And don't call me Shirley

Overcast, rain in forecast, temps 4

But we haven't been outside all day and don't intend to go. Who would when you can curl up in front of the fireplace here at Hovey manor.

Heard the sad news that leslie Nielson had died. What a fun man, and terrific actor. And a Canadian! In an obit of him I read someone say that most comedy comes from a dark and painful place. But that Nielson's came from a place of great joy. He was a happy man. What a beautiful epitaph.

We're at Hovey manor. Here's a photo of us at breakfast this morning. (Don't tell Michael)

And this is one of me I just took. In our room (I suppose that's obvious). What you can't see if that I'm wearing mis-matched socks. I plan to let myself go completely to seed.

What a very strange feeling...to relax. I realize I've spent 8 months on edge. First writing the next book - called A TRICK OF THE LIGHT (out next September in Canada and US). Then two months touring. Always aware. Switched on. Paying attention. to the weather. To the clock. To people. To flights and announcements and timing and schedules. Always having to go somewhere. Do something. Always something lovely. But still, something.

It is now taking a bit of time to switch off. To exhale. And what joy - I can feel it in my heart...really, genuinely feel it there - this relief. I don't have to pay attention any more. I can shut down. Nowhere to go - no schedule except one Michael and I decide on.

I need to do the edits for A TRICK OF THE LIGHT...the notes sent by the UK and US editors. But they're not difficult. A quite interesting issue but I think that will be solved by adding a small scene early on. And the rest are more or less details. Nothing stressful. And loads to time to do it.

Enough to keep me occupied when we return home - but not enough to stress about. A lovely balance.

Let me tell you about dinner last night....as the starter Michael had squash soup with celeriac and bacon. I had scallops. Then Michael had venison and I had pheasant. then for dessert, Michael had apple donut and apple ice cream. I had grilled pears.

For the breakfast you see, we had the chef's inspiration of french toast, berry compote, whipped cream cheese - and he had sausages (perhaps not as many as he expected) and I had bacon.

Thank God we're back in Pina's exercise class. Will take a month to work this off...but every bite is worth it.

Well - back to doing nothing.

'Surely you're not serious!'

'I am serious, and don't call me Shirley.'

Done!

overcast, some flurries, cool, temps minus 3

Did the very last event today! and where better than with Danny and Lucy at Brome Lake Books? Wish I had some photos, but well, I forgot and so did Michael. But it was the perfect way to celebrate the end of the tour. With friends and neighbours. With new people coming to the books for the first time. One couple came from New York City. Most were far more local. Danny and Lucy and their three sons put on an afternoon tea - and mugs of cafe au lait, made up the street by Janet at Cafe Floral.

Earlier in the day Michael and I were with friends Jane and Jack, who had a brunch. Lots of friends and acquaintances there too - and lots of people we'd never met, which is also fun. We can get to the point where we think we've met everyone - and of course we haven't. New blood, as it were.

Yesterday was a bit of a climatological circus. Blizzard. Snow squalls. Whiteouts. Dreadful. The photo shows Michael brushing off the car just as the storm began. By the end it snowed 6 inches. But it was quite odd. When it wasn't snowing fiercely, it was sunny. It came in waves. But while it snowed it was terribly windy and caused white outs. fun, if you're inside looking out at it. Not so much fun if you happen to be inside a car.

Indeed, Danny ended up in a ditch, and hour and a half from home - and had to wait 3 hours for help.

I had to drive 1 1/2 hours to an event in Georgeville. I was more than a little apprehensive. Not frightened - but aware. The problem isn't really the back roads. For the most part the worst thing likely to happen is what happened to Danny - you go into a ditch. But you don't die. The problem was the 30 kilometers of highway 10 I needed to take.

This particular stretch, between the Knowlton turnoff and the Magog turnoff is notorious even in mildly bad weather. In whiteouts it's literally a killer. And is often closed by the Surete during storms.

But wow, did I get lucky. Because the storms were coming in waves, it wasn't constant, and I happened to hit the highway between waves. I can't begin to tell you the relief.

Any of you who live in a snowy climate knows what I'm talking about.

But I made it...through a whitehout on the backroad after the highway - to the lovely village of Georgeville - one of the inspirations for Three Pines. Michael and I spent a couple of summers renting a cottage on Lake Memphremagog, close to Georgeville. The photo above shows the school house and church off the village green.

I was thinking no one would come to the event in Georgeville - having to drive through the weather - but the community centre was filled. At least 60 people. And so friendly and warm.

Then the drive home, after dark. But by then the worst of the snow was over and I got home just find. Went right to bed, with an apple and an orange. So thankful to be back.

And then today. A party at jack and Jane's. And the fabulous party with Danny and Lucy at Brome Lake Books.

And now it's over. The final event for BURY YOUR DEAD.

I know many of you came out to events and I have to tell you, what a difference you made to me. Giving me all that encouragement. Thank you!

Tomorrow we have Pina's exercise class, then off to Sherbrooke with the Beetle to get winter tires put on (well timed) - then to Hovey manor for two nights - to celebrate the end of a wonderful tour.

I am one happy woman.

Happy Thanksgiving!

snow, freezing rain, rain - temps minus 1

Blech day outside. In fact, treacherous. We had an 8:30 appointment at the Volkswagen dealership to change the Beetle's tires from All Season to winter tires...as we did last week with Michael's 'real' car. But there were freezing rain warnings out for the Eastern Townships, and the dealership is in Sherbrooke - about 1 1/3 hours away (backroads and some highway).

Heard on the news that Sherbrooke was an ice rink. So we called to re-schedule. The man at Volks wasn't surprised.

but - in the meantime - we'd had a bright idea. Since my very last event for BURY YOUR DEAD is this Sunday we decided to celebrate. Guess which luxury Inn isn't far from the volks dealership?

Hovey!!

So - we'll go to exercise class monday morning, hop in the beetle and drive to Sherbrooke - drop the car off, pick up a loaner - drive to Hovey and spend two days. Doing nothing!!! No book to write. No research. No thinking. Except, when to get up, when to have a bath, when to eat. And what to eat. Jeez, come to think of it, that is a lot of thinkin'.

So, it all works out.

Went to Pina's exercise class in the church hall yesterday. First time in 5 years. But many of the same people were there...including Shirley who is well into her 80's. While I lay gasping on the floor Shirley was working away. Well, one day I'll be as ripped as her.

We do a warm up - then put our mats down and work on them for a while. At one stage, near the end, as I was doing some maneuver I looked down at my mat. The one that had been rolled up in our mudroom cupboard for 5 years. And there I saw sunflower seed shells. And something else.

Double blech.

I turned the mat over, but by then the damage was done. God knows what I inhaled. I'm sure there's a life lesson in there but I'm trying to block the whole thing out.

Am almost crippled this morning.

Still, despite everything, it sure feels great to get back to class. It's really as much emotional as physical. That sense of well-being and self respect. I might not get into better shape, but I'll be in better condition. Shirley condition.

While I was inhaling God knows what, many of you were inhaling turkey! I hope it was a wonderful Thanksgiving for all of you Americans. And that your family and friends were together.

As I look out the window I see snow shooting sideways - not a blizzard, the flakes are very small and I suspect there'll be very little accumulation. Just very strong wind. so great to be warm by the fire.

Have two more events for Bury Your Dead.

Tomorrow at 4pm I'll be speaking at the Georgeville Community Centre. So looking forward to it. We rented a cottage on the lake in Georgeville for two summers. It feels like time travel - back to small villages of the 40's and 50's. Indeed, Three Pines was partly inspired by our time there. So it will be a huge pleasure to go back.

And on Sunday we have a brunch at noon with our friends Jack and Jane - then at 2pm the very last event....at a place where we have in the past done the first events. Launched most of the books there.

Brome Lake Books, in Knowlton. 2pm. With Danny and Lucy. A low-key affair...a party and signing. I might do a bit of a reading, depending on how it goes. But such fun to be with Danny and Lucy, and celebrate the end of a wonderful tour.

Yay!

details

bright sunny day, temps minus 2

Beautiful, cold, day. Windy. Awoke to some snow on the cars, but the skies cleared. Good thing too. We suddenly had to go back in to Montreal. To see our accountant. And go to the car dealership because the key battery needed replacing. since when do keys have batteries? Well, ours seems to.

Busy couple of days. Bit of a blur. My Assistant Lise came by yesterday with all sorts of business to discuss. she's a marvel, holding together our empire (the military industrial complex that rivals Kraft Foods) in our absence. Should we be worried that everything is now in her name? My Assistant Lise Inc. Nah.

Got our passports renewed and just as we handed our old ones over I remembered I needed to cross the border to the States for business. But later yesterday the border guards let me through with photocopies of my old passport and proof that the renewal was underway. A relief.

Banking, mailing, laundry, unpacking, more mailing. All sorts of details. If I'm found dead it will be at the hands of details. Crushed by them. I realize - and have known it for a long time - that I'm not much of a detail person. I don't care. Give me the broad strokes and I'm happy. I'll tell you, this is a challenging career for someone not naturally given to caring about minutiae.

Gary came by last night to take a few photos for a Globe and Mail article for this Saturday. Luckily the article is on what book I'm reading and where I most love to read. Which is on the sofa in front of the fire. So while Gary and Michael worked on the the lighting, I lay on the sofa. This is exactly the sort of work I'm best suited for.

Then up early today and in to Montreal. Then back home, and more mailing.

Tomorrow - dear Lord - Michael and I are going back to Pina's exercise class. It's in the Sutton church hall. And it's torment. I'm deeply worried about how much it will prove I'm out of shape. Still, apparently this is the best way to get back in to shape, or at least a different shape.

Must be off. Clay pot chicken is cooked. I'd forgotten the pleasure of cooking meals.

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.

Salon du Livres

cloudy, snow, windy, sunny - temps 10 to minus 5

God - it's good to be back! And I know I'm home in Canada because while having coffee at Nick's this morning - having walked over through a mild Saturday morning - we looked out the window to a snow storm. Unbelievable. it suddenly blew up. And sideways. Very dramatic. Indeed, a port-a-potty across the street was blown over. Thankfully it was empty.

and then it was over, and now the sun is out.

Santa claus parade through downtown Montreal this morning. Glad the storms have passed. Apparently the biggest Santa Claus parade in the world is in Toronto - and that's also today.

Flight home Thursday from London was so easy. Through security in no time - the plane boarded quickly (almost empty actually) left the gate, taxied and - took off! No delay, not even a pause. Amazing. And we arrived (after 6 hours) half an hour early.

This was the last flight after almost 20 flights in two months. It's going to be amazing to get back to Sutton tomorrow, and unpack. And put the suitcases away.

Yesterday we were up early - breakfast at Nick's - then off to the car dealership to have the winter tires put on. It's illegal in Quebec to drive after Dec 1st without winter tires. Then I went off to the Salon du Livres to do two book signings...one english, then one french.

Off again today to the Salon du Livres...which is a massive and exciting book fair. tons of people, lots of kids which is wonderful to see.

Tomorrow we're stopping on the way home to have lunch with Louise in Granby - then visit our friend Joan who has just had her second hip replacement. She's in the Cowansville hospital.

then home. And Trudy. I'm dreaming of lighting the fire, making a hot chocolate, reading. having a bath. Slowly unpacking and doing the laundry. Wow.

Catherine and William

overcast, breezy, temps 8

Cool day, cutting cold when the wind is directly in your face. But otherwise very nice.

Thank you so much, Lee Ann, for that beautiful reflection on sacrifice and love.

As you all probably know - yesterday was the big day here in London. Wills and Kate announced their engagement! The capital is abuzz - special editions of newspapers. Wall to wall coverage. Very fun. And wow, do they look happy. And relaxed. Very comfortable in each other's company. So wonderful to see. I think we all remember that image of William walking behind his mother's coffin - such a public grief. If anyone deserves peace and happiness it's him. And you. And me.

And the Queen.

Now, I quite like the royal family, but I think anyone marrying into them must be nuts. Despite my childhood dreams of marrying Prince Charles, I have to say I'm extremely glad I didn't. Or any of them. Though William certainly seems a wonderful young man.

And they announced they want to be known as William and Catherine from now on. Not sure if that will take.

It sure is fun to be here for this moment. sounds silly, but I'm saving The Times from today - to add to our collection of newspapers announcing memorable events.

We're also taking home Marks and Spencer mince tarts - and a couple of their ready-made dinners. If our bags are lost I'm not sure I'd claim them.

Had a wonderful last day in London. Slept in a bit, then Michael and I got dressed and went for a walk. We had 10am reservations for breakfast at The Wolseley, on Piccadilly. So we decided to walk. Cutting through the back streets...a dangerous thing to do given that nothing is as it seems and it's possible to walk for half an hour and end up at the beginning here in London. the streets curve, and meld and head off in unexpected directions.

though that's always part of the fun, and we had plenty of time. Our goal was to head toward Berkely Square, then off to Hyde Park corner and Marble Arch, then across to Green Park - by then we could almost smell the bacon.

It actually went surprisingly well. Normally we spend at least as much time standing on street corners staring at the A to Z as we do walking, but this time Michael had oriented himself, and I just followed. Saying, encouragingly, 'Are we lost?' 'Is this the right way?' 'haven't we been here before?'

Michael, for some reason, ignored me and kept walking.

And sure enough, there we were at the Marble Arch....with the most wicked traffic buzzing in all mad directions between us and the Arch. we stood bewildered. perhaps this was the Great Divide. you can't get there from here.

then we noticed the pedestrian underpass, and were saved. Up we popped right at the spectacularly moving and simple Australian war memorial...and Winged Victory. You can see the photo above.

then we crossed to Green Park. London is riddled with these magnificent parks. Makes walking a genuine pleasure. As you can see. That's Michael strolling through the park at about 9:30 this morning.

We arrived at The Wolseley just as Stephen Fry and David Frost were leaving. Stephen (as I like to call him) and I locked eyes and had a 'moment' - which means he must have mistaken me for a transvestite. Not, perhaps, for the first time. David (as I like to call him) calls me 'Excuse me'.

Michael and I had another terrific breakfast, though this time we were seated at the very back facing the waiter's station. I asked, I hope nicely, if we could possibly get a better table, and were told, 'no'. Still, someone has to sit there, and the food was the same....and after a few minutes the ambiance from the rest of the room catches up.

I started with stewed prunes in an orange syrup, with very thin slivers or orange rind. It's worth the trip to London just for that. Then Michael had the full english breakfast, which means scrambled eggs, toast, grilled tomato and mushrooms, sausages, bacon and blood pudding. Oh, and baked beans. he ate it all and if the server hadn't shown up he was in danger of eating the utensils too. I had scrambled eggs and bacon, on thin whole wheat toast. With marmalade.

And strong 'American' coffee, as they call it. White. Which means with milk. Hot milk.

Such a wonderful place for breakfast. And other meals. the first time I was there was for lunch with Andrew martin, my American publisher. We were both over for the London Book Fair and Andy thought we should meet at the Wolseley for lunch. he was right, as he so often is.

Michael and I walked some more and were planning on going into the Royal Academy, but were getting a bit tired so we hopped on a double decker bus back to the flat.

We also had great fun yesterday, spending most of it at the Victoria and Albert...Michael painting in the garden and me wandering the magnificent museum. The photo above shows the scene from the courtyard garden where Michael painted. We both grabbed coffees and lemon cake - and sipped. He painted, I made notes on the book - then left him in peace.

on the way home we stopped at The Capital Hotel on Basil street for Afternoon Tea - you can see part of our feast, in a photo above.

We're almost packed. Car coming at 11 tomorrow morning - flight about 2pm. Home to Montreal by 5pm (with 5 hour time difference).

Friday I'll be at the Salon du Livres in Montreal...english signing from 5-6pm, french from 7-8:30. Then again on Saturday, English from 11 to noon and French from 1 to 3.

Then home to Sutton on Sunday, after two months away. So much has happened in those 2 months - almost all of it amazingly good. Great.

But I'm almost afraid to imagine what it'll be like to walk through the door, to smell home, to see the gardens and the mountains. And Trudy. To have peace and quiet, and our own rhythm.

But in the meantime we're so enjoying our last evening in London, reading about Catherine and William and their happiness.