Oh, Happy Day
The times when Britain could claim to be an Empire maybe long gone and Europe’s view of this witch shaped archipelago (given as I write midst the turmoil of post Brexit negotiations) probably doesn’t bear repeating, but one skill no-one can deny us is our ability to...
Car Park In The Sky
Anyone who has read “PLENTY MANGO – postcards from the Caribbean” will know that I have to share my husband John’s affections with a 30 year old (no, not a lissom blond) – a 30 year old ROW (Rest of the World Specification) Range Rover. Once a vibrant Ascot Green, she...
The Other Side Of The Microphone
“You’ve got to be in it to win it.”
“Thought you knew everyone at the BBC.”
“Why not try Saga or The Oldie?”
A small sample of advice nuggets, usually unsolicited, from well-meaning friends who loyally believed that my book “Plenty Mango – postcards from the Caribbean” merited a place alongside observational greats such as the late Peter Mayle and his “A Year in Provence” or Chris Stewart’s series “Driving Over Lemons.”
Plant Whisperer
Mapai, elfin-like head gardener and plant whisperer at the National Trust’s botanical gardens on Montserrat, crushes a leaf and hands it to me. It smells like coriander, but has a much stronger olfactory kick. “Good for contractions,” he informs with a...
Police Escort
A very happy New Year to you all.
I am back once again with some news, thoughts and new post especially for you to help clear away the mid-January blues and spread a little sunshine into all our lives.
Firstly the news, work is well under-way for my next title! Following on from your kind words and reviews for Plenty Mango I am working away on Plenty More Mango which I hope you will all find just as amusing, engrossing and thought provoking as Plenty Mango. Watch this space to hear more about it. There are lots of ideas bubbling away so stay tuned.
The World’s Smallest Book Festival
“I’m collecting nick names.” I shiver, despite the suffocating heat inside Montserrat’s Cultural Centre, where the world’s smallest book festival is being held, at the thought of all those spine-chilling experiences.
“Most of men’s nick names are due to the size of their penis. You know ‘whopper’ don’t you?”
THE DROP
“Just leave the package with Lee’s Pharmacy,” this from Rose Willock, Montserrat’s most famous radio voice. A woman blessed with a honey slaked voice and an enthusiasm for life that inspired a generation of Montserratians to withstand the ravages of a volcano which had lain dormant for over four hundred years.
“The Writing bit’s easy – it’s publishing that’s hard”
Almost exactly a year ago, my husband John and I joined a queue of scarfed and gloved individuals waiting to board the Fred Olsen cruise ship the Balmoral. We were going to sail across the Atlantic towards the Caribbean. The only difference between us and everyone else was that they were passengers and we were ‘supernumeries’, or ‘entertainers’.