A Day In The Life
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Here is a piece the rather fabulous Louise Jensen asked me to write for her blog. Enjoy!
Category Archives: Journal of Elaine Spires
A Pool of Grateful Tears
Today is a day I’ve imagined all my life. Well, for most of it, at any rate; since I was seventeen and went on a school trip to Mallorca. We went by boat and train that first year, upgrading to a plane the following year. And as we went through the South of France and then along the Costa Brava towards Barcelona, the sight that most impressed me was the houses with their own pools. You see, in Dagenham at that time nobody had a pool. I’m not even sure anyone does now. No, you went over Valence or Leys … Read the rest »
The Banjo is Live
Yes! It’s hard to describe the feeling when something you’ve worked on, sweated over, nurtured and poured your heart and soul into is finally live! But from today, you can buy The Banjo (Book One) on Amazon.co.uk
Although today, Friday 13th May, is the official launch date, it went live late on Wednesday night. Within minutes, the first download took place and it was my old, schoolfriend Margaret Richardson – or Maggie Wood as she’ll always be to me – who bought it. She immediately sent me a Facebook message about it, too, which I know she won’t mind me … Read the rest »
The Banjo Is On Its Way!!
I am excited and thrilled to finally be able to tell you that THE BANJO (Book One) will be available on Kindle from THIS Friday, 13th May! Hooray! Here is what it looks like:
The cover – which I LOVE – is the work of my very talented cousin, Brian Spires, who did the drawing. It was then finished off by the no less talented Lisa Moreno at Vanilla Gecko (www.vanillagecko.co.uk)
It will be out in paperback in two months’ time, for those of you who like a ‘proper book’ but for those with Kindles, mark this Friday in your … Read the rest »
Martina Cole
Late last year I had the huge good fortune to meet Martina Cole. Petite, attractive and dynamic, she was the loveliest, most down-to-earth person you could wish for, who took the time to chat in spite of being extremely busy.
I did ask her to feature in Hot Holidays! but apparently, she did something similar through Woman and Home last year about Northern Cyprus, which was reproduced on her Facebook page and she got a lot of nasty comments about the events of 1974 and current political situation in Cyprus and, understandably, didn’t want a repeat. Instead, she agreed to … Read the rest »
Seriously Senior Moment
Let’s start with the good news…. The Banjo will be available on Kindle very soon!!! Finally! Yes, I’m working towards a release date of FRIDAY 13TH MAY. I’m not superstitious, it’s okay. I will have the cover to show you next week and I am so excited!! Yippee!!
I have been very busy this week; much of my research for Singles At Sea has been completed and so it will be full steam ahead (see what I did there?) on that one, too. Yay!
Well, more good news is that the guys are racing ahead with the work on installing … Read the rest »
Our Queen and the Queen of Comedy
Two Queens are in the news today.
One is Queen Elizabeth II, who is 90. Although I am a Republican, it would be churlish not to wish her “Happy Birthday ” on reaching such a milestone. But her birthday is bitter-sweet for me and my family as she shared her birthday with OUR Queen; my mum, Lily Spires.
Although born on the same day, but one year apart – Mum was older and would have been 91 today – their lives couldn’t have been more different. No palaces or castles for Mum, who was the third of four children … Read the rest »
Peeping Tom
Stepping into the shower the night before last, I realised I had a Peeping Tom at the bathroom window!!
Yes! There, looking at me through the mosquito netting was a frog! I was okay with him because I knew he couldn’t get to me. I’d have run screaming if there’d been any chance of him getting into the shower with me. I don’t mind the little tree frogs at all; in fact, I find them rather cute to look at, but anything bigger than them – yeuk! A frog got into the house a couple of years back – one … Read the rest »
I Was Very Brave
For a while now I’ve had a few nasty little things appearing on my skin, the almost inevitable outcome of a fair, English skin spending a long time in sunny climes. Last August my GP sent me to Queen’s Hospital to see the dermatologist who organised a biopsy, which found it was a BCC, also known as a rodent ulcer, and said I’d be called to have it removed. By the time I left at the end of February, I was still waiting, a probable casualty of the series of junior doctor strikes.
Anyway, once here, I went to see … Read the rest »
Little B@$t@rds!!
Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!!!!!!!!!
Around sunset last night I thought I’d give a couple of my palms a little drink. There had been no rain for a couple of days and ever since The Incident With The Gardener (in which he watched loads of my beautiful plants and trees die – what kind of gardener he be?) the ones that survived are still looking a bit sorry for themselves. So I went to the back of the house and put the hose on the first palm, only to suddenly feel as if my feet were being stabbed by a … Read the rest »