Mountains out of Molehills

I’m still trying to catch up with things not done. One of the things was to remind the mole catcher to come back and deal with our moles. We had a mole problem about thirty years ago, and now, suddenly, they’re back. As you can see, from the photo, which I will add in a day or two.

We had a quiet weekend, though M decided to visit friends to take them a steam cleaner to brighten up their patio. They said I should come over too, so we arrived there for tea with the cleaner and yards of hosepipe. I thought M would probably enjoy messing about with hoses and water with the male half and my friend and I would have a gossip. However, M had forgotten the nozzle - a crucial part of the operation, so we all sat and chatted. I think M has been having withdrawal symptoms since his chainsaw fell to bits in the middle of attacking a tree in Irene’s garden. Well, to be precise, this is the second time it’s fallen to pieces. M returned the first one and now the second one too. Disappointing, because we’re no longer having cosy fires. Apparently, the company have had a problem with this chainsaw and are sending 60 back to the manufacturers.

I am currently reading Arthur and George by Julian Barnes for the book circle. Interesting, though not riveting; it’s more like a biography than a novel. Talking of books, I thought you might like an extract of my speech at Anne’s launch last week.

Today, another Anne Brooke novel – Thorn in the Flesh - is launched. As I was asked to edit this book, I can only hope I spotted any stray errors, because I was soon too engrossed in the story to worry about any misplaced full-stops. I found myself on the edge of my seat, worrying about the central character, sharing her fears and empathizing with her, hoping that Anne would be kind to her.

It’s not a comedy this time, but a dark thriller that takes you to places you don’t necessarily want to go to, but that have a very authentic feel to them, when you are there. When Anne took her main character and me with her, amongst the down and outs in Central London, I felt as if I needed a shower afterwards. I marvelled at how she could describe these seamy scenes - and hoped that she hadn’t been researching them in the flesh.

Anne has many fans, and I think most of us agree that this is her best book to date. You can buy a copy at Goldenford.

And just a brief note about A Bottle of Plonk, my novella, which is on sale both in print form from Goldenford and on line from Virtual Tales. Virtual Tales are doing a special deal at the moment - just until 9th March. 30% off all books and that brings the price of a download of B of P to $3.47 and you can pay through PayPal.