More Easticks Meteor ramblings

I have recently found a blog post pointing to a former owner of Gesine. Ahh, but is it the same Gesine? A quick search will verify that Gesine is a popular yachts name but the descriptions are similar and locations match the rumours I heard. I am awaiting information from Ann, a wonderful author who will hopefully steer me straight. It would be great if she did own Gesine as she went on to buy Peter Duck ( of Arthur Ransome fame ) She mentions that her Gesine leaked above the bunks but as I have had the deck and cabin re-built I am hoping that problem is solved. I will add a link to her blog if it is the correct Gesine. More news soon, I hope. My other boat, Moonfleet, is floating neglected on her moorings. I hope to get out there tomorrow evening to apply her broads licence stickers and maybe give her a clean.

Winchester Writers Festival

A weekend of masterclasses and feedback from an assortment of publishers, agents and authors. It's not cheap but it is worth every penny. Take a wander over to The University of Winchester Writers' Festival.

Abingdon Town Music In The Park and other adventures

Saturday started out miserable. It was raining and neither of us wanted to get out of bed but by 10am I had stirred, found tea for Jane and managed to microwave the remnants of last nights take-away for my breakfast. The light improved as clouds dispersed and we decided to proceed with our Plan A for the day, the tickets Jane had purchased for Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council Music in the Park being held in the Abbey Gardens. We reasoned if the weather turned back to rain we could come home without too much effort.
Our stroll to the Gardens was interrupted as I spotted a narrow boat trying to pull another off the silted shallows in the Thames. They were canal cruising folks who didn't understand any vagaries of river navigation, indeed the smaller boat was barely capable of moving upstream against the current. I got a coffee for for my help getting them off and met a lovely chap called Peter who owned a small cruiser which was moored further up-river.
Jane and I went to Abingdon Fun in the Park where we did maggot racing, spent a small fortune on tombola's and treasure hunts without winning and generally spent money supporting good causes. Then time for a wander over the large weir to Abingdon Lock where Jane and I watched more boats messing about including one poor thing which wouldn't re-start and had to be dragged out of the lock by the chaps on board.
Then a wander back towards the Gardens, being transformed in our absence for Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council Music in the Park except we got a distracted in the Water Garden by meeting Peter with his family who spent a lovely afternoon regaling us with various nautical tales mainly involving things not to do in kayaks and essential boating supplies vis a corkscrew.
On to the Gardens where we bought pork roll, pizza, egg roll, chips, tea and coffee to be followed by more tea and coffee then crepes. Can anyone guess we were hungry? Suitably refreshed, nothing to do with the alcohol that had lubricated Peter's tales at all, we spent a lovely evening listening to some wonderful music from local bands followed by Abingdon's own prom programme and finishing with fireworks.
A restful day with lovely people, wonderful sunshine and good music. Life doesn't get much better.

Chipping Norton Literary Festival

A wonderful weekend of first-class literary events. I was delighted to get my first attempt at a romance novel critiqued by uber-scary-agent Carole Blake as part of the Wannabeawriter TV Show Critique Event. Jane and I met our ever-delightful friend Morgen Bailey who attended and blogged about some of the events. The event ran smoothly thanks to the army of cheerful volunteers deployed. Now let's see .. places to catch up with me Chez Castillon‎ in May, Winchester in June . Otherwise you'll find me lurking at a keyboard somewhere.

My photo is in Jane's weight-loss book

100 Ways to Fight the Flab and still enjoy wine and chocolate by the ever-lovely Jane Wenham-Jones includes my very own diet tip with full credit and a photo. Roll 6 for chocolate is my one. Go buy your own copy to see the other excellent 99 and some lovely anecdotes. Available from all good Amazon's near you. PS. Being mentioned in Jane's book has inspired my own weight loss programme.

Thieving gits target Moonfleet twice

Poor Moonfleet. Stuck waiting for warm weather and for me to return from working away she's been robbed twice. The first time they nicked the fuel can and this time the engine cover. The engine is securely bolted and padlocked in place but Mark, from the boatyard, suggests the cover was nicked to go on a stolen engine where the other owners had replaced the cover with a 'police issue' outboard cover designed to reduce outboard thefts! So .. if anyone sees an outboard for sale from some individual who doesn't know his port from starboard let the local police know. Other boats on the moorings suffered thefts and damage too so these little scroats had plenty of time to go 'messing about in boats'.

My first writing prize

I'm one of the runners up in Jane Wenham-Jone's 100 Ways To Fight The Flab competition I have won £100 off a weeks creative writing workshop at Chez Castillon. A good result.