Looking forward
planting bulbs and editing book proofs!
This week the bulbs I’d ordered from a great bulb supplier Peter Nyssen arrived. So exciting. I mean they don’t look all that promising, do they? When you look at them in their packaging they’re like small onions. But there’s a thrill knowing their potential. My hip and now wrists are no better, but if I pace myself and only try to plant a few it will all happen. In fact the day they arrived I spent half an hour slowly planting twenty crocuses, some in the ground and some in a pot. At the weekend, when I generally don’t write much, I’m going to finish the rest of the crocuses and find places for the daffodils. The tulips can wait until it’s much colder. As long as I can!
I’ve lived in my present flat since December 2019, and once the lockdowns were over I decided to plant hundreds of tulips. The first year they were spectacular as you can see, but the second and following years they’d all but disappeared. And apparently this is normal for tulips. So don’t go splashing your money on hundreds of pounds worth (well £100), or you’ll be disappointed!
In other news, plans for my book launch are underway! I’ve found a lovely local pub willing to host and now all I need are the books themselves and a firm date. Publication is supposed to be 14 November, but there have been more changes to make to the proofs, so the books may be delayed. It was funny opening the box of bulbs - really reminded me of when my first novel was published in 2020 (two months after moving house and one month before the first lockdown). Fingers crossed it will all happen very soon!
Thank you so much for reading my Substack this week. Have a great weekend to all my followers and subscribers!