Today, Ann & I did our first market in Wallingford (WLPM - Wallingford Local Producers Market). It was a great experience. Fear we may have spent rather more than we earned - but it was another stage in our massive learning curve and great fun! Lots of interesting people and fantastic produce. The real bonus is that no cooking has been required today as I have been feasting off samosas and cheese (not together!) to die for....Most Saturdays in the Regal Centre in Wallingford.
Such a shame about the day job eating up my time

It has all been rather a shock since we received our books just how much time is required to sell them. Apparently, I read that 80:20 is the ratio of successful selling to writing which seems pretty depressing. But on we go...and we are selling some books. Both books have a very different market in our perception. Imagine Oxford we hope will suit the home crowd and its visitors and can be marketed relatively locally. Tell Tails is for animal lovers wherever so of course a much bigger potential audience but far more difficult to tap into.
Anyway here we all at one of our Thursday meetings feeling good about our books and longing to get them out there!

A busy day of packing for Arvon. I have quickly discovered that going by car makes a mockery of "less is more" - no chance of car sharing. I am sharing with my wardrobe, all the books I might read, all the books I might need to refer to, a copious supply of codeine-based medications, laptop and its various accessories as well as other items on the "Things to bring" list....
I feel that..."walking boots or stout shoes" may not apply to me...I feel like the longest walk I will undertake (or not) will be the one from the car park to the house! Even the thought of walking on any uneven surface is painful so I am hoping that I will find inspiration from something other than the beautiful countryside.
"A torch" - Hmmmm...wonder what that's about..I am reading it as only necessary if you are someone taking the outdoor footwear.
Ditto for "a waterproof jacket or coat"
"Paper and pens" - at last something that I have in good supply
There are of course bigger things to worry about:
I am growing ever more anxious about lack of internet access. With 2pm and 7pm being times I will be busy, how will I be able to keep up with the problems at Brookfield and Ambridge whilst I am away?  I reassure myself that amongst a group of writers there will be others in the same fix and we may find a way to catch-up!

Then there is also the niggling feeling that I can't find any mention in the course literature about the supply of wine and wonder what this may may mean

As my foot FINALLY begins to heal - 6 weeks after falling down some stairs, I realise that in that fall, I lost my ability to multi-task. I have been plunged into a world of tunnel vision where not only is it impossible to do more than one thing at a time but I now can only even think about one thing at a time. It is all very strange. The plus side is that my one focus has been Bombus books the downside is that the fridge is not as well stocked as usual and dinner has become a more haphazrd affair! Now the website is up I hope to find less excuses for actually writing something - with my Arvon course looming on Monday my distractions may be even further diminished as we are told there is neither phone nor internet access....just writing then....
http://www.arvonfoundation.org/courses