How could I possibly not blog on this beautiful, historic day - the marriage of Prince William and Catherine Middleton? Okay, you've guessed. I'm an avid loyalist. I've had the pleasure to meet and speak to the father of the groom, Prince Charles, on two occasions. Sadly, I never got to meet Diana. However, I feel it in my bones that this will definitely be a fairytale romance, wedding, marriage, relationship. Everybody loves William and I'm sure that Catherine is perfect as his princess and, when the occasion comes, Queen.
The question on everybody's lips is surely going to be: "Where were you on the day of the wedding?" Well, at two minutes to 12 (French time) and two minutes to eleven British time, I was at the doctors having an injection in my arthritic knee. The puncture made, a large dressing put on (no idea why he did it so big) my doctor slapped me on the leg and told me to get back to the royal wedding! I think I may have broken a speed limit or two, but I arrived home just in time to take in the whole marriage service and stayed put until the balcony scene, the "Oh, wow!" exclamation from Kate as she saw the crowds and, of course, the two lovely kisses, with Prince Harry joking with Kate's sister and his grandfather, and Prince Charles with a tiny little girl in his arms so she could see the thousands of people gathered and cheering in front of the Palace. Wasn't the dress and veil a dream and just right for the slim and elegant Kate? The designers (McQueen, I think) got it exactly right.
I drank to the newlyweds' future happiness with a Whisky Mac and a couple of sticky meringues - don't think any writing or painting will be done today.
29 April 2011
20 April 2011
Springtime in Gascony
There's nothing quite like Springtime in Gascony. It happens overnight. Suddenly, the afternoon temperatures soar, the trees turn green,the flowers bloom and the bees buzz in a deafening chorus.
Our sleepy little village awakens with the first morning light. Still snug in my cozy bed I listen to the birth of the day. A car revs up and drives off, the first sound to break the silence. Down at the local farm there's an unidentified engine whirring while the cows - brown, long-horned Salers and parchment white Charolaises compete with the plaintive braying of donkeys.
Through my open window the scent of tree blossom and roses wafts on the cool air and a Nightingale arouses the Black Caps and the Blackbirds in a magical chorus that will continue throughout the day.
Downstairs, my two miniature Yorkies are awake and having their daily spat while waiting impatiently for doors to be opened and dishes to be filled.
I'm out of bed, filled with renewed vigour and inspiration for the next novel, which I've only just started to write.
As usual, things get in the way, I'm sidetracked by the unexpected. This morning it was a surprise visit by a worldly-wise seven year old French boy who had decided to come and say "Bonjour". Seven, going on seventeen, and as big as a ten year old, was fascinated to see inside an English home, enchanted by Candy and Toby, and full of questions for my husband, Brian, who speaks no French! And the house is at its most unclean, most untidy state and the French friend and neighbour Louis came with is ultra house-proud - certainly great competition for the legendary Mrs Bucket - or is that Mme Bouquet!
So, here it is getting on for midday and a quick lunch before I keep my appointment with an orthopaedic surgeon who will, I pray, sort out my knees without resorting to surgery. So, little writing will be achieved today, though I am more than pleased to tell you that Chapter Two is underway and I have at last sussed out the route of the story - possibly my most challenging yet, spanning 100 years. A veritable saga!
Our sleepy little village awakens with the first morning light. Still snug in my cozy bed I listen to the birth of the day. A car revs up and drives off, the first sound to break the silence. Down at the local farm there's an unidentified engine whirring while the cows - brown, long-horned Salers and parchment white Charolaises compete with the plaintive braying of donkeys.
Through my open window the scent of tree blossom and roses wafts on the cool air and a Nightingale arouses the Black Caps and the Blackbirds in a magical chorus that will continue throughout the day.
Downstairs, my two miniature Yorkies are awake and having their daily spat while waiting impatiently for doors to be opened and dishes to be filled.
I'm out of bed, filled with renewed vigour and inspiration for the next novel, which I've only just started to write.
As usual, things get in the way, I'm sidetracked by the unexpected. This morning it was a surprise visit by a worldly-wise seven year old French boy who had decided to come and say "Bonjour". Seven, going on seventeen, and as big as a ten year old, was fascinated to see inside an English home, enchanted by Candy and Toby, and full of questions for my husband, Brian, who speaks no French! And the house is at its most unclean, most untidy state and the French friend and neighbour Louis came with is ultra house-proud - certainly great competition for the legendary Mrs Bucket - or is that Mme Bouquet!
So, here it is getting on for midday and a quick lunch before I keep my appointment with an orthopaedic surgeon who will, I pray, sort out my knees without resorting to surgery. So, little writing will be achieved today, though I am more than pleased to tell you that Chapter Two is underway and I have at last sussed out the route of the story - possibly my most challenging yet, spanning 100 years. A veritable saga!
14 April 2011
Flower portraits
I have also, quite recently, taken up doing animal portraits for people who love and want to preserve their household pets. It's such a rewarding thing to do, especially when you get it right! Portraits aren't the easiest things to paint. Now, I use Chromacolour for most things - used as watercolour or acryllic. It's a medium that gives me the most satisfaction and simply glows with life.
On the writing side, "The Last Monsoon" is coming along nicely. I've received my author's copy of "The Red Earth" and am impatiently waiting for the Hale hardback of "The Raging Spirit", due out at the end of April 2011. No matter how many books I write, I still have that very special tweak of excitement when one is published.
05 April 2011
GETTING THE MOJO BACK!
Tuesday, March 29, 2011March has been..interesting!
NEW NOVEL IN THE OFFING:
After five months of chronic sciatica, I'm finally on the mend and feel I can sit at my computer for more than half an hour at a time and compose, not only myself, but my next novel. I've already thrown the beginnings of one novel aside - it really wasn't working to my liking, so I'll save it for another time perhaps. The "new" new novel is in the embryo stages and I'm faced with quite a lot of research, though I tend to do this as I move on through the story rather than saturate my brain and my research archives with reams of information that I will never use. Quite often, I find that the size of the research file is greater than the size of the completed typescript.
What's that? You want to know what the new book will be about? Hmm, well, allow me to keep some details up my sleeve for now. I will, however, tempt you with the words "Ceylon" (now Sri Lanka): tea and herb plantations, love, passion, hate and murder - and monsoons. There, is that enough to whet your appetite until I can get it all down on paper and sent to my publisher, Robert Hale, who has faithfully published my work for the last ten years. Long may it continue to be so.
This week I received the published Large Print version of "THE RED HILLS" - a love story set in Kenya. Thorpe/Ulverscroft have made a really nice job of the cover. I am now awaiting the arrival of my latest published Hale novel - "THE RAGING SPIRIT" - a romantic suspense set on the island of Hirta (St Kilda). I've already seen the dust jacket for that and it's very atmospheric.
FRUSTRATIONS OF THE ARTIST:
At long last I have been able to get back to my art work, though I am going to have to disappoint the Culture Committee of my village, who normally count on me to put on a good show. With five months of ill-health - a huge bite out of my life - I feel I have a lot to catch up, as well as the need to relax and get my strength back. It's not like me to run out of energy, but this time - age does, I'm afraid play its dreadful part, even thought my mind tells me that I am still only 38 and not blah-di-blah. Old or young, it's all a state of mind, never mind what the body tells us.
Anyway, I'm back to teaching painting to my group of wannabe artists and I'm also enjoying the new studio I had built last year - it's my gorgeous home from home, my pied de terre and I couldn't be happier than when I'm installed in there with the sun shining in the big glass doors and me staring out at the trees and the distant hills - getting my fingers thick with paint and dreaming of my next project (there's always something being cooked up in mind!).
I did have a shock the other day when I opened a large plastic storage box and found that a mouse had been having fun making miniature streamers out of a couple of water-colours I'd painted. Oh, disaster!
CANDY and TOBY
My two miniature Yorkshire terriers are doing fine. They are finally starting to form a canine team and there are fewer spats. They were found recently helping themselves to their own food through holes they had chewed in the bag, which had been left standing on the kitchen floor. Toby is in training to stop his deafening barking when somebody comes to the door. I find a small plastic bottle with a few stones inside rattles loudly enough to make him stop. I wish it would work the same with his toilet habits - still not properly clean at 18 months. The vet says this is probably something to do with how he was kept in the first few weeks of life - he came out of a barn. He is now, thankfully, telling me when he wants to go out, but on occasion he's already done the business beforehand and is probably telling me that I need to wipe up. But I do love him as he's very affectionate and a real character. I adore Candy too, but she's a gentle little lady who is at this moment on her cushio snoring rather loudly.
GENEALOGY
I've just taken out a subscription to Ancestry.co.uk and I can see that I am going to get hooked, because in a few days I've already found a whole lot more information on my ancestors than I ever could with Genes United. Like most people, I have skeletons in the old family cupboard and how exciting it is rooting around in the ancient records to see what I can turn up. Unfortunately, the family names are far too simple to make it easy- Richardson and Williams are hardly rare, but i'm getting more feedback on Peel and Cummings.
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Labels: Ceylon, New novel, painting, plantations
Saturday, February 19, 2011What happened to Christmas?
Well, I don't know about your Christmas, but mine was well and truly cancelled. The problems started in November 2010 when I was suddenly struck down with a variety of aches and pains and needed to have injections and scans, but well before Christmas the aches and pains turned into a full-blown chronic sciatica. Four months down the road and I'm just recovering from this painful affliction. I couldn't walk, could hardly move, so put on weight with lack of exercise and turned into a zombie couch potato. Anyone who know me will understand how frustrated I felt.
Happily, I'm now well on the road to recovery, but still taking things easy. However, I have managed to continue with my Avon work and so far it's going quite nicely thank you! Once I can get out and about again I hope to get more clients to make it all worthwhile, but as a pure beginner at the business I'm not complaining.
So, what else has happened in the meantime? Another book heading for publication in May this year - THE RAGING SPIRIT - set in 1890 on the islands of St Kilda in the wild seas off north western Scotland. I'm now starting work on what I hope to be my next novel - a contemporary thriller with a touch of "is it or is it not" supernatural. It's a big departure from my usual saga type genre, but I figure it's time I moved, not so much on from there, but sideways.
Painting, like writing, has also been sitting on the shelf waiting for my health to improve and here too I plan to take a sideways step and incorporate some bigger abstract works.
Well, I've had a busy weekend so far, back and forward to the vet with one of my lovely dogs, an Avon reunion and now I'm going to settle down with a bit of forbidden joy - a glass of red wine. I shall no doubt be asleep before my husband is finished watching football on the tele. Ah, well. Let's see what tomorrow brings.
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Labels: Avon, new publication, St Kilda, thriller
Wednesday, December 8,
NEW NOVEL IN THE OFFING:
After five months of chronic sciatica, I'm finally on the mend and feel I can sit at my computer for more than half an hour at a time and compose, not only myself, but my next novel. I've already thrown the beginnings of one novel aside - it really wasn't working to my liking, so I'll save it for another time perhaps. The "new" new novel is in the embryo stages and I'm faced with quite a lot of research, though I tend to do this as I move on through the story rather than saturate my brain and my research archives with reams of information that I will never use. Quite often, I find that the size of the research file is greater than the size of the completed typescript.
What's that? You want to know what the new book will be about? Hmm, well, allow me to keep some details up my sleeve for now. I will, however, tempt you with the words "Ceylon" (now Sri Lanka): tea and herb plantations, love, passion, hate and murder - and monsoons. There, is that enough to whet your appetite until I can get it all down on paper and sent to my publisher, Robert Hale, who has faithfully published my work for the last ten years. Long may it continue to be so.
This week I received the published Large Print version of "THE RED HILLS" - a love story set in Kenya. Thorpe/Ulverscroft have made a really nice job of the cover. I am now awaiting the arrival of my latest published Hale novel - "THE RAGING SPIRIT" - a romantic suspense set on the island of Hirta (St Kilda). I've already seen the dust jacket for that and it's very atmospheric.
FRUSTRATIONS OF THE ARTIST:
At long last I have been able to get back to my art work, though I am going to have to disappoint the Culture Committee of my village, who normally count on me to put on a good show. With five months of ill-health - a huge bite out of my life - I feel I have a lot to catch up, as well as the need to relax and get my strength back. It's not like me to run out of energy, but this time - age does, I'm afraid play its dreadful part, even thought my mind tells me that I am still only 38 and not blah-di-blah. Old or young, it's all a state of mind, never mind what the body tells us.
Anyway, I'm back to teaching painting to my group of wannabe artists and I'm also enjoying the new studio I had built last year - it's my gorgeous home from home, my pied de terre and I couldn't be happier than when I'm installed in there with the sun shining in the big glass doors and me staring out at the trees and the distant hills - getting my fingers thick with paint and dreaming of my next project (there's always something being cooked up in mind!).
I did have a shock the other day when I opened a large plastic storage box and found that a mouse had been having fun making miniature streamers out of a couple of water-colours I'd painted. Oh, disaster!
CANDY and TOBY
My two miniature Yorkshire terriers are doing fine. They are finally starting to form a canine team and there are fewer spats. They were found recently helping themselves to their own food through holes they had chewed in the bag, which had been left standing on the kitchen floor. Toby is in training to stop his deafening barking when somebody comes to the door. I find a small plastic bottle with a few stones inside rattles loudly enough to make him stop. I wish it would work the same with his toilet habits - still not properly clean at 18 months. The vet says this is probably something to do with how he was kept in the first few weeks of life - he came out of a barn. He is now, thankfully, telling me when he wants to go out, but on occasion he's already done the business beforehand and is probably telling me that I need to wipe up. But I do love him as he's very affectionate and a real character. I adore Candy too, but she's a gentle little lady who is at this moment on her cushio snoring rather loudly.
GENEALOGY
I've just taken out a subscription to Ancestry.co.uk and I can see that I am going to get hooked, because in a few days I've already found a whole lot more information on my ancestors than I ever could with Genes United. Like most people, I have skeletons in the old family cupboard and how exciting it is rooting around in the ancient records to see what I can turn up. Unfortunately, the family names are far too simple to make it easy- Richardson and Williams are hardly rare, but i'm getting more feedback on Peel and Cummings.
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Labels: Ceylon, New novel, painting, plantations
Saturday, February 19, 2011What happened to Christmas?
Well, I don't know about your Christmas, but mine was well and truly cancelled. The problems started in November 2010 when I was suddenly struck down with a variety of aches and pains and needed to have injections and scans, but well before Christmas the aches and pains turned into a full-blown chronic sciatica. Four months down the road and I'm just recovering from this painful affliction. I couldn't walk, could hardly move, so put on weight with lack of exercise and turned into a zombie couch potato. Anyone who know me will understand how frustrated I felt.
Happily, I'm now well on the road to recovery, but still taking things easy. However, I have managed to continue with my Avon work and so far it's going quite nicely thank you! Once I can get out and about again I hope to get more clients to make it all worthwhile, but as a pure beginner at the business I'm not complaining.
So, what else has happened in the meantime? Another book heading for publication in May this year - THE RAGING SPIRIT - set in 1890 on the islands of St Kilda in the wild seas off north western Scotland. I'm now starting work on what I hope to be my next novel - a contemporary thriller with a touch of "is it or is it not" supernatural. It's a big departure from my usual saga type genre, but I figure it's time I moved, not so much on from there, but sideways.
Painting, like writing, has also been sitting on the shelf waiting for my health to improve and here too I plan to take a sideways step and incorporate some bigger abstract works.
Well, I've had a busy weekend so far, back and forward to the vet with one of my lovely dogs, an Avon reunion and now I'm going to settle down with a bit of forbidden joy - a glass of red wine. I shall no doubt be asleep before my husband is finished watching football on the tele. Ah, well. Let's see what tomorrow brings.
Posted by June Gadsby at 8:02 AM 0 comments Email This
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Labels: Avon, new publication, St Kilda, thriller
Wednesday, December 8,
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