room, make sure the newly relined curtains were the right length and put them up in our room. And there was the post to deal with (still dealing with it) and the unpacking and the washing (still dealing with it) and some food to prepare for the visitors. Now the ProdigalD’s come and gone, and there’s still a heap of paperwork on my desk – some of which is the four thousand words to add to my novel in progress, and also some comments on the second book I read on holiday.

We wondered quite how the dog would fit in, but she has her own cage – until she is house trained (Labradors tend to chew everything in site, when they’re puppies; that probably applies to many breeds.) She was actually perfectly behaved, very quiet, and only got excited when we went for walks. GD2 is a little nervous, as she snaps a bit – that’s due to teething. But I made a fuss of her, and GD2 gained a little confidence from seeing me stroke her. She is quite small at the moment – the puppy, that is, but I wanted to be sure she liked me before she got to full size. She has large feet already, and is apparently going to be huge. This is the time to make friends.

Even on holiday, we couldn’t avoid the political shenanigans, and the situation worries me. I am not alone in saying this, but the politicians can be divided into three groups – those who have done absolutely nothing to be ashamed of; those who took advantage of a bad system but stayed within the rules and those who did things that were frankly, criminal. Let’s get rid of the criminals; there’s no excuse for them. However, of the others, it seems they were given a nod and a wink, and told them to use their legitimate allowances instead of receiving a pay rise – and let’s face it – they’re not getting a huge salary for running the country. Now, they’ve had the rug pulled out from under them. There are many of us who’ve been told by accountants, or read in the papers, that we can use tax avoidance measures. Do we all rush to say, ‘No, we don’t want to avoid tax. We want to pay it.’? Do we heck! Members of parliament, like us, use the system. What worries me is that there are more important things than bath plugs? In fact, we are in danger of throwing the baby out with the bathwater. These are people, many of whom are very talented and who have skills that we need to run the country. Are we going to chuck out half of them, both the deserving and the undeserving and end up with a bunch of honest amateurs, or even worse? I don’t think the Daily Telegraph was thinking of democracy when it published its scoop. I think it was thinking of sales, and what it has done has been damaging to democracy.

R & R in Majorca

We have been on holiday – once again to the Hotel Bon Sol in Illetas, Majorca, where we have spent many holidays in past years. We had a suite of rooms – bathroom, bedroom, sitting room and a large veranda looking out onto the mini-golf course and beyond that, the sea.

Other times we’ve had a bedroom and sitting room combined. It’s quite arbitrary; all the rooms are nice in different ways. There were two sink bowls in the bathroom, so I said to M, ‘This is mine; don’t get my area wet and soapy.’ I also had a hairdryer and magnifying mirror on my side, but M had to sneak over to my patch to get the benefit of the mirror.

We arrived on a Tuesday when it was cloudy; the next day it was dull; we went shopping for fruit juice – I can’t wake up in the morning without liquid refreshment - and bought an umbrella. On Thursday, it was cold and wet – I didn’t go out, but M braved the weather for a while. On Friday, cloud turned to full sun, and from then on the temperature increased day by day. I hid my vulnerable skin one minute and lay out in it for a little while, the next minute. The Bon Sol has various levels of seating , some parts shaded by trees and other more open areas with beach umbrellas. Below is the patio where some people choose to lie, and also where drinks and icecreams are available, and below that the view from the edge of that patio, looking out over the sea. We always sit in shade, but make the occasional foray to the little beach below.

The glass roof above covers part of the restaurant area, where we had buffet lunches each day – for example smoked salmon, Spanish omelette, courgettes, potatoes, or a roast meat with sauté potatoes, or lightly fried or grilled fish; salads and fantastic desserts. All delicious and tempting. M gave way and arrived home half a stone heavier, after a mere ten days. I was very careful, and what’s more, visited the on site gym, every day for half an hour. I am only one pound heavier than when we left home – and smug.

In the time we’ve been going to the Bon Sol, we’ve seen the waiters change from young to middle aged; that applies to us, too, of course.

While I was there, I read the third fiction book of my Piatkus prize (for second place, first three pages of a novel, at the Winchester Conference) – Songs without Words by Anne Packer. Of the other two fiction books which I won, I left one at the hotel last year, and gave one away, but this was markedly better. I empathised with the characters, was amused by the dialogue and caught up by the plot. It had very good descriptions of how the main protagonist felt in the context of the situation, in which they found themselves. (I was inspired to get my own creative juices flowing and break the log-jam with my latest novel.) One thing I did find difficult was an American vocabulary – some words I literally didn’t understand – and to a greater extent – references; I can’t remember being quite so aware of this before, so maybe there’s a difference between Californian language or possible colloquialisms and New York/Boston lingo. Also, a few too many names dropped in, but if they weren’t important, I ignored them. Although it was a large book (in size, I mean) I brought it back home, which is praise indeed.

And speaking of books, all copies of Tainted Tree in Surrey Libraries were out on loan over the weekend, though one's now back on the shelves at Godalming. Hurry along there and collect it, if you're a local.