Glasgow Patter and Yiddish

This morning, I enjoyed a soothing swim in a near empty lane at Greens, followed by my neck stretches and deep breathing exercises in the steam room and a quick chat with a couple of regulars in the sauna.

Since I was heading almost directly for the hairdressers afterwards for a bit of shaping, I missed out a couple of stages in my strict routine and just blow dried my hair, without first shampooing and conditioning it. Looking in the mirror at the unnaturally blonde bush the phrase, straw hingin' oot a midden', came to mind.

Being both Scottish and Jewish, I realise that I enjoy the benefit of two highly expressive forms of language - Glasgow patter and Yiddish. Admittedly, my knowledge of Yiddish is fairly limited, but it's enough to know that there's a real richness to be found in both.

For instance:

heid banger - meshugenner
eejit - shlemiel
mingin' - farshtunken
heid bummer - gantseh macher

Another advantage of being both Scottish and Jewish, is that I have no difficulty pronouncing words with 'ch' in them, unlike many English folk.

How often have you heard strangers talk about 'Lock Lomond' or 'Auckenshuggle'?

As Jews, the 'ch' sound is part of our daily lives - we say, l'chaim, celebrate Chanukah and eat our chopped fried fish balls with chrein (horseradish sauce).

All part of a nice rich blend.

Scottish Associations of Writers' Annual Conference 2010

Another year, another Conference at the Erskine Bridge Hotel for around 150 writers. It was my 8th consecutive Scottish Association of Writers' Conf,but for me it was a little different this year, as I was a 'virgin' adjudicator and also ran a workshop.

My task was to Adjudicate the Article Competition, and I recieved 40 entries varied in both length (maximum 1,500 words), subject and quality. It was great reading about the wide range of topics covered, including the Aswan Dam, truffles, ecology, an analysis of the song, 'Pretty Woman', graveyards, travel venues and the meaning of love.

It was a great deal of work, and I felt a real sense of responsibility to the writers, but it was ultimately an enjoyable and rewarding task.

The novel catergory adjudications were announced on the Friday evening, and then we heard for the keynote speaker, R J Ellory , who was highly interesting and inspiring and really showed how crucial it is to be persistent and retain self-belief as a writer.

On the Saturday morning, mine was the 2nd adjudication of the morning and I sat reasonably relaxed on the platform, with the SAW president and three fellow judges. I was less relaxed when I suddenly noticed water appearing in front of me and discoved that one of my platform colleagues had accidentally knocked over a plastic cup of water in my directions.

With much frantic dabbing, I managed to get my speech and the winning manuscript reasonably dry, but it was a somewhat hair-raising moment. The winning article I'd selected, was a lovely nostalic look back at the Glasgow tramcars. In my adjudication speech, one of the things I'd praised it for, was the way the writer had shown what the trams had meant to children. As the winner read out her article to the gathered assembly, I became aware that some of the lovely descriptive writing had been missed out. Unfortunately, the water hazard must have stuck some of the pages together.

In the afternoon, I ran a 50-minute workshop - which stretched to an hour, as much due to the enthusiasm of the participants as anything. It seemed to go reasonably well.

In the evening, all the certificates and trophies (for the 14 categories of writing included this year) were handed out and then we had a highly entertaining talk from our second keynote speaker, journalist, Alan Taylor, who told us about some of the famous writers he had interviewed and got to know.


Next up, was the drawing of the raffle. I'd bought a few extra tickets this year because, although there must have been around 100 prizes donated, there was one I really wanted the chance to select to take home. It was the bear (Bertram) I'd donated in the first place and had felt very guilty about separating from his best friend, Dudley Dog. Fortunately, my ticket was drawn fairly early in the draw and as no one else had snaffled him, I ran down to the table and grabbed him for myself. Bertram is now back home and blissfully reunited with his canine best mate.

Once the raffle was over, it was a case of dashing upstairs to change into appropriate gear for the Cowboys and Indians Disco, and then a good time was had by all.

Unfortunately, work and other committments meant that I had to leave this morning, and miss the final few hours of the Conference - which certainly seems to have been a great success.

Roll on SAW 2011!

Pool Rage

I'm generally a mild-mannered person and like to think of myself as being fairly considerate and thoughtful of others. My motto is 'politeness maketh the person', and will even apologise to inanimate objects if I happen to bump into them.

I thought my consideration extended to Greens Health & Fitness Club, Giffnock, Glasgow , where I've been a member since October, 2007. I use the pool 3 to 4 times a week and really enjoy being in the water and having some relaxation in the steamroom and sauna. There's a nice group of regulars around the time I go and apart from it taking longer to get showered, shampooed and respectable looking before I leave than actually exercising and relaxing, it's generally a pleasurable, harmonious experience.

I swim in the slow lane and am the model of courtesy, making sure I wait in between lengths to allow any faster swimmers close behind me to go ahead.

I therefore found myself initially astonished and then enraged, to be stopped at the far end of the pool by a very young life guard who asked me to try not to splash fellow swimmers.

My routine in the pool, is to kick off underwater and stage submerged, using a back kick, until I run out of breath. The rest of the length is completed swimming the breaststroke, but without using my legs, as I have back problems and the breaststroke scissors kick is no longer an option. I don't batter like mad for these first few metres, but I like to at least use my leg muscles for part of the swim. And no one has ever remarked or complained about it - until now.

I seethingly finished my swim and pool exercises and stretches and marched over to the young man, whom I'd never seen before. I think he realised he'd been guilty of an error of judgement when he saw me storming towards him.

"I hope you didn't think I was being rude," he said, in response to my, "I've never heard such nonsense in all my life - this is a swimming pool, for goodness sake - if people are worried about the occasional splash, they shouldn't be in the water or, like the rest of us, they should get goggles!"

I pointed over to the water, where there was someone in the fast lane doing the butterfly stroke and sending waves of water cascading over the edge of the pool. There were also a couple of people doing the backstroke in the middle and slow lanes using kicks that must have been equally as vigorous as mine.

He apologised, and I stormed off for a shower. As I was going round to fill my water bottle before going into the steamroom, I could see (not that easily, since I had by now removed my 90 percent vision goggles) a yellow shape walking round towards me. He'd obviously realised he'd boobed big time.

He approached me again, and apologised for being rude. I pointed out, quite accurately, that he hadn't been at all rude - just very misguided and it was perhaps due to a swimmer with a problem who had complained. Well actually, he confessed, no one had complained - it was just that he had seen a couple of people appearing wary of being splashed by me. Of course, that nearly set me off again, and he very quickly tried to placate me by saying that he thought my technique in the water was very good and he apologised again.

It took several extra minutes of deep breathing exercises in the steamroom to calm me down and it was comforting to know that my astonishment was shared by a fellow regular.

So, my advice to fellow swimming pool users - expect to be splashed a little and, if it's a problem to you, get a pair of goggles!

It's the little things in life

It's amazing how little discoveries can help make your life less challenging.

I've always been scared of spiders - discovering one in the home and, worst of all, bedroom, has filled me with terror. When I was single and living with my parents, there was a simple solution. I'd call my father, who would get a soft cloth and very carefully gather up the terrifying creature and gently let it out in the garden.

I'm convinced that one of the monsters was actually responsible for me failing my 'O' Level Latin, first time around. I remember waking up very early on the morning of the exam to do some last minute cramming. I'd just started, when a large black object on my bedroom carpet floor caught my eye. Before I could do anything, it scuttled off somewhere in the room. I was incapable of thinking straight and the cramming session was over.

For years, whenever I came across the beasts I was initially rooted to the spot in terror, before dashing for the hoover and attachments. The only way I could attempt to tackle the invaders was by sucking them up into the hoover bag. The trouble was, by the time I was primed and ready, the buggers had often disappeared.

But, all that has changed now. I'm still terrified of spiders and discovering one in my bedroom, especially in the evening, often leads to a sleepless night. But at least I can deal with them, thanks to the Betta Bug Katcha .

As soon as I spot a spider I grab one of the devices (I've got several of them dotted around the flat) and plonk it on top of the little (or nowadays not so little) devil before it's got a chance to leg it out of sight. I'm no longer rooted to the spot, because I know exactly what to do and can take action immediately. True, I do have the occasional accident resulting in a squished spider and once in a while I don't hold the device the right way up and The Prisoner falls out, but I don't feel so terrified by the situation because I can deal with it instantly.

Another source of terror for me, is falling down - the nearest I've come to finding a phobia listing is climacophobia - the fear of falling down stairs. I suppose that must be how it started, because as a child I began having nightmares about not being able to get down the stairs without sitting on the steps and easing myself down. Another fear, was being in a lift and having to secure myself against falling out.

In recent years, the main difficulty faced has been walking on slippy surfaces - even indoors. And if I'm outside in winter, I literally freeze when confronted with an icy pavement or road. Many's a time, I've actually got stuck and not been able to move.

But, again it's one of life's little discoveries that has made a big difference to me. The Yaktrax Ice Gripper Walker , a device that fits easily over the soles of shoes and boots and keeps you on your feet on the ice.

This winter, which continues unabated, the grippers have been an absolute Godsend. When I went to my Health and Fitness Club last week, the car park was totally covered in compacted ice and snow. There's no way I would have got out of the car if it weren't for my Yaktraks. I've been able to venture out on several jaunts that would have been impossible without my faithful friends.

As you can see, life can be improved by discovering little devices that help you cope with some of it's challenges.

I love 'going to the National Theatre' in Glasgow

I'm just back from seeing All's Well That Ends Well ,which was broadcast live from the National Theatre around the world tonight.

I didn't have to go far, as it was on at the Glasgow Film Theatre. It's the 2nd live broadcast, following on from Phedre and was equally impressive and enjoyable. You still get the sense of live theatre, but somehow it's extra special as the cameras can get in close and the sound quality is superb.

Mind you, it was touch and go at the beginning tonight. It was okay when Alex Jennings was interviewing Nicholas Hytner (both contributors to We Could Possibly Comment - Ian Richardson Remembered) but when they did some backstage interviews, the sound suddenly developed a pronounced echo. And when the play started there were a couple of minor glitches and then it settled down.

After that, it was pure enjoyment - apart from just before the start of the second half, when Alex Jennings was interviewing the costume director live on stage. Two women behind me decided that they would talk louder than him. I gave them a minute and then turned round and told them that I'd like to hear what was being said. I got a grudging 'sorry', but it did the trick and they shut up.

Must book up for the next broadcast - Nation - in January

A New Blogsite

I've decided to set up a separate blog site, entitled Ian Richardson Remembered, which will focus on Ian, the book, and his career and have published the first blog on the new site.

Storm in a G Cup will still be used for other Blogs (such as information on writers' Teddy Bear picnics and other aspects of life in all its rich tapestry.

Launch No 2 for We Could Possibly Comment - Ian Richardson Remembered

This morning I had my second book launch, at a charity coffee morning within the Jewish community in Glasgow. There was a really good attendance and I had to speak as loud as I could without deafening the people listening right in front of me whilst trying to reach the overflow audience outside the room in which I was giving my talk. Not surprisingly, I was rather hoarse for the rest of the day. Methinks a hot toddy is called for!

As part of my talk, I did a reading from the book, in which I described spending time on the set of Murder Rooms: The Dark Beginnings of Sherlock Holmes , which was largely filmed in Glasgow. It was somewhat serendipitous, as I noticed the day before, when reading next weeks' Radio Times, that the drama is being shown on BBC4 this coming Saturday at 9.05pm.

With a cast that included Robin Laing as Arthur Conan Doyle, Charles Dance and Dolly Wells, I thoroughly recommend seeing it.

Waterstone's Launch - Ian Richardson Remembered

That was the Launch, that was. Last night in Waterstone's, Argyle Street, Glasgow, more than 60 people turned up to the first launch of We Could Possibly Comment, Ian Richardson Remembered.

After some initial hiccups - like Waterstone's central hub not sending the books in time to the branch who had to borrow some of mine, and the branch being understaffed and things running a bit late (fortunately, the bottles of wine I had brought had screw tops, which was just as well, because there was a major corkscrew failure), things seemed to go swimmingly. And a fair number of books were purchased too.

So, many thanks to Will, the Events Manager, who worked like a Trojan, Leonard Esakowitz, who took lots of great photos, Margaret Thomson Davis for the lovely introduction, Mary Brown and Morag McPherson for their assistance, and every single person who took the time to come along - with special mention to Denise Chambers and Jane Murray who came through from Edinburgh.

Oh, and I rather enjoyed giving the talk too.

All photos by Leonard Esakowitz 2009

Ian Richardson Remembered - the Launch Approacheth

The first book launch for We Could Possibly Comment - Ian Richardson Remembered is being held this Thursday, 17th September, in Waterstone's, 174 - 176 Argyle Street, Glasgow, at 6.30pm.

I suppose it's quite a momentous step in the career of a fledgling author - the first launch for a first book. I'm hoping that I don't get too many of the junior/senior moments I've been having lately and forget where I am, what I'm meant to be saying, or who everybody I should know is. Memory loss isn't really an embarassment when the people in question are having the same difficulties. Just hope that younger people who haven't got to that stage yet will understand.

The books still haven't arrived at Waterstone's - though they have been promised - so I will need to take a couple of boxes along in the car in case of emergency. A book launch without books would be a bit of a disaster! There should just about be enough room in the boot for them, along with the wine. Since I'll be driving, I will steer clear of the wine (shame) but might just have a sip of medicinal brandy beforehand.

I'm kind of looking forward to the event - especially to see a number of people I haven't bumped into for quite a while.

Will try to do Ian proud.

Slowly but surely

It's just over 3 weeks since I received my copies of the book and I've sold about a sixth of my quota to date. There's a charity coffee morning launch on the 23rd September and I'm just waiting for confirmation of a launch at Waterstones in Argyle Street, Glasgow on Thursday the 17th September. All being well, my local library will be holding an author event too.

So, things seem to be moving slowly in the right direction. The book seems to be in and out of the Amazon charts like a yo yo and the bookshops still haven't got copies in yet, but hopefully it won't be long.

As for feedback, amongst the comments I've had, are:

"It's great - much better than any biography. No dull details, no cheap gossip. Captures beautifully the times, the atmosphere and most of all - Ian's personality. A book not only for those who loved and admired Ian, but for any theatre lovers. Wonderful. " - Israela Shatsky-Greenbaum

"I enjoyed it very much - he certainly was a fascinating character, and so well regarded by his fellow actors. Celia Imrie talks about the naughty glint in his eye, so I looked again at the front cover - and she's right!" - Dr Ann MacLaren

And it has prompted Doug from York, who described it as 'excellent', to buy the House of Cards Series on DVD - which delighted me, as part of the reason for writing the book, was to remind people that there' s a wealth of superb performances available to be viewed.

Now all I need is some positive national press coverage.

Released at Last

The book was released today - a couple of weeks or so ahead of schedule.

It would be nice to think that, 2 years and 4 months on, my task has been accomplished. Indeed, you might very well think that my work is now done. There is at last a first book available on Ian and my goal to do something tangible to honour his memory and give people a sense of how highly he was regarded both as an actor and as a person and what he meant to so many, has been achieved.

However, there is still a lot to be done to promote the book and make people aware that it is out there. I'll certainly try my best to succeed.

As Ian said to me in our first exchange of letters in January 1994, 'Onwards and Upwards!'

A Teddy Bear Tale

When I travelled down to Derbyshire just over a week ago to attend The Writers' Summer School , I took one teddy bear, Cuddles, with me. I only took him because there were two bears in attendance last year and they both assisted with courses. Also, I'd also promised Cuddles that he'd meet up with Buttons (below on right)

and Maple, who proved to be a great course assistant to his owner, Zana Lamont.

As I mentioned in my last Blog, an inaugural Teddy Bears' Picnic was organised and on Wednesday, Cuddles joined 11 other bears for a party. Indeed, he and Buttons were chosen as team captains whilst bear owners took part in a relay race.

Before our picnic, the Bears lined up for a photoshoot

And then let their owners join them.

After a lovely picnic of ginger beer, little jam sandwiches, baby biscuits and (naturally) honey, all the owners had a lucky dip and each received a parcel containing a brand new bear.

I got a lovely yellow teddy, I've called Mellow and she and Cuddles instantly hit it off. In fact, they hit it off so well, that by the next day, I got a third teddy bear - a lovely little fellow I've named Nick Swan. And I thought that rabbits were quick breeders!

True, some of my friends presented Nick to me on Thursday evening as a 'thank you' for the course I'd run. But in truth, I think that was a cover-up to try and save Mellow's reputation. And it appears that Nick is a very special bear, because within a couple of hours of entering my life, I won the raffle for a free place at next year's summer school (the second time I've had lucky tickets in 4 years). I reckon Nick must have brought me the good luck.

So, having set off with Cuddles, just under a week later, I returned home with a readymade teddy bear family.

And they're all looking forward to next year's Writers' Summer School Teddy Bears' Picnic.

You don't have to be on the 'mad' side to be a writer - but it helps.

Cuddles makes a friend

In my last Blog, I mentioned that Cuddles, my extremely huggable Teddy Bear, is with me here at The Swanwick Writers' Summer School for the first time, having being adopted by me en route home from last year's school.


Well, I had a little gathering of friends in my huge three-bedded room before dinner yesterday to herald the arrival of We Could Possibly Comment - Ian Richardson Remembered







and as well as having the pleasure of signing a copy for friend and author of 41 books, Margaret Thomson Davis,

Cuddles (below, left) made a friend -Buttons the Bear, who had been brought along by his 'Mum', writer and dramatist, Joyce Ward. Whilst the mostly female gathering was knocking back the wine, the two bears were having a great time together and even agreed to have their photo taken with me (anything for a bit of publicity).

Apparently, there are several bears in attendance at Swanwick this year and a Teddy Bear Picnic will hopefully be arranged later in the week.

The Book has Landed

After much angst and a plethora of phone calls and Emails, the books finally arrived yesterday and I've already dispatched a few orders abroad.

What was my feeling when I saw the huge truck trying to find the building I live in? Initially, huge excitement, as I ran down the stairs to greet the driver. Then sheer exhaustion, as I mopped up the perspiration after bringing books up to my top-floor flat. Then panic, as I scrambled to get the few books I really needed to get sent to arrive by today ready. Then puzzlement, as I sat down to sign my first book - what the heck will I write and where. Now, the feeling is one of relief tinged with the sadness of knowing that my first book is this particular book because Ian is no longer with us.

In the end, I had to cart most of the order - some having been sent direct to the Hayes Conference Centre in Swanwick and two boxes going straight into the car - up the stairs.

I'm heading down the motorway to Derbyshire in a couple of hours with my regular Swanwick passenger, prolific author, Margaret Thomson Davis. Hopefully there will just about be enough room in the car for the two of us and all our luggage, including two large suitcases, my books, Margaret's books for sale, flyers, lots of material for the non-fiction course I'm running at the Writers' Summer School, and some refreshments for a pre-dinner little launch party.

With a bit of luck, there might just be room for Cuddles

We Could Possibly Comment - Ian Richardson Remembered - should be in the shops by the 7th September.

Almost There

Hopefully this time next week I'll be happily settled in at Swanwick and might even have sold one or two books in the Summer School bookshop.

Barring disaster, my copies should reach me towards the end of the coming week, in advance of the official publication date, 7th September, when We Could Possibly Comment - Ian Richardson Remembered becomes available in bookshops. I've already received direct orders from abroad - thanks to PayPal - and hope to dispatch them as soon as possible after my consignment arrives in Glasgow.

Flyers and bookmarks have been ordered -

In the next month and beyond, the next phase will begin - contacting newspapers and revisiting bookshops and there's already a booking with a charity organisation for a coffee morning launch in September.

It's rather fortuitous that the Yesterday Channel have been showing the House of Cards series on Saturdays.

Wouldn't it be nice if some of the other great series Ian was in Ian Richardson - IMDB could be shown again too.

Tempus is Fugiting like mad

I've just signed the first two copies of We Could Possibly Comment for writer friends. At least, I've just signed them in a dream. With, hopefully, just a week or so to go before I receive my allocation of the print run, I expect to be having more similar dreams - and nightmares.
One benefit of the dream, is that it has reminded me that I'll need to slow down when signing. I find it extremely difficult to write slowly which, admittedly, is quite handy for a journalist who only did shorthand for a year at university... a very long time ago. It's a distinct disadvantage, though, when writing greetings cards, letters and envelopes and I frequently mess them up. Methinks a few practice sessions are called for.
That's something else to add to a list that doesn't seem to have got smaller in recent weeks. It's now only about ten days until I head off to The Writers' Summer School at Swanwick, Derbyshire

I've still to finalise work on the Non-fiction course I've been asked to run - I've set myself a deadline of this Friday to have it nailed, apart from some Marketing information.

On the book front, I sent text and some JPegs to a local printer on Monday for flyers and that's still to be finalised. The latest delivery date for the books to the publisher in Leicester (nice to see that my book is highlighted on their bookshop page New and Notable is next Thursday, the 8th, but as that's probably too late to get my copies up to Glasgow in time for Swanwick, hopefully that can be brought forward a couple of days.

There are several other tasks that have to be completed before I disappear off to the peerless Peak District, which means I'll have to devote less time to Facebook (the main culprit behind my lack of blogging in the past couple of weeks) and be very focused.

The clock continues its relentless ticking down.

The Final Countdown

Everything was signed off last week, including the cover and hopefully the printers have started work on transforming all the proofs into books. I need to have copies ready three weeks from now to take to The Writers' Summer School at Swanwick - (places still available) and am thinking of sending a few elves down to help.

Three weeks to see the actual books - it doesn't seem that long now, given the fact that I started work on the book more than two years ago. I'll have to use some of the time to get flyers made and somehow create space in my flat for the 300 copies I'm taking. My advice to anyone thinking of being an author, is to consider moving if, like me, you live in a 2nd floor flat with no lift!

I think I'd better increase my visits to the swimming pool each week and use the weights I bought a while back.

I've been tagged

Thanks to my dear friend, Brian Sibley (that's him above on the right) I've been tagged with a meme based on the Alphabet. It's my first go at something like this, but here goes:-

A - Age 55 - but not for much longer.

B - Bed Size Double. I currently share it with Cuddles the Teddy Bear, Herschel the Jewish Care Bare and Elliot the Elephant.



C - Chore you Hate Paying the bills.

D - Dog's Name Candy - a lovely boxer with an unwrinkled face and long nose who was our pet when I was a child. She used to wash my brothers ears and revived my grandmother, who had diabetes, when she fainted. Candy was stolen when she was around 10 months old and we never got another dog.

E - Essential Start to Your Day Turning on the PC.

F - Favourite Colour Jade.

G - Gold or Silver I tend to wear silver more.

H - Height 5' 4 1/2" - and I'm unable to wear heels higher than an inch and a half.

I - Instruments you play Qwerty keyboard - and my own vocal instrument.

J - Job Title Freelance writer and author - currently underemployed.

K - Kids Daughter Suzanne, aged 29, who lives with me.

L - Living Arrangements A chaotic spacious 2nd floor flat - one bedroom for me, one for Suzanne and one our Chinchilla Kylie lets us rent out for the PC and 2nd television.


M - Mum's Name Sadie, nee Jacobs - she's a real trooper (I'm sure my Dad agrees).



N - Nicknames Occasionally called Shazza or Sharonski and when I call my father Pops, he calls me Dops.

O - Overnight hospital stays other than birth 6 orthopaedic ops, and about half a dozen other ops.

P - Pet Peeve People without any manners - my philosophy is 'p0liteness maketh the person'.

Q - Quote from a movie I have to share with Brian, the love of 'If you can't say nuffin nice, don't say nuffin at all' (Thumper)

"Keep close to ze candles" - Frau Blucher in Young Frankenstein (the candles were never lit)

Either "Savvie?" or "Oh Bugger!" - Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean (it's the way he says it)



I know it's not from a film, but of course I have to include 'You might very well think that... I couldn't possibly comment', and 'Dismal egalitarianism running rampant with the royal seal of approval' from House of Cards - delicious lines created by Andrew Davies and superbly delivered by Ian Richardson.



R - Right or left-handed Predominantly right-handed, but I'm fairly ambidextrous.

S - Sports Swimming and watching most sports - I used to play hockey and netball when I was at school and represented Strathclyde University at the Scottish Universities Championships in 1971/2 - there are four ladies in a team and there were four ladies at the club, so I was an automatic choice.

T - Time you wake up Your guess is as good as mine and certainly several times during the night.

U - Underwear More Bridget Jones than Grace Jones.

V - Vegetable you Dislike Does garlic count as a vegetable?

W - Ways you run late When I was in my last few years of school, at Hutchesons' Grammar, they were very strict generally, but certainly about punctuality and I always prefer to be early rather than late. Unfortunately, I don't always manage it these days - usually because I think I've got more time than I have.

X-rays you've had - Various.

Y - Yummy food you make Chicken soup and lockshen, plum sponge pudding.

Z - Zoo favourite - Animals that are cute, interesting and not too smelly.

Royal Mail - definitely no relation!

The proof corrections for We Could Possibly Comment - Ian Richardson Remembered arrived this morning - three days after Matador sent them out to me, First Class Mail. I've had post from America as quick at that! Not only that, but I posted the proof sheets needing changed to Matador, Special Delivery last Tuesday and they didn't receive them until Thursday. This service is meant to be guaranteed next day delivery - and you're certainly paying a lot more for it.

So, it looks like the Royal Mail has cost me a few days in what seems to be a tight schedule to have the book ready for when I want it. Perhaps I should change my name by Deed Poll so that no one confuses me with the shoddy service.

As for the amended proofs, there were very few things missed and I posted a maximum of ten sheets back early this afternoon - and I'd better get my fiver's worth for special delivery this time or I really will consider adopting a new surname.

Hopefully I should have sight of the cover proofs by Saturday and after I'm happy with them, be just about on the home strait.

Meanwhile, in what seems to be a very positive development, Matador today announced that it is employing a Sales Representative Company to sell its self-published books.

Let's hope this is another step in the right direction for self-publishing companies and authors like myself who decided to go for this option.

Wimbledon - It's a Scream

I'm not surprised that Belarus tennis player Viktoria Azarenka is doing so well at Wimbledon. If I were her opponents I'd find it extremely difficult to concentrate, given the racket she makes. In fact, like my daughter and I were at home yesterday, I'd find it difficult not to be in hysterics. There are a lot of noisy players, particularly in the Ladies section but I find the wuhooooooooooo sounds emanating from her 'north and south' quite hypnotic in that kind of voyeuristic way we feel compelled to watch or listen to something unnatural (and which shouldn't be allowed.)



Meanwhile, having got back to watching more tennis this past year than I've seen for decades thanks to Andy Murray, I was suffering the angst in last night's epic match from fretting about whether or not he'd get through after being pegged back to 3-3 from having a 3-0 lead in the final set. Wawrinka was playing excellent tennis and had the first set well and truly sewn up when I had to head out to cover an event.

When I got home I was fearful that Andy might have been knocked out and was pleasantly surprised to find that the match was still going on - albeit arriving just in time to see Wawrinka clinch the fourth set. But, I should have had more faith and the Murray Magic saw him through. Let's hope he is able to win his quarter final match and more comfortably - not least for the sake of my nerves.