High heels

A lovely surprise, just when I needed it, when I was, ahem, checking out my book’s sales on Amazon. I know it’s a bit sad, but in fact I know authors who spend a lot of time rearranging stacks in bookshops so that their own wares come out on top. At least I don’t do that. Though obviously I would if the book was out in English bookshops ….

Anyway, my book has come out in Germany in paperback with a brand spanking new cover! Here’s a picture:

Yes, those are actually my legs. Though how the photographer took the picture without me noticing, I’ll never know. I certainly wouldn’t wear black shoes with a red dress – I wouldn’t wear black shoes at all – so they must have done a bit of clever photo-shopping there, bless them. But that is the exact heel height I normally choose when stepping out for a bit of a saunter through Dulwich village. And I obviously should stop using MiracleGro in the garden, those green heart-shaped flowers are running rampant all over my borders. Very exciting, and I do hope the book is selling like hot strudels in Germany. And, if you do read German and you are one of the adorable people who’ve given me a five star review on www.amazon.de, why thank you so much!

In other news, we were sent tickets to the Churchill Theatre’s inimitable Aladdin panto, featuring the charms of Melinda Messenger, courtesy of Robinson’s panto karaoke. The show was fantastic, and I had meant to review it last week but my computer was broken. Sadly it’s now all over (oh yes it is) but Robinson’s panto karaoke is still going strong, so do pop along. What a brilliant night we had. TL was quite stunned as he hadn’t been to a panto for 30-odd years and wasn’t prepared for the sly wit, slick acting and excellent singing that we were treated to. At some points Wishee Washee had us crying with laughter. The Churchill Theatre was a revelation too, tucked away behind Bromley High Street. I’ve seen that the Moscow City Ballet is performing the Nutcracker there at the beginning of February and I’m really tempted to get tickets.

We were also asked to ‘test’ Lego’s new Hogwarts game – what a great Lego set this was, even for children of four and five who were really a bit young for the game itself. But they did really enjoy the construction process and some of the Lego bits, like the crystal balls and potions, are actually quite beautiful. They ended up inventing their own games with the tiny figures of Harry Potter, Hermione, Ron and the rest, which is quite as it should be.

Also, if you have any family members or friends with birthdays in January, when pickings are slim after Christmas, have a look at Global Angels.  It’s an international charitable foundation championing young people and children around the world. This year, they are taking part in the London 10k run, the Three Peaks challenge, a Channel swim and a bunch of marathons. If you prefer to help out in a less exhausting way, and you have teenage presents to get, their shop has a good range of T-shirts and jewellery.

Leave a Comment