The Passing…

… of all things is inevitable, be they empires, monuments of stone or ourselves.

This past week has been one of both excitement and of sadness tinged with the warm glow of fond reflection. Firstly came the sad news from my cousin Sally that Andre, her husband, had passed away after a very protracted illness. Sobering thought that now there are just the two of us left from the older generation.

A good friend of mine from my opera days in Cape Town, the tenor Anton Stolz, celebrated his 60th on the Sunday and joined the club of which many of us are already members. Then, on the following Thursday, he, too, passed away. I’m sure that Anton would have been chuffed at the many expressions of gratitude for his friendship and at the many warm memories that have appeared on Facebook. Still, the gaps are still there, despite the pleasant memories. The rest of us just have to carry on …

Last week’s excitement was a visit to the Book Guild in their new home in Hove. We had a very productive meeting and the exciting news is that FATAL TEARS is going to be an e-book; contractural negotiations are underway. The Book Guild have just signed up with a large distributor in this format, who cover all format of e-books as well as promoting same through Barnes and Noble in the USA. I also saw the finished dust jacket for ERRANT ANGELS, which is the first in the AN ECCENTRIC IN LUCCA series of music-based novels. It is due for publication on 27th November (hardback).

We also have the sheep back in the farmer’s field that borders our postage stamp garden. Funny things – they bleat constantly (including through the night) and I wonder if they actually say anything or if it is some sort of communal security blanket. For those of you of a musical disposition, they also seem to bleat in minor seconds a lot – enough to set your teeth on edge !

Is it not written that it is better to lead than to be led… Who’d be a sheep ? Unless, of course, you’re an animatedly smart one like Shaun the Sheep !