Rude prose and rude awakenings

I spent a large part of yesterday afternoon updating the Goldenford site, http://www.goldenford.co.uk/ to include the new entries on The Gawain Quest. I made a few errors and had to call on Mike to help me. It’s now there, though, together with front cover and rather steamy introduction. Check it out under ‘Books’. At the weekend we at Goldenford are manning (probably should say womanning) a sales stand at the Writers’ Conference at Winchester. Perhaps I’ll see some of you, my readership, there.

I have been in correspondence with Red’n’Ritten (http://www.rednritten.com/) a site that promotes publications containing no explicit sex and no gratuitous violence. I had originally offered them my autobiographical book, The Fruit of the Tree, which does qualify (http://freespace.virgin.net/jackie.luben/fruit.html) which they may sell from their virtual or actual shop. However, on looking at my novella, A Bottle of Plonk, they’ve decided against it. Apparently, it wouldn’t pass the censors.

Virtual Tales (http://www.virtualtales.com/) are have a month of special offers to celebrate their birthday. You can get two stories for one, etc. and other offers during June.
I’ve been to the optician today, and all’s well. There’s always a potential problem with someone with two very diverse eyes, apparently, and that’s that the really bad one will get more short-sighted and the not so bad one will improve. Although my good one is marginally less short-sighted, it’s not enough to matter or increase the differential between the two eyes dramatically.

My mini-piano (see above) has finally gone. I put it on Irene’s http://homepage.ntlworld.com/blacks.house/ Ebay site some time ago, and a woman and her 14 year old daughter came to visit. The daughter was very taken with it, but then someone in the Midlands outbid them. Almost immediately, the Midland lady’s husband broke his leg and the piano stayed with me for three months or so, until finally, she said that she had better not take it. I offered it to the original lady, who was absolutely delighted. We have been waiting for a convenient day and for someone to transport it and he, Kevin, telephoned yesterday. I arranged that he should come at about ten o’clock, but later I heard M say to him, ‘Come any time. Come 6.30 a.m. if you want to.’ Why do men, or should I say, why does M make these outrageous statements?

At 7.00 a.m., we were woken up by a ring at the door. In our groggy state, we thought it was Friday, and the milkman was ringing for his money. Eventually, we remembered and let Kevin and his partner in, and made tea for everyone. They told us they had telephoned at 5.50 a.m. Fortunately, we had the bedroom telephone switched off. I’d rather have a rude awakening at 7 o’clock than at six.