News Of The World

It has been almost a year since my last blog, and although still not back to normal, life has been busier than in the previous year. I have fallen out of the habit of blogging, and I’ve missed it, but much of my time has been taken up with writing.

I have decided to give it another go, but limit myself to an hour to write it, so it doesn’t replace the novel writing, which is what was happening before. And I will try to blog at least monthly. Let’s see how it goes.

So, just for today, a roundup of the last few months. I have lots of news, some good, some excellent, and some unsurprising.

Let’s get the bad news out of the way first;

· I have gained most of the weight I lost, and with it many excuses, among them; tendons, Covid, menopause, age and of course, greed.

· I am not able to run because I’m still suffering with tendonitis. Now waiting for an appointment to see the physiotherapists at my local hospital. The year of physio I did at home had no impact (I might not have been doing it entirely right.) It could be many months.

· I caught Covid (I know I’m not alone, and that I had a lucky escape) and am left with a very disappointing sense of taste and smell, with no extremes; no saltiness or sweetness. In everything I eat, the flavour just seems to stop before it reaches the interesting and satisfying stage. Whilst I can smell strong aftershaves and fruity or spicy toiletries, there are so many other things I cannot smell at all. For example, I can’t smell the dogs, or dirty clothes. So if you come to my house, or meet me in the street, I apologise in advance. And very strong smells (particularly unpleasant smells) have been replaced by the burning smell of garlic that seeps from the pores of people who have gone overboard the night before. The dumbing down of my senses has made my life a little less rich. I can still appreciate how food looks, and its textures, but some of the joy of eating has been lost, although sadly, my appetite remains.

·

We almost lost our dog Paddy, we thought he was a goner. We had to lift him out of his bed, as he was unable to stand. He needed help with everything, and mostly just lay in his basket looking very sad. The vets did lots of very expensive tests, suggesting knee replacements and all sorts, but appeared to have little idea of what they were dealing with. They seemed very young and inexperienced. Fortunately for us, a second opinion with an older and much more experienced vet resulted in the suggestion that Paddy might be suffering from an auto immune condition. He was given steroids and within a day, was up and about, climbing stairs and rummaging through the bins like his old self. It seemed like a miracle, just as we had been preparing ourselves to say goodbye. It was traumatic and we are very grateful, particularly when we consider how close he came. This is him today, my smiley handsome champ.

And onto the good and excellent news;

My two eldest children have both passed their degrees, and I was the proudest of mothers at their graduations. And Marigold finished her GCSEs (I’m not allowed to say how brilliantly she did) and is now studying for A Levels; enjoying life as a young adult. She is learning to drive, and is currently working her way around the roundabouts of Northampton, with varying degrees of success.

· My younger stepdaughter and her partner became engaged last week during a trip to Venice. We are all so excited. I love a good wedding!

·

I spent most of the Summer at our caravan in Southwold, and revamped the kitchen and living area, with the aid of a couple of tins of Frenchic paint and many metres of material from The Millshop Online (where you can get the most amazing fabric from £1 per metre. Seriously, I reupholstered all of the seating area in the caravan for less than £20; that's a lot of fabric). Mr C also had solar panels installed, so I can now write away on my MacBook, without having to keep taking it to the site office to recharge for a pound a throw. The panels generate much more electricity than we are used to having, so it seems like a huge deal, but we can still only have one light on at a time, and if we plug in a phone at the same time, it cuts out completely. However, we are grateful for small mercies.

I have a new (old) car, which I am loving. It’s the first ‘big’ car I’ve had for many years, and an automatic, which took a little getting used to. But I no longer feel invisible on the road, and have enough power to get me out of trouble.

In the Autumn, Singapore Sal and Beccles Bec and I met up at a local museum to visit an exhibition of work by our old art teacher from school. It was so lovely to catch up, but I always feel so sad when I see them, that they live so far away. I need them closer.

Just before Christmas, I spent a cracking weekend with couple of my friends from Uni days. It has been a while since I have laughed that much, although it was a rather sedate affair; we went for afternoon tea in Liberty, visited the V and A, and watched the new Spielberg remake of West Side Story in a very cool underground cinema. We had booked for Moulin Rouge, but it was cancelled due to a Covid outbreak at the theatre. We stayed in a Youth Hostel, which was a real eye opener for me. It was so clean and comfortable, with all mod cons, including our own private room with ensuite bathroom. Not what I was expecting at all. We didn’t stay up all night drinking (although almost made it to midnight one night), and took an early train home, rather than missing the last one, which was how it was back in the early 90s. But it was a joyous weekend, laughing like drains and reminiscing with the best of friends over a massive pizza. My idea of heaven.

· I have almost finished my second book. Another suburban noir, which has many titles, none of which quite fit, so I will just call it Book Two for now. I can’t wait to tell you all about it. Maybe this will be THE ONE!

A couple of quick recommendations, in case you are interested. Mr C and I went to watch Belfast last week. OMG what a great film. Gentle and cinematically gorgeous. Loved it. And I have recently read 'The Paper Palace' by Miranda Cowley Heller, a beautiful book, cleverly written, savage in places, but I wanted to read it all over again as soon as I'd finished it. For me, this is the mark of a great book. I'm about to embark on 'Beautiful World, Where Are You' by Sally Rooney. Will let you know...

I hope that you are all well, and that this year will be a better one for us all. Thanks so much for being patient with me, and for coming back to me after such a long break. I appreciate you taking the time to read my blog.

Best wishes to you all.