Book News:
Much to my relief, the launch party for The Gifting went surprisingly well last night. I was a total jelly beforehand, taking 2 sets of Quiet Life pills to try to achieve normality, and going to the loo at least 16 times before it began - but in the end everyone who was able to come seemed to enjoy it, hurrah. And, hey, I even sold some copies, plus a selection of my backlist - and even some poetry, well gosh! - so I think I've actually made a small profit. Gosh indeedy, that doesn't happen often! And everyone - as they always do once you can get them there - loved the quirky charm and fascination of Godalming Museum, which is one of the town's best kept and most interesting secrets. Definitely worth a visit if you're passing through at any time ...
Plus I met the lovely Hilary from Vulpes Libris for the first time, which was a delight - and Hilary very kindly bought me a puffin in a snowglobe to add to my growing collection - thank you, Hilary, and I absolutely love it!
And my evening was truly complete to find my first official review of The Gifting - many thanks, Amos - that's very much appreciated.
Here's the next line of The Gifting:
She is in mourning, but he knows it is time for her mourning to end.
Though, as it's Isabella we're talking about here, we can never really be sure ...
This week, The Art of the Delaneys also gained a review at Three Dollar Bill Reviews - thank you, Indigene. And I've finished off my edits to my literary romance, Dido's Tale, and have sent that back to Bluewood Publishing.
NB THIS SECTION HAS BEEN REMOVED DUE TO LEGAL NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE PUBLISHER CONCERNED, AT THEIR REQUEST.
Talking of tricky situations, I must say I'm rather irritated by the attitude of The Society of Authors, who have decided to offer me Associate Membership only as my e-publishing and small press print-on-demand record are not deemed good enough for Full Membership. Hmm, not much reactionary nonsense there then ... Ho hum. Talk about making an author feel good (um, not)! Anyway, I've complained about this approach - which does seem to discriminate against a lot of perfectly reasonable authors just because they're not with the "mainstream" press - but I don't expect a positive response, as I suspect the modern times may not have caught up with them yet. Ah well.
This week's meditations are:
Meditation 545
The Philistines
are an uncertain folk.
They decide one thing
and then another.
Firstly, King David’s
a noble bloke
and then his fame’s
not worth the bother.
So when you sit
making up your mind,
weighing the scales
of what to do
stick with the choice
you eventually find,
take a deep breath
and see it through.
Meditation 546
The people of Israel
rejoiced so much
they brought
numerous sheep to kill
which gave all the folk
a party or two
but, for the sheep,
something less of a thrill.
Life News:
Good news! The house in Elstead has accepted our revised offer (double hurrahs!) and we are back on the trail of conveyancers and mortgage surveys, the latter of which takes place today. Though I must say our initial visit to our new conveyancer was rather downbeat as the receptionist couldn't have been more disinterested in us if she'd tried - I hope the actual solicitor is rather more enthusiastic ... This is the third time we've been in this position over the last year, so I'm really hoping it's third time lucky, please God. I can't take yet another disappointment ...
We've also had a lovely coffee and chat with the neighbours upstairs whom we didn't manage to get to see at our previous party - so hello, Lesley & Kit, and we must catch up again some time.
Less good news (for me, selfishly) - though it's totally brilliant for her! - is that my lovely colleague at work, R, has been promoted in the echelons of management and will therefore be moving upstairs, in every sense. It's wonderful news, but heck I'm really going to miss her ... Selfish sob! The office begins to be a vast desert with only a faithful few left, alas ...
With my mind still on the concept of change, but on a far more trivial level, I'm sorry to see the end of the first series of the very classy crime drama Scott & Bailey on Sunday night TV. Fantastic to see three strong female leads in any programme, and I'm going to miss them hugely. There'd better be a second series or I'll have to chain myself to something at ITV, perish the thought.
Meanwhile, the thrush family outside the spare room window is thriving - we think there are two or possibly three chicks in the nest and they're making rapid progress, which is delightful. They seem to have no fear of us opening and shutting the window though we're trying to be as quiet as possible. I really hope our neighbourhood fox (lovely though he also is) doesn't get them.
Oh, and post-launch, I have a stinking cold, dammit!!! So I'm on the Lemsip, Lucozade & Sudafed run, and hoping a miracle cure arrives shortly. Still, whilst I'm snorting and snuffling into my tissues (delightful image, I know ...), I can ponder on the mysteries of why on earth my phone isn't being hacked at the moment (shocking though the facts of the matter appear to be), seeing as everyone else's apparently is - can it be that my life is really so incredibly dull?? Hmm, I must start making more interesting calls, obviously ...
Anne Brooke
ANNE BROOKE BOOKS: Independent writer of modern fiction
Showing posts with label houses. Show all posts
Showing posts with label houses. Show all posts
Thursday, July 07, 2011
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Houses galore and fantasy
Book News:
I'm very happy to announce that my writing friend Dee Weaver has at last produced her first novel as an ebook - it's called The Winter House and will be very well worth buying. Dee's an extremely good writer, and that cover is wonderful too. Here's the blurb:
It would take more than flowers and remorse to make amends. He could taste her anger in the air that he breathed. She wasn’t satisfied. She wanted revenge. He wasn’t forgiven...
The Winter House stands on the western slopes of the Pennines, near Lancaster. Only visible when the surrounding trees have dropped their leaves, it has been abandoned for forty years. Only the shade of Lily Brent, who was murdered there over a century ago, lingers on in the mouldering rooms. When Fynn McColl moves in to restore the house he has more to contend with than dry rot and rising damp. Lily recognises in him a man from her own time; the one she can never forgive. The unfinished business between them will not be ignored, and she has waited so long, feeding her hatred, storing her psychic energy. Her assaults on Fynn, escalating in power at each encounter, finally drive him back to his pagan roots to seek his own resolution, risking his soul, his sanity, and the woman he loves.
So do pop across and grab yourself a copy - it will be well worth it, I guarantee it.
More personal book news is that I've finished the first editing update of Hallsfoot's Battle, but I'm now going to leave it until after the weekend to give it a thorough read-through. I'm also delighted to say that The Gifting is now available at Smashwords, and I've decided to publish brief extracts of it on Facebook and Twitter at regular intervals. Here's the first two lines of the prologue:
It is silent in the elders' cave. The dark-haired man with the blue eyes waits.
I've also had three more reviewers ask for a copy of this one, so have sent that off to them today. I hope they enjoy the read.
Turning to short stories, I'm pleased to say that Dancing with Lions gained a 4-star review at Goodreads - many thanks, Nancy. And How to Eat Fruit gained a very interesting review here - so thank you also, Animeuver.
Meanwhile, much to my amazement, my Sunday Haiku collection is still selling in a steady-ish fashion as the lovely Seventh Window Publications sent me the most recent royalties this week - thank you, Ken! Ooh, and I'm continuing on with the next erotic short story in the Delaneys series, Dating the Delaneys. I think I have some idea of which direction it's heading now (thank goodness ...) but as always it's hard to tell. Just keep on typing is what I say, and something will turn up ... I hope.
NB THIS SECTION HAS BEEN REMOVED DUE TO LEGAL NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE PUBLISHER CONCERNED, AT THEIR REQUEST.
Today, at Vulpes Libris, you can find my review of The Wedding Girl by Madeleine Wickham (in her other life she's Sophie Kinsella) - and it's a very good example of chicklit with a great deal of depth and humour - so I thoroughly recommend it. Do take a look.
Here are my most recent meditations:
Meditation 542
Jehu is a confident man
who stands quiet and proud
amidst his two lone syllables.
Because when something is said once
it needs no repetition
so despite all contrary evidence –
the steady breath and consonantal patterns
of larger, longer folk
who have syllables by the score –
Jehu himself does not wish for more.
Meditation 543
As fierce as lions
and as surefooted as deer –
these are the soldiers
the people fear.
But when the great river
overflows the land
then the courage of men
is as shifting as sand.
Meditation 544
It’s a quiet journey
and one uncertain
of success
as we set out
to search for the man
they talk of.
None of us speaks,
holding our thoughts
and strange dreams
too closely to our skin
for simple conversation.
It’s a slow accounting
and we do not know
when this night fades
what the day will show.
Life News:
Our house excitements continue. We raised our offer slightly on the Woking house on Monday - to which we've had no response. So we also put in an offer on the Elstead house - which we've raised today, as they actually appear willing to negotiate, gosh indeedy. Unlike the Woking people ... I must say that it's been a surprise in this house-hunting year how few people are actually willing to negotiate and what unrealistic expectations some have. The Elstead vendor is the first person who's not rejected our initial offer outright, and it's very pleasant to see that. After all, we're damn good buyers right now, and it would be a shame to lose us, I think ... We are of course totally adorable in every possible way - as you know!
Still, I'm quite happy in the rented flat right now - the garden is lovely and I had a wonderful time sitting out in the sun over the weekend and reading. Bliss indeed.
Anne Brooke
I'm very happy to announce that my writing friend Dee Weaver has at last produced her first novel as an ebook - it's called The Winter House and will be very well worth buying. Dee's an extremely good writer, and that cover is wonderful too. Here's the blurb:
It would take more than flowers and remorse to make amends. He could taste her anger in the air that he breathed. She wasn’t satisfied. She wanted revenge. He wasn’t forgiven...
The Winter House stands on the western slopes of the Pennines, near Lancaster. Only visible when the surrounding trees have dropped their leaves, it has been abandoned for forty years. Only the shade of Lily Brent, who was murdered there over a century ago, lingers on in the mouldering rooms. When Fynn McColl moves in to restore the house he has more to contend with than dry rot and rising damp. Lily recognises in him a man from her own time; the one she can never forgive. The unfinished business between them will not be ignored, and she has waited so long, feeding her hatred, storing her psychic energy. Her assaults on Fynn, escalating in power at each encounter, finally drive him back to his pagan roots to seek his own resolution, risking his soul, his sanity, and the woman he loves.
So do pop across and grab yourself a copy - it will be well worth it, I guarantee it.
More personal book news is that I've finished the first editing update of Hallsfoot's Battle, but I'm now going to leave it until after the weekend to give it a thorough read-through. I'm also delighted to say that The Gifting is now available at Smashwords, and I've decided to publish brief extracts of it on Facebook and Twitter at regular intervals. Here's the first two lines of the prologue:
It is silent in the elders' cave. The dark-haired man with the blue eyes waits.
I've also had three more reviewers ask for a copy of this one, so have sent that off to them today. I hope they enjoy the read.
Turning to short stories, I'm pleased to say that Dancing with Lions gained a 4-star review at Goodreads - many thanks, Nancy. And How to Eat Fruit gained a very interesting review here - so thank you also, Animeuver.
Meanwhile, much to my amazement, my Sunday Haiku collection is still selling in a steady-ish fashion as the lovely Seventh Window Publications sent me the most recent royalties this week - thank you, Ken! Ooh, and I'm continuing on with the next erotic short story in the Delaneys series, Dating the Delaneys. I think I have some idea of which direction it's heading now (thank goodness ...) but as always it's hard to tell. Just keep on typing is what I say, and something will turn up ... I hope.
NB THIS SECTION HAS BEEN REMOVED DUE TO LEGAL NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE PUBLISHER CONCERNED, AT THEIR REQUEST.
Today, at Vulpes Libris, you can find my review of The Wedding Girl by Madeleine Wickham (in her other life she's Sophie Kinsella) - and it's a very good example of chicklit with a great deal of depth and humour - so I thoroughly recommend it. Do take a look.
Here are my most recent meditations:
Meditation 542
Jehu is a confident man
who stands quiet and proud
amidst his two lone syllables.
Because when something is said once
it needs no repetition
so despite all contrary evidence –
the steady breath and consonantal patterns
of larger, longer folk
who have syllables by the score –
Jehu himself does not wish for more.
Meditation 543
As fierce as lions
and as surefooted as deer –
these are the soldiers
the people fear.
But when the great river
overflows the land
then the courage of men
is as shifting as sand.
Meditation 544
It’s a quiet journey
and one uncertain
of success
as we set out
to search for the man
they talk of.
None of us speaks,
holding our thoughts
and strange dreams
too closely to our skin
for simple conversation.
It’s a slow accounting
and we do not know
when this night fades
what the day will show.
Life News:
Our house excitements continue. We raised our offer slightly on the Woking house on Monday - to which we've had no response. So we also put in an offer on the Elstead house - which we've raised today, as they actually appear willing to negotiate, gosh indeedy. Unlike the Woking people ... I must say that it's been a surprise in this house-hunting year how few people are actually willing to negotiate and what unrealistic expectations some have. The Elstead vendor is the first person who's not rejected our initial offer outright, and it's very pleasant to see that. After all, we're damn good buyers right now, and it would be a shame to lose us, I think ... We are of course totally adorable in every possible way - as you know!
Still, I'm quite happy in the rented flat right now - the garden is lovely and I had a wonderful time sitting out in the sun over the weekend and reading. Bliss indeed.
Anne Brooke
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Houses and Bollywood
Book News:
I now have the edit back from the lovely Sarah Abel for Hallsfoot's Battle, which is the second part of The Gathandrian Trilogy and therefore the follow-up to The Gifting. So I'll look forward to going through that next week and afterwards getting it ready for submission to Bluewood Publishing (who I hope might like it), though obviously it'll take a while. I'm also delighted with the blurb that Sarah has provided - she's just soooo much better at blurbs than I am. Here it is:
Good to know someone out there knows what the dang thing is about, as I certainly never do ...
At the same time, I've been working on the edits and proof galleys for upcoming short story, For One Night Only, and have now sent that back to Amber Allure ready for publication on 17 July. I'm also happy to say that comic short story, Rosie By Name, gained a 4-star review at Smashwords - many thanks, Fred, for that!
And - sound those trumpets! - The Gifting has received its first review, which is a 5-star one from Sarah at Goodreads. Many thanks, Sarah - I really appreciate it!
NB THIS SECTION HAS BEEN REMOVED DUE TO LEGAL NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE PUBLISHER CONCERNED, AT THEIR REQUEST.
Here's my most recent meditation poem:
Meditation 541
David’s list of heroes
is really very long,
all of them so noble
and all of them so strong.
I wonder if I dare
to ask about their wives,
to hear the different stories
of how they lived their lives.
For no man is an island
or so the poets say
and it’s when we walk together
that we truly learn the way.
The Sunday haiku is:
Butterfly flutters
by my window, silver wings
sparkling in the sun.
Life News:
I popped into Godalming on Friday and gave our old flat keys back to our estate agent, hurrah! At the same time, I took flowers and biscuits as I think, in the final analysis, Seymours in Godalming have done a bloody good job in somehow (God knows how) keeping our buyer through all the months of agonies from the tricksy neighbours and keeping our confidence above drowning point (just) also. Bloody well done, them. I also gave the lovely Lucy a big hug and would have given Stewart a hug also, if he had been there (sensible Stewart ...). Lucy admitted it's been the most complex case they in Seymours have ever known and they too are amazed they've kept it ticking along, against all the odds. So. Completion date is this Friday, 1 July, and let's hope (please God!...) it's a smoother ride through that process ... But, whatever happens over the next few days, they've still ruddy well deserved those flowers, biccies and hug, to my mind.
Talking of houses, we've viewed several over the weekend, and there are two we particularly like. So, we've put an offer on our favourite - in Woking - yesterday and await to hear what the reaction is. We're also keeping another house as a strong second choice, in Elstead (not so good for K travelling, but it's so lovely, and also next door but one to our friends, Liz & John - run, good people, run for the hills ...), so if the first one seems uncertain, we might well put an offer on that one too, and see what happens. Wish us luck!
Speaking of Liz & John, we popped in for coffee at theirs after the viewing and caught up with the latest from them - and then we were back at theirs for supper in the evening with Robin & Gavin (hello, all!) as Liz's son, Rob Heanley, is an actor and has a role in the recent Bollywood hit, Patiala House. I must say it was an utterly wonderful film and I loved it. I can thoroughly recommend it for its sheer pizzazz and fun, and also Rob is pretty impressive as the hard-line cricket selector too. Well done, Rob!
This morning, K and I ended up at our new church again, and it was something of a surprise as they were having their thrice-yearly healing service as well as the usual communion - which was fine as far as putting my red stone of sin (wonderful concept, and bizarrely similar to a scene I have in The Gifting, which just goes to show there are no new ideas in the world, just new interpretations ...) in the pot of cleansing water, but I really don't like the concept of being prayed over by a team of elders, so we gave that aspect a miss. Probably a fall-out from being a scarred Evangelical church survivor but there you go. It's our history that makes us indeed. Actually, thinking about it afterwards, I would have been happy to go up for the anointing of oil, but I thought that was attached to the prayer bit so didn't do either - but K thinks they were separate after all, so next time I might brave the oil. Just as long as I don't wear anything too smart, eh. Some of these priests can be rather enthusiastic ...
Finally, Naturewatch Woking has good news to impart - the thrushes outside my window are bringing regular supplies of food to their nest so there must be chicks in there somewhere, hurrah! Like expectant parents, the thrushes, K and I are all equally awaiting the sound of squeaking and the sight of hungry beaks. And in all the glorious sunshine of today too. Whatever next?
Anne Brooke
I now have the edit back from the lovely Sarah Abel for Hallsfoot's Battle, which is the second part of The Gathandrian Trilogy and therefore the follow-up to The Gifting. So I'll look forward to going through that next week and afterwards getting it ready for submission to Bluewood Publishing (who I hope might like it), though obviously it'll take a while. I'm also delighted with the blurb that Sarah has provided - she's just soooo much better at blurbs than I am. Here it is:
Gathandria’s enemy is plotting his revenge. Banished to the mountain’s darkness, Gelahn the mind-executioner begins his campaign. His powers are sublime, unmatched – even without the mind-cane in his possession. Using fear and pain he enslaves his victims. Next he will break and possess the Lammas Overlord. Recently appointed Acting Elder and left in sole charge of her people, Annyeke Hallsfoot draws on all her mind-skills and courage as the fight for Gathandria rages. The precious ancient Legends are her bedrock. She begins teaching their wisdom to the scribe, Simon Hartstongue, who must quickly learn to work with the mind-cane’s strange powers. But Simon is distracted by his own demons and only fears the artefact. Supported by Johan and Talus, her young charge, Annyeke plots a desperate strategy to defeat the enemy. As the Gathandrians frantically rally behind their new leader, Gelahn strikes at the heart of the city.
Good to know someone out there knows what the dang thing is about, as I certainly never do ...
At the same time, I've been working on the edits and proof galleys for upcoming short story, For One Night Only, and have now sent that back to Amber Allure ready for publication on 17 July. I'm also happy to say that comic short story, Rosie By Name, gained a 4-star review at Smashwords - many thanks, Fred, for that!
And - sound those trumpets! - The Gifting has received its first review, which is a 5-star one from Sarah at Goodreads. Many thanks, Sarah - I really appreciate it!
NB THIS SECTION HAS BEEN REMOVED DUE TO LEGAL NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE PUBLISHER CONCERNED, AT THEIR REQUEST.
Here's my most recent meditation poem:
Meditation 541
David’s list of heroes
is really very long,
all of them so noble
and all of them so strong.
I wonder if I dare
to ask about their wives,
to hear the different stories
of how they lived their lives.
For no man is an island
or so the poets say
and it’s when we walk together
that we truly learn the way.
The Sunday haiku is:
Butterfly flutters
by my window, silver wings
sparkling in the sun.
Life News:
I popped into Godalming on Friday and gave our old flat keys back to our estate agent, hurrah! At the same time, I took flowers and biscuits as I think, in the final analysis, Seymours in Godalming have done a bloody good job in somehow (God knows how) keeping our buyer through all the months of agonies from the tricksy neighbours and keeping our confidence above drowning point (just) also. Bloody well done, them. I also gave the lovely Lucy a big hug and would have given Stewart a hug also, if he had been there (sensible Stewart ...). Lucy admitted it's been the most complex case they in Seymours have ever known and they too are amazed they've kept it ticking along, against all the odds. So. Completion date is this Friday, 1 July, and let's hope (please God!...) it's a smoother ride through that process ... But, whatever happens over the next few days, they've still ruddy well deserved those flowers, biccies and hug, to my mind.
Talking of houses, we've viewed several over the weekend, and there are two we particularly like. So, we've put an offer on our favourite - in Woking - yesterday and await to hear what the reaction is. We're also keeping another house as a strong second choice, in Elstead (not so good for K travelling, but it's so lovely, and also next door but one to our friends, Liz & John - run, good people, run for the hills ...), so if the first one seems uncertain, we might well put an offer on that one too, and see what happens. Wish us luck!
Speaking of Liz & John, we popped in for coffee at theirs after the viewing and caught up with the latest from them - and then we were back at theirs for supper in the evening with Robin & Gavin (hello, all!) as Liz's son, Rob Heanley, is an actor and has a role in the recent Bollywood hit, Patiala House. I must say it was an utterly wonderful film and I loved it. I can thoroughly recommend it for its sheer pizzazz and fun, and also Rob is pretty impressive as the hard-line cricket selector too. Well done, Rob!
This morning, K and I ended up at our new church again, and it was something of a surprise as they were having their thrice-yearly healing service as well as the usual communion - which was fine as far as putting my red stone of sin (wonderful concept, and bizarrely similar to a scene I have in The Gifting, which just goes to show there are no new ideas in the world, just new interpretations ...) in the pot of cleansing water, but I really don't like the concept of being prayed over by a team of elders, so we gave that aspect a miss. Probably a fall-out from being a scarred Evangelical church survivor but there you go. It's our history that makes us indeed. Actually, thinking about it afterwards, I would have been happy to go up for the anointing of oil, but I thought that was attached to the prayer bit so didn't do either - but K thinks they were separate after all, so next time I might brave the oil. Just as long as I don't wear anything too smart, eh. Some of these priests can be rather enthusiastic ...
Finally, Naturewatch Woking has good news to impart - the thrushes outside my window are bringing regular supplies of food to their nest so there must be chicks in there somewhere, hurrah! Like expectant parents, the thrushes, K and I are all equally awaiting the sound of squeaking and the sight of hungry beaks. And in all the glorious sunshine of today too. Whatever next?
Anne Brooke
Friday, June 24, 2011
The birthday girl and a week of firsts
Book News:
NB THIS SECTION HAS BEEN REMOVED DUE TO LEGAL NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE PUBLISHER CONCERNED, AT THEIR REQUEST.
Anyway, keeping to the publisher theme, I'm very happy indeed with the 2nd quarter royalties from Untreed Reads, so evidently some of my books do sell somewhere. And I've been lucky enough to be asked for an interview by Reasons To Be Beautiful Magazine - many thanks, Stephanie and Madel. The questions certainly made me think!
Meanwhile, at Vulpes Libris, I've reviewed I Love The 80s by Megan Crane, which is very much a book of two halves, but it does warm up, so worth a read.
And here are two recent meditations:
Meditation 539
These hills swallow up
the dead where even the swords
are silent:
all the noise and smell
of battle stilled
by evening air
and the sure approach
of night.
Meditation 540
David destroys
a good many cities
simply in order
to rebuild them again.
It’s a shame
he can’t do likewise
with all the people,
their memories and pain.
Life News:
It was my birthday on 21 June, hurrah! So a big thank you to everyone who sent their good wishes and/or cards as both were very much appreciated. K bought me a lovely jewellery box so I don't have to push my earrings in a tiny drawer where I can't see anything properly, and also a wonderful SatNav system - which I absolutely love and which is my new best friend. I'm hoping this means no more panicking and getting hopelessly lost, but you never know. Anyway, it's nice to have someone else in the car sharing the pain, if only a disembodied voice.
Other birthday amusements were the utter mystery of why my mother had bought me a box of contact lens solution when I don't actually wear contact lenses. Is she going senile at last?? Is it a subtle hint to tell me she's never liked my glasses?... We puzzled over it for some time until the mystery was solved - when I opened the box there was a bottle of my favourite peppermint foot cream. Aha! There's method in the old gal's madness, and Mother is not as strange as we thought she was for a while. Though, possibly, I am. In addition, in the evening, after my first glass of champagne (only one, mind you - honest!), I heard the neighbours outside chatting to the house gardener and so went outside to say hello. K joined me to be sociable and it was then that the wind caught the front door and slammed it shut. Arrggh! Naturally, neither of us had our keys, and so Steve from one of the other flats very sweetly went to see if he had a spare key. Sadly, he had all the keys to all the flats in the known universe, but not ours. There was therefore no option but for K to pick me up, lift me over the thankfully open window in the living room and push. My, how all the neighbours loved that - and are still talking about it ... K appeared at one point to be paying a great deal of attention to my bottom, which was most definitely not stuck in any way, but he maintains he was only trying to help. Hmmm ... Still, I broke in to our own flat successfully and the problem was solved, hurrah. Mind you, K is very happy to claim that in our 18 years of marriage, he has lifted me over the threshold of both the flats we've lived in in some way or other (the first time upon return from our honeymoon, ah bless) and is limbering up to do the same again for our next house. I'd best lay off the chocolate then ...
Plus there's wonderful news on our flat sale - we've exchanged at last, triple hurrahs and put out the bunting, big-time!! Completion date is 1 July. It's so unbelievable that I can hardly believe it myself. I think I might even have cried, goodness me - tell no-one. As a result, we're seriously back on the house hunt again. Today we have 2, possibly 3, houses to see, and another 3 tomorrow. It's all hotting up here in the outback of Woking, I can tell you.
Really, it's been a veritable Week of Firsts. I've shopped online for the first time, and our order was successfully delivered by Tesco on Monday night. They gave me exactly what I asked for - so I have made a mental note that ice cream cartons are larger than I think (we ended up with the miniscule versions) and I don't really need enough cheese to feed the Roman army, should they wish to pop by. K resigning himself to weeks and weeks of cheese sandwich lunches ahead ...
The dishwasher is proving a truly wonderful invention too - though yesterday I spent the whole afternoon puzzling over why it should eat a tupperware pot lid and searching through the kitchen to try and find it. At one point I was even chatting to the dishwasher asking it to give the lid back, but I appreciate that's probably not something I should admit, at least not in normal society. However, that mystery too was solved when K came back home and pointed out the lid was in the cutlery drawer. Goodness knows why, but at least my lunchtime rice is no longer likely to spill everywhere on my way to work. Result.
Last night we went to see The Pitmen Painters at the theatre, which is absolutely marvellous and everyone should see it. The only thing was the ending rather faded out, and K and I think it would have been much better with simply a quiet scene between George and Oliver as they prepare for another day in the mines - it would have been stronger like that, but it's still one you should see. The interesting thing, for me, was that it's set in the North-East where my mother's family come from - and the moment they started talking, I was right back there in my childhood with the menfolk in my family talking about the mines in those glorious accents. The playwright is also spot on with the phrases they use and the ways of saying things, as it could easily have been my uncle/cousins/grandfather speaking. Great stuff.
Anne Brooke
NB THIS SECTION HAS BEEN REMOVED DUE TO LEGAL NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE PUBLISHER CONCERNED, AT THEIR REQUEST.
Anyway, keeping to the publisher theme, I'm very happy indeed with the 2nd quarter royalties from Untreed Reads, so evidently some of my books do sell somewhere. And I've been lucky enough to be asked for an interview by Reasons To Be Beautiful Magazine - many thanks, Stephanie and Madel. The questions certainly made me think!
Meanwhile, at Vulpes Libris, I've reviewed I Love The 80s by Megan Crane, which is very much a book of two halves, but it does warm up, so worth a read.
And here are two recent meditations:
Meditation 539
These hills swallow up
the dead where even the swords
are silent:
all the noise and smell
of battle stilled
by evening air
and the sure approach
of night.
Meditation 540
David destroys
a good many cities
simply in order
to rebuild them again.
It’s a shame
he can’t do likewise
with all the people,
their memories and pain.
Life News:
It was my birthday on 21 June, hurrah! So a big thank you to everyone who sent their good wishes and/or cards as both were very much appreciated. K bought me a lovely jewellery box so I don't have to push my earrings in a tiny drawer where I can't see anything properly, and also a wonderful SatNav system - which I absolutely love and which is my new best friend. I'm hoping this means no more panicking and getting hopelessly lost, but you never know. Anyway, it's nice to have someone else in the car sharing the pain, if only a disembodied voice.
Other birthday amusements were the utter mystery of why my mother had bought me a box of contact lens solution when I don't actually wear contact lenses. Is she going senile at last?? Is it a subtle hint to tell me she's never liked my glasses?... We puzzled over it for some time until the mystery was solved - when I opened the box there was a bottle of my favourite peppermint foot cream. Aha! There's method in the old gal's madness, and Mother is not as strange as we thought she was for a while. Though, possibly, I am. In addition, in the evening, after my first glass of champagne (only one, mind you - honest!), I heard the neighbours outside chatting to the house gardener and so went outside to say hello. K joined me to be sociable and it was then that the wind caught the front door and slammed it shut. Arrggh! Naturally, neither of us had our keys, and so Steve from one of the other flats very sweetly went to see if he had a spare key. Sadly, he had all the keys to all the flats in the known universe, but not ours. There was therefore no option but for K to pick me up, lift me over the thankfully open window in the living room and push. My, how all the neighbours loved that - and are still talking about it ... K appeared at one point to be paying a great deal of attention to my bottom, which was most definitely not stuck in any way, but he maintains he was only trying to help. Hmmm ... Still, I broke in to our own flat successfully and the problem was solved, hurrah. Mind you, K is very happy to claim that in our 18 years of marriage, he has lifted me over the threshold of both the flats we've lived in in some way or other (the first time upon return from our honeymoon, ah bless) and is limbering up to do the same again for our next house. I'd best lay off the chocolate then ...
Plus there's wonderful news on our flat sale - we've exchanged at last, triple hurrahs and put out the bunting, big-time!! Completion date is 1 July. It's so unbelievable that I can hardly believe it myself. I think I might even have cried, goodness me - tell no-one. As a result, we're seriously back on the house hunt again. Today we have 2, possibly 3, houses to see, and another 3 tomorrow. It's all hotting up here in the outback of Woking, I can tell you.
Really, it's been a veritable Week of Firsts. I've shopped online for the first time, and our order was successfully delivered by Tesco on Monday night. They gave me exactly what I asked for - so I have made a mental note that ice cream cartons are larger than I think (we ended up with the miniscule versions) and I don't really need enough cheese to feed the Roman army, should they wish to pop by. K resigning himself to weeks and weeks of cheese sandwich lunches ahead ...
The dishwasher is proving a truly wonderful invention too - though yesterday I spent the whole afternoon puzzling over why it should eat a tupperware pot lid and searching through the kitchen to try and find it. At one point I was even chatting to the dishwasher asking it to give the lid back, but I appreciate that's probably not something I should admit, at least not in normal society. However, that mystery too was solved when K came back home and pointed out the lid was in the cutlery drawer. Goodness knows why, but at least my lunchtime rice is no longer likely to spill everywhere on my way to work. Result.
Last night we went to see The Pitmen Painters at the theatre, which is absolutely marvellous and everyone should see it. The only thing was the ending rather faded out, and K and I think it would have been much better with simply a quiet scene between George and Oliver as they prepare for another day in the mines - it would have been stronger like that, but it's still one you should see. The interesting thing, for me, was that it's set in the North-East where my mother's family come from - and the moment they started talking, I was right back there in my childhood with the menfolk in my family talking about the mines in those glorious accents. The playwright is also spot on with the phrases they use and the ways of saying things, as it could easily have been my uncle/cousins/grandfather speaking. Great stuff.
Anne Brooke
Sunday, June 19, 2011
More excitement from a publisher
Book News:
NB THIS RATHER LONG SECTION HAS BEEN REMOVED DUE TO LEGAL NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE PUBLISHER CONCERNED, AT THEIR REQUEST.
Other, and more positive, book news is I've sent out eight review requests for The Gifting, so am hoping one or two reviewers might show interest from that.
The most recent meditation poem is:
Meditation 538
Somewhere in this long list
of names and histories –
Abdon, Gedor, Pithon, Zimri –
God is hiding.
I just can’t quite
see him yet.
The Sunday haiku is:
The song-thrush flutters
past my window, her bright eye
intent on her nest.
Life News:
After a dodgy houses week, the rumour has it that our tricky neighbours might (just might, mind you) have sent back some documentation which may possibly arrive at their solicitors on Monday. Who knows, really, and I'm not believing it until I see it ... Watch this space - you'll hear the screams (either for good or bad). Oh and if Seymours in Woking ask me one more time what our house buying budget is, I swear I will not be responsible for my actions - don't these people ever listen??!? Words fail me - which will be a first, I can tell you. Arrgghh!
Anyway, Marian and I had a very wet and very enjoyable game of golf on Friday - it's amazing how much nicer it all is (even with the rain) when, because "rain stopped play", the competitive menfolk aren't breathing down our necks because we're too slow - and yes, we do always let them through nonetheless. I can be nice, well, occasionally ...
And yesterday was my pre-birthday opera treat at Glyndebourne - we saw Wagner's Meistersinger which was fascinating but I wouldn't really want to go again. Typical of Wagner, parts of it were extraordinarily long drawn-out but, heck, he does know how to nail an ending. The man playing Hans Sachs was great too, which made the second half - where things actually happen, good Lord - very enjoyable indeed.
Oh, and the champagne was glorious, hurrah!
Anne Brooke
NB THIS RATHER LONG SECTION HAS BEEN REMOVED DUE TO LEGAL NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE PUBLISHER CONCERNED, AT THEIR REQUEST.
Other, and more positive, book news is I've sent out eight review requests for The Gifting, so am hoping one or two reviewers might show interest from that.
The most recent meditation poem is:
Meditation 538
Somewhere in this long list
of names and histories –
Abdon, Gedor, Pithon, Zimri –
God is hiding.
I just can’t quite
see him yet.
The Sunday haiku is:
The song-thrush flutters
past my window, her bright eye
intent on her nest.
Life News:
After a dodgy houses week, the rumour has it that our tricky neighbours might (just might, mind you) have sent back some documentation which may possibly arrive at their solicitors on Monday. Who knows, really, and I'm not believing it until I see it ... Watch this space - you'll hear the screams (either for good or bad). Oh and if Seymours in Woking ask me one more time what our house buying budget is, I swear I will not be responsible for my actions - don't these people ever listen??!? Words fail me - which will be a first, I can tell you. Arrgghh!
Anyway, Marian and I had a very wet and very enjoyable game of golf on Friday - it's amazing how much nicer it all is (even with the rain) when, because "rain stopped play", the competitive menfolk aren't breathing down our necks because we're too slow - and yes, we do always let them through nonetheless. I can be nice, well, occasionally ...
And yesterday was my pre-birthday opera treat at Glyndebourne - we saw Wagner's Meistersinger which was fascinating but I wouldn't really want to go again. Typical of Wagner, parts of it were extraordinarily long drawn-out but, heck, he does know how to nail an ending. The man playing Hans Sachs was great too, which made the second half - where things actually happen, good Lord - very enjoyable indeed.
Oh, and the champagne was glorious, hurrah!
Anne Brooke
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Happy Easter!
Had a great time at the work conference in Nottingham Monday to Wednesday with David & Carol from the office - it's certainly much better going with people you know, though it was also nice to catch up with those I've met before from other universities. It was even nice travelling up the M1 on Monday morning as when I joined it at Junction 6 it was gloriously empty, what with it being shut from Junctions 1 to 4. I've never seen such a clear road ...
So, the weather was marvellous and the seminars and live debate sessions almost equally so. Heck, I even said something in all my seminars (brave me!) though I'd never dare to in any of the plenary sessions. Mind you, for some reason, I had a room on Nottingham campus the size of a button - and had to move the bin and the fridge (a fridge, in a room - heck, the students don't know they've been born!) in order to sit on the chair, ah well. I also woke up in the middle of the night on the first night wondering why my stomach was so terribly gurgly even though I felt fine, and then realised it was the fridge, not me. Phew ...
Meanwhile, while I've been away, our house situation has moved on rapidly in one area at least - our buyer would like to move into our flat in mid-May so it's now all systems go to try to find somewhere in the area to rent on a short-term basis (two or three months, I would guess) some time over the next two weeks - which is basically all the time we have, as we're on holiday the week commencing 7 May and then back at the beginning of potential completion week. Heck, if it wasn't Lent I might be panicking, but I am trying to remain calm & logical, hey ho ...
Today, I've also viewed, as a buying option, a house in Bisley, and tomorrow K and I will view another in Knaphill. We're still keeping the Woking house option open as that slowly trundles through, but really we can't be bothered to chase any more. It's too exhausting. If something else comes up that we prefer, so be it, but if we do manage to get somewhere to rent, at least that gives us a breathing space. Come what may, it will be fantastic to be out of the flat ...
Whilst waiting for the estate agent to turn up at Bisley, I also heard my first cuckoo of spring, which was great. Everything's just so early this year, it seems. I hope summer doesn't end up being over by June! And I've had my last haircut with Lynda, who's cut my hair for 18 years but who doesn't travel as far north as Woking to do business. So I do indeed look lovely (trust me on that one) but will have to look for another hairdresser at some point - though of course it's not top of my To Do List right now.
Oh, and I thought last night's episode of Midsomer Murders was something of an improvement, at least in the realms of the relationships between characters - though the bitchy Barnaby definitely needs to treat poor Sergeant Jones a damn sight better before I'm any way near convinced ...
Finally I'm pleased to say that A Woman like the Sea gained a 5-star review at Goodreads - thanks, Jesse.
Happy Easter - hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Anne Brooke
So, the weather was marvellous and the seminars and live debate sessions almost equally so. Heck, I even said something in all my seminars (brave me!) though I'd never dare to in any of the plenary sessions. Mind you, for some reason, I had a room on Nottingham campus the size of a button - and had to move the bin and the fridge (a fridge, in a room - heck, the students don't know they've been born!) in order to sit on the chair, ah well. I also woke up in the middle of the night on the first night wondering why my stomach was so terribly gurgly even though I felt fine, and then realised it was the fridge, not me. Phew ...
Meanwhile, while I've been away, our house situation has moved on rapidly in one area at least - our buyer would like to move into our flat in mid-May so it's now all systems go to try to find somewhere in the area to rent on a short-term basis (two or three months, I would guess) some time over the next two weeks - which is basically all the time we have, as we're on holiday the week commencing 7 May and then back at the beginning of potential completion week. Heck, if it wasn't Lent I might be panicking, but I am trying to remain calm & logical, hey ho ...
Today, I've also viewed, as a buying option, a house in Bisley, and tomorrow K and I will view another in Knaphill. We're still keeping the Woking house option open as that slowly trundles through, but really we can't be bothered to chase any more. It's too exhausting. If something else comes up that we prefer, so be it, but if we do manage to get somewhere to rent, at least that gives us a breathing space. Come what may, it will be fantastic to be out of the flat ...
Whilst waiting for the estate agent to turn up at Bisley, I also heard my first cuckoo of spring, which was great. Everything's just so early this year, it seems. I hope summer doesn't end up being over by June! And I've had my last haircut with Lynda, who's cut my hair for 18 years but who doesn't travel as far north as Woking to do business. So I do indeed look lovely (trust me on that one) but will have to look for another hairdresser at some point - though of course it's not top of my To Do List right now.
Oh, and I thought last night's episode of Midsomer Murders was something of an improvement, at least in the realms of the relationships between characters - though the bitchy Barnaby definitely needs to treat poor Sergeant Jones a damn sight better before I'm any way near convinced ...
Finally I'm pleased to say that A Woman like the Sea gained a 5-star review at Goodreads - thanks, Jesse.
Happy Easter - hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Anne Brooke
Sunday, February 06, 2011
Parties, interviews and houses
Book News:
Yesterday was an all-day party time as all us Untreed Reads authors celebrated our publisher's one-year anniversary at Coffee Time Romance - and there's still time to join in the fun so please do pop along and say hello. You'll be more than welcome! In terms of my own books, you can pick up a FREE copy of literary romance, How to Eat Fruit, plus discover exactly who is The Girl in the Painting, and have a riotous time in space with Creative Accountancy for Beginners. Not only that but you can enjoy the bittersweet historical romance of Dancing with Lions, and get dangerously close to Nature in The Secret Thoughts of Leaves, and, finally, get in touch with your sensuous side with literary lesbian romance, A Woman like the Sea. And, apart from the FREE copy of How to Eat Fruit, all the others have a 25% discount attached, so that's definitely something to celebrate. Enjoy!
Other nice news is that somehow I managed not one, not two, not even three, but a grand total of four entries in the Amazon UK Kindle charts yesterday, well gosh: Tommy's Blind Date was at No 23; Give and Take at No 22; The Hit List at No 21; and Martin and The Wolf at No 20. So it was lovely to have them all in the Kindle charts for a while, and even lovelier that they were huddling so close together, obviously for warmth ... And coming in on the outside was Pink Champagne and Apple Juice at No 36 (now down to No 88) and A Dangerous Man at No 88 in the US Kindle charts. So a very big thank you to whoever it is who's buying - I'm very grateful.
Meanwhile, Brady's Choice is now available for the first time at Amazon US Kindle, whilst A Woman like the Sea is now available both at Amazon UK Kindle (for the grand total of 79p so a real bargain to be had there) and at Amazon US Kindle.
I've also been interviewed at the 1 Place for Romance blog - so thank you, Valerie & Jay, for arranging that, and I hope you enjoy the read.
And I have some very thrilling news about a hugely talented writing friend of mine, Sarah Ann Watts - Sarah's first stand-alone title, Heart of The Kingdom, is published today and I already have my copy which I can't wait to read, so hurry along and buy this story, and many congratulations, Sarah.
The Sunday haiku is:
Hyacinth petals
soften this vanilla air:
promises of spring.
Life News:
House news is moving along, thank the Lord, though still way too slow for me. We've decided not to worry about selling the flat and simply to concentrate on getting out to somewhere new as soon as we can. With that in mind, we made an offer on a house we liked in Bisley, though that's been rejected. But, at the same time, another house we really like in Mayford may be coming down in price very soon, according to the agent (though as they're all lying toads really, who can tell, eh?...), so we've made an offer on that instead. No response on that one as yet, so I assume they'll deign to ring us up next week to give us an update. If that's a no-go zone, then there's actually yet another house on the outskirts of Guildford that's just come on as well so we may well go and view that and see if we prefer it if nothing else useful happens by Wednesday.
Whilst all that is going on, we did have a second viewing of our flat on Friday - where they appear to have moved everything they could think of to move, including the fridge and washing machine, in order to find out our guilty secrets (which I do think is a bit much for people who haven't put in any kind of offer yet, but there you go ...), but I assume they somehow missed where we've buried the bodies, as there's been no sign of the police as yet. Hey ho.
Nice things that have happened include our trip to Wisley today to see the exotic butterflies in the Glasshouse - this is definitely well worth doing so if you're in the area before the end of February then do go along if you can. I'm sure there's a wider variety of butterflies this year than before too, which is grand. There's also been a recurrent visit of a very fat green woodpecker in the garden and the sudden appearance of snowdrops, both of which have cheered me somewhat.
Mind you, I needed cheering as the new Alan Ayckbourn play at the Guildford Theatre on Thursday was a huge disappointment. Long-winded and dull, The Life of Riley is definitely not one I'd recommend, though the unfortunate actors tackle a very thin script with great courage, I think. Sigh. Perhaps the Great Man really does need to take a break?
This morning, after a good week to ten days when frankly the concept of God has been way too much for me, I did manage to get to church. Which was okay, as long as I didn't think about it too much. The hymns were nice. At the moment anything involving more than the occasional and desperate prayer is out of bounds really, and bible reading has fallen by the wayside (ha!), hence the lack of meditation poems, in case anyone had missed them. I'm not sure I'll be able to get back to them next week either, so the exercise bike (where I do my bible reading and start off the poems, oddly enough) has never had such an easy life. We'll see how it goes, or rather how it doesn't.
Last night, we did have a lovely time having dinner at Marian's though, which was grand. It was great to catch up properly, and she certainly makes a top class custard, which always does it for me. There's something about custard which somehow makes everything worthwhile.
Anne Brooke
Yesterday was an all-day party time as all us Untreed Reads authors celebrated our publisher's one-year anniversary at Coffee Time Romance - and there's still time to join in the fun so please do pop along and say hello. You'll be more than welcome! In terms of my own books, you can pick up a FREE copy of literary romance, How to Eat Fruit, plus discover exactly who is The Girl in the Painting, and have a riotous time in space with Creative Accountancy for Beginners. Not only that but you can enjoy the bittersweet historical romance of Dancing with Lions, and get dangerously close to Nature in The Secret Thoughts of Leaves, and, finally, get in touch with your sensuous side with literary lesbian romance, A Woman like the Sea. And, apart from the FREE copy of How to Eat Fruit, all the others have a 25% discount attached, so that's definitely something to celebrate. Enjoy!
Other nice news is that somehow I managed not one, not two, not even three, but a grand total of four entries in the Amazon UK Kindle charts yesterday, well gosh: Tommy's Blind Date was at No 23; Give and Take at No 22; The Hit List at No 21; and Martin and The Wolf at No 20. So it was lovely to have them all in the Kindle charts for a while, and even lovelier that they were huddling so close together, obviously for warmth ... And coming in on the outside was Pink Champagne and Apple Juice at No 36 (now down to No 88) and A Dangerous Man at No 88 in the US Kindle charts. So a very big thank you to whoever it is who's buying - I'm very grateful.
Meanwhile, Brady's Choice is now available for the first time at Amazon US Kindle, whilst A Woman like the Sea is now available both at Amazon UK Kindle (for the grand total of 79p so a real bargain to be had there) and at Amazon US Kindle.
I've also been interviewed at the 1 Place for Romance blog - so thank you, Valerie & Jay, for arranging that, and I hope you enjoy the read.
And I have some very thrilling news about a hugely talented writing friend of mine, Sarah Ann Watts - Sarah's first stand-alone title, Heart of The Kingdom, is published today and I already have my copy which I can't wait to read, so hurry along and buy this story, and many congratulations, Sarah.
The Sunday haiku is:
Hyacinth petals
soften this vanilla air:
promises of spring.
Life News:
House news is moving along, thank the Lord, though still way too slow for me. We've decided not to worry about selling the flat and simply to concentrate on getting out to somewhere new as soon as we can. With that in mind, we made an offer on a house we liked in Bisley, though that's been rejected. But, at the same time, another house we really like in Mayford may be coming down in price very soon, according to the agent (though as they're all lying toads really, who can tell, eh?...), so we've made an offer on that instead. No response on that one as yet, so I assume they'll deign to ring us up next week to give us an update. If that's a no-go zone, then there's actually yet another house on the outskirts of Guildford that's just come on as well so we may well go and view that and see if we prefer it if nothing else useful happens by Wednesday.
Whilst all that is going on, we did have a second viewing of our flat on Friday - where they appear to have moved everything they could think of to move, including the fridge and washing machine, in order to find out our guilty secrets (which I do think is a bit much for people who haven't put in any kind of offer yet, but there you go ...), but I assume they somehow missed where we've buried the bodies, as there's been no sign of the police as yet. Hey ho.
Nice things that have happened include our trip to Wisley today to see the exotic butterflies in the Glasshouse - this is definitely well worth doing so if you're in the area before the end of February then do go along if you can. I'm sure there's a wider variety of butterflies this year than before too, which is grand. There's also been a recurrent visit of a very fat green woodpecker in the garden and the sudden appearance of snowdrops, both of which have cheered me somewhat.
Mind you, I needed cheering as the new Alan Ayckbourn play at the Guildford Theatre on Thursday was a huge disappointment. Long-winded and dull, The Life of Riley is definitely not one I'd recommend, though the unfortunate actors tackle a very thin script with great courage, I think. Sigh. Perhaps the Great Man really does need to take a break?
This morning, after a good week to ten days when frankly the concept of God has been way too much for me, I did manage to get to church. Which was okay, as long as I didn't think about it too much. The hymns were nice. At the moment anything involving more than the occasional and desperate prayer is out of bounds really, and bible reading has fallen by the wayside (ha!), hence the lack of meditation poems, in case anyone had missed them. I'm not sure I'll be able to get back to them next week either, so the exercise bike (where I do my bible reading and start off the poems, oddly enough) has never had such an easy life. We'll see how it goes, or rather how it doesn't.
Last night, we did have a lovely time having dinner at Marian's though, which was grand. It was great to catch up properly, and she certainly makes a top class custard, which always does it for me. There's something about custard which somehow makes everything worthwhile.
Anne Brooke
Thursday, February 03, 2011
A Woman like the Sea
Book News:
I'm happy to announce that my literary lesbian romance story, A Woman like the Sea, is published today and available at Untreed Reads (at a 25% discount), and at All Romance Ebooks, amongst other outlets. I'm also pleased to say that you can find all my Untreed Read books at discount prices at 1 Place for Romance bookshop - enjoy!
Other book news is that The Girl in the Painting was the 3rd highest bestseller at Untreed Reads during January, so that was a boost at the end of what has been a rather difficult month. Many thanks to those of you who've bought that one. And, in a brief (very brief) blaze of late glory, Pink Champagne and Apple Juice found itself at No 83 in the Amazon UK Kindle charts, well gosh.
Meanwhile, at Vulpes Libris, we have not been slack; on Monday, Moira was in conversation with Tim Bentinck who plays David Archer in The Archers, and today, you can take a closer look at my nasty and nice sides (ha!) in my review of Philippa Gregory's The Other Queen. Suffice it to say I was not greatly impressed with that one ...
Life News:
Life's still not that good, really, to be honest. Am feeling rather debilitated, to say the least, by last week's meltdown, but am busy taking a regular supply of happy pills in all shapes and sizes in order to attempt to keep things on some kind of even keel. Double ha, eh. If you shake me, I'll rattle.
Mind you, K and I were rather amused (after being really quite angry) with yesterday's estate agent who booked us in for three viewings of properties today when we'd only asked for one. We weren't interested in the other two, but the wretched man booked us for them without being asked. When he rang back to tell us, K sacked him on the spot and said we wouldn't bother viewing the one we actually wanted to see unless someone else from the agency escorted us round, and then put the phone down. That'll show 'em, eh. Sure enough five minutes later, another agent from the same firm rang up, apologised profusely and said he'd be showing us round said house, instead of the pushy agent. Fair enough, though I did rather worry that when we turned up this afternoon, he might actually have signed the contract for us and we'd be moving in tomorrow. It did give me some considerable pleasure that we didn't like the house anyway. Triple ha!
In any case, we have actually seen a house we like very much in Bisley though, which is hopeful, especially as we can afford it without having to sell this place, so that gives me much hope that I'll be able to leave the pesky flat and Godalming before I do indeed run mad. That said, we have a second viewing here tomorrow, so I think we'd like to see if that results in someone making an offer for our flat before we make any final decisions. Though I don't want to miss out on anything good ...
I'm also very excited by the advent of this England & Wales crime statistics site, where you can have great fun finding out where all the crime is, and where the dubious and not-so-dubious parts of your town are. All very jolly, and an excellent tool for house-hunting. I'm pleased to report there is absolutely no crime in our street so this flat is even more desirable as a purchase for someone indeed.
Other cheery news which put a more Schadenfreude-shaped smile on my face today was that earlier in the week the downstairs neighbours accidentally smoked out the nasty middle neighbours when they put their fire on, as the chimney was faulty, and said middle neighbours had to turn up and spend several hours cleaning up. My, how I laughed. I apologise for the huge meanness of this paragraph, but that's how I feel about things right now. I have good reason, but sorry. I used to be so nice when I was younger too. Ah well.
Last night, K and I were glued to the television watching the last ever episode of Midsomer Murders with Tom and Joyce Barnaby in it. A good farewell to a great series, I thought, though I will miss Tom and Joyce and the body count they inspired, sob. However, I'm pleased to see that Neil Dudgeon will be taking over the police office role as cousin John Barnaby, so I look forward to more Midsomer madness in the future, hurrah.
Finally, a big hello to Jane H whom I met for coffee in Godalming today, or rather hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows, if I'm honest - but we had the semi-skimmed milk so it was the healthy option, ho ho. Lovely to catch up with all the news and, really, we must do it again soon.
Anne Brooke
I'm happy to announce that my literary lesbian romance story, A Woman like the Sea, is published today and available at Untreed Reads (at a 25% discount), and at All Romance Ebooks, amongst other outlets. I'm also pleased to say that you can find all my Untreed Read books at discount prices at 1 Place for Romance bookshop - enjoy!
Other book news is that The Girl in the Painting was the 3rd highest bestseller at Untreed Reads during January, so that was a boost at the end of what has been a rather difficult month. Many thanks to those of you who've bought that one. And, in a brief (very brief) blaze of late glory, Pink Champagne and Apple Juice found itself at No 83 in the Amazon UK Kindle charts, well gosh.
Meanwhile, at Vulpes Libris, we have not been slack; on Monday, Moira was in conversation with Tim Bentinck who plays David Archer in The Archers, and today, you can take a closer look at my nasty and nice sides (ha!) in my review of Philippa Gregory's The Other Queen. Suffice it to say I was not greatly impressed with that one ...
Life News:
Life's still not that good, really, to be honest. Am feeling rather debilitated, to say the least, by last week's meltdown, but am busy taking a regular supply of happy pills in all shapes and sizes in order to attempt to keep things on some kind of even keel. Double ha, eh. If you shake me, I'll rattle.
Mind you, K and I were rather amused (after being really quite angry) with yesterday's estate agent who booked us in for three viewings of properties today when we'd only asked for one. We weren't interested in the other two, but the wretched man booked us for them without being asked. When he rang back to tell us, K sacked him on the spot and said we wouldn't bother viewing the one we actually wanted to see unless someone else from the agency escorted us round, and then put the phone down. That'll show 'em, eh. Sure enough five minutes later, another agent from the same firm rang up, apologised profusely and said he'd be showing us round said house, instead of the pushy agent. Fair enough, though I did rather worry that when we turned up this afternoon, he might actually have signed the contract for us and we'd be moving in tomorrow. It did give me some considerable pleasure that we didn't like the house anyway. Triple ha!
In any case, we have actually seen a house we like very much in Bisley though, which is hopeful, especially as we can afford it without having to sell this place, so that gives me much hope that I'll be able to leave the pesky flat and Godalming before I do indeed run mad. That said, we have a second viewing here tomorrow, so I think we'd like to see if that results in someone making an offer for our flat before we make any final decisions. Though I don't want to miss out on anything good ...
I'm also very excited by the advent of this England & Wales crime statistics site, where you can have great fun finding out where all the crime is, and where the dubious and not-so-dubious parts of your town are. All very jolly, and an excellent tool for house-hunting. I'm pleased to report there is absolutely no crime in our street so this flat is even more desirable as a purchase for someone indeed.
Other cheery news which put a more Schadenfreude-shaped smile on my face today was that earlier in the week the downstairs neighbours accidentally smoked out the nasty middle neighbours when they put their fire on, as the chimney was faulty, and said middle neighbours had to turn up and spend several hours cleaning up. My, how I laughed. I apologise for the huge meanness of this paragraph, but that's how I feel about things right now. I have good reason, but sorry. I used to be so nice when I was younger too. Ah well.
Last night, K and I were glued to the television watching the last ever episode of Midsomer Murders with Tom and Joyce Barnaby in it. A good farewell to a great series, I thought, though I will miss Tom and Joyce and the body count they inspired, sob. However, I'm pleased to see that Neil Dudgeon will be taking over the police office role as cousin John Barnaby, so I look forward to more Midsomer madness in the future, hurrah.
Finally, a big hello to Jane H whom I met for coffee in Godalming today, or rather hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows, if I'm honest - but we had the semi-skimmed milk so it was the healthy option, ho ho. Lovely to catch up with all the news and, really, we must do it again soon.
Anne Brooke
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Wolves and Candlelight
Book News:
Much to my delight, Martin and The Wolf is Book of The Week at Queer Magazine Online and also has a very positive review there, so many thanks, Anders & Serena for that - it's much appreciated.
Yesterday, I sent back the final proofs of Entertaining the Delaneys to Amber Allure Press, so am looking forward to publication on 20 February. I'm also happy to announce that my literary lesbian romance, A Woman Like The Sea, will be published in February by Untreed Reads and it will be the first story in their new Candlelight literary romance line - so many thanks, Jay, for that.
This week at Vulpes Libris, I've reviewed Emily Barr's inspired-but-lunatic novel, The Sisterhood, which is a definite Must Read, whilst remaining totally insane. Absolutely one for your lists ...
Meditations so far (and they may be the last for a while, I think) are:
Meditation 489
Sometimes the best answer
is silence
and a deep acknowledgement
of grief.
Meditation 490
Only when things
are really bad
do men turn to the Lord;
how irritating it must be
when things are good
to be constantly ignored.
Life News:
Not a good week, all in all. Am feeling incredibly low and stressed (not a good combination!), and have therefore added in more happy pills so I'm taking one St John's Wort with Passionflower in the morning, 2 Quiet Life pills at tea time and another plain St John's Wort in the evening. Not really sure they're hitting the spot, but hey it's early days yet. Am also not convinced I can take any more without actually going insane, but remain unsure if anyone will notice the difference. Hey ho.
I think it would be a load better if I could just leave the flat, and Godalming, as I hate both with a vengeance all the time at the moment, if I'm being honest. I even hate going out of the flat and coming back into it as it reminds me that I actually live here, more's the pity. So I'm cutting down on having to do that more often than I really need to, which might help. We'll see. Really, the only thing that makes departure and arrival remotely bearable is the terribly rude things I'm chanting about the place and the nasty middle neighbours in the car.
So, alongside all this, I'm desperately trying to dig a tunnel out and have therefore made arrangements to see four houses in Bisley on Saturday that we can actually afford without having to sell this place, but I'm not convinced K is that keen on the smaller house option (though he does like Bisley!) but, again, we'll see. My Plan B, if he doesn't like any of them, is to suggest that we rent somewhere just to get out of (a) the ruddy flat, and (b) ruddy Godalming, and then we can have some space to start afresh, depending on whether we ever sell this place or not. If he doesn't like that idea, I will just have to go completely insane and have done with it. Deep deep sigh and gritted teeth.
Anyway, apart from all that, things are fine and nobody will ever notice the join. Stiff upper lip and all that jazz, eh. However, the slight glimmer of light on the horizon (which no doubt also reveals the presence of an oncoming train I haven't taken into account yet) is that the shoulder is distinctly better and we're going to leave having my final physio appointment for a couple of weeks and see how things go. So I may well be a virtual recluse with a bad attitude (so what's new?...), but physically I'm top class. What joy.
Anne Brooke
Much to my delight, Martin and The Wolf is Book of The Week at Queer Magazine Online and also has a very positive review there, so many thanks, Anders & Serena for that - it's much appreciated.
Yesterday, I sent back the final proofs of Entertaining the Delaneys to Amber Allure Press, so am looking forward to publication on 20 February. I'm also happy to announce that my literary lesbian romance, A Woman Like The Sea, will be published in February by Untreed Reads and it will be the first story in their new Candlelight literary romance line - so many thanks, Jay, for that.
This week at Vulpes Libris, I've reviewed Emily Barr's inspired-but-lunatic novel, The Sisterhood, which is a definite Must Read, whilst remaining totally insane. Absolutely one for your lists ...
Meditations so far (and they may be the last for a while, I think) are:
Meditation 489
Sometimes the best answer
is silence
and a deep acknowledgement
of grief.
Meditation 490
Only when things
are really bad
do men turn to the Lord;
how irritating it must be
when things are good
to be constantly ignored.
Life News:
Not a good week, all in all. Am feeling incredibly low and stressed (not a good combination!), and have therefore added in more happy pills so I'm taking one St John's Wort with Passionflower in the morning, 2 Quiet Life pills at tea time and another plain St John's Wort in the evening. Not really sure they're hitting the spot, but hey it's early days yet. Am also not convinced I can take any more without actually going insane, but remain unsure if anyone will notice the difference. Hey ho.
I think it would be a load better if I could just leave the flat, and Godalming, as I hate both with a vengeance all the time at the moment, if I'm being honest. I even hate going out of the flat and coming back into it as it reminds me that I actually live here, more's the pity. So I'm cutting down on having to do that more often than I really need to, which might help. We'll see. Really, the only thing that makes departure and arrival remotely bearable is the terribly rude things I'm chanting about the place and the nasty middle neighbours in the car.
So, alongside all this, I'm desperately trying to dig a tunnel out and have therefore made arrangements to see four houses in Bisley on Saturday that we can actually afford without having to sell this place, but I'm not convinced K is that keen on the smaller house option (though he does like Bisley!) but, again, we'll see. My Plan B, if he doesn't like any of them, is to suggest that we rent somewhere just to get out of (a) the ruddy flat, and (b) ruddy Godalming, and then we can have some space to start afresh, depending on whether we ever sell this place or not. If he doesn't like that idea, I will just have to go completely insane and have done with it. Deep deep sigh and gritted teeth.
Anyway, apart from all that, things are fine and nobody will ever notice the join. Stiff upper lip and all that jazz, eh. However, the slight glimmer of light on the horizon (which no doubt also reveals the presence of an oncoming train I haven't taken into account yet) is that the shoulder is distinctly better and we're going to leave having my final physio appointment for a couple of weeks and see how things go. So I may well be a virtual recluse with a bad attitude (so what's new?...), but physically I'm top class. What joy.
Anne Brooke
Sunday, January 16, 2011
House hunting can be murder ...
Book News:
I'm happy to say that A Dangerous Man received a 5-star review at Goodreads - many thanks for the comments, Lucy. And I'm also about to fax back the contract for A Woman Like the Sea to Untreed Reads, so I'm looking forward to that one being published next month.
My most recent meditation is:
Meditation 485
Best to keep silent
and pay
before the danger
of words
brings you to the dark
where all you can do
is pray.
And there are two Sunday haikus this week:
Pale lily flower,
how you delight in the warmth
of the mighty sun.
All ladders should be
pale pink with hints of glitter
climbing to the stars.
Life News:
Marian and I managed to get in some practice on the golf range on Friday as rain stopped proper play - but it was good to see how my arm coped with thirty minutes of swinging (as it were). Answer: pretty okay really, though it ached slightly afterwards for a while. Still, it looks hopeful for getting out next Friday and actually playing a game, weather dependent, and all the more so as in an actual game I'm not using the arm as constantly as I was on the range.
Yesterday, K and I viewed some more houses, but weren't terribly impressed with the gardens, all in all. We also drove past (several times) a really nice one that we hadn't arranged a viewing for and where the garden was lovely - so on getting home, I was all set to contact the estate agent, but luckily K did a Google search on it to find out some more, as he is inclined (thankfully!) to do, and we discovered that two years ago, the house-owner murdered his live-in girlfriend for having an affair with her boss, and then set fire to the house in order to cover up his tracks, whilst leading their two children to safety. Goodness me, but it's scary here in the shires - and no, I do not want to live in a house where that's happened so recently, call me a wimp but there it is! So my phone call to the agent was never made and certainly won't be now, garden or no garden.
Yesterday evening, we had a lovely dinner and catch-up with Liz & friends, and talked for ages, resulting in us not getting home until gone 2am. So my plans for church today have been thwarted by the need for a lie-in and a lazy day, which I am thoroughly enjoying. There's Primeval and QI from yesterday's TV to catch up on too, plus Larkrise and Zen tonight - this is the life, you know ...
Anne Brooke
I'm happy to say that A Dangerous Man received a 5-star review at Goodreads - many thanks for the comments, Lucy. And I'm also about to fax back the contract for A Woman Like the Sea to Untreed Reads, so I'm looking forward to that one being published next month.
My most recent meditation is:
Meditation 485
Best to keep silent
and pay
before the danger
of words
brings you to the dark
where all you can do
is pray.
And there are two Sunday haikus this week:
Pale lily flower,
how you delight in the warmth
of the mighty sun.
All ladders should be
pale pink with hints of glitter
climbing to the stars.
Life News:
Marian and I managed to get in some practice on the golf range on Friday as rain stopped proper play - but it was good to see how my arm coped with thirty minutes of swinging (as it were). Answer: pretty okay really, though it ached slightly afterwards for a while. Still, it looks hopeful for getting out next Friday and actually playing a game, weather dependent, and all the more so as in an actual game I'm not using the arm as constantly as I was on the range.
Yesterday, K and I viewed some more houses, but weren't terribly impressed with the gardens, all in all. We also drove past (several times) a really nice one that we hadn't arranged a viewing for and where the garden was lovely - so on getting home, I was all set to contact the estate agent, but luckily K did a Google search on it to find out some more, as he is inclined (thankfully!) to do, and we discovered that two years ago, the house-owner murdered his live-in girlfriend for having an affair with her boss, and then set fire to the house in order to cover up his tracks, whilst leading their two children to safety. Goodness me, but it's scary here in the shires - and no, I do not want to live in a house where that's happened so recently, call me a wimp but there it is! So my phone call to the agent was never made and certainly won't be now, garden or no garden.
Yesterday evening, we had a lovely dinner and catch-up with Liz & friends, and talked for ages, resulting in us not getting home until gone 2am. So my plans for church today have been thwarted by the need for a lie-in and a lazy day, which I am thoroughly enjoying. There's Primeval and QI from yesterday's TV to catch up on too, plus Larkrise and Zen tonight - this is the life, you know ...
Anne Brooke
Sunday, December 05, 2010
Houses, haikus and health
Life News:
The good news is I'm feeling a lot better, hurrah, and the snow is vanishing, double hurrah. I've even actually been out of the house today for the first time since Tuesday, so I'm definitely on the mend. Less danger of slipping too.
All this weather we've been having plus illness has meant K and I didn't get to see the one-woman play about Jane Austen's Women in Guildford on Friday, which might have been fun so I'm sorry we missed it. Plus we've had to put our Christmas visit to Mother off until next Saturday, which is what I thought would happen.
In the meantime, we've had another estate agent round to give us a quote for potential part-exchange, and we've spent today doing a thorough site visit both of the development in Guildford and the one in Chobham Lakes, just to see how we feel about them, when compared. The Chobham Lakes one is certainly nice but it might be just too executive and be striving for too much of a community feel for us. On the plus side, it's definitely quiet and if we go there I'll be able to use my car to get to work, though the drive will be longer. On the other hand, the Guildford development has an extra bedroom on the third floor which I love the sound of (it's not been built yet as it's very new!), plus a nice looking conservatory, although it's noisier as it's nearer the road and I'll have to go to work by bus as it's too near the University to get a car pass. Ah, decisions, decisions. At the moment, the Guildford development is winning by a nose, but we'll see what we feel like tomorrow - our attitudes change by the hour ...
Book News:
I'm happy to say that the second in my Delaneys series, Entertaining the Delaneys, has been accepted for publication by Amber Allure Press on 20 February 2011. I've got ideas for two more stories as well so it looks like I'll get at least a set of four out of good old Liam, bless him.
A Dangerous Man is now available in Kindle versions at Amazon UK and Amazon US, so lots more shopping opportunities to enjoy. And Thorn in the Flesh is being offered at a 26% discount plus free worldwide delivery at The Book Depository, so ideal winter reading for all.
The Sunday haiku is particularly relevant as the father of a friend of mine died this week, I'm sorry to say:
Under quiet snow
our old men are vanishing,
taken by winter.
Anne Brooke
The good news is I'm feeling a lot better, hurrah, and the snow is vanishing, double hurrah. I've even actually been out of the house today for the first time since Tuesday, so I'm definitely on the mend. Less danger of slipping too.
All this weather we've been having plus illness has meant K and I didn't get to see the one-woman play about Jane Austen's Women in Guildford on Friday, which might have been fun so I'm sorry we missed it. Plus we've had to put our Christmas visit to Mother off until next Saturday, which is what I thought would happen.
In the meantime, we've had another estate agent round to give us a quote for potential part-exchange, and we've spent today doing a thorough site visit both of the development in Guildford and the one in Chobham Lakes, just to see how we feel about them, when compared. The Chobham Lakes one is certainly nice but it might be just too executive and be striving for too much of a community feel for us. On the plus side, it's definitely quiet and if we go there I'll be able to use my car to get to work, though the drive will be longer. On the other hand, the Guildford development has an extra bedroom on the third floor which I love the sound of (it's not been built yet as it's very new!), plus a nice looking conservatory, although it's noisier as it's nearer the road and I'll have to go to work by bus as it's too near the University to get a car pass. Ah, decisions, decisions. At the moment, the Guildford development is winning by a nose, but we'll see what we feel like tomorrow - our attitudes change by the hour ...
Book News:
I'm happy to say that the second in my Delaneys series, Entertaining the Delaneys, has been accepted for publication by Amber Allure Press on 20 February 2011. I've got ideas for two more stories as well so it looks like I'll get at least a set of four out of good old Liam, bless him.
A Dangerous Man is now available in Kindle versions at Amazon UK and Amazon US, so lots more shopping opportunities to enjoy. And Thorn in the Flesh is being offered at a 26% discount plus free worldwide delivery at The Book Depository, so ideal winter reading for all.
The Sunday haiku is particularly relevant as the father of a friend of mine died this week, I'm sorry to say:
Under quiet snow
our old men are vanishing,
taken by winter.
Anne Brooke
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Houses, holidays and haikus
Life News:
We've been round a couple of new developments looking at potential new houses today, which has been great fun. We liked one of the houses in the development nearest to Guildford town centre, but we much preferred the ones a little further out. The one we were most interested in won't be built till next year, so we're hoping to do a proper site visit over the next couple of weeks to get a feel for the thing. It will be interesting anyway. In the meantime, we've drafted an official complaint to Mann Countrywide - though I do have to say that the two women in the office, Kirsty & Leigh, were absolutely lovely when I collected my key from them on Saturday, and they apologised profusely and genuinely on behalf of their new manager, who's apparently very appalling to everyone. They also gave me complaint information and encouraged us to go ahead, which was interesting indeed. We're also getting two more estate agents to visit us tomorrow to give us quotes, so we're still keeping all our options open. No harm in doing that for sure.
After all this house consideration, K and I decided to take a quick trip to Wisley for lunch, which was lovely and warm, hurrah. At least inside anyway. Not many people there because of the weather, so it was nice to wander around and have lots of space - though you didn't want to dawdle or one's legs tended to freeze up. In spite of the fact that I was wearing thermals, two pairs of socks, two tee-shirts, a jumper, a fleece and an overcoat. Good Lord, it was astonishing I could move at all really. They were also having a free tree giveaway event, so we have come away with a silver birch sapling. Yes, I know this is ridiculous as we (as yet) have no garden and the beasts grow to about 200 feet tall or something, but how could we resist? We have therefore put it in a pot and put it on the stairs, where it is making a fair bid for the "smallest and spindliest Christmas tree ever" competition. Anyone got a really really small fairy??...
Yesterday, the start of our week's holiday (not going anywhere but having days out and considering house issues, theoretically) got off to a bad beginning as poor K had to work all day sorting out the new phone system at the office. So he left at 8.15am, returned exhausted at 7.45pm and then had to go back to the office as he'd got all the way home and realised he'd left his briefcase in the carpark. Lordy, we were worried, but thank God nothing had happened to it and everything was safe (thank you, thank you - miracles can indeed happen!!), and he got back again at 8.45pm. What a nightmare anyway. And he has to be in work tomorrow too to check the new phone system works so in actual fact our holiday won't start till Tuesday, poor thing. Ah well.
During the latter half of the week, Marian and I played a very cold game of golf, but there was no-one else out there it was so cold, so that was fun too. There was even ice on the tee area so you had to be jolly careful about your swing. As it were. Though, bearing in mind I was as bundled up as I was today, it wasn't much of a swing in the first place. Ooh and on the way back from Guildford later that day, I came upon two young men walking along the central reservation of the A3. The fools!!!! When I got back home, I rang the police so they could check it out and stop them, so I feel I've done my civic duty for the month. But why the hell anyone would walk along the central reservation of the A3 and expect to live long is beyond me ... Men are a mystery, my dears, a complete mystery.
Book News:
I was pleased with this 4-star review on Amazon for gay short story, Give and Take, and even more pleased that Vulpes Libris has been mentioned this weekend in The Guardian as a "top UK literary blog". Now that's class ... We Book Foxes are all smiling hugely indeed.
This week's meditations are:
Meditation 469
The secrets women keep:
hidden in the shadows
and the rooms
where nobody goes,
a flicker at the edge
of an eye, a mystery,
dark corners of life
only a woman knows.
Meditation 470
The temple waits
for destruction
as priests wait
for death,
knowing their completion
lies only in absence.
The Sunday haiku is:
Two mistle thrushes
fill the empty tree with song:
winter symphony.
Anne Brooke
We've been round a couple of new developments looking at potential new houses today, which has been great fun. We liked one of the houses in the development nearest to Guildford town centre, but we much preferred the ones a little further out. The one we were most interested in won't be built till next year, so we're hoping to do a proper site visit over the next couple of weeks to get a feel for the thing. It will be interesting anyway. In the meantime, we've drafted an official complaint to Mann Countrywide - though I do have to say that the two women in the office, Kirsty & Leigh, were absolutely lovely when I collected my key from them on Saturday, and they apologised profusely and genuinely on behalf of their new manager, who's apparently very appalling to everyone. They also gave me complaint information and encouraged us to go ahead, which was interesting indeed. We're also getting two more estate agents to visit us tomorrow to give us quotes, so we're still keeping all our options open. No harm in doing that for sure.
After all this house consideration, K and I decided to take a quick trip to Wisley for lunch, which was lovely and warm, hurrah. At least inside anyway. Not many people there because of the weather, so it was nice to wander around and have lots of space - though you didn't want to dawdle or one's legs tended to freeze up. In spite of the fact that I was wearing thermals, two pairs of socks, two tee-shirts, a jumper, a fleece and an overcoat. Good Lord, it was astonishing I could move at all really. They were also having a free tree giveaway event, so we have come away with a silver birch sapling. Yes, I know this is ridiculous as we (as yet) have no garden and the beasts grow to about 200 feet tall or something, but how could we resist? We have therefore put it in a pot and put it on the stairs, where it is making a fair bid for the "smallest and spindliest Christmas tree ever" competition. Anyone got a really really small fairy??...
Yesterday, the start of our week's holiday (not going anywhere but having days out and considering house issues, theoretically) got off to a bad beginning as poor K had to work all day sorting out the new phone system at the office. So he left at 8.15am, returned exhausted at 7.45pm and then had to go back to the office as he'd got all the way home and realised he'd left his briefcase in the carpark. Lordy, we were worried, but thank God nothing had happened to it and everything was safe (thank you, thank you - miracles can indeed happen!!), and he got back again at 8.45pm. What a nightmare anyway. And he has to be in work tomorrow too to check the new phone system works so in actual fact our holiday won't start till Tuesday, poor thing. Ah well.
During the latter half of the week, Marian and I played a very cold game of golf, but there was no-one else out there it was so cold, so that was fun too. There was even ice on the tee area so you had to be jolly careful about your swing. As it were. Though, bearing in mind I was as bundled up as I was today, it wasn't much of a swing in the first place. Ooh and on the way back from Guildford later that day, I came upon two young men walking along the central reservation of the A3. The fools!!!! When I got back home, I rang the police so they could check it out and stop them, so I feel I've done my civic duty for the month. But why the hell anyone would walk along the central reservation of the A3 and expect to live long is beyond me ... Men are a mystery, my dears, a complete mystery.
Book News:
I was pleased with this 4-star review on Amazon for gay short story, Give and Take, and even more pleased that Vulpes Libris has been mentioned this weekend in The Guardian as a "top UK literary blog". Now that's class ... We Book Foxes are all smiling hugely indeed.
This week's meditations are:
Meditation 469
The secrets women keep:
hidden in the shadows
and the rooms
where nobody goes,
a flicker at the edge
of an eye, a mystery,
dark corners of life
only a woman knows.
Meditation 470
The temple waits
for destruction
as priests wait
for death,
knowing their completion
lies only in absence.
The Sunday haiku is:
Two mistle thrushes
fill the empty tree with song:
winter symphony.
Anne Brooke
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Houses, estate agents and royalties
Life News:
Well, enough is enough. Last week our agent at Mann Countrywide promised us that this week our flat would be in the Surrey Advertiser, and it wasn't. They also promised us at the beginning of our agreement that we'd get a weekly report on a Friday as to how things have been going and what their marketing plans are. We haven't received any of these, except for the one time I phoned up and chased them, and then it was an informal chat rather than an official report. Moreover, we are now just about to enter the 5th week of our 10 week agreement and not a single viewer have we seen. So on Friday night, we sent an official complaint to them, and gave notice of our intent not to renew with them at the end of our 10 weeks. We also said that we wished to terminate them as soon as possible, bearing in mind the appalling and deceitful way we've been treated.
First thing Saturday morning, the Godalming branch manager is on the phone. He left a message, but we decided there was no obligation to ring him back until later, so we left it till 4.30pm. Hell, why should we jump when they tell us to, eh? They don't bother much with us. When K finally spoke to him, said branch manager was grovelling with apologies once K, in no uncertain terms, told him we'd been lied to and misled from day one, so we still wished to terminate our agreement asap. Good. He should be even more grovelling with apologies, and compensation, as far as we're concerned. It also appears that our original agent, Kimberley, is mysteriously no longer working at the Godalming office, plus another agent from there is also no more, and this branch manager is apparently new in this week, so it looks as if something is definitely rotten in the state of Denmark as far as Mann Countrywide Godalming are concerned.
Still, that is none of our concern, to be honest. I, frankly, don't much care for their problems. Out of the kindness of our hearts, we have agreed that the branch manager will visit us on Wednesday evening with a full explanation of what's going on, and we shall consider his report at that time. Our preferred option is to sack them immediately, unless he comes up with a hugely good reason why we shouldn't, and to appoint another agent. The fact of the matter is, however, that this tale of woe and estate agent inadequacy has cost us a month of buying time and I am very inclined to make them pay for it. Especially as the new agent we may (and probably will) appoint will be fighting with the approaching Christmas lull. Suffice it to say we are not at all happy, and I absolutely hate our time being wasted.
In the meantime, we are now seriously considering new-build home options, and part-exchange facilities. We saw a perfectly lovely new estate in Chobham on Saturday and are keeping that under close consideration - they have our details and we'll see what offer they can come up with. In addition I have today enquired about another new-build estate in Merrow, Guildford which is due for completion in Spring 2011. If those come up trumps first, then that is what we will do. Let Mann Countrywide put that in their pipe and smoke it ...
It's not all house doom and gloom though, thank God. Earlier in the week, the gas man visited for our annual boiler service - which they do always love as our boiler here is apparently a collectible and, even though it doesn't entirely conform to current boiler regulations, it's all perfectly safe and will probably outlast us, and the two generations that come after. Ah, they don't make 'em like that now, you know ...
Book News:
I've been delighted with the royalties this quarter from Untreed Reads Publishing, where sales of The Girl in the Painting have been particularly buoyant, so that's a nice boost amidst all the angst of life etc. I was also happy to receive the fully signed contract for Rosie by Name back from Bluewood Publishing, so that's something to look forward to next year.
Only one meditation this week:
Meditation 465
Travelling to pay
your last respects
to the dead
can, on occasion,
be fraught with difficulty,
danger and dread.
And the Sunday haiku is:
The creamy-cloud foam
in my coffee and my bath
is my secret bliss.
Anne Brooke
Well, enough is enough. Last week our agent at Mann Countrywide promised us that this week our flat would be in the Surrey Advertiser, and it wasn't. They also promised us at the beginning of our agreement that we'd get a weekly report on a Friday as to how things have been going and what their marketing plans are. We haven't received any of these, except for the one time I phoned up and chased them, and then it was an informal chat rather than an official report. Moreover, we are now just about to enter the 5th week of our 10 week agreement and not a single viewer have we seen. So on Friday night, we sent an official complaint to them, and gave notice of our intent not to renew with them at the end of our 10 weeks. We also said that we wished to terminate them as soon as possible, bearing in mind the appalling and deceitful way we've been treated.
First thing Saturday morning, the Godalming branch manager is on the phone. He left a message, but we decided there was no obligation to ring him back until later, so we left it till 4.30pm. Hell, why should we jump when they tell us to, eh? They don't bother much with us. When K finally spoke to him, said branch manager was grovelling with apologies once K, in no uncertain terms, told him we'd been lied to and misled from day one, so we still wished to terminate our agreement asap. Good. He should be even more grovelling with apologies, and compensation, as far as we're concerned. It also appears that our original agent, Kimberley, is mysteriously no longer working at the Godalming office, plus another agent from there is also no more, and this branch manager is apparently new in this week, so it looks as if something is definitely rotten in the state of Denmark as far as Mann Countrywide Godalming are concerned.
Still, that is none of our concern, to be honest. I, frankly, don't much care for their problems. Out of the kindness of our hearts, we have agreed that the branch manager will visit us on Wednesday evening with a full explanation of what's going on, and we shall consider his report at that time. Our preferred option is to sack them immediately, unless he comes up with a hugely good reason why we shouldn't, and to appoint another agent. The fact of the matter is, however, that this tale of woe and estate agent inadequacy has cost us a month of buying time and I am very inclined to make them pay for it. Especially as the new agent we may (and probably will) appoint will be fighting with the approaching Christmas lull. Suffice it to say we are not at all happy, and I absolutely hate our time being wasted.
In the meantime, we are now seriously considering new-build home options, and part-exchange facilities. We saw a perfectly lovely new estate in Chobham on Saturday and are keeping that under close consideration - they have our details and we'll see what offer they can come up with. In addition I have today enquired about another new-build estate in Merrow, Guildford which is due for completion in Spring 2011. If those come up trumps first, then that is what we will do. Let Mann Countrywide put that in their pipe and smoke it ...
It's not all house doom and gloom though, thank God. Earlier in the week, the gas man visited for our annual boiler service - which they do always love as our boiler here is apparently a collectible and, even though it doesn't entirely conform to current boiler regulations, it's all perfectly safe and will probably outlast us, and the two generations that come after. Ah, they don't make 'em like that now, you know ...
Book News:
I've been delighted with the royalties this quarter from Untreed Reads Publishing, where sales of The Girl in the Painting have been particularly buoyant, so that's a nice boost amidst all the angst of life etc. I was also happy to receive the fully signed contract for Rosie by Name back from Bluewood Publishing, so that's something to look forward to next year.
Only one meditation this week:
Meditation 465
Travelling to pay
your last respects
to the dead
can, on occasion,
be fraught with difficulty,
danger and dread.
And the Sunday haiku is:
The creamy-cloud foam
in my coffee and my bath
is my secret bliss.
Anne Brooke
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Knickers and queens
Book News:
I'm delighted to discover that The Girl in the Painting sold 90 copies in October alone at Waterstone's even in spite of being given a one-star rating by two people. I'm thrilled my so far only literary lesbian short story is doing so well, and I hope the other 88 readers might have enjoyed it slightly more. You never can tell, eh.
This week's meditations:
Meditation 457
To understand to the full
all the tragedies to come
in a person’s life
is the darkest shadow
of being a prophet
or God.
Meditation 458
Hidden beneath
the kaleidoscope
of things we do wrong
is the slow, sure purpose
of life:
trust it.
Meditation 459
When all there is to a life
is war, injury and sin
it’s best to lie low
and keep the children in.
Life News:
Much to my delight, the Queen appeared on Facebook earlier in the week and, naturally, I'm a fan. Noblesse oblige, eh. Weirdly though, she now seems to have vanished so perhaps it was all too much for one? Or at least she's vanished on my version of FB, so a prize of one palace and an heir apparent to the person who can solve the mystery of the disappearing Queen. The plot thickens indeed ...
Meanwhile, I have been thrilled and strangely heartened by this unexpected prize-winner - scroll down a little to the video of what happened, which is so definitely worth watching. Good for her is what I say! Even more strangely however, K also got the whole phrase from only one letter after I told him the one piece of information the lucky female contestant knew and gave him a very small and subtle clue. Hey, it should have been us on that thar cruise! Assuming of course K would choose me to go with.
This is also the week where I have actually gone out and commenced my Christmas shopping. Groan. How I hate Christmas (bah, humbug, we cry once more as we in fact do each year!). Lordy but I'm sad.
Anyway, the good news is that the tricksy neighbours have actually sent us a cheque for their proportion of the building insurance, put out the bunting and huzzahs galore. So we don't have to resort - yet! - to Plan B, though I am holding fire until I see that it's gone through, call me cynical eh. Still, it's potential good news and I am grateful for it. I do long though to be out of here and in a place of our own, please God soon. Where be our buyers?? Or indeed viewers??? I fear I am rapidly losing faith with Mann Countrywide, so am glad we only signed a 10-week contract with them which takes us up to Christmas. Let's see if they can do something useful by then, but don't hold your breath. Really, it's so disappointing that I can hardly bear to think about it. Our current plan is that, after Christmas, we won't renew with them if they're doing nothing, but will try to see if we can part-exchange the flat for a new house - there do seem to be plenty around in our price range. I suppose we'll have to wait and see.
And tonight, K and I are off the the theatre - wind and rain permitting - to see The Knicker Lady, so hang on to your drawers, girls, as anything could happen.
Anne Brooke
I'm delighted to discover that The Girl in the Painting sold 90 copies in October alone at Waterstone's even in spite of being given a one-star rating by two people. I'm thrilled my so far only literary lesbian short story is doing so well, and I hope the other 88 readers might have enjoyed it slightly more. You never can tell, eh.
This week's meditations:
Meditation 457
To understand to the full
all the tragedies to come
in a person’s life
is the darkest shadow
of being a prophet
or God.
Meditation 458
Hidden beneath
the kaleidoscope
of things we do wrong
is the slow, sure purpose
of life:
trust it.
Meditation 459
When all there is to a life
is war, injury and sin
it’s best to lie low
and keep the children in.
Life News:
Much to my delight, the Queen appeared on Facebook earlier in the week and, naturally, I'm a fan. Noblesse oblige, eh. Weirdly though, she now seems to have vanished so perhaps it was all too much for one? Or at least she's vanished on my version of FB, so a prize of one palace and an heir apparent to the person who can solve the mystery of the disappearing Queen. The plot thickens indeed ...
Meanwhile, I have been thrilled and strangely heartened by this unexpected prize-winner - scroll down a little to the video of what happened, which is so definitely worth watching. Good for her is what I say! Even more strangely however, K also got the whole phrase from only one letter after I told him the one piece of information the lucky female contestant knew and gave him a very small and subtle clue. Hey, it should have been us on that thar cruise! Assuming of course K would choose me to go with.
This is also the week where I have actually gone out and commenced my Christmas shopping. Groan. How I hate Christmas (bah, humbug, we cry once more as we in fact do each year!). Lordy but I'm sad.
Anyway, the good news is that the tricksy neighbours have actually sent us a cheque for their proportion of the building insurance, put out the bunting and huzzahs galore. So we don't have to resort - yet! - to Plan B, though I am holding fire until I see that it's gone through, call me cynical eh. Still, it's potential good news and I am grateful for it. I do long though to be out of here and in a place of our own, please God soon. Where be our buyers?? Or indeed viewers??? I fear I am rapidly losing faith with Mann Countrywide, so am glad we only signed a 10-week contract with them which takes us up to Christmas. Let's see if they can do something useful by then, but don't hold your breath. Really, it's so disappointing that I can hardly bear to think about it. Our current plan is that, after Christmas, we won't renew with them if they're doing nothing, but will try to see if we can part-exchange the flat for a new house - there do seem to be plenty around in our price range. I suppose we'll have to wait and see.
And tonight, K and I are off the the theatre - wind and rain permitting - to see The Knicker Lady, so hang on to your drawers, girls, as anything could happen.
Anne Brooke
Sunday, November 07, 2010
Covers, coffee and Christmas
Book News:
Much to my delight, the cover for A Dangerous Man has been nominated for the Imperial Artisan Awards where you can also vote for it. So far, it's received 7.44% of the vote, so thank you for those who are supporting it, and if you would like to and haven't yet done so, please go along and cast your vote too! Many thanks ...
Inspired by its unexpected success, I have started writing a sequel to The Delaneys and Me, which I am calling Entertaining the Delaneys. Naturally, this will be a piece of serious fiction focusing on the continuing trials and sorrows of the unfortunate Liam. Which of course you would all believe, if it weren't for the title, eh. What a lot of fun I'm having with it too, and I've only just begun. Indeed, I feel that Liam, bless 'im, has a heck of a lot more to say really about his life and those Delaneys, and I have even thought of a plot for a third and a fourth in the series, but let's not get too carried away at this point. I'd better get the second story sorted out first.
A poem this week:
Beginning
So we begin once more,
you and I,
our first few steps
encompassing the sky
in its daylight shades
of cream and blue,
the borders of heaven
our only view
until something distracts me
out of the dance –
a flutter, a whisper
drawing my glance
so I totter and tumble
down from the sky:
let us begin once more,
you and I.
Plus there have been two meditation poems:
Meditation 455
Sometimes when we turn to face
our greatest fear –
the sword in the night,
disease, death –
all we have dreaded
simply melts away
like a bad dream
in the morning light
and we are left
untroubled and free.
Meditation 456
Seven years’ travel,
a quiet return,
the recovery of land
and – most important of all –
knowing the prophet by name
prove beyond any doubt
and in this first lesson of history
that it’s not what you know
but who you know that counts.
And two Sunday haikus
An English Apple
Crunchy, honeyed zing,
snap of spices on my tongue,
sunlight in my hand.
There are more poems
around than you think: walk slow,
speak soft and don't blink.
Life News:
We've had the builders sorting out a new chimney for the downstairs neighbour during the latter part of the week, which has been brilliant. The chimney comes up outside our kitchen window so we've had the perfect view of all the fun that's been happening with the scaffolding, the rather dodgy-looking stepladder and the spirit-levels. My goodness, but they're thorough, and the new chimney they're in the process of rebuilding looks grand. They also swear like troopers but in a rather charming way (pass the effing pipe, Jim; is that an effing brick?; an effing sunny day today, etc etc) when they can't see me as I'm working in the spare room, but have the language of newly-minted saints when they think I'm in the vicinity. It's all rather sweet. I'm thinking of popping out to see them next week and asking if they want an effing cup of tea, but I fear they might be too embarrassed at being caught out.
Yesterday, I had lunch with Pauline (hello, Pauline!) at a hotel in Maidstone, and it was great to meet up and catch up, but I suspect I had rather too many fully caff cappuccinos as I was very shaky when I drove back. I really do have to watch that caffeine intake, as a former addict (as it were). Bring on the decaff versions and soon. And today, I have written out my Christmas list of cards and presents that I need to buy - what a super-heroine I am! - but I'm really cutting down once more this year so am only planning to send out 28 cards, rather than the usual 50 plus. Soon I will have no friends left at all, you know ... Christmas? Bah, humbug ...
And, deep sigh, still no interest in our very lovely flat, even with the 20k cut in price, further deep sighing. Soon I will be paying people to come and view it, even if they don't want to buy, you know. I fear nobody likes the Victorian age any more, ah well.
Anne Brooke
Much to my delight, the cover for A Dangerous Man has been nominated for the Imperial Artisan Awards where you can also vote for it. So far, it's received 7.44% of the vote, so thank you for those who are supporting it, and if you would like to and haven't yet done so, please go along and cast your vote too! Many thanks ...
Inspired by its unexpected success, I have started writing a sequel to The Delaneys and Me, which I am calling Entertaining the Delaneys. Naturally, this will be a piece of serious fiction focusing on the continuing trials and sorrows of the unfortunate Liam. Which of course you would all believe, if it weren't for the title, eh. What a lot of fun I'm having with it too, and I've only just begun. Indeed, I feel that Liam, bless 'im, has a heck of a lot more to say really about his life and those Delaneys, and I have even thought of a plot for a third and a fourth in the series, but let's not get too carried away at this point. I'd better get the second story sorted out first.
A poem this week:
Beginning
So we begin once more,
you and I,
our first few steps
encompassing the sky
in its daylight shades
of cream and blue,
the borders of heaven
our only view
until something distracts me
out of the dance –
a flutter, a whisper
drawing my glance
so I totter and tumble
down from the sky:
let us begin once more,
you and I.
Plus there have been two meditation poems:
Meditation 455
Sometimes when we turn to face
our greatest fear –
the sword in the night,
disease, death –
all we have dreaded
simply melts away
like a bad dream
in the morning light
and we are left
untroubled and free.
Meditation 456
Seven years’ travel,
a quiet return,
the recovery of land
and – most important of all –
knowing the prophet by name
prove beyond any doubt
and in this first lesson of history
that it’s not what you know
but who you know that counts.
And two Sunday haikus
An English Apple
Crunchy, honeyed zing,
snap of spices on my tongue,
sunlight in my hand.
There are more poems
around than you think: walk slow,
speak soft and don't blink.
Life News:
We've had the builders sorting out a new chimney for the downstairs neighbour during the latter part of the week, which has been brilliant. The chimney comes up outside our kitchen window so we've had the perfect view of all the fun that's been happening with the scaffolding, the rather dodgy-looking stepladder and the spirit-levels. My goodness, but they're thorough, and the new chimney they're in the process of rebuilding looks grand. They also swear like troopers but in a rather charming way (pass the effing pipe, Jim; is that an effing brick?; an effing sunny day today, etc etc) when they can't see me as I'm working in the spare room, but have the language of newly-minted saints when they think I'm in the vicinity. It's all rather sweet. I'm thinking of popping out to see them next week and asking if they want an effing cup of tea, but I fear they might be too embarrassed at being caught out.
Yesterday, I had lunch with Pauline (hello, Pauline!) at a hotel in Maidstone, and it was great to meet up and catch up, but I suspect I had rather too many fully caff cappuccinos as I was very shaky when I drove back. I really do have to watch that caffeine intake, as a former addict (as it were). Bring on the decaff versions and soon. And today, I have written out my Christmas list of cards and presents that I need to buy - what a super-heroine I am! - but I'm really cutting down once more this year so am only planning to send out 28 cards, rather than the usual 50 plus. Soon I will have no friends left at all, you know ... Christmas? Bah, humbug ...
And, deep sigh, still no interest in our very lovely flat, even with the 20k cut in price, further deep sighing. Soon I will be paying people to come and view it, even if they don't want to buy, you know. I fear nobody likes the Victorian age any more, ah well.
Anne Brooke
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Hit Lists, houses and haikus
Book News:
Much to my astonishment, The Hit List made it up to No 5 in the Amazon UK Kindle store this week, thought it's plummeted down now. But so nice to be on those dizzy heights for a while. Speaking of books, you can now find a good clutch of my ebooks at 1PlaceForRomance Ebooks, including A Dangerous Man, so happy browsing.
You can also purchase my literary lesbian short story, The Girl in the Painting at a 20% discount for today only at Rainbow Ebooks, so don't miss out!
I've also been utterly thrilled at the level of the last quarter's royalties from Amber Allure Press which are the highest I've ever had, hurrah! I must obviously focus on writing more gay erotic stories, as those are the ones readers seem to enjoy most. My goodness, am I developing a commercial focus at last?? K will be pleased!...
This week's meditation:
Meditation 451
Iron and water
rarely blend
except where prophets
make do and mend.
The Sunday haiku:
Bright leaves turn golden
and darkest red, embracing
summer's soft farewell.
Life News:
I'm feeling a little better today, thank the Lord. Last week's depression was really nasty and took me into a flat spin, frankly. So thank goodness for a double dose of St John's Wort and also thank goodness for the fact that K and I had dinner with friends (hello, Robin & Liz and assorted partners!) on Friday night, which was great and really put some perspective onto all the angst. Sometimes you do just have to get out and chat to people, you know.
Yesterday, we sorted out our mortgage application ready for finding (hopefully) somewhere else to buy and being able to (please God ...), and will post all that off tomorrow. We also saw a couple of bungalows in Normandy, one of which was really nice, and the other not so, but it was in a road full of bungalows and silence, and is it just me or is that slightly creepy? If we move there, do we have to start wearing patterned jumpers? Who can tell ...
On the other side of the equation, we nearly had a viewing of the flat last week apparently, but at the last minute our would-be viewer changed her mind and put an offer on something else dammit. Deep sigh. If we don't get any further bites this week, then we will have to drop the price, I think. We'll see how it's going or even if it's going by mid week.
Today, I've enjoyed the bliss of my extra hour (hurrah!) and the extra bliss that the neighbour opposite put a huge sack of Bramley apple windfalls outside her drive with a big notice for people to take them. Naturally we did and have enjoyed apple crumble and custard for lunch, mmm ... Must remember to thank her for them when I next see her.
Anne Brooke
Much to my astonishment, The Hit List made it up to No 5 in the Amazon UK Kindle store this week, thought it's plummeted down now. But so nice to be on those dizzy heights for a while. Speaking of books, you can now find a good clutch of my ebooks at 1PlaceForRomance Ebooks, including A Dangerous Man, so happy browsing.
You can also purchase my literary lesbian short story, The Girl in the Painting at a 20% discount for today only at Rainbow Ebooks, so don't miss out!
I've also been utterly thrilled at the level of the last quarter's royalties from Amber Allure Press which are the highest I've ever had, hurrah! I must obviously focus on writing more gay erotic stories, as those are the ones readers seem to enjoy most. My goodness, am I developing a commercial focus at last?? K will be pleased!...
This week's meditation:
Meditation 451
Iron and water
rarely blend
except where prophets
make do and mend.
The Sunday haiku:
Bright leaves turn golden
and darkest red, embracing
summer's soft farewell.
Life News:
I'm feeling a little better today, thank the Lord. Last week's depression was really nasty and took me into a flat spin, frankly. So thank goodness for a double dose of St John's Wort and also thank goodness for the fact that K and I had dinner with friends (hello, Robin & Liz and assorted partners!) on Friday night, which was great and really put some perspective onto all the angst. Sometimes you do just have to get out and chat to people, you know.
Yesterday, we sorted out our mortgage application ready for finding (hopefully) somewhere else to buy and being able to (please God ...), and will post all that off tomorrow. We also saw a couple of bungalows in Normandy, one of which was really nice, and the other not so, but it was in a road full of bungalows and silence, and is it just me or is that slightly creepy? If we move there, do we have to start wearing patterned jumpers? Who can tell ...
On the other side of the equation, we nearly had a viewing of the flat last week apparently, but at the last minute our would-be viewer changed her mind and put an offer on something else dammit. Deep sigh. If we don't get any further bites this week, then we will have to drop the price, I think. We'll see how it's going or even if it's going by mid week.
Today, I've enjoyed the bliss of my extra hour (hurrah!) and the extra bliss that the neighbour opposite put a huge sack of Bramley apple windfalls outside her drive with a big notice for people to take them. Naturally we did and have enjoyed apple crumble and custard for lunch, mmm ... Must remember to thank her for them when I next see her.
Anne Brooke
Friday, October 29, 2010
Where be the happiness?...
(Held over from yesterday as Blogger broke ...)
Life News:
Lordy, what a week. I have to say it's been pretty bad really and I do feel quite depressed. Groan. I think the fact that, as per the doctor's instructions, I've been slowing coming off the HRT to try to solve the cyst issues, and this is my last week of having it hasn't been helping. The HRT really lifts my mood but, without it I feel utterly overwhelmed by everything and basically tired and tearful. Poor K ...
Neither has the fact that I've had to work Monday, Wednesday and tomorrow (Friday) been easing the confusion - I don't really know what hat I have to wear in the mornings, and I just get used to the work hat when the home hat must be worn and vice versa. And it's so ruddy busy and difficult too in the office, there's hardly a moment to breathe. God, what a moaner I am. No change there then.
In addition I've had a screaming/swearing/shouting/sobbing match with the other consultant and AXA Healthcare, as they for some unknown reason have involved me in the fact that the consultant hasn't been paid yet - as AXA say he's not sent them the report and GP letter which enables them to pay my bill, though the consultant's secretary says they have sent it, so I then went back to AXA who say they haven't got it, and could I ring the consultant's secretary back to get them to fax it to them, and no they can't ring the doctor's to get their fax numbers direct as they're too busy to do that (as if I'm lazing around doing nothing, eh, eh ...) and I must do it even though yes they understand that I pay for their ruddy private health cover and I'm the client. By which time I'm barking mad and so tearful I can barely speak to the sodding phone-idiot. Eventually he tries to ring the doctor whilst I'm sobbing on the phone but he says (liar, I'm sure) he can't get through so I must ring back and get the fax number. So I put the phone down on him and ring the consultant's secretary again by which point I'm beyond reason and shout at her to give me the effing fax number without any chit-chat as I don't have time or energy for this kind of thing which in my view she should ruddy well be doing anyway. I get the fax number, ring AXA back, chant it to them, tell them to sort it out if they haven't got paid without involving me again because I'm the sodding patient and I can't be arsed with their stupidity and put the phone down on them too. Plonkers. If I never have to deal with (a) ruddy AXA Healthcare or (b) the other consultant's secretary again, then frankly it won't be a bloody moment too soon. All that whilst at work too - no wonder Ruth took pity on me and got me a coffee, fully-caff. Ruth is an angel. No argument about that.
But really, no wonder I'm pissed off ...
Not only that but the troublesome absentee neighbours in the middle flat are causing a fuss about K very kindly paying their share of the house building insurance for them as it was due and we thought the building should really continue to be insured (well, it seemed logical to us ...). Anyway, they're querying the long-standing division of costs, the rebuilding costs, the lease, the contents, what we might do if we decide to flood them (oh the temptation, don't even mention it ...) and anything else that springs to their troublesome minds. In addition, they have now started questioning the very lovely downstairs neighbours about whether she has been using their lawnmower (um no, she hasn't ...) and whether the garage she owns is in fact hers (it is. We know it is as this flat sold it to them in the 1960s and so it's got nothing whatsoever to do with the ruddy middle neighbours, who really just try to get their facts right or simply butt out of what is none of their business). The crux of the matter is I understand they hate us (we hate them too so it's fair dues) but why they have to interfere with the perfectly innocent downstairs neighbour is way way beyond us. Perhaps they are just insane? It's a definite possibility.
So, what with all this, I'm now deeply worried about what will happen and what problems they might cause if we ever get a buyer for our flat (academic question at the moment as dammit but no-one's come near the place and it's been a week already, sigh ...) and whether they'll decide to block the sales agreement (their right as a one-third freeholder) and therefore prevent us from selling at all. Maybe I'm over-dramatising, but yes I am worried about this. Whatever happens, I do not want to be in this flat for my next birthday in summer 2011. I've really seriously got to be out of here by then, if only for reasons of mental wellbeing, even if we have to abandon it and simply buy a similar property elsewhere. I fear Flat 2 might become an albatross round our neck we're never going to be rid of and therefore the dream of an extra bedroom we might use as a study plus a garden and a garage might be vanishing away. And if the neighbours won't let us sell it, then they're unlikely to allow us to rent it out either, further sighing ... If all this has taught me one thing and a thing I will freely share with you now, it's this: never ever buy leasehold, no matter how lovely the people are you're sharing it with - as things move on and other people come in, and you can never ever tell what might happen. Still, I hope it doesn't come to this, as I just want us or them to leave. Yes, I'm probably being paranoid, but it's been a difficult week and getting perspective is really really tough. On the brighter side, I'm sure (sort of) that the middle neighbours must want us to leave - why wouldn't they?? After all, from the evidence of this paragraph we are of course insane ... In the meantime I've started to take 2 St John's Wort pills per day instead of one to try to bring back the happiness though - I'll let you know if it works, ho hum.
Book News:
A Dangerous Man did really well in the recent giveaway at Jessewave Reviews, so I'm very pleased about that. It's also now available at Amazon UK and also at Rainbow Ebooks, so that's nice. Apparently people are even buying it, well gosh.
At Vulpes Libris, I reviewed The Book of Happy Endings by Elise Valmorbida - she's an author I do admire, but I don't think true short stories bring out any of her natural clarity and humanity, which is a shame. Neither are they very happy either, but hey maybe that's my mood. Who can tell.
Meditation 449
Any miracle
leaves its mark:
the memory of poison
thwarted; bread
too numerous to eat;
an echo of wonder.
Meditation 450
If only all diseases
could be cured as easily
by this simple matter
of washing
and understanding
the subtle magic
in the earth.
Anne Brooke
Life News:
Lordy, what a week. I have to say it's been pretty bad really and I do feel quite depressed. Groan. I think the fact that, as per the doctor's instructions, I've been slowing coming off the HRT to try to solve the cyst issues, and this is my last week of having it hasn't been helping. The HRT really lifts my mood but, without it I feel utterly overwhelmed by everything and basically tired and tearful. Poor K ...
Neither has the fact that I've had to work Monday, Wednesday and tomorrow (Friday) been easing the confusion - I don't really know what hat I have to wear in the mornings, and I just get used to the work hat when the home hat must be worn and vice versa. And it's so ruddy busy and difficult too in the office, there's hardly a moment to breathe. God, what a moaner I am. No change there then.
In addition I've had a screaming/swearing/shouting/sobbing match with the other consultant and AXA Healthcare, as they for some unknown reason have involved me in the fact that the consultant hasn't been paid yet - as AXA say he's not sent them the report and GP letter which enables them to pay my bill, though the consultant's secretary says they have sent it, so I then went back to AXA who say they haven't got it, and could I ring the consultant's secretary back to get them to fax it to them, and no they can't ring the doctor's to get their fax numbers direct as they're too busy to do that (as if I'm lazing around doing nothing, eh, eh ...) and I must do it even though yes they understand that I pay for their ruddy private health cover and I'm the client. By which time I'm barking mad and so tearful I can barely speak to the sodding phone-idiot. Eventually he tries to ring the doctor whilst I'm sobbing on the phone but he says (liar, I'm sure) he can't get through so I must ring back and get the fax number. So I put the phone down on him and ring the consultant's secretary again by which point I'm beyond reason and shout at her to give me the effing fax number without any chit-chat as I don't have time or energy for this kind of thing which in my view she should ruddy well be doing anyway. I get the fax number, ring AXA back, chant it to them, tell them to sort it out if they haven't got paid without involving me again because I'm the sodding patient and I can't be arsed with their stupidity and put the phone down on them too. Plonkers. If I never have to deal with (a) ruddy AXA Healthcare or (b) the other consultant's secretary again, then frankly it won't be a bloody moment too soon. All that whilst at work too - no wonder Ruth took pity on me and got me a coffee, fully-caff. Ruth is an angel. No argument about that.
But really, no wonder I'm pissed off ...
Not only that but the troublesome absentee neighbours in the middle flat are causing a fuss about K very kindly paying their share of the house building insurance for them as it was due and we thought the building should really continue to be insured (well, it seemed logical to us ...). Anyway, they're querying the long-standing division of costs, the rebuilding costs, the lease, the contents, what we might do if we decide to flood them (oh the temptation, don't even mention it ...) and anything else that springs to their troublesome minds. In addition, they have now started questioning the very lovely downstairs neighbours about whether she has been using their lawnmower (um no, she hasn't ...) and whether the garage she owns is in fact hers (it is. We know it is as this flat sold it to them in the 1960s and so it's got nothing whatsoever to do with the ruddy middle neighbours, who really just try to get their facts right or simply butt out of what is none of their business). The crux of the matter is I understand they hate us (we hate them too so it's fair dues) but why they have to interfere with the perfectly innocent downstairs neighbour is way way beyond us. Perhaps they are just insane? It's a definite possibility.
So, what with all this, I'm now deeply worried about what will happen and what problems they might cause if we ever get a buyer for our flat (academic question at the moment as dammit but no-one's come near the place and it's been a week already, sigh ...) and whether they'll decide to block the sales agreement (their right as a one-third freeholder) and therefore prevent us from selling at all. Maybe I'm over-dramatising, but yes I am worried about this. Whatever happens, I do not want to be in this flat for my next birthday in summer 2011. I've really seriously got to be out of here by then, if only for reasons of mental wellbeing, even if we have to abandon it and simply buy a similar property elsewhere. I fear Flat 2 might become an albatross round our neck we're never going to be rid of and therefore the dream of an extra bedroom we might use as a study plus a garden and a garage might be vanishing away. And if the neighbours won't let us sell it, then they're unlikely to allow us to rent it out either, further sighing ... If all this has taught me one thing and a thing I will freely share with you now, it's this: never ever buy leasehold, no matter how lovely the people are you're sharing it with - as things move on and other people come in, and you can never ever tell what might happen. Still, I hope it doesn't come to this, as I just want us or them to leave. Yes, I'm probably being paranoid, but it's been a difficult week and getting perspective is really really tough. On the brighter side, I'm sure (sort of) that the middle neighbours must want us to leave - why wouldn't they?? After all, from the evidence of this paragraph we are of course insane ... In the meantime I've started to take 2 St John's Wort pills per day instead of one to try to bring back the happiness though - I'll let you know if it works, ho hum.
Book News:
A Dangerous Man did really well in the recent giveaway at Jessewave Reviews, so I'm very pleased about that. It's also now available at Amazon UK and also at Rainbow Ebooks, so that's nice. Apparently people are even buying it, well gosh.
At Vulpes Libris, I reviewed The Book of Happy Endings by Elise Valmorbida - she's an author I do admire, but I don't think true short stories bring out any of her natural clarity and humanity, which is a shame. Neither are they very happy either, but hey maybe that's my mood. Who can tell.
Meditation 449
Any miracle
leaves its mark:
the memory of poison
thwarted; bread
too numerous to eat;
an echo of wonder.
Meditation 450
If only all diseases
could be cured as easily
by this simple matter
of washing
and understanding
the subtle magic
in the earth.
Anne Brooke
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