You never forget...

Devizes Book Shop

This week I have been caught up in Olympic fever, in particular, the three-day eventing, the dressage and the  show jumping. Unfortunately I didn't manage to get tickets but as I watched it on tv it took me back years to when I was way younger than I am now but to a time when I was passionate, no obsessed, with riding. The weirdest thing was that as I sat watching I found myself clenching my knees and calves just as I would if it was me on the horse and I was about to jump. It was exactly what I used to do when I was riding and also I used to do it when watching the Horse of the Year show. I lived it and it was still there. It was a totally unconscious action. My body just did it automatically. It had remembered.

When I noticed what my body was doing it triggered a whole load more memories. I was never lucky enough to own my horse. My parents kept telling me I would get one when we moved to a house big enough - we never did, we just kept looking at them. But I had a great friend Jojo who I used to ride with, plus I had regular lessons and took part in gymkhanas etc. At that time it was my life. The chance to escape into the countryside and experience the total freedom. There is, and was, nothing like it. I also spent a lot of my very young life riding 'pretend' horses in the garden and jumping numerous bushes, convinced in my head I was on this beautiful, brave pony. I could really see it, feel it, hear it. Oh the joys of imagination. Perhaps it is this strong imagination that I still use when I write because I live my story in my head as I write it.

I am still in contact with Jojo and our lives have continued to touch though not via horses so much. To be honest I don't think Jojo is known as that by anyone else but me these days. She is a proper grown up now but still rides! She owns the amazing Devizes Bookshop (see photo above provided by Jojo). Go and visit it,  it is a wonderful independent book store, which includes a gallery space.  It is a place you can get lost in....think of all those books and stories that you can delve into!

What has this got to do with writing I hear you ask, well, I was also reading Candy Gourlay's latest blog post, where she is talking about 'writing who you are'.  When you write there will always be a bit of you in there, sometimes you need to let in a little bit more but, as with all writing, there has to be a balance to it all. You must also watch that you haven't put too much of yourself in a story. It can stultify the narrative. It needs to be hints and understanding whilst also realising that being a child now is very different to when you as the author was a child.

Candy says  'It is not just writing about what you know, it's about writing who you are.' Maybe it is time for that pony story to make its way onto my screen instead of it hiding in the corner all the time. And perhaps that pony will need to be called Kelly, eh Jojo?

Just to take a few people even further back including my sister Jacky....this is just for you as you celebrated a special birthday last week ;-)

Those Games

She loved life and wine....

I am sorry but this is going to be quite a self indulgent post. I was listening to the radio on the way back from a meeting today and it played the moment we heard that London was going to host the Olympics. It was one of those moments where I can remember exactly where I was and what I was doing. I was with my mother and cooking her lunch. We were drinking wine (as always) and watching the excitement unfurl on the television. It never occurred to me at that moment that she would not be here to share the actual Olympics with me. She would have loved them.

She was an armchair sport fanatic and in her younger days a very accomplished tennis player. She could remember the 1948 Olympics. The next few weeks would have seen her in absolute heaven and drinking just a few bottles of wine.

I also remember the day because the following day I was in the same place but instead of celebrating I was desperately trying to get a message to my sister to let her know that my nephew was ok. He worked in London and he couldn't get through to her and had only just managed to get a message to me before all the systems went down. It was the day of the 7/7 bombings. A friend missed being in the wrong place because he was late for the first time ever in his life. I know we were lucky that day.

It was an extreme of emotions. Elation one day and despair the next. The roller coaster of life.

Below is a song that she loved. It has very happy memories for both of us. It reminds me of sitting in The Square in Winchester, drinking coffee and watching the world go by. She loved it there. Also the words are quite poignant and reflect how much we miss her particularly at this time of year as she shared a birthday with my daughter so I am off to toast a glass of something bubbly to both her and those games.

Normal service will be resumed in the next post and please forgive me this indulgence.