home

rian, sleet, rain, wind, rain - temps hovering around freezing

But who cares??? We're home!!!

Arrived back mid afternoon yesterday. Had lunch on the way down with our friend Louise, in Granby. She's doing amazingly well. It's been just over 2 months now since Jacques died. We felt just awful about having to leave her so soon after - but we tried to keep in touch via email and phone calls - but it's not the same. Luckily she has other close friends who have been there for her every day - including our mutual friend Louise. (Yes - another one!)

Then visited Joan in the Cowansville hospital - she's also doing great after her second hip replacement.

Then....then...home! The place looked amazing. Cheryl must have slaved to get it so sparkling clean, and hardly any fire damage, or evidence of the biker parties they threw. (We kept getting very funny messages from Gary and cheryl describing debauched parties and catastrophic damages - at least, we presumed they were funny - happy to get in and have that confirmed)

Sunday morning Michael and I went off to Nick's in Montreal for breakfast. As I slid into the booth (not our regular one) I was confronted by a haggard looking old woman - then I realized it was a mirror! I was stunned. It looked as though I'd fallen from a great height into a bucket of wrinkles.

Eyes all puffy and, yes, wrinkled. Hair gray and quite wild...not pleasingly touseled, but sort of demented. Skin blotchy. Eyes dull.

The bright lights didn't help, but unless I want to become nocturnal, this is pretty much the lighting of life. Broad daylight. Now I know why they call it 'broad' daylight. I looked like an old broad. It should be changed to old broad daylight.

Normally this wouldn't matter all that much, expect that I have a photo shoot tomorrow. Gary's coming over to take pictures to accompany an article in the Globe and Mail. I'm afraid I will look like a crease. Oh well. Happily most people don't care what writers look like. In fact, the more demented the better. So, this could be considered good news.

Was looking forward to a completely quiet day. We asked everyone to maybe just pretend we're not home until tomorrow. And it worked well until 8am - when I realized I'd forgotten to get milk. Then discovered the Beetle convertible had a dead battery. So by 8:30 I was driving what Michael calls the 'real' car into the village for milk and Michael was calling the CAA for the toy car.

By the end of the day (now) we've returned all the phone calls, opened all the mail (including an odd invoice - someone seems to think I ordered 56 copies of The Canadian Railway Trilogy by Gordon Lightfoot....unless, Gary and Cheryl....

And we've done a load of laundry...and boosted the car, of course. Not exactly the quiet day we'd yearned for. But there's a huge difference between having to do something and choosing to do it. I'm sitting in the living room, in front of the fire, having opened the mail, read two newspaper and have Bach's concerto for violins playing.

The photo above shows Trudy with her 'bone', Michael, the gray day outside - and the beautiful flowers Cheryl and Gary left on the kitchen table. How wonderful it is to be home. But even better, how wonderful it is to be home with friends.

Oh, and had wonderful news about the novella, THE HANGMAN. It was written, as many of you know, for GoodReads, to help promote literacy for adults - so while the Gamache and Three Pines story is, I hope, complex - the style is clear and simple...for adults learning to read. Well, the publisher is in Alberta and she submitted for the Alberta Reader's Choice awards and it has been longlisted! Another GoodREads author, Gail Anderson-Dargatz's book THE STALKER, has also made the longlist! How exciting that books aimed at emerging readers can also be considered literature. Excellent!!!

And - I was just about to hit 'publish post' but Michael came in with the news that AudioFile Magazine in the US has named BURY YOUR DEAD one of the top 10 audio books of the Year!!! This is a huge honour for me - but mostly it's a reflection of the brilliance of Ralph Cosham, who is the reader.

Absolutely wonderful news!!!

Well, this is what happens on quiet days.

All gone

party cloudy, hot, temps 29

Another beautiful day! Sunny and hot. Had coffee this morning with a friend in Sutton.

the family left at 5 this morning. Michael and I set our alarm for 4:15. Woke Doug up...he did the last minute packing of the car then woke the kids. Four bleary zombies clomped downstairs, gave us hugs and kisses (they could have been kissing a chair as far as they were concerned)...then into the car. Actually, to be fair, most did manage a few full sentences. And were very gracious.

And off they went.

And back to bed we went.

Just got emails from Theo's mom to say he's home and to thank us...but I have to say, he's a remarkable young man...boy. Hard to say at 12. He sat down at the piano and started playing, so I asked about music lessons and he said he doesn't play piano but something else (have just forgotten which instrument he said)...I asked how in the world he picked out Mozart, and he explained he plays it on his other instrument so figured it out. He cleared the table, and even washed his dishes.

Some smart mother should get dibs on him in about 10 years for her daughter. He's also a funny and kind boy. A great friend for Charlie, who is all those things as well.

Also had an email from Doug, confirming they're home. Always a relief to hear that.

Have a quiet afternoon...might try to do the first draft of the June newsletter. I think the Canadiens are playing tonight - have sort of lost track. It would be the make or break game. Tomorrow having breakfast in cowansville then some banking, then home for....arrrgh....the beginning of the first edit, or second draft, of the next book. Very scary. Will tell you tomorrow what happens.

British election

mixed day - cold wind, cloudy then sunny - temps 10

Wayne came and cut the grass. Tony came to cut down trees broken by the heavy snow. Luc came to fix the satellite television. All by 9:30 - so the quiet day wasn't quite as quiet as all that. But we were thrilled to have everyone working...outside. While we ferreted away inside.

Still ferreting. Not quite finished the first draft yet. I'm at the revelation stage - always quiet difficult. All an issue of the progression...the reveal. How best to do it? What is most natural? Clearest? How best to knit together all the elements and still keep it simple, but dramatic. so it doesn't read like a list of suspects and motives. Or a compete re-cap of what we've just read.

Taking a break right now from writing...watching BBC World - the British elections. Fascinating. Watched it last night too - but got bored. Taking so long to get results. Fun to see that when a riding is called all the candidates are on the stage together with a big coloured ribbon attached to their shoulders. The winner of announced, and the others needed to stand there and applaud. Actually, quiet moving to see such civility - or at least the appearance of it.

Need to relax for a few minutes then head back. Am determined to finish today, even if I have to write to midnight! Can always tidy it up in the edit.

Light a candle.

Chez Louise

Partly cloudy, very mild, temps 13

Freakishly mild...quite disconcerting. Though I'm hoping real winter holds off until after our travels next week. heading to Arizona for a day - flying out Monday...then on to Rochester, and flying back Friday. Going out of Burlington, Vermont...so hoping for good weather. But, we get what we get.

Went for breakfast to Cowansville, then to the bank...some banking business, including having to get a new bank card, since mine was stolen in London. From there we went to the office that arranges for driver's licences and the Quebec Health Card. We were a little afraid they'd say we have to go to Montreal for something as unusual as having the cards stolen, but they didn't. Couldn't have been easier! So now almost all the cards, and definitely the important ones, are looked after.

Read 140 pages of a manuscript someone sent...in front of the fireplace. Returned emails. Had a bath.

Oh, the dinner last night was terrific. All edible. No one vomited. As you see, the standards at Chez Louise are not exactly Micheline starred...but they suit us.

We're debating cars. Our friend drives a subaru, and a couple people wrote in to also suggest it...but they don't have a hybrid yet, as far as I know. AWD, yes, and good fuel economy...but would still prefer a hybrid. So we'll see. fortunately we needn't make a decision quickly.

BMW - the car we're about to turn in after 3 years - is not to our taste. It was a kind of dream of ours - see what a real luxury car felt like. And I have to say, the drive was wonderful. But the on-board computer took 2 people to operate - was very unwieldy...read reviews and many people complain about it. Needlessly complex. But mostly, it was the service that disappointed. As you might have gathered, we're big ones for good service. Willing to (and have)overlooked many flaws if people are considerate and kind. But at our BMW the service was horrendous. Apparently they're quite famous for bad service too. Acura, our former car maker, was fabulous, so perhaps our expectations were high.

So the plan now is to get rid of both cars, and simplify. Go for one nice vehicle that is kind and courteous to the environment.

Quiet day tomorrow!!! No one and nothing, except reading. Hoping to finish the manuscript tomorrow...and start in on the final polish of my own before sending it off - I hope before heading to Phoenix. Also need to write the December newsletter. And the article for the Globe.

Still, best to just do the one thing in front of me, and not worry about all the others.

Hope you're well - I imagine many of you are preparing for Thanksgiving! How fun that always sounds...great food, family, football games (Michael and I actually adore football - he'll often watch a game Sunday afternoon/evening).

Michael's Menu

Rainy at first, then mainly sunny and very mild, temps plus 4

A little dreary this morning, then cleared up. Now very windy and mushy underfoot. The biologists from the government arrived today to make sure the land we're donating to a park really does exist. It does. Spent the day yesterday running around doing chores. Had a great time with Lise running over ideas. Then off to Knowlton and the café floral to plan Michael’s 75th birthday menu. Here it is:

Starter: Warm pear, chevre, walnut and baby spinach salad

Main course: Filet Mignon with blue cheese sauce
or Magret de Canard with honey, orange and tea sauce
or Oven roasted maple marinated filet of Salmon
or Vegetarian Risotto

Dessert: frozen lemon cheesecake

Doesn’t that sound amazing??? Thank God for restaurants because I couldn’t begin to make those. I think most of this menu must go into Olivier’s Bistro, don’t you? Again, blurring the lines between fact and fiction.

Had a good day writing today and replying to messages. Take good care of yourself. Quiet day tomorrow, just writing. LOVE those days. Need those days.