Birds, more domestic disasters and a good Maloney review

Have spent a lovely day in Titchfield Haven bird-watching with the brother-in-law and his wonderful fiancee, Sue - lovely to see you both indeed! And thanks to the rain, we actually had most of the reserve entirely to ourselves, so that was grand too. Birds spotted included a blackcap, pochards, a barnacle goose, godwits, a buzzard (we think ...), a sparrowhawk, redshanks, shovelers, shelduck and a million and one lapwings. At least. A thoroughly good day out.

Which was really greatly needed, as the domestic disasters continue. Last night the electrician came out and switched off some of the neighbour's lights on a more permanent basis so his electrics could dry out. We've donated our dehumidifier to the cause (thank goodness we have one ...) but have also contacted a specialist drying-out company who won't be able to come out until Monday morning. So Lord H and I will have to cover that and fiddle around with who is actually in work when - thankfully my boss is being very sweet about it all, as I thought it was only best to pre-warn him. In the meantime, Lord H has removed the tiles from our bathroom so they can take the floorboards up when they come.

So far so good. However, on our return from the glories of birdwatching tonight, we discover that there is another and quite different leak which is raining down on the poor neighbour's bathroom from another direction. This time, it's the outside supply pipe which is dripping so we've rearranged our kitchen (where it enters the property) and rung yet another emergency plumber. We're hoping they'll get to us tonight as we don't have the ability to stop it ourselves and the poor neighbour is running out of buckets. As indeed are we. We're currently waiting for them to ring back and let us know when they'll be arriving. Sigh. Honestly, I'm beginning to feel quite tearful about it all.

However, on the good side, the lovely Sharon Maria Bidwell has given Maloney's Law a very positive review as below:

"Maloney's Law by Anne Brooke excels on an emotional level, tugging the reader in as many directions as the investigation pushes private investigator Paul Maloney. However, I can't help feeling that the book is ineffectively or insufficiently categorised and may well suffer for it, which would be a pity. The underlying crime is a decent backdrop to the story but not the driving force. The more explosive emotional impact arises from the consequences of obsession, desire and obstinacy. It's a psychological thriller in many ways, but one bearing on the mental journey of the protagonist. I thoroughly enjoyed this as a riveting exploration of the human condition and complexities of all types of relationships, which Anne writes superbly. Perfect. The right amount of pain, the right amount of beauty, with just enough hope thrown in."

Gosh, thanks so much, Sharon - I'm unbelievably glad you liked it and I really appreciate those comments. As ever (and as you know!), my utter confusion about genre and what the heck it is I'm writing sullies the waters, as it were. If only books didn't have to have genres, I'm sure we'd all be better off. Now there's a thought!...

Ooh, and I've just watched Strictly Come Dancing. I'm still in mourning for the wonderful Austin (who should of course have won), but I have to say Lisa and Brendan were definitely the best tonight. I'd be ringing for them if I didn't have to wait for the plumber to ring back. Any ruddy plumber will do - I feel like Noah's arc about to float off into the wild seas of Godalming ... My best wish for Christmas? - a dry flat. Please?...

Today's nice things:

1. Seeing Peter & Sue
2. Birdwatching
3. The Maloney review
4. TV.

Anne Brooke
Anne's website - wear Wellington boots and galoshes if you dare enter ...