Wisley and the leisured classes

[Anne Brooke]

Spent a wonderful few hours at Wisley today with Lord H. We wandered round the gardens, smelt the utterly glorious roses and watched the bird-feeding area for ages. Astonishingly, we saw a family of young greenfinches, a pair of goldfinches and also a pair of chaffinches. As well as a young robin. Bliss. Plus the obligatory wood pigeon. Hmm, not quite so bliss there then. Anyway, it was really nice, and hugely relaxing. Plus (pause for shock!) the sun was actually shining! Not something that happens often in the UK over summer.

We saw most of the gardens, though we did forgo the pleasures of the fruit trees (I grew up on a fruit farm - I know what they look like) and the heather collection, which is apparently the largest in the world. Hmm, doesn't fill me with joy, that. Why is it that things are sold on being the largest of something? If I ever get rich, I'm going to start a series of "small museums" - haiku museums, if you like - where there isn't more than three examples of any one thing. As personally I think that when you've seen three of anything (three flints, three items of Roman combs, three paintings of Madonna & Child etc etc), you've probably drained the barrel pretty much dry. Hell, it could take off, you know!

And we bought a book on flowers and a fold-out sheet about butterflies. So next time we'll be the complete prepared visitors.

Back home, we have indulged with roast chicken and treacle tart. Heaven. I love treacle tart and would probably kill for it in the right (wrong?) circumstances. And there's some left for tomorrow, which is even better. Never come between a woman and her treacle tart is the lesson to be learnt here, I think.

This afternoon, I was going to clean the car, but frankly I can't be arsed. And why spoil a perfectly pleasant day by working on it? So, Rupert (yes, I do name the car) will have to be a dirty bugger for another fortnight then. Still, he should be used to that by now.

Ooh, and wonderful news!!! After 17 years on the Waiting List, Lord H and I have finally received our confirmation that we are as of now official Glyndebourne members. Hurrah! No, double hurrah! So I'd better up my accent and get a posher frock. Or a butler or something. Hey, the Leisured Classes - here I come ... As if, eh!!

And more good news - John has looked at the PD Publishing contract for Maloney's Law and is hoping to negotiate with them on Monday. Fingers crossed for me, eh ... It would be so nice to have another novel ticked off my personal backlist. Bloody hell, though - if it really does happen (and being me I'm still not so sure), I'd better hurry up and write another one. The Bones of Summer is still only at 8,000 words (reached today!) - well, 8007 to be precise. But hell who's counting?

Later on, I shall ring Mother (arrgghh!) to see how the old gal is doing, and then there's "Rome" on TV. So something to look forward to then, tee hee.

Oh, and I've just finished Julia Glass' second novel, The Whole World Over. Yawn, to be frank. Her first, Three Junes, was fantastic, but this latest one is really, really tired. And sooooooo long. I actually gave up the will to live several times. I think it wasn't really a novel - just a rambling series of notes about stuff. And so very disjointed. I skipped desperately. I also thought all the characters were really quite nasty or dull. I didn't care at all about Alan or Greenie, or even Walter - and Ray, who could have been wonderfully eccentric and free-spirited, was simply crass and arrogant. Don't ask me who they all ended up with - I really couldn't work it out, and cared even less. It would have been better if it had been cut by at least half. My advice is stick to her first one, and wait in despairing hope for the third.

This week's haiku:

After a long week
of sales, bad news and contracts,
I long for roses.

Today's nice things:

1. Wisley
2. Hearing from John about the contract
3. TV.

Anne Brooke
Anne's website
Pink Champagne and Apple Juice
Goldenford Publishers