Fun, Family, and Fans
Fun, family and fans
How does the song go? ‘Where do I begin?’ Looking back on
the month of May, there has been a lot going on in my life one way or another.
I can see some significant moments as I look at my diary; always surrounded by
the usual domestic chores of course. So I’ll skip those routines and talk about
memorable stuff (for me, anyway).
VE Day was significant. There was an event on our local
green area, I went along, took a chair, and, hopefully, dressed the part. One
very interesting woman I met was 99 and worked as a Land Army girl when she was
seventeen. I’m afraid I can’t remember her name, but it could have been Alice,
or Helen, or… I often see her early mornings when I’m walking Tuppence. As we
go by in the car, Alice (for now) waves. So to actually get to speak to her was
a real pleasure. I was four years old when the war ended, so had nothing other
than vague memories to swap with her.
Another really memorable day was my Saturday trip to
Goodwoof. No, I haven’t spelled it wrong. Goodwoof is a two-day dog event at
Goodwood. I met my son, Terry, with his wife, Claire, and one of their sons,
Freddie. They had my Great-grandson, Orin, with them, who is eight years old. It
was fortunate for me because they took control of Tuppence. I must say the
event was brilliant. I imagine I would have enjoyed it even if I’d been on my
own. I won’t go into details, but suffice to say it was worth going. If my boy
wants to do the same next year, I’ll join him.
I had a neighbour, Pam, who is in her nineties, come over
for a cup of tea and a chat. Pam is into motoring and has been an enthusiast
for a good many years. It’s surprising what you learn about people when they
begin to reveal something of their past. Pam loves rallies and that kind of
thing, and she told me of an amazing, sponsored London to Moscow trip she did many
years ago. Fascinating.
Another event was the monthly Arun Scribes book club
meeting in Littlehampton. It isn’t always about books; often you end up talking
to someone, like Pam, who has a really interesting story that has nothing to
do with books. One chap I got talking to (Stanley) was in the Army and did a
tour in Belize many years ago. As it happens, our son, Terry, was a Harrier
pilot, and did an eighteen-month tour there. Pat and I spent a couple of weeks
with him and his family in Belize; a place we would never have dreamed of
visiting. So, me and Stanley had a great deal to talk about.
Another good day for me was when our Granddaughter, Gemma,
came over with her husband, Max, and their two boys, Orin and Liri. Orin is
eight, Liri is 15 months. Gemma cooked lunch for us while Max and I kept an eye
on the boys. Liri liked putting his hand in Tuppence’s water bowl for some
reason and kept throwing Postman Pat in there for a swim. But when I walked
into the kitchen and found the dog bowl upside down, I had to get the mop out
and put the bowl away. But for all the dramas and the fascination (for me) of
watching Gemma and Max dealing with them, it was a pure joy to have them here.
I think it might have worn Tuppence out, though. Lovely day.
But this blog wouldn’t be worth posting without a mention of
my world of books. I uploaded my family saga, Past Imperfect, after
getting the rights back from the American publisher. I had to pay for a new
jacket, but it’s out there and, hopefully, it might sell. I am also preparing
the love element of that saga as a pure Romance called Max and Emma. It
will be published under the pseudonym (Emma Carney) I use for my Romance
novels. It will be a novella, which I plan to sell at £0.99. It will mean I
have five Emma Carney titles out there. But my favourite talking point (if
anyone asks) is about the progress of my latest work, Shadow Over Paris.
At my level, which is loosely described as a ‘bottom feeder’, the book is
selling really well. But along with that are the ‘page reads’. Last month I had
99,000 page reads. It puts a big smile on my face. I am now working on a sequel
to the book, which I find very difficult because I have never written a sequel
before. So, that’s it so far. Four weeks from today, I’ll be in America with my
family celebrating the first birthday of our fifth Great-grandson, Elliott.
Wish me luck!
