Spooky stories

The Babe Magnet and I just spent a special  two days in York. I love this city with its ancient walls, the minster and the river.  We did some Christmas shopping  - how did it get to November? - and  on Thursday night we went to a production of The Woman in  Black  at the Theatre Royal.

Have you read  The Woman in Black? Or seen the film?  I've done both - and I couldn't begin to think of how someone could produce a stage performance of the book - like the film - but with only 2 actors!   I also didn't think that, having read the book and seen the film, it could scare me any more.

I was wrong. What a production. And it was all the more fascinating because it showed  the real power of the imagination in a way that  all the special effects/horror films can never create.  A bleak, almost bare stage, occasional light effects or sounds. . . .   2 men who changed costumes/characters with a different accent or a change of jacket. We were there on the night that a party of school children came to the theater. They must regularly see real horror films or video games - but  when the play worked on their imaginations they were more scared by what they couldn't see  than  what they could.

It was a real way of showing how powerful our imaginations are - which made me think of when people read my books and what are really just words on the page build up pictures in their thoughts and they grow stronger and clearer so that the story really takes off.  And probably no one quite see exactly the same thing whoever reads those words.  Isn't the imagination amazing?

It was also a great way of showing that there is no one way to tell a story - those 3 versions  of the original book have been so varied, different. But each one tells the story their way  - bringing it to life in their own special way.

We had a great night - and the walk back  through the dark, winding, cobbled streets of York had an extra thrill  as we looked at any dark figure of shadowy corner with a new and rather nervous  attitude.

Wet wet wet . . .

Is it really June?  I think I fell asleep and woke up in the wrong season. It’s wet and cold – so wet and cold that even Charlie the garden cat  won’t go out unless he absolutely has to.  And Flora – well, as you can see from the photos, Flora has found a nice snug, dry place to snooze. The only trouble is that  she is taking up rather a large spot on my desk top and it’s a bit tricky to work on the keyboard while she’s there.

Still having some internet problems –  hopefully they will be finally sorted out today (fingers crossed). It’s been tricky sending emails, uploading blogs etc. 

So what have I been doing?  Once the Jubilee holidays were over -
Well, there was the necessary task of renewing passports –eeek!  No you can’t see my passport photo. All I can imagine is that somewhere in the passport office there is some poor person who is either almost dying of laughter or wondering whether they should report this woman to the police as she is obviously a total psycho and probably dangerous.   It doesn’t help that you are told that you must not smile . . . 

The  renewal is important to get done now because I will need a passport to travel to Tuscany in October when I head for the fabulous Watermill to run the Beyond The Hearts and Flowers course on writing romantic fiction.  (If you want details they can be found here on the Watermill's web site  - or on my Events page.   )

I have been making lots of soup!   Something about the new kitchen has made me have a whole new interest in cooking – well, cooking soup. And the Babe Magnet loves a bowl of veg soup for lunch. Not the right sort of food for ‘Flaming June’?  Well – see the first paragraph above. I am definitely  thinking of building an ark. Drought? What drought?

And I’ve been reading – galloped my way through  The Lies We Told by Diane Chamberlain and Please Don’t Stop the Music by Jane Lovering (the book that won the Romantic Novel  of the Year Award).  Plus a selection of romance by Annie West,  Lynn  Raye Harris, Jane Porter, Donna Alward,  and Sarah Morgan – another way of ‘filling the well’  as well as the rain.

Saturday was a real treat – heading for the Crucible theatre in Sheffield to see the  fantastic John Simm in Betrayal by Harold Pinter. Brilliant. It was a family outing with  the Babe Magnet,  The Offspring and his brand  new  fiancée.    The Italian meal before the play and the discussion in the car on the way home were extra bonuses to an already great evening.

Today I’m supposed to be heading into town to get my hair cut –  It’s not actually raining at the moment, but what’s the betting  one of those big dark clouds will burst right overhead as soon as I emerge from the hairdresser’s? Sigh!

Where did I put that umbrella?