June

Before I finally finish with May it is important to relate the very last AGM at the Hull and District Talking Magazine for the Blind that my colleague Irene and I attended before saying a final goodbye to the members of committee and volunteers. We were presented with a beautiful pot plant and rose bush as parting gifts which were  unexpected and so gratefully received.
The following week, we met again, unexpectedly, to attend the funeral of a very dear colleague who had died suddenly; a mild and gentle man who will be sadly missed, not only by his friends and family but by the charity where he has done such sterling work for many years.
On the 11th June I drove to Burniston near Scarborough to attend and speak at the 30th anniversary lunch of several local WI's. We had a splendid lunch at the Three Jolly Sailors and a lovely afternoon with such welcoming and charming ladies. Not content with that alone, I also went on a trip down Memory Lane to look up the house where my paternal grandparents used to live and where my sisters and I spent many happy holidays when we were young.
The next day was the Carers Anniversary Service at the Beverley Minster and I had been invited to speak, not in my capacity as an author but as a former carer. It was a lovely service with hymns by the Singing for the Brain choir, and a wonderful soloist in Noel Griffiths. Music is such a balm to the soul. Mary spoke of her recollections of the changes in attitudes towards the elderly and in my short talk I expressed the fervent hope that carers are given help and the recognition that they surely deserve.

On the writing front I eagerly await sight of the cover of my next book
HIS BROTHER'S WIFE due to be published in November. It might seem a long way off, but there is much to do in publishing to bring out a new book. The cover is an important aspect; the author has a picture in his/her head of the characters and setting, the sales dept need a cover that appeals to the reader, the bookshops want a cover that sits well and importantly fly off their shelves. It is a small miracle if everyone is happy!