More than a year and a half has passed since I last posted here. It’s hard to believe! I assure you, I have not been idle, and in a week or so (maybe less) I will be publishing my third book: THE TIMING.
So, what has been happening? The book has taken up a huge amount of time, but last year it was mostly in dribs and drabs, fitting it in between other things and my recovery from Bell’s Palsy. This last has been a bit of a long road, but I have made a good recovery, although my ears will never be the same and my hearing has a strange ‘underwater’ feeling to it.
On 11th December last year my friend of more than 50 years, Sue Bridge, died quite suddenly. Sue and I had supported one another across decades, and she was hugely encouraging of my writing. I decided then and there to make the supreme effort and complete the book.
At that time, I was completely stuck: all my characters were in dire situations from which I could not cobble any exits. Another friend, Shelley, persuaded me to look at things differently, and perhaps create another character. All this time, my brilliant beta-reader in Australia, Linda, kept gently nudging me to keep going. And here we are! I changed direction, and the rest of it followed. I have to add that the process of publication is not for the faint-hearted. It’s difficult: endless tedium checking and re-checking, adjusting and always being alert for errors in both grammar and continuity. Perhaps this book will be my last… we will see.
Meanwhile, the garden has endured equally as difficult a year, but all this can be blamed on the extremes of weather. We are settling, now, into a gentler Autumn and most of my plants have recovered astonishingly well from the Summer heat and drought.
In August, we had to take drastic action when my little – or now not so little – Box (Buxus) bushes became invaded by a moth infestation. They were all crawling with caterpillars, and we decided to take them all out. This was a difficult task as they’d grown into hedges bordering several little beds created as a herb garden ten years ago, and everything had to be removed – albeit some herbs temporarily. The bleak picture which this left was very depressing, and several months passed during which nothing could be done because of the weather which was either too wet or too hot. We obtained a couple of estimates for having the work done by outside firms, but both were extortionate in price. So, we decided to tackle the task ourselves. Mike, having created much of the devastation, took it upon himself to begin sorting it out.
I then turned to ChatGPT for ideas. This was a stroke of luck: I uploaded a couple of photos, and the machine became wildly enthusiastic, resulting in a few photos of idyllic ‘patio’ areas lit by solar lamps and perfectly paved, curves and all. They would also cost the earth, so I calmed it down and asked for something cheaper.
Eventually, working together, the machine and I came up with a compromise, and it was good enough to not only recommend materials but explain how to carry out the work. As you will see from the photos, it has turned out quite well, and although not exactly as ChatGPT designed, we are delighted with it.
‘MAKE TIME, CHERISH TIME,
WHILE TIME LASTS
FOR ALL TIME IS NO TIME
WHEN TIME HAS PAST’
