Thursday 26 July 2012

Bees

They're dying out due to strange hornets feasting on them and mites burrowing into them, some people might say good. Not me, if it were wasps, annoying persistant, with a constant sting, then I might say good.  But with the decline in bees there will be a decline in our foodstuffs and I'm not just talking about honey, wheat
(burger buns and bread) hops and barley (beer) grapes and strawberries (chardonnay) and the strawbs that go in it - are you getting the picture?  Everything will go and we will starve - never happen? The importance of bees has been known for years, the furry drones with yellow pollen knees only have one sting in them and that's a last resort, because if they use it they die. So they don't use it if they can help it. (Wasps can sting over and over).   So why have I got this bee in my bonnet?   Because at Waddesdon yesterday a swarm of bees were murdered so that the house could open on time. There was no need for it, they could have got the beekeeper to take them out, he would have put a basket over the swarm, knocked them into it, they get all sleepy and he takes them to a nice new hive where they can swarm in peace. But the ignorant security guard said they were pests and he killed the lot of them, and the house opened in half an hour as usual because that was more important than closing one room for a bit till the beekeeper came.
I thought the National Trust had a duty of care to conservation, they boast on about it a lot, but when it comes down to it they don't give a toss.  I tried several times talking to this guy to persuade him not to do this but apparently it was none of my business and all pests had to be destroyed - I wonder if that applies to him?

Wednesday 25 July 2012

Jago on Kindle

Borrowed 30,000 times from the Kindle library!  Excellent value at 35p a pop - Hrmmm minus tax, minus Amazon promotion, minus dollar to pound exchange - looks like I might end up owing them money!

Monday 23 July 2012

Hot Hot Hot

Not writing today, not thinking, working on the garden and got up early to blitz the housework, just got back from the vets again, my little lad is making progress!! I also found out that he has a love affair going on with some of the nurses, they recognised him and it was all kisses and cuddles - well, don't mind me - I just pay the bills!! smiley face!

Friday 20 July 2012

Trenchfoot

Well, not exactly, but athletes foot anyway from wearing wellies all summer.  Weather is supposed to change tomorrow so perhaps I get get my sandals out! looking forward to the weekend. I have loads and loads of interesting ouside stuff to do, unfortunately can't go Knotting as my little cat is not well enough to be left overnight, but it'll do him good to get out at the weekend and pouncing about the garden.

On the Best Sellers List!

My book is rated 175 thousandth out of 800 thousand books sold on Amazon!  Amazing!

Wednesday 18 July 2012

Waddesdon again!

Off to Waddesdon, and it's raining again - stair rods here.  Lots on my mind today I keep skiving off when I should be working, it was sunny yesterday and I went out with a friend of mine and we went to an old barn overlooking fantastic lush green rolling hills and had lunch, afterwards we walked round the craft galleries.
I did write the time line for my history book yesterday and had a desperate look for the discs for my second and third novels, they must be in the loft.  Oh well a cup of coffee and off to work in the wonder that is Waddesdon Manor, spectacular doesn't even start to describe it.

We had a medieval weekend last weekend, went to the Tewkesbury medieval fayre. Fantastic day despite the mud, really glad I invested in my cool pirate wellies!  Bought some lovely stuff, a signed print of Knights in the Mist by Graham Turner, spoke to him for a while. A medieval tile whic is now hanging on the wall and some Dragon's blood and some patchouli and sandlewood soap - cost an arm and a leg. The battle was good but in a field far far away due to the flooding so I stayed shopping and photographed the knights on the way back.  Met some friends ate roast animal, had a beer, so all good!

Tuesday 17 July 2012

Portraits

Sourcing pictures for my book has become a pain all the lovely portraits I want to use are owned by Paul Getty or Lord Sai nsbury and they want to charge me for their use, fair enough but
a) I have no money till the book is finished.
b)Aren't they rich enough already that they need an extra £35 from me and a share in the book sales?
c) There is an American Guy with a flickr site that is selling photos that he took while in the Ashmolean
    so isn't that illegal? Why don't they do something about him?
I'm so tired today and don't feel well, this hayfever is really getting me down this year I have a constantly sore throat and have to make a not at all nice gak! gak! noise so I can breathe!
Anyway back to the book.

Thursday 12 July 2012

writing today

need to get off blog and twitter and start doing the thing that I have wanted to fo professionally all my life - why is it suddenly so hard?   My kindle book is selling and has a rating which is good and I have been commissioned to do a history book on the English Civil War which I am all fired up about, I have my office full of research and it's a mess perhaps that's what's putting me off, perhaps I'll just tidy up first....

Wednesday 11 July 2012

My book on Amazon

is being rated !  Which means it's being bought. Just read the Shades of Grey book that's flying off the shelves, it's just really well written porn - to call it a love story is a bit of a stretch because the actual storyline gets in the way of the porn.  But what a brave woman to write this and to have obviously experienced this sexual adventure "thanks CCL" she quotes at the front of the book.  They say you should write what you have experienced and this is a very good example of this. It's about time that an intelligent woman could show she could out write any man when it comes to this erotica.

Thursday 5 July 2012

History book

Civil War Women, commissioned soon, then I will really have to work!

The cat came back

from the cattery and straight into vet hospital again. Poor Amber, such a cute boy so loving, why does he always have to be so ill?  Seeing him yesterday jumping about in the garden like a meerkat and stretching on the bed this morning you would think he is fine until you felt his little tummy. Hard as a rock poor baby, he hadn't been to the loo for 3 days so another blockage in his lazy bowel, and that means another little op and hopefully he will be home dazed and half shaved but ok tonight. He might need the lazy bit taken out but then that brings other problems. Fingers and toes crossed for the wee'un.

Wednesday 4 July 2012

Writing stuff

Pulled my back yesterday whilst working on the computer - turned round to get something and blam instant pain. Who said writing wasn't a dangerous occupation? Physically dangerous that is, because the pen being mightier than the sword and all that means that people have to go into hiding after some books being written.

My book? No, probably not, though I did steal the characters of people I know and put them into situations with different names and the book sort of wrote itself. The characters take on a life of their own and sometimes even go places you don't want them to - just like your children.  Thanks Jonathan from San Diego for being the inspiration for Jago. I was going to say I have never met a kinder man, but I am now married to one!  Jon gave me confidence when I had none, made me laugh and made me feel beautiful again. I just hope he is really happy in his life because he deserves it. He must be 50 now - scary - met him in the mid 80s when he was 30 and I was few years older and my marriage was on the rocks. About the time when I used to escape down to Cornwall and stay in Mousehole with my son and let the cobalt waters of Mounts Bay soothe my soul.

Strange thing life, no-one spreads their life out like a tablecloth so that everyone can see what's on it. So a lot of my life is a surprise to my friends and family.

But my mother always said don't tell anybody anything about what goes on behind closed doors at home. Everything had to have a respectable front.

I'm writing too much here - my Shaman says it's good to write to get back to your authentic self and love your authentic self.  Don't live in the past. Don't live in the future - live in the moment, but the tapestry of my life weaves into my thoughts every now and again, embarrassing moments that happened long ago still make me shudder, and I want to hold my son in my arms again as a little wriggly boy.

Back to the moment, and it's actually a quite good moment.

Monday 2 July 2012

Glastonbobby

http://www.myspace.com/music/player?sid=1206314&ac=now   Guns of Navarone and the music of my youth!
Ska and reggae - Bobby gave us the best festival ever - indie, rock, ska, northern soul  OMG!!
Covered in mud, eating junk, drinking like a teenager, sore throat from shouting.
http://www.myspace.com/cry-baby-aeroplanes
 These kids are amazing someone give them a contract!