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A BUSY MONTH
The four weeks of October each had a completely different agenda: writing by the sea, book promotion, book launch and solid writing.
WRITING BY THE SEA
Every year Linda takes her parent to Bigbury-on-Sea in south Devon to have a break and enjoy the magnificent views of the bay and Burgh Island. This year Peter came and stayed with his grandparents while Linda and I stayed in a nearby house with a fantastic view of the ocean. Linda spent most of the week cooking meals, while I spent most mornings and afternoons in the downstairs cafe writing the next sections of ‘Journey through Lent with Jesus’. I did go for a couple of quick dips in the sea and went on a lovely coastal walk, but the weather was a bit grey and rainy, At least I got most of the sections for the third week of Lent written, based round Jesus forecasting the destruction of the Temple.
I left a day early to go to a school reunion – Town House, the day boy section of Rugby School. It was a lovely day, sunny, excellent lunch’ The high point for me was the chapel service in the majestic chapel built by Butterfield and the magnificent 4- manual organ. I had forgotten what it was like to be singing loudhymns with over two hundred other people. So refreshing!
CHRISTIAN RESOURCES EXHIBITION
After two years of lockdown, there was finally an in-person Christian Resources Exhibition, CRE for short. I decided to go to it, aiming to share it with my publisher, Chris day. He came the first day to help, as did Alison, a friend from Caffe Nero, The other two days I was on my own. I had a four page leaflet on my books to give away, brilliantly designed by Clare. I managed to give away 450 of them, a quarter of the people who attended. The tip which my former vicar at St Jude’s Earls Court told me worked. The trick is to hold our the leaflet and look away! Curiosity can then conquer suspicion. My main aim was spreading the word, but I did sell eleven books, very satisfyingly I sold at least one copy of all six of my titles. I also made some useful contacts which I will need to follow up in a month or so. But standing up all day took its toll and by the end of the week I was exhausted.
BOOK LAUNCH
The following Wednesday I had the public launch of the colour edition of ‘Jesus the Troublemaker’. It was a lovely occasion. I was interviewed by my brother and a friend from Living Stones of the Holy Land, Jo Simister. I had had made steak pie for supper with them. Chris my publisher filmed it on his phone, and I hope to put that up on YouTube.
Unfortunately production difficulties meant that I had no copies of the book! I got all the colour photos in the book printed and put them up in the church, and after the interviews we had wine with bread, olive oil and za’atar. About twenty came and it was a lovely occasion. The actual books will arrive this coming week. It could make a great Christmas present for the right person. Email me and I will send it to you.
WRITING HARD
As soon as I had recovered form the previous two weeks, I worked intensively on the next book: ‘Journey through Lent with Jesus’. It uses passages from ‘Jesus the Troublemaker’ to set the scene, together with comments and a devotional suggestion for each day. It’s hard work writing a new section each morning and afternoon, which is my aim. Caffe Nero as always is my work space, plus a local Indian takeaway most afternoons. The book really has to be ready in November in order to get reviewed in the new year.
So far I have written about the events leading up and including the Last Supper. The last section I wrote was on Jesus’ arrest, in which he says, “Now is your hour and the hour of darkness.” I was surprised how emotionally exhausting it was reflecting on that.
FILM ETC
Linda and I have seen only one film of any note, the latest Wes Andserson ‘the French Despatch’ – the most eccentric film he has done. It is really a love letter to the old ‘New Yorker’ and a homage to French cinema. ‘The French Dispatch’ is a Kansas paper relocated to France in the town of Ennui-sur-Blasé with three crazy story-lines told in an. equally weird way, a bit like series of trailers. One critic called it his most accomplished film to date. Another said people could find it incredibly bewildering and annoying. I was the former, Linda the latter!
Music is back. I heard a beautiful recital on Friday for violin and harp, starting with Vaughan Willians ‘The Lark Ascending’; it stole my soul! On 31st I went to Lutheran Vespers for Reformation Sunday. I heard Bach’s cantata ‘Ein feste Burg’ , one of his most elaborate cantatas. Wonderful.
I also saw the new James Bond – a bit like filming by numbers. BUT the last scene was good. ‘M’ read out something written by Ian Fleming in ‘You Only Live Twice’:
“The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall use my time. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them.”
I just said, ‘Amen.