Katie Fforde - Going Dutch

Happy Friday lovely people,

Todays post is a quick book review.  Some time ago, one of my favourite authors, the lovely Katie Fforde, wrote a book called Going Dutch.  I have read many of her books but this one managed to slip through the net until kindly Amazon reminded me of it a week or so ago.

In case you haven't read any of her books, Katie writes romantic fiction.  In true Katie style this particular tale has the feel good factor and is perfect for a Summer read.  The story is of Jo and Dora, both escaping broken relationships and finding lasting friendship on a barge on the Thames.  Not only do they find friendship but also adventure and the possibility of romance.

Will Jo get herself together and find love on the Holland trip?  Will Dora ever see what the rest of us see in Tom?

I read this book over several nights.  Ordinarily a night owl, I couldn't wait to switch off the tv, snug up under the duvet and read more of the story.

Thank you Amazon for kindly recommending it to me, I shall heartily recommend it to my friends.  Oh and thank you Katie for yet another lovely light hearted story. 

Julesy x

Short Story - A Moment In Time. I hope you like it x

A Moment In Time.

Alex felt the heat of a scorching red sun beating down on the back of her head on a dizzying hot summer’s day.  And in the all too familiar headspace of another unwelcome trance the flashbacks came.

This time Alex was looking back at the school playground.  A place where lifelong friendships might be forged or perhaps moments that shape a person into what they later become.  There stood a 7-year-old boy and a slightly older girl.  The boy stood quite still, wearing little round glasses with brown plastic frames.  He lifted his hand and shielded his piercing blue eyes from the sun.  He was a skinny specimen in grey shorts with elasticated waist, a crisp white shirt and knee-high socks.  Alex looked back at her childish self; she was somewhat taller and thicker set than the boy, her curly red hair pulled back into a bunch with a bright blue bobble.  She was wearing her red check summer uniform and she carried a pink skipping rope, which dangled down from her right hand.  ‘Move’ she said forcefully, standing directly in front of him.  She stood firmly, hands on hips, her pretty face contorted with contempt.  The boy stood still, rooted to the spot.  Alex enjoyed the feeling of power she had over the boy especially since so many other kids teased her for having ginger hair, pale skin and freckles.  She was taking back control.  This was not the first time she had picked on him; he was a pretty easy target.  ‘Are you deaf as well as stupid’ she said poking him in the chest with the plastic end of the skipping rope.  ‘You could go around me’ he answered, standing up straight and growing in height and confidence.  ‘The playground is big enough for everyone’.  The girl’s face reddened and screwed up with rage.  She took a step forward and leaned in towards him spitting in his face as she spoke ‘Give me your lunch money you silly boy.  You look like a monkey with your stupid hair and your sticky out ears.  Do it now or you’ll be sorry.’ 

The boy thought for a moment and chewed his lip. He fiddled with the coins in his pocket and with a considered look on his face he finally held out a two-pound coin in his sticky hand.  He breathed deeply to stop the tears, which were forming in the corners of his eyes.  As Alex went to snatch it from him he curled his fingers back around it and silently put it back in his pocket. He turned from her and walked away but as he did so Alex whipped the back of his legs with a sharp thwack of her skipping rope, the cheap nylon leaving red welts on the backs of his knees. ‘That’ll teach him’ she thought as she waited for his response.  The boy didn’t falter, he kept walking and he didn’t look back.  She was momentarily puzzled.  Why hadn’t he cried?  Why hadn’t he challenged her?  He had turned the other cheek.  This was bravery.

As quickly as the flashback came, it had passed and in it’s place another.  It was a cold and crisp autumn day.  Alex’s dad was pushing the rusty red bike through piles of red and brown leaves on the pavement outside number 47.  The stabilisers had finally been taken off.  ‘If you believe in yourself you can do it’ he called encouragingly, his hand cupped by the side of his mouth, as she began wobbling down the street on two wheels for the very first time.  Dressed in warm clothes and wearing kneepads and helmet Alex started pedalling hard, wobbly steering giving way to confidence.  ‘Yes!’  Her dad shouted ‘Yes!  I knew you could do it’.  As the bike gathered pace down the hill Alex thought she saw the familiar face of a boy wearing glasses watching her.  At about the same time, she realised that the brakes were failing and as her concentration lapsed both bike and rider clattered in a heap on the pavement.  Alex stood up and brushed the leaves from her woolly jumper.  She was embarrassed having fallen but she waved at her dad from the bottom of the hill and grinned despite the bruised knees and grazed knuckles.  She looked around for the boy.  He was standing beside his own garden-gate half way down the hill.  They exchanged shy smiles as the boy clapped lightly to congratulate her bike-riding success.  With an extraordinary feeling of self-belief never previously experienced, Alex ran back up the hill with the bike.  This was confidence. 

No sooner had the positive sensation of confidence settled then the desperate and unnerving whining noise of an animal in pain flooded through Alex’s mind, like a tidal wave, sweeping the optimistic mood of the previous memory crashing to one side.

Barnaby lay on his side, wrapped up in a thick red jumper.  He shivered, his eyes opening now and then as a tiny whimper escaped his mouth.  The elderly black Labrador foamed gently at the mouth while the boy and the girl sat cross-legged on the floor, side by side and tempted him with water, squeezing a sponge between his lips one last time.  Barnaby was the boy’s dog and he was leaving.  He had been poorly for weeks and nobody could bear to see him hurting any more.  The lady in the green veterinary nurses uniform picked up his weary body and gently carried him to the table.  Family and friends crowded round, each one holding a paw or stroking their friend Barnaby’s grey chin.  Salty tears rolled silently down the faces of ‘his people’ as Barnaby slipped gently away from one world and unseen by the family bounded into the next, released from pain and suffering.    Alex reached out for the boy’s hand and squeezed it gently.  Through the dream-like haze, Alex felt the prickle of new tears forming at the memory shared by two childhood friends.  This was loss.

Looking through a picture window into a small cottage Alex watched as another moment in time flashed before her.  He was big and strong, much changed from his gawky younger self.  He was tall, manly and wearing a smart suit.  Alex matched him in height, her demeanour displaying a gentleness brought on by maturity.  Her thick red curls were pulled back from her face leaving wispy trails just at the sides.  She wore a white cotton dress and no shoes.  A ceiling fan above them gently circled, cooling the oppressive summer night.  They began swaying gently together as the music played.  The sultry sound of At Last by Etta James filled the room.  Alex looked on and drank in the familiarity of the scene. A memory from a life filled with exceptional moments.  The man took off his glasses to reveal his pretty blue eyes and pulled the girl towards him, his lips gently brushing hers.  Their eyes locked as they moved slowly back and forth in time to the music.  He took her hand in his as they edged towards the bedroom and he tenderly touched her cheek.  Electricity filled the air as a storm brewed.  She smiled at him, an unmistakable look of adoration and complete and utter love.  He led her into the bedroom and gently closed the door as thunder grumbled and lightning struck.  This was love.

One memory merged into the next as the thunder grew louder.  Alex watched, unable to move, unable to do anything as the image of war played out.  It was baking hot and the air was dusty and dry, so dry it caught in their throats.  The muffled sound of gunfire and exploding grenades in the distance suddenly replaced by an almighty intense flash of orange and a deafening boom.  The dirt-covered truck was thrown by the full force of the explosion onto its side. Panic ensued. Sound became muted, barely audible.  The medic with the thick red hair, tied back with a blue bobble ran to the aid of the soldiers in the truck.  Everyone else ran the other way, arms gesturing her to safety.  Alex was alone as she reached the silently smouldering truck and frantically searched, hands desperately clawing at the wreckage for signs of life.  There was none.  And then she found him. Once so big and strong, he now lay there broken and bleeding, barely breathing.  She gathered every ounce of strength she could muster and pulled him to safety, dragging him like a doll and shielding him as best she could. The truck exploded and the man’s glasses fell from his pocket and onto the dirt.  One final blast as shrapnel flew through the air and life ebbed away.  This was death.

Alex gulped air into her lungs frantically, her heart beating wildly against her rib cage and her eyes flew open.  The pavement rushed up towards her face, her red curls flying out behind her. 

The broken man in uniform, clutching a two-pound coin had reached out to her from beyond the grave in her final moments and reminded her of special shared experiences.  They had grown together, the awkward little boy and the feisty red head, and Alex had loved him more than anything.  She had loved him more than life itself and life had tortured her with his loss.  In that split second as the pavement at the foot of the tallest building in the city greeted Corporal Alexandra Stone, she remembered love, she remembered bravery, she remembered all that she had learned with him and from him.  She knew he had made her a better person and as her life drew to a close she wished she could have taken one step back instead of forward. This was regret.

Lepe of faith ...

At the risk of this blog turning into a 'dog blog' today I'm going to share our shenanigans in the New Forest.

Just as we were expecting that rain would stop play at Wimbledon and therefore also that it might stuff up our few days away in the New Forest, summer surprised us all and leapt into action.  With impeccable timing, just as OH finished work for a few days, the sun burst out from behind the clouds and smiled a great big summer smile.

So, to start off our few days break together, we set off into London and the O2 to see Michael Buble in action.  Having bought tickets at a phenomenal price last November (I'm not even going to think about telling you how much we paid in case you faint because on a day like today you do not want to be collapsed in a heap on the floor) we were really looking forward to it.  I say we and I mean we.  OH is partial to a bit of Buble's musical talent - I honestly didn't have to drag him.  I guess that's why we are lucky - we have SO MUCH in common.  Anyway, Buble didn't disappoint and having danced our way through all my absolutely favourites, which were performed with a smoothness to rival carte d'or ice cream (really?  yes really) I gathered together my very expensive signed programme and the heart shaped confetti I caught as it tumbled through the air during All You Need Is Love and we strode happily out into a perfect summer's evening.

Next day we set off with a massive holdall full of 'just in case' items .... Raincoats (just in case), jumpers (just in case), jeans (you get the idea by now surely) and walking boots together with t shirts, water, sweets for the 'journey', several changes of clothes (for all weathers ... you guessed it ... just in case) and my trusty camera.  OH then heaved into the car 'Huffington's holiday box'.  Now, you think that all the stuff you have to remember when taking kids on holiday is a chore.  We ran through his 'list' (just in case) ... Towel (check), short lead (check), wheelie lead (check), Kong (for those without canine companions this is a red heavy duty rubber toy thing that you stuff treats in) ... (check), Dentastix (check), peanut butter (yes really - for the Kong - check), food (check), water for the journey (check), water bowl (check), food bowl (check), poo bags (check), wipes (check) ... and we finally set off, laden down with things we 'might need' in case the weather changed.

Arriving at the New Forest OH and I deliberated for a bit as to why it was called the New Forest - it seemed fairly old actually, the trees were REALLY tall.  We decided that it 'was new at the time I suppose' and that's why they called it that!  With my trusty pal google to hand on my phone I looked it up and apparently the New Forest was created by William the Conqueror.  William the Conqueror was not a massive tree hugger by all accounts but was partial to a bit of game hunting.  At the expense of several small villages and farms, he cultivated this forest, added some game and then hunted there.  Ta daaaaa - New Forest.  Two of his sons died there though so maybe what seemed like a good idea at the time might have backfired slightly.

We drove gently over cattle grids, marvelling at the New Forest ponies who gathered at the side of the road and ambled carelessly in front of passing cars until we passed the very picturesque Beaulieu.  Oohing and ahhhing along the way at the peacefulness and beauty of the place we eventually arrived at Bucklers Hard.  Now I have to say choosing Bucklers Hard and The Master Builders hotel was an absolute stroke of luck.  We had been searching for a dog friendly hotel with walks and a beach for ages on t'internet only to chance across The Master Builders in the Alistair Sawdays 'dog friendly' holiday book.  What a find!

So we approached the entrance as the gates opened for us and drove down to the patrons only car park.  In front of us was the most gorgeous view.  The sun was shining and small boats bobbed up and down gently on the water.  We had so lucked out.  The Master Builders hotel is placed within Bucklers Hard, an 18th century ship building village on the banks of Beaulieu river and it is absolutely stunning.  You can take a walk into Beaulieu by the river or just while away the afternoon watching the boats with a glass or two of wine from the hotel bar.

Once we felt sufficiently revived from our car journey the following day, having spent the previous evening sitting out by the river with a bottle of champagne and a very patient dog, we decided to go to Lepe country park and beach.  This was an easy decision for us in terms of 'where to go' as Lepe beach is dog friendly.  It does have a small area for families which is not accessible for dogs from May to September but it is easily bypassed on foot and you can walk back down to the beach with your furry friend.

Everything about Lepe was lovely.  The car park, country walk, beach cafe, toilets and information point were clean and tidy and the cafe was well staffed.  The sun was shining and therefore everyone had a smile on their face - even HuffingtonBear who was about to experience his first splash in the sea.  So we led him down to the sea, oh and they have these perfect little sectioned off bits of beach so HB couldn't dash off, and in he went.  At first he wasn't sure but he was soon splashing in and out of the sea chasing a small piece of driftwood and actually bringing it back 'a la fetch'.  The Huff has never quite caught on when it comes to fetch but 'fetch the piece of driftwood from the shallow water' is definitely HIS game.  With my trusty camera I took dozens of photos like I did with the kids when they were little at the beach for the first time.  We had a great time.  The weather was perfect, the dog was well behaved, they had ice cream at the shop and cold water for The Huff and we remembered hay fever tablets (see previous Richmond Park blog posting!).  The only things we forgot were hats and sun cream.  We honestly didn't think the weather would be so good and we had COMPLETELY forgotten to add them to the 'just in case' list.  Never mind - I look rather fetching with a red nose and OH had a rather angry looking patch of red on the back of his neck.  Thankfully though, neither of us got sun stroke and generally we just had a great day.  On the way back to the hotel, donkeys entertained us by aimlessly wandering about in the road where the ponies had been before.

So there you have it, just a little snap shot really.  To give you a general idea of Beaulieu, Bucklers Hard and Lepe.  well worth a visit I'd say and we went just outside the school holidays which meant that it was all pretty quiet.  A quick note on the hotel.  It's quirky and old so don't expect perfection.  Having said that, the staff are helpful and the bar food is tasty and reasonably priced.  You are really paying for the location - which I have to say is spot on.  All in all a good few days away - we will definitely re-visit especially as HuffingtonBear loved the sea so much.

Have a great week people and enjoy the sunshine.

Blog you later, Julesy x

It's the one thing that isn't criminal ...

Happy Monday people,

So here we are having just witnessed summer.  Summer in the UK of course being two successive days of sunshine.  Did you enjoy it?  Those who went to work this fine Monday morning must have felt pretty safe in the knowledge that they wouldn't be missing anything much weather wise.  The warmth today is bordering on muggy and definitely not 'legs out' weather, unless of course you have a spray tan or naturally healthy looking non 'milk-bottle white' legs.  Anyhow, enough of weather chat because yes, the weather in summer in this country is truly criminal and the headline here is about something that isn't criminal!

Criminal Minds.  Ever heard of it?  Possibly not unless you like a bit of Sky Living.  In my house, about a year ago, I stumbled across Sky Living.  It was mid afternoon and I was revelling in the fact that I had been made redundant and didn't have to worry about work.  Lazily flicking through the channels I happened across Criminal Minds.

Criminal Minds is a US police series that premiered on CBS in 2005 and I am hooked.  With its 9th season due to air in the US in the autumn, series 8 is just drawing to a close on Sky Living.  Having never been much of a fan of the Police 'drama' genre until our very own Luther came along (swiftly followed by the almighty Broadchurch) I held out little hope for poor Criminal Minds but I watched an episode 'because I could'.

The action centres around the BAU in Quantico, Virginia where a team of FBI agents, led by Aaron Hotchner (Thomas Gibson) study the behaviour of the perpetrators of violent / serial crime in order to find them and help bring them to justice.  We are currently mid way through series 8 and have yet to come across a recurring story line.  This is somewhat impressive based on the fact that each series has an average of 22 episodes.  Although one or two of the main characters have been replaced by new ones, the mainstays of the series have remained.  Three favourites in our house are (the quite delicious 'did I say that out loud?') agent Derek Morgan (portrayed brilliantly by Shemar Moore), IT whizz and super geek Technical Analyst Penelope Garcia (played quirkily by Kirsten Vangsness) and the unforgettable Dr Spencer Reid, slightly awkward but loveable genius potrayed by Matthew Gray Gubler.

Occasionally stories run across two episodes but most are condensed into the one hour episode.  Each episode seems to fly by and we find ourselves watching two in a row having set the 'box' to series link record.  Unlike most crime / police series the primary characters are not only really believable as agents but the elements of their personal lives enable you to warm to them and connect with them more fully.  The stories are great - you get drawn in.

With oodles of channels to choose from, we still find it hard to find something that we can all sit down and watch together (family with young adults of course .... I wouldn't suggest snuggling up to a CM episode with little ones!).  However, Criminal Minds does it for us - we have watched almost every episode now over the past year and will no doubt be excited to see series 9 when it finally airs in the UK.

So it's a recommendation basically.  A big and hearty thumbs up for Criminal Minds.  Love it!

Right, I must go, things to do, Shemar Moore to drool over (I MUST stop typing the things that run randomly through my mind!)

Blog you later

Julesy x

The randomness that is us!

OK so sorry for the delay in writing.  Last week I had a problem with my ears, which affected my hearing and balance and gave me a rotten almost week long headache.  I’m not sure whether it felt worse because the weather has been rubbish and it’s meant to be summer.  Perhaps I just felt a bit low.  No matter – back to normal (whatever that is) and raring to go this murky Monday.  This Morning is on in the background and HuffingtonBear is snoring on the sofa – life is good!

Rather than indulge in ‘weather chat’ I’ll just quickly point out that just as Summer appeared to be popping it’s head around the corner, Wimbledon has started, which of course means that it will rain on and off for the next two weeks (sad face).

So here’s a bit of an update.  Guess what?  We’re not moving.  If you remember, we had sold our house and we were trawling around the local area in search of the perfect house.  Now I must just say at this point that OH and I are a tad impatient.  We do things NOW.  We don’t spend forever thinking about something and then not do it.  Once we make up our minds we pretty much go for it.  So imagine how extremely disappointing it was to visit 20 properties and find that they were all lacking one way or another.  Apart from the fact that we couldn’t find anything we liked enough, it was craziness to even think about moving to a place not five miles down the road and into a house pretty much the same size as the one we live in for somewhere around £150K more.  If we are spending that much then it’s going to have to be a pretty little country cottage.

The estate agents, who were initially so helpful, were turning into phone pests, ringing every couple of days to ask cheerfully ‘Have you found?’  And as if that wasn’t enough someone else from their office would ring to ask every few days for details of our solicitors.  Of course we hadn’t instructed a solicitor as we hadn’t found anywhere to live.  So in the end with the pressure from the agent and the fact that we just couldn’t find the house for us, we pulled the house off the market.   This was on the Saturday morning.

Three hours later we had ordered a new oven and hob, new floor for the kitchen, new floor for the bathroom, new fabulous reclining sofas and a quote for an extension!  Like I say, when we make our minds up then we get cracking.  So, we are staying and the pressure is off.  For now.  I’m sure we will move eventually but perhaps when the boys have left home or are at least not dependent on travel to new jobs or college.  Oh and I almost forgot to mention, we decorated the dining room yesterday – I say we, I mean OH.  I sat and apparently ‘looked pretty’ (and a bit vacant if I’m honest) while he painted as if his life depended on it and than lay on the sofa at the end of the day demanding coffee, sweets and chocolate cookies.

So here I sit, waiting in for the men to fit the bathroom floor and now watching Loose Women.  Next week we have a busy week, Son#1 will be 21 and we are going on a mini jaunt to the New Forest.  We will be taking HB of course but leaving Son#1, Son#2 and Kitty McVitie at home to fend for themselves for a day or two.  Oh and again, I nearly forgot, next week is BUBLE.  I am beside myself with excitement – I do love a bit of Buble and we have the most fabulous tickets yeeeehar!

Finally, just before I go, I am now officially published.  On page 15 of Time and Leisure’s Surrey edition my winning short story Waiting For George is featured.  I am also mentioned as a ‘contributor’, which is pretty cool.  Oh and finally finally, the editor has asked me to contribute an article for one of the autumn editions – how exciting.

Blog you later,  Julesy x

You really do learn something new every day

Ever judged a book by its cover?  Of course you have.  In fairness we are probably encouraged to.  Don’t authors, literary agents and publishers all spend a great deal of time with creative types mulling over the perfect cover for each ‘to be’ published masterpiece?  Possibly.  So when you see the cover of a book that appeals, are you not just compelled to pick it up and have a sneaky peek?  Absolutely.

Tonight I judged a book by its cover – well not a book exactly but a person.  This evening I attended my very first ‘writers group meeting’.  Having recently won a competition with my first ever attempt at a short story I was kindly invited to become a member of our local group.  Minutes after having walked into the room at the aptly named ‘Friends Meeting House’ I felt most welcome.  I sat myself beside the unsuspecting Jane, whom I managed to monopolise for at least part of the evening.

A hush descended as a young woman entered the room.  Now I must confess that having only been given her name shortly before the meeting I had only managed to do a quick Google search of her.  Writer Sam Mills was to join us.  A successful author of young adult fiction, Sam had most recently written a book called ‘The Quiddity of Will Self’.  Firstly, I had no idea who Will Self was.  Secondly I had no idea what ‘quiddity’ meant.  Double whammy for me then – I was already confused and it doesn’t take much at the best of times.  I quickly read a review of the Will Self book and expected to be somewhat out of my depth.  I prepared myself to be baffled but to look as though I wasn’t.  I needn’t have worried.

So, in walked Ms Mills.  A slim girl with an open face, sensible glasses and her hair pulled back from her face.  She was wearing ordinary clothes, a cardi and optimistic summer sandals and although her most recent literary offering looked set to go completely over my head (she described it herself as ‘a bit bonkers’) she seemed relatively normal.  Until she spoke.  I was expecting ‘slightly strange’ at best based on the book review and what my mind had conjured up.  I was also expecting to be a little bored (my mind being a tiny bit closed to the possibility that ‘the unknown’ might actually be really interesting).  It was Friday night after all.  Same time last week I was watching ‘The Voice’!

Sam began telling us about her 9-year journey writing ‘Quiddity’ (I know what it means now by the way – look it up if you don’t!)  She was so engaging it was hard not to smile along with her.  I found myself listening intently and smiling at her encouragingly.  I even found myself doing that really irritating ‘head nodding’ thing that people do when they are super-engaged.  Sam was entirely fascinating, witty and likeable.  Not a bit odd.  Not even a tiny bit strange.  I decided I could sit and listen to her talk for ages.  I even began to understand where her book was coming from.  I even considered buying it for goodness sake.

As the talk came to an end I chatted for a while to some of the ladies and then found myself talking to Jane again.  I had no idea who Jane was initially, until someone mentioned her books during the evening and I then came to understand that this was Jane Davis, the winning author of the 2008 Daily Mail First Novel Award.  Jane is a successful novelist and writer and has recently published two new e-books.  Of course I didn’t get the chance to pre-judge Jane as I hadn’t expected to even meet her.  However, I found her to be completely typical of everyone I have so far encountered in the wonderful world of writing.  Really helpful, friendly and exceptionally free and open with her advice.  How lovely.

So there we have it,  I was expecting Sam Mills to be a tiny bit unusual and I guess she actually is - but in a good way.  I judged the book before I’d even seen the cover in her case and in all honesty I found her to be quite charming.

I almost didn’t go tonight but I’m so glad I did.  I have met some great new people.  I have some new books to read.  I have learned something new about people and perceptions and I have learned most definitely to not judge a book by its cover.

Julesy x