What a relief to be able to get out again and walk down to Harbourside and look out at the sea and the hills and see the birds and the fishies swimming in the sea as well as the very soggy grass and the half sunk boat in today's picture that shows how heavy the rain has been I hadn’t realised how much I depend on that walk to reset my brain and body till we had those two storms back to back and I literally couldn’t get out there because it was underwater.
Yet it wasn’t all bad. I sorted out more things and enjoyed trying out Christmas recipes because I’ve been reading an excellent book by Jennifer Melville on how to have a Blissful Christmas. She makes the point that those of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere are heading into the dark days when it’s natural for us to want to slow down, snuggle in and eat fats and carbohydrates. That means that rushing around in December is never going to do anything except stress us out and we should simplify things. She thinks that you should dial back what you’re doing and make sure you’ve tried new recipes beforehand, so I’ve been doing exactly that. I plan to carry on doing it all through November so I know which work smoothly and easily, which need a bit of tweaking and which, frankly, don’t tie up with the picture at all and need to be put on the ‘you have got to be kidding’ pile.
Preparing for Christmas will start after my husband has had his cancer check up on November 14th. Till then, it’s constantly there at the back of my mind and as ugly and malignant as I hope the cancer isn’t. I try to keep busy and cheerful, but I’m lying and so is everyone else in the family, so all we can do is make the most of each day that we’re lucky enough to have and try to be kind to each other. Which, actually, is a pretty good rule of thumb for life, isn’t it?
So I will show and tell him how much I love him and be grateful that this year’s appointment isn’t two days before Christmas as it has been before, because that was not easy at all. So, to everyone who’s making a similar journey, may I send hugs, love, and prayers for happy endings and that my silly little books might manage to distract you for a few minutes. In the end, that’s all I can do, so I try hard and I wish you luck and know you’re doing the same for me.
It seems a bit sick to go on to this week’s special offers at 99p or 99c but the world has to go on, so here goes.
ACCIDENTAL HERO, STRANGE HARVEST AND KISSCHASE - These are 3 romantic suspense thrillers by my alter ego of Eleanor Neville. They’re a little darker and sexier than Tia Brown, but why not give them a try and find out what happens to a romantic novelist when her hero turns out to be pretty close to reality. Or an environmental campaigner who finds herself mixed up in a dark conspiracy. Or someone who wants a fresh start but the past won’t go away.
And if those are too dark for you then how about A WHOLE NEW LIFE and HAVING IT ALL? These are set in the sleepy little Dorset market town of Oldcastle, and Having it All is set in the run up to Christmas so you could buy it and put it away. They feature fresh starts, old loves, new problems and children; some cuter than others!
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