My Summer of Love

It seems impossible, but since the last time I wrote on this blog a whole summer has come and gone.

And looking back, I can say it has been a great one, filled with excitement, meetings, laughter and love.

The Stone Roses at Glasgow Green

It all kicked off back in June, when once more I was able to share my insane passion for music in general and the Stone Roses in particular with other fans at big open air concerts in London and Glasgow, both of which made me regress to the seventeen year old girl I was several moons ago. 

 

It was also the first time I visited Glasgow and the city left a very good impression on me, despite the damp weather.

My expedition to Scotland continued with a trip to Edinburgh, one of my favourite European cities, where I was able to attend the first gathering of authors organised by my publisher, Crooked Cat Publishing. You can read more about it on the Cat’s site. I’ll just say it's been a great day/evening spent in excellent company, chatting about all sorts of interesting and fun topics, as well as a useful exchange of ideas and experiences on writing, editing and marketing books.

A gathering of cats

 

What a lovely view!

 

As it happens, my birthday is also in summer, at the end of June, and on the night I was treated by the Other Half to a lovely dinner at favourite restaurant of ours Hix, in Lyme Regis. If you’ve never been and you love fish and seafood, I highly recommend it. Not only the food is mouthwatering, the restaurant is set in a stunning position overlooking the harbour and the bay.

Next on our calendar was a two week break in northern Italy, to visit friends and family, where I was able to relax, enjoy the sun, food and vino, some shopping in Milan and another concert, seeing Blur. Oh, and I managed to work a bit more on my new novel.

The main square in the town of Trecate, in Northern Italy

Walking in the New Forest

 Back in the UK, we found the sun was still shining and, with the New Forest at our doorstep, we could fit in a few walks, nature spotting,  and even a bit of cycling around the National Park.

With such a busy summer, it was no surprise that September seemed to have arrived very quickly. Days are already getting shorter, the weather has turned cooler and more rainy. Time to start looking ahead at the new season; kids are leaving for College and Uni and I’m back to my normal routine, hopefully with less distractions and re-energized to get that first draft finally finished and more updates to this neglected blog.

To work!

Sipping cocktails in Edinburgh with a young, good-looking chap... what more can a girl ask?