Still Waiting

Hi all,
I am very frustrated at the moment. We bought a new bungalow (well second-hand actually) almost three months ago, but we are still waiting for a moving date. There are only four of us in the chain and we are moving to an empty house, so how hard can it be? What do estate agents do once they've done the valuation and printed a brochure? On top of that, those involved in the conveyancing seem to be more elusive than the Scarlet Pimpernel.

Ah well, I will just have to be patient and chill out. One good thing has come out of the long wait in so much as I have sold a few bits and pieces I no longer need. Everything I have put on eBay, sold quite nicely with the exception of last week's listing.

We have a large wooden plaque upon which has been carved a shire horse. It was purchased by my mother-in-law from a wood carver in Yorkshire sometime in the late sixties or early seventies.

Anyway, I thought there would be a stampede by those involved with horses to get there reins on this beautiful bit of unique craftsmanship. I thought it would look great in the hall way of some half-timbered manor house, or hanging on the wall in the reception area of a stables or a stud farm.

Alas I was wrong, because despite it having a lucky horseshoe on each leg, nobody gave it a second glance during its first listing. So in an effort to find a nice place for it, I have ploughed on and dropped the starting price substantially. Somebody is going to get a bargain, so if you know anybody who is a bit on the horsey side please let them have this link.

New Book

Hi all, I've had a very busy summer this year, not least because our large garden has been in need of constant attention. However, that particular issue has been sorted on two fronts. Firstly, the cold weather is here and, although it hasn't stopped the weeds growing altogether, it has at least slowed them down to a gallop. Secondly, and more importantly, we are moving to a bungalow with a much smaller garden. This means that I will be able to spend time doing what I want to do and not be chained to the lawn mower.

When I was younger and fitter I used to enjoy gardening, but now I am older and less able I've got an incurable touch or irritable trowel syndrome.

So what am I going to do with all this extra time? Well it isn't going to happen straight away because the place we are moving to has been a bit neglected. It will probably take a year to get it the way my nearest and dearest would like it, but I will work at it in a sensible fashion and hopefully still have some 'me time'. 'Me time' is getting more important as I get older because there are so many things I want to do and one never know how much 'me time' one has left.

I am trying to make more time for my craft work. Pyrography, scroll sawing and exploring the versatility of polymer clay are all high on my priority list. However, I also want to get back to my writing and want to create at least three more books before I put my pen away for good.

While I've been busy during the summer I've been wondering about which book I would do next. Would it be another Fishing Detectives novel featuring Fred Tench or would I do something different? The answer is, something different.

I have been surprised at the popularity of 'A Staffordshire Boy Tales of Fishing and Other Fun' and have been considering the sequel.

'A Staffordshire Boy,' concludes with my father declaring that we would be emigrating to Australia, so this is where the new book will start. I have made a start by mapping out the chapter headings and I'm looking forward to putting some meat on the bones.

The only fly in the ointment is the title. I had been mulling it over for a while and seeing as we were taking advantage of the assisted package, I was going to call it, 'The Ten Pound Pom'. However, a quick search on Amazon revealed that somebody had already used that title so it's a no goer.

A rethink was necessary and I came up with 'The Reluctant Pommie' which highlights the fact that I didn't want to go down under in the first place. Well why would I? I'd just got my first motor bike and I had discovered girls. A life full of flies and poisonous spiders I'm sure would offer no compensation. Still, I survived and at least the experience has given me something to write about.

With a bit of luck I should be publishing it for my birthday in April and then I'll get back to Fred Tench. and the Fishing Detective series.