Gardening and gratitude

Life News:

It must be spring. The fountain is back in the shrubbery and we have done huge amounts of gardening. A trip to Wisley for the Spring Fair yesterday furnished us with dwarf tulips, a red carnation, heuchera (Milan, as we already have Paris - I'm determined to grow my heuchera city names collection as they're the ones with the best flowers), three types of mint and a whole plantation of herbs. We've planted all these now in various places, with the mint plants going in one special pot, and the herbs going in another. Oh, and I also bought another shrub with pink flowers for the shrubbery.

Meanwhile the blossom on the apple tree at the front is looking utterly glorious and the bees love it too. If you stand underneath the tree in the afternoon, it's like being in a bee hive, it's so loud.

Today, K and I have, variously, taken out or radically pruned a couple of shrubs at the back which weren't doing any good to anyone, built a fence, and weeded, watered and mulched the shrubbery - the dark mulch is great, as it really brings out the variety of greens and the pink flowers beautifully. Will definitely be getting more of that one. I've also potted up some osteospermum plug plants to add to our collection in the summerhouse. We're also thinking of getting some red, white and blue phlox for the front especially for Jubilee Year, just to show willing, as you do! Oh, and I've cleared the weed tip near the fence at the front and we're hoping to put a euphorbia in as it's very shady there.

So, gardening city this weekend - well, it's certainly been the weather for it! There is other news, however, for the non-gardeners amongst us. I had a lovely time at Elstead Writers yesterday (hello, all!) and really can't wait for the next one. Such an amazing group. This weekend the clocks went forward so I'm missing my hour, that's for sure. However, I'm not the only one - the organist at church this morning didn't turn up until the second hymn, and though I think we bravely battled our way through the first one unaccompanied, it was definitely better when he arrived, phew. Plus K and I have bravely signed up to the electoral roll, which is usually the sign for imminent spiritual disaster to come on my part, but I'm hoping not, as I do like the church ...

On Friday, K was so utterly keen for cake that he actually cut out two perfect greaseproof paper circles and left them on top of the cake mix before he went to work. Ha! So no pressure then - but I think I muddled through and the lemon drizzle cake is going down a treat, I believe. I'm storing it in my new super-large cake storage tin, and am well on the way to becoming Elstead's Domestic Goddess, ho ho ...

And, inspired by the Lent course last week, I've placed two gratitude bowls on the hall shelf. There are lots of lovely white glass beads in one of them and every time I think of something nice that's happened, I put a bead in the emptier bowl. It's great fun and this weekend it's been filling up nicely, hurrah. That said, I did manage to spill the coffee over the living room floor, and wondered if I should return a bead to the original bowl, but I do understand it's not in the spirit of the thing, alas - and besides the floor downstairs is wood, so anything spilt is easy enough to wipe up, thank goodness.

Book News:

Don't forget there's still 30% discount on many of my Untreed Read books till the end of March, so if you fancy a literary, biblical or sci-fi story, now's your chance. I was also really pleased with a lovely review at Goodreads of The Heart's Greater Silence. Many thanks, KZ, for that. And I've been lucky enough to be one of the ten experts giving their opinion about publishing at the Book Marketing Buzz Blog.  Interesting times ahead, that's for sure.

And don't forget you can still win a FREE e-copy of fantasy novel The Gifting if you sign up for my newsletter. Go on - you know you want to ...

This week's meditation poem is:




Meditation 633
There is no requirement
laid upon us

to battle with the shadowed
mesh of the days to come

when each moment,
brightly lived and breathed,

possesses every treasure
to the utmost sum.


The Sunday haiku is:

Sunshine slows my day.
It soaks through my fragile skin,
soothes my cares away.


Anne Brooke
The Gathandria Fantasy Trilogy
Gay Reads UK
Biblical Fiction UK

Crocuses and crime

Book News:

I'm pleased to say that crime does actually pay, hurrah: my most borrowed library book over this last year has apparently been psychological thriller Thorn in the Flesh, so that's very pleasing, I must say. Good for my heroine, Kate!

At the same time, gay crime thriller A Dangerous Man garnered a 4-star review at Goodreads this week - thank you, Suzette! I particularly enjoyed the phrase about "sifting through the darkness to find the light." Ah, as in writing, so in life, indeed ...

This week, I've written three more blog posts for my upcoming book tour, including articles on bullying and the call of the dark, and have reviewed Jane Gordon-Cumming's novel, A Proper Family Christmas, for Vulpes Libris. So, I've not been idle, you'll be pleased to hear.

At the same time, I've decided to bring to a close my experiment with thoughtful blogging at The Thoughtful Corner for a variety of reasons, not least because the year is set to continue to be busy in writing terms so I don't believe I can spare the time for it. But many thanks to those of you who did pop in for a visit, and I hope we can all keep up the rather slower approach to life in the months ahead. Thus making this paragraph something of a contradiction in terms, I know, but there you have it. As it were.

I've also been rather wickedly amused with a couple of recent articles about the state of publishing: one on the different approaches of the big publishers and Amazon; and one on how local independent bookstores aren't really local and don't do much to encourage reading. Do take a look and see what you think - when it comes to it and even though Amazon don't appear to be that keen (still!) on gay literature, my sympathy is actually with Amazon on both counts as I don't think much of the attitudes of the big publishers or agents, and I've long since given up on the concept of the local bookshop - even though I appreciate that's distinctly not what I'm supposed to say, it is when it comes to it what I really think. My writing and reading life has, after all, long since gone online and that's where my heart lies.

Recent meditations are:


Meditation 611
We live in the balance:
floating somewhere between
our wrong decisions
and the occasional good
we do

whilst far beyond
our understanding
the planets turn
and ancient stars
still shine.




Meditation 612
When the measured dance
and glance of time

meets the wild light
of bright eternity

then the strong harmony
we long for

will like a forgotten chord
finally be restored.




Meditation 613
In each life
there’s a time

for silence
and a time

to speak.
The wisdom

is finding
the difference.


Life News:

We now have a crocus that is actually in bloom in the front garden, well gosh! It's absolutely beautiful and I hope it manages to hang on in there somehow. Almost a miracle to find such a sign of spring in the middle of winter. We do indeed have to grasp the small hopes when we see them, eh.

And it's back to my normal working routine so that's a relief - I feel much more settled than I did last week anyway. Plus I had a lovely lunch with a writing friend of mine at the University, Ali, yesterday, so it was great to catch up there. Keeping to the socialising theme, I invited a couple of neighbours round for coffee and shortbread this afternoon after I'd finished writing my blog articles, so that's been fantastic too. Heck, I'm almost sounding like a normal member of the community - whatever next?...

Tonight, K and I are off on our first theatre trip of 2012 to see Alan Ayckbourn's new play, Neighbourhood Watch. It looks more sombre than his earlier offerings, so I'm interested to see how it goes. Recently I think he's been taking a more serious tone in his plays and I've really enjoyed it, so I have high hopes. But the best joy of the week is certainly the news that crime drama Whitechapel is coming back to our screen on 30 January for a series of 3 two-parters, hurrah! Bliss. I can't wait.

Anne Brooke
The Gathandrian Trilogy
Biblical Fiction UK
Gay Reads UK