Hello September!

Hello there from a still gloriously sunny and warm Suffolk. Although this summer got off to a shaky start with a shockingly bad May, June, and the beginning of July, the weather improved for my birthday in mid-July and has stayed nice ever since. Hopefully, it will last all through September and maybe even into October. Let’s face it, every day we don’t have to put the heating on and can dry laundry outside is a bonus.

The last time we spoke, I was preparing for a Comic-Con at Norwich University. So, how did it go? Well, there were meant to be six of us, but one had to cancel at the last minute due to a work commitment (I think) and then someone else cancelled the day before due to Covid so then there were four. Thanks to my Google Maps lady I managed to find the university — absolutely would not have managed it without her as it was down twisty country lanes and through small villages and nowhere near the city of Norwich itself — but hit a snag once I was on campus. I could not find the venue where the event was being held. Norwich University is reasonably large and sprawling and there were zero posters or signs pointing the way to the event. Driving around and around, I wondered how punters were going to find it if I couldn’t. I parked up and phoned another author. She was already there and tried to guide me in but none of the landmarks she told me to look for were immediately visible. She sent her husband out to look for me. I couldn’t find him. I ended up in a turning circle at the end of a track facing a no-entry bridlepath and startling a bunch of dog-walkers as I tried to do a three-point turn and failed miserably.

I phoned her husband. He advised that I clear Google Maps and start again putting the sports hall as my destination. It told me it was under a mile away and would take me 2 minutes to get there. I eased my way back up the track and finally spotted the obliging husband waving like mad from an entrance to a back car park that looked so full up and forbidding, I had dismissed it as my destination the first time around. He helped me unload and offered to take in my trolley whilst I went and parked in the official car park round the corner. (I had previously found this car park but didn’t think it was the one because the barrier was down, and I almost had heart failure when I looked at the eye-wateringly expensive parking charges.) Apparently, it would give me a token which I could then validate inside the university and get out of the car park for free at the end of the day.

I parked and took the rest of my stuff into the sports hall and found our pitch. It was chaos in there. No one seemed to know what was happening. We were supposed to be issued wristbands and be assigned our tables. No wristbands materialised, and no one came anywhere near us to check we were meant to be there. Originally it was supposed to take up the whole of the sports hall but for some reason that was never made very clear to us, the event was now only allowed to occupy half the hall, so a massive curtain cut the space in half. It didn’t matter as there weren’t that many of us and it would have looked odd and sparse if we’d tried to fill the whole space.

I quickly set out my stall. I had more space than I thought I would have, so was able to spread out, which was nice. To be honest, I wasn’t hopeful about the day. Given the lack of advertising and signage, the general haphazard organisation of the event, and the low number of traders, I wondered if we’d even cover our costs.

The event started. People began to trickle in. Some in costumes, most not. To begin with, trading was sluggish. But then we had a flurry and began to sell. A few came to our stall who had seen us at other events and even bought books from us, which was nice. We were next door to the doughnut stall and that’s always a strong motivation for people to come to our side of the hall. The doughnuts looked good, but they were expensive. At least, I think £4 for a doughnut is pricey. I had brought some food with me but as we were so busy I got hungry. I wasn’t paying £4 for sugar and empty calories though.

During the lunchtime lull, I popped into the sports hall cafeteria to see what I could forage. There was a vending machine. For £4 I bought a large all-day breakfast sandwich stuffed with sausage, bacon, egg, and tomato, together with a packet of crisps. The sandwich was delicious. It was freshly made, and the bread was nutty and brown and satisfying. I felt it would stick a lot more than a doughnut. (PS. At the end of the day when he was selling off doughnuts cheap, I got one reduced because I was a trader and paid £2 for a large, salted caramel one.)

Overall, I sold almost 20 books which was better than I thought I’d do and more than paid expenses and left a profit.

During the coming month, I have five events:

7 September                    Laxfield Market

14 September                  YA Event at Stowmarket Library

15 September                  Leiston Market

22 September                  Stonham Barns Autumn Craft Fair

28 & 29 September       NorCon (Norwich Comic-Con)

As you can see, busy. Add to that moving Franki and Rys to their new university in Reading on the 21^st of September, working my normal days, plus a couple of authors meet-ups, a birthday lunch with a friend, and trying to grab a few days out with Franki, September is looking full-on.

I cannot believe how fast this summer has flown by. I thought we would have so much more time to go out for days and spend some quality time together. That simply hasn’t happened. What with me working double overtime all through July, Franki working thirty hours a week at Wetherspoons, Rys working at a charity shop in town, my birthday celebrations, Franki’s birthday celebrations, and a couple of friends birthday celebrations, there has not been a day we have all been off at the same time.

On my advice, Franki has given her notice at Wetherspoons. She is exhausted and stressed from working too hard. Bearing in mind that they worked until two days before moving out of their previous university and then started working at Wetherspoons two days after arriving home and have worked ever since I suggested that they give themselves some time before the chaos and stress of moving to a new university and commencing their Masters. Consequently, Franki’s last day working will be on the 8^th. Rys is travelling to join their family for a holiday on the 6^th, so Franki and I will have over a week together, which will be nice. I am hopeful we can at least get a day out at the seaside. The nearest resort to us is Felixstowe. It’s not the nicest of beaches as it’s very pebbly, but it has a long prom with various amusement arcades. A day spent by the sea, eating chips, and playing on the tuppeny shove sounds wonderful.

As I told you last time we chatted, for my birthday I bought several plants for my newly painted garden. Below are photos of them. Many of them don’t look very impressive yet but hopefully, by next year they will be maturing nicely and give me a summer-long showing of white flowers. Yes, there is a theme to my garden now. Drawing inspiration from the famous all-white garden at Sissinghurst, I chose summer-long flowering shrubs and plants that have white flowers. I also tried to choose only bee, butterfly, and insect-friendly plants.

I vowed not to buy a rose, yet somehow, I did. This is a type of rambling rose called Rambling Rector. It produces summer-long small white roses, and I have been told by a few people that it’s rampant. As in, today the garden and tomorrow the world. It’s already grown a good couple of feet in the two weeks it’s been in so I know I will need to keep an eye on it. It does have the whole pergola to cover though.

On the other side of the pergola is a sweet-smelling white jasmine. It did have flowers that smelt like vanilla, but they died away, which is worrying, although there is quite a bit of fresh growth which is encouraging. Hopefully next year it will give me flowers — although there is the danger the rose will throttle it to death because it’s such a thug.

Next is a beautiful shrub with tiny white flowers all over it. I did have the info card that came with the plant but in the confusion of generally throwing away pots and rubbish all the info cards went into the bin never to be seen again.

The purple foliage on this one was what attracted me, plus it says it will produce white flowers next year. We shall see.

I think this was called lamb ears or rabbit ears, or something like that. It won’t flower but look at that gorgeous silver foliage. It’s very soft and silky and has already grown, so obviously it’s happy.

I don’t know the proper name for this one, but its common name is a snowball plant and as the name suggests, it produces beautiful snowballs of flowers all summer. It too can be a bit of a thug, but I can prune it hard and have flowers for the house all summer.

This one is a type of long flowering white daisy — when I planted it, it was covered in white chrysanthemum-type flowers which have since died — hmm, a bit worrying. Hopefully, it will flower next year.

I can’t remember the name or indeed much about this plant, other than it is low-growing and has white flowers all summer long.

White buddleia. I want to attract butterflies to my garden, and I know they love this plant. Again, it grows large so I will be pruning it hard every year and gathering blooms for the house all summer.

Another giant daisy but a low-growing one to give different heights and textures to the garden.

A mock orange plant. It will grow quite large and should produce pretty white flowers that smell lovely.

Again, can’t remember the name of this one. I know it will grow quite large and will produce small white flowers on foliage arches.

An anemone. I do remember that, and it’s already producing lovely flowers and is covered in buds, so that’s heartening.

Finally, a tall white hydrangea will fill the gap behind the barbecue and look amazing against the dark grey fence.

Oh, and a pot of cat mint for Miss Skittles to lie in. She loves it. Goes completely fruit loop for it.

Once the cherry tree comes out this winter and the silver birch has a severe haircut, it will let more light into the garden and will allow me more choice of which plants will do well in what was previously a woodland garden.

I am thrilled with how the garden is looking now. Considering the hours and days and weeks and months of nonstop painting, it was worth it. Getting rid of the large sofa was also the right call; by replacing it with the small two-seater wicker sofa and putting two armchairs there, I have more seating in a smaller area. The garden feels more spacious as well.

I’m also pleased that I got rid of the small table and chairs outside the back door — the table was rotted so was skipped, and the chairs relocated with the new sofa in the actual garden — as we never sat outside the back door. It makes so much sense to put a waterproof storage box there to hold all the garden cushions. Before, they were stored under beds and in the blanket box at the foot of my bed, but that was such an inconvenient pain in the bum. Now, as you wander into the garden you grab yourself a cushion from the box, and as you wander back in you replace it. Much better.

The roof of the pergola still needs to be done but I think that will be an autumn job once Franki and Rys have left for university. I will need help with that and am hoping my dad and my brother will lend a hand.

The cherry tree needs to be taken out and more plants put in its place, but other than that, the garden is complete. Now all I must do is take care of the plants and wait to see the results next year.

Like most Victorian houses we have a long return down the side leading into the garden. All too often this is wasted space and it’s true there’s not a lot that can be done with it. It’s the business part of the garden, in that the cushion storage box, the coal bunker, the kindling bunker, and the log storage bay are all located here. But I have tried to make it attractive with paint and plenty of ferns and ivy that do well in shade.

There is a rather ugly 1950s-bathroom extension slapped onto the back of the kitchen, with an unattractive brick wall. But I painted it a deep lavender shade and picked out the drainage pipes in anthracite so I’ve done the best I can. I am also going to get some vintage tin posters and put them up to make it a fun and welcoming place to sit. There are coloured lights overhead and once the rose and the jasmine grow over the top it will be lovely. It’s a very sociable space and can seat up to ten people around the table — although I am thinking of buying a large Lazy Susan as it’s a big table to reach over — which will make dining easier.

And that’s about it for now. I’m looking forward to having a weekend off with no plans other than relaxing and spending time with Franki and Rys, and you never know, I might even sneak in some writing.

Take care and I look forward to chatting with you next time.

Julia Blake