A few days ago, there was a trial of a 15 years old girl from Ross-on-Wye, just 2 hours’ drive away from here. She was accused of murdering her own new-born child. Everybody thought ‘how terrible’ and ‘how could she have done such a thing?’ She had grown up so insecure that at the age of 13 she started going out with boys - not to have a good time but “to make them like me”. It seemed that the girl didn’t want her parents to be ashamed of her, so hid her pregnancy, telling no-one, not even her mother, and retreated inside her head. At school she tried to act normally despite sickness, even doing PE lessons. At home, there was a difficult situation with her father, so the girl gave birth alone, shouting to her brother to stay away. And yet…..my mind flew back to my own childhood. So much of the girl’s demeanour and introverted personality rang true for me. I remembered, at 13, also desperately wanting everyone to like me too. Thankfully, those same set of circumstances didn’t happen to me as a teenager. But, have you ever thought ‘there but for the grace of G-d go I’?
18th June 2023
High summer and we’re in sunny Bournemouth.
A group of us travelled down by coach from Birmingham, staying in a friendly hotel for the weekend. I like the fact that someone else has done all the organising so for once I can relax. The pre-planning was the usual panic trying to remember where I put the Kwells for the journey. After days of sweltering heat in Birmingham, Bournemouth’s a bit cloudy but still warm. Last Sunday I did a live video session on FB’s Fiction Cafe book club. It started at 8 pm. At 7.55 pm, after darkening skies, an enormous lightening storm began, plunging the conservatory where I was waiting to ‘go on stage’ in gloom. Fortunately, it didn’t affect the internet, but my voice had to compete with a full-blown orchestral weather symphony. How did my video session go? Well, there was certainly thunderous applause all around. And Bournemouth? Very nice. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Good company and welcoming hosts. Trying to pack - can't understand why things that fitted on the outward journey, just don't now. Life is always a puzzle.
11th June 2023
A few months ago, I read that those who believe they suffered after having the Covid jab, could claim damages from the NHS under its Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme. Despite the fact that no-one yet knows what causes Bell’s Palsy, I decided to apply. The forms I needed to complete were extensive, testing my memory banks to the extreme. I wonder how many of you remember all the ailments you’ve had throughout your life, plus the exact dates and names of treating medical practitioners! When you think I had to trawl back to pre-NHS days, you’ll get the picture. Anyway, yesterday I received the results of my application, a document covering 15 pages. The basis of my claim concerned the Pfizer jab because I contracted Bell’s Palsy two weeks afterwards. So, the result? “The independent medical assessor has informed us that, in their opinion and in all probability, your Bell’s Palsy is likely to have been caused by the Pfizer vaccination…. However, the resulting disablement from the vaccine is not the 60% as required by the Vaccine Damages Payment Act 1979….” So, no payment for me, as expected, but the exercise has been very useful as it’s the first time a medical practitioner has decided what caused it. Trouble is, now it’s in my bloodstream…….
Thursday 8th June 2023
Thank you to everyone who’s bought The Mandarin Seeds. Below are snapshots from Amazon’s US site. The best ranking I’ve ever had. But I know these things are fleeting, so I’ll enjoy them while I can…..so speaks the lifelong pessimist!
4th June 2023
‘Twas on a Monday morning…..
A few weeks ago an entirely different saga unravelled. A local gas company arrived in our road, telling us they were replacing all the old underground, cast iron, pipes with new plastic ones. I watched as the diggers arrived, excavating swathes of newly-tarmacked road and pavements all around us. Barriers were placed across our drive, preventing us from getting the car out. But that wasn’t the worst of it. Completely unannounced, a digger then began unearthing our expensively-gravelled and planted front garden! I complained. The response? “Don’t you want to us to keep you safe?” I replied “I’ve looked all along our road and ours is the only property where you’ve dug up the front garden. Why?” He replied “You’ve got a T-junction, supplying gas to all your neighbours. But don’t worry. We’ll put all the gravel back afterwards.” Soon the customer relations man arrived, who blithely said “Oh, they made a mistake. The T-junction isn’t in your garden at all.” My response was unprintable. The roots of my plants had all been disturbed for nothing and the liner ruined! Fast forward. We’ve now been compensated but we’ve had to go to the garden centre for more plants and re-plant them - at our age.
….it all makes work for the working man to do (Flanders & Swan)
Friday 2nd June 2023
After the full release of The Mandarin Seeds, I was delighted to see it appear on Amazon’s US site as #1 in its category for Hot New Releases. We should all emulate the wonderful, real life, hero in my novel by ‘doing the right thing’. Have you read it yet? Simply click on the icon on the right and it will take you to the Amazon buy page. Still only £0.99/$1.24, or FREE on Kindle Unlimited.
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