Back Home and Raring to Get Writing/Reading/All That Stuff

Or maybe not just yet ...

Cornelis Bisschop (1630-1674) Old Woman Sleeping

wiki commons

ROM - What a Great Building!

I'm in Toronto again, and looking forward to revisiting the Royal Ontario Museum - what a collection! What a cafe! What a building! (These photos are from 2016 - it's been too long!)

Cherry Blossom Farewell

Off to Canada and was so hoping my downstairs neighbour's cherry would blossom before I went - and it did!

By the time I'm back (mid-April) it will be busy making leaves instead and that's a pretty sight as well.  Spring.  We're lucky to have you!

How I Feel

How do I feel?  Okay, viewed dispassionately from the outside, it's just a cold I've got, but that's not it seems from the inside.  To me, it feels like this:

John Henry Fuseli The Nightmare 1781 (wiki commons)

How would I like to feel?  More like this:

Edward Atkinson Hornel The Dance of Spring 1891 (wiki commons)

Maybe tomorrow ...

Auction for Tommy

I'd like to flag up this site - Auction for Tommy Donbavand - and encourage you to have a browse.  This explains the reason for this endeavour:

Three years ago, children’s author, Tommy Donbavand, was diagnosed with inoperable throat cancer. Since then, he has battled every day through the appalling side-effects of numerous treatments and the associated medical conditions they brought with them, desperate to keep going for the sake of his wife and two children.

Last week, Tommy was given some terrible news. His cancer is back. There is nothing more that can be done. His oncologist has given him “weeks or months” to live.

Tommy is one of life’s good guys. For years, he tirelessly worked to promote literacy in schools and libraries. Like most children’s authors, this provided the majority of his income, and being unable to run these events has drastically slashed his income. His most pressing concern now is how to best help his family once he is no longer around. It’s a terrifying, heartbreaking thing for most of us to even imagine, but for Tommy it’s the grim reality he is facing.

This site was set up by a group of Tommy’s friends to help raise funds for him and his family. The love and respect for Tommy throughout the publishing industry is such that we’ve been able to assemble some truly incredible lots from some equally incredible people. Every penny raised through the auction will go to Tommy and his family.

So, take a look through the listings. Many of them are one-of-a-kind items and experiences which cannot be found anywhere else. You could bag yourself a piece of history, end up in a book, or just grab some signed copies of titles from your favourite authors. And, more importantly, help a good man cope with a terrible situation.

Thank you.

Slightly Jones on World Book Day

For World Book Day this year, Freya became Slightly Jones, with her detecting notebook at the ready!  Fabulous!


The Slightly Jones Mysteries:
Slightly Jones and the Case of the London Dragonfish
Slightly Jones and the Case of the Glasgow Ghoul
Slightly Jones and the Case of the Cambridge Mummy
Slightly Jones and the Case of the Hidden City

And the girl detective has her own website, called Slightly's Notebook.

Dear March - Come in -

Dear March - Come in - 

How glad I am - 

I hoped for you before - 

Put down your Hat - 

You must have walked - 

How out of Breath you are - 

Dear March, how are you, and the Rest - 

Did you leave Nature well - 

Oh March, Come right upstairs with me - 

I have so much to tell ...

(an extract from Dear March by Emily Dickinson)