‘Richard Strauss’ and ‘comic’ are not normally heard in the same sentence, but when it comes to Der Rosenkavalier, they are. There isn’t really a back story to today’s post, apart from the fact I love this trio. And I did…
Del19th December 2016
As the last part of the novel is based in Vienna, I was looking for a framework as an excuse for the heroine to flit around various places in this wonderful capital – apart from the obvious reason of being…
Del29th November 2016
One of life’s many disappointments has been the refurbishment of the Walther König Buchhandlung in the Museums Quartier. This has traditionally been one of my first stops whenever I come to Vienna because of the array of interesting and unusual…
Del28th November 2016
Another rainy night … or at least, it looks as though it’s going to be. But it won’t be raining in my heart, as Budy Holly didn’t say, as I shall be amongst chums for the vernissage of Wir Sind…
Del27th November 2016
Today’s blog post is mainly about me … and Zeljko. We spent a most pleasant afternoon hanging Wir sind am Ziel at Zeljko’s restaurant-bar, Sixta (Schönbrunnerstr., 21, 1050 Wien). Wir sind am Ziel is a series of images from around…
Del25th November 2016
The plot, the pen and I are now in Vienna getting ready for Sunday’s kleine Ausstellung (more on that tomorrow) and the grand finale to the novel. Last time I was in Vienna, the European Month of Photography was just…
Del24th November 2016
Actually, as the sharp-eyed amongst you will note, there is only one monkey ... although I guess you can’t see any monkeys unless you know that the cheeky little hound is called Monkey – but there is no prog track…
Del23rd November 2016
Thanks to my good friend Dee, our heroine Madzi manages to find gainful employment. Not giving too much of the game away at this stage, but it involves glassware, tableware and an oyster bar called Oberts, although it might not…
Del21st November 2016
When was the last time you received a personal letter that was hand-written and just full of news, gossip, chit-chat and a pleasure to read? I’ve discovered that the letter is an excellent device for changing the plot, introducing a…
Del20th November 2016
I find most home furnishing departments dull, desperately dull. Just how many shades of mushroom and grey does a girl need? To be in the right frame for novelling, I need brightness and colour around me, not beige. At least,…
Del19th November 2016
Somewhere 18th November 2016 Dear Someone, My amazing, wonderful sister-in-law aka Wilcey is doing the most remarkable challenge to raise money for MacMillan Cancer Support because, as she says, ‘Sometimes it’s time to say “Thanks”’. Next April, she’ll be walking…
Del18th November 2016
A few more words uploaded this morning and I earned my 40,000 word badge. Only two more to go, the 50,000 ‘winner’ badge and the ‘wordcount uploaded thirty days in a row’ badge. It is quite exhausting trying to fit…
Del17th November 2016
The novel is coming on apace. I uploaded another 2,522 words this morning bringing my total to 35,172. My right hand is feeling comfortably numb because most of those words have been written in fountain pen, as I do most…
Del15th November 2016
Today is Remembrance Sunday and MisterMac and I have resplendent home-made poppies – thanks Cathryn! Although the UK acknowledges 11/11 as Armistice Day, we still hold our major ceremonies on the nearest Sunday, unlike the French who hold their National…
Del13th November 2016
Paris, love and cliches Did I mention I was going to Paris? The French know how to enjoy a bit of the dolce vita - or la belle vie, as I suppose one should say. They say that Paris is…
Del10th November 2016
We are what we are. I am an aspiring novelist (at least for the month of November) and Evelyn Waugh was a great novelist. There is a world-wide pool of advice that tells the aspiring novelist what to do, but…
Del8th November 2016
One of the interesting side observations about writing a novel is watching the adverts on Facebook and other websites adapt to my novelling-research surfing habits, which are now intense bursts of activity about the subject matter for the chapter in…
Del7th November 2016