Tuesday was a very sad day; there were two terrorist attacks in Brussels. And a very close friend of one of my oldest, dearest friends was seriously injured and is still in intensive care following life-saving surgery. Now I know this is a bit I danced with a man who danced with a girl who danced with the Prince of Wales to quote the old Herbert Farjeon song, but it personalises the tragedy when someone you know of is involved. Almost immediately the apologists and appeasers started with their usual Islam is a religion of peace comments and reminding the … Read the rest »

I’ve spent the last two writing days in my own personal Tardis, in which I whizzed back in time to Saturday July 30th 1966, the day England won the World Cup. I’m not a huge football fan. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy sport, I like to see a good match of anything – tennis, rugby, cricket, hockey – as long as it’s exciting it’s got my attention. But in spite of growing up with football – Dad a referee and big West Ham fan, the Brother and Nephews live and die for QPR, – I can take it or … Read the rest »

On Wednesday I had decided I was back in the writing! I spent a couple of hours re-reading the last two chapters I’d written and editing/proof reading them and then I attacked the keyboard and off I went; carrying on with The Banjo. Well, three thousand two hundred and seventeen words later I saw that my iPad was very low on battery – less than 10% – which was strange because it was actually plugged into the mains at the time. I tried several things – like switching sockets – but to no avail. Something was wrong! Da- da- DAAAA!… Read the rest »

It was a simple, beautiful way to come round this morning; the sound of rain on the roof at 6.30am. Much better than the 3am ‘Where am I?’ jerking awake of yesterday. And so, it appears that I’m slipping into Antigua time. 🙂

The last three weeks were hectic. Lovely but hectic. I mean, it was only 16 months since my last move, so I’m not sure how one woman can collect so much stuff. As I’ve wondered before, how did Mother Teresa manage with a bucket and a spare sari? So, there were numerous trips to charity shops to … Read the rest »

One of the most interesting things I’ve noticed while doing my research for The Banjo (my next novel, due out soon!) is how nobody in the 50s and 60s dressed casually. In every single photo I’ve looked at the men wore collars and ties and the women hats and gloves, which probably matched their handbags and shoes, but I can’t prove it as the photos are in black and white!
Even the children are dressed in smart clothes; boys playing football and go-carting in the streets wear jackets or pullovers and ties. ‘Best’ clothes seemed to consist of school blazers. … Read the rest »