The best laid plans ...

It was all mapped out today - how I would make my escape from the men coming to lag the roof, leaving the OH to provide cups of tea and put up with the draught and fibre glass dust. When I sat up in bed, something was wrong; the world swirled. I got up, walking very tentatively into the kitchen, in case the walls came to meet me. I had a very mini breakfast, because my stomach didn't feel receptive either. No good going to meet the others (my fellow graduates/now reading circle) for lunch - could I even make it into Guildford for the discussion? The way I felt, I would really rather have gone back to bed.

Within half an hour the phone rang - the laggers had reported in sick (must have been something in the atmosphere) and wouldn't be able to come today. M rushed out to a job, and I very slowly came back to life. In the end, I missed out on lunch completely, and, still feeling rather fragile, drove to the Guildford Institute. Listening to a programme on recycling on the radio, I missed the turning for the car park, and had to drive further on and then turn. Then I found I couldn't turn right where I wanted to and had to make another detour, arriving about ten minutes late for the meeting. I was definitely functioning on less than four cylinders.

We had an interesting discussion on the two books - in general, appreciation of A Kind of Loving, in which I think we found an honesty and accuracy about the period and about a young man's hopes and dreams. There was lack of enthusiasm for The Catcher in the Rye; I personally found it rather self-indulgent and I dislike stream of consciousness anyway. I must admit I was surprised when someone pointed out it was published just after the war. It does make it ahead of its time. I had imagined it was also a fifties or sixties book.

I did a little shopping while I was there - only a couple of things, because it was cold, and I still didn't feel great. But I did go into one of the two branches of Waterstone's to ask if they'd take copies of Tainted Tree. I could immediately see reluctance on the face of the book buyer, but when she looked at the cover and the blurb, I could see she liked it and was tempted. I said we were doing a couple of functions in the near future and hoped we might get a bit of publicity. One is a talk on Saturday, 7th March at Guildford Museum for International Women's Day and the other an event at Guildford Library in April. We also hope to have an exhibition of our book covers. The buyer was won over and said she would order a couple of copies. Course, there's many a slip twixt cup and lip, but I live in hope.