I'll be there tomorrow at 7pm, with Linda Grant, Ali Smith and Alex Clark. Thrilled to be included in such a wonderful lineup.
Meanwhile, apologies for silence -- I've been wrestling with what I hope is my new book, goimg up, down, and all around; finally, in the last couple of days, it feels closer to being right, but I don't want to tempt fate by saying so.
Anyway, here we are on the last day of February -- an extra day, which is a blessing, perhaps, though I am longing for winter to fully retreat (but never wish away days, I know; they are too precious for that). I've had the same hacking cough and sore throat as most of the rest of London, but lucky to have an afternoon with my mother at the Royal Academy's Hockney exhibition, which was glorious, despite the crowds. She was (and is) a very wise guide; and Hockney's landscapes are vivid reminders, amongst other things, of the particular joys of each of the four seasons. I hope that doesn't sound horribly Pollyanna-ish, to anyone who is gripped by the mean reds or wintry blues (I've been there myself), but the London sky was beautiful at six o'clock this evening, when darkness had not yet fallen. Tomorrow, will it be spring?
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11 comments:
That sounds wonderful! I read Linda Grant's We Had it So Good last year, and it was one of my favorite books all year, and now I'm reading her achingly beautiful When We Lived in Modern Times.
I've had a hacking cough, too, for weeks now, and nothing seems to shift it away. Herbal tea, then, and hope. My parents are here visiting, and we bought tulips at the farmer's market, and on the drive home my mom was excitedly pointing out all the plum trees that are flushed with pink buds. The sky is still light at 6pm, and the days are lengthening, slowly. But let the days not slip by too quickly!
I can't wait to hear more about the new book.
so exciting, a new book, can you give us a wee nibble, a tiny hint, a taste, a clue? Can you feel the curiosity frm here?
a new Picardie book fills me with joy and I am so excited that you will be in Cape Town - I am telling everyone they must go and listen to you.I too cough all day and have been told I have irritable airways - just another part of my body which is irritable. today driving into town the trees were decked in lettuce green leaves and a blue blue sky. All seems alright with the world. I will read Linda Grant.
So it's not just Londoners that are coughing. Hope you feel better soon, Kairu and Enid. I'm worried about coughing while I talk to Linda Grant tonight, so must stock up on lozenges and will drink herbal tea by the pint today.
Gondal-girl: my book (aargh!). Well, it has something in common with this blog, in that it's an attempt to write about what has happened in my life in the last three years. And Chanel and Daphne du Maurier do make appearances, just as they do here.
Not remotely Pollyanna-ish - I am madly excited it feels like spring at last, with light mornings and sun across Dublin Bay today. Does wonders for the mean reds. Speedy recovery.
I too hope your cough gets better Justine, hope your evening went well. Very exciting to hear the clues on your book, it sounds like a tapestry...
Dublin Bay = the most beautiful view.
And Lilac: thank you -- a tapestry is just what I'm trying to weave.
If only Carole King hadn't already used it as an album title!
sounds wonderful Justine. x
Best wishes, Justine, for the gestation and birth of your new book. I think I'm in reproductive mood as my granddaughter has just gone into labour with her first baby!
I will never be a real author but I thought I would share my five minutes of fame with you. I follow, fairly irregularly, a blog by a Cambridge Don, Mary Beard, and she has asked my permission to publish a comment I made in her forthcoming second volume of her blog articles and comments. It was on fads and changes in education imposed from on high, a subject dear to my heart. I am to receive a copy when it is published in April/may so am quite excited!
Hello Justine Picardie,
I'm Jasmine Iniguez, a student at Chandler High School in Arizona. I read your book Chanel: The Legend and the Life and I absolutley loved it! For my AP English class I am doing an extended essay on the impacts Coco Chanel had on women and I was wondering if I could interview you on the subject. The interview would be quite informal where I would send you a couple of questions via email. I know you're busy but I hope you can take a couple of minutes out of your day. Thank you for your time! (:
- Jasmine Iniguez
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