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8th March 2010

Spring seems a long time coming (where were all the daffodils for St David's Day?) and I feel sort of hunkered-down waiting for the air to warm up so I can go outside without my extremities going numb. Having said that, we did do a 6-mile walk yesterday on a bright sunshiney day, but it was still definitely a day for gloves.

Last week I did a 3-hour course on basic First Aid – so now I can put you in the recovery position but I'm not yet qualified to resuscitate you – sorry. Strange to think that this is the first First Aid course I've ever been on, at my advanced age. I remember doing triangular bandages in the Scouts, but that was about it. It's all to do with being a walk leader for the 'Walking for Health' scheme. I had to laugh when they said to make sure your mobile phone could get reception on the walk you were about to do – we'd have to have about three phones on different networks to do that around here!

This week we start rehearsals for Dick Barton, Special Agent. I'm a baddy (which is good!) and apart from the spoken lines I have to sing along to Nessun Dorma and Hall of the Mountain King. We perform at the end of May. Come watch if you dare!

1st March 2010

Seven of us were involved as film extras at Cowdray House in Midhurst over the weekend on Saturday. Have a look here to see how we got on.

It was a long and somewhat chilly day, but thankfully the forecast rain stayed away. The filming company was expecting more people to turn up, so we had to be shot from different angles and in different positions to make it look like there was a bigger crowd on the final film. They're hoping to put it into the Cannes Film Festival, so we may be famous one day!

22nd February 2010

I'm due to give an unscheduled talk to the Headley Society in April because the scheduled speaker has had to pull out; I was called on Tuesday and asked to give a talk on Wednesday evening in Alresford for the same reason; and the next day I was phoned by another organisation whose speaker was indisposed. I seem to be becoming known for being available at short notice!

This is all very nice, but it's playing havoc with by book ordering. I'm now running short of books on three different subjects as I hadn't expected to be selling them in great numbers at this time of year. 'Print on Demand' is all very well if you can forecast the demand.

Other than that, it was a quiet week. Work on the Headley Report has progressed, and apart from a bit of tidying up we should be on target to get it to the printers by the end of this week.

15th February 2010

To Kent this weekend for the second time running. This time to Herne Bay where we indulged in performing a Murder Mystery among friends. It turned out that I was the murderer!

Valentine's Day lunch at the Duck in Pett's Bottom. No duck on the menu, but one of our number braved the pheasant with chocolate sauce.

Today (Monday) I'm supposed to have this year's Headley Report typeset and ready for inspection. It probably won't be, as we haven't had all the copy in yet.

8th February 2010

We spent the weekend in a National Trust cottage at Ightham Mote near Sevenoaks with Jill & Louis, and enjoyed it despite the occasional flurries of snow!

1st February 2010

So, the Apple iPad was released last week. I've been going on for a long time about electronic book readers (see here) so is this it at last?

Well, not yet but it's a start. It's a bit big to put in your pocket, so I think it will have to fold or be flexible enough roll up eventually. Also it doesn't use 'electronic ink' which displays a page without using any power until the page changes, so its battery life will be limited. But on the other hand it displays in colour, which electronic ink doesn't yet.

But assuming it takes off, authors and self-publishers will have to think their way through the thorny question of: how will electronic books differ from paper books.

For a start there needs to be agreement on a standard for the digital file structure. Even paper books are already 'digital' if they have been created from a computer, but their format isn't really suitable for experiencing the full potential of electronic book readers such as the iPad. So we need to create new file formats, and we need to have the tools for doing this easily.

Second, having created the file we need to understand how we can sell it to the public. The public will be downloading from electronic libraries, but how do we self-publishers get our works included on them?

Lastly (but actually to be considered first in a way) – what sort of books should we now write to benefit from the features which electronic readers give?

I'll give you an example. The gadget can know where you are (by GPS) and what time of day it is – so if, for example, you're reading a travel guide it can tell you what you can see from where you are standing, and whether the nearest pub is open! Writers of travel guides (and in my case walks books) need to think this through. Imagine producing an interactive guide to walking the South Downs Way.

Soon – but not yet, dear lord, not yet!

25th January 2010

It really doesn't seem like only a month since Christmas. Since then we've been snowed in for a week and done a whole pantomime. Now life is returning to what I'm told goes for normal! More next week.

18th January 2010

We got an audience of 20 for the first night of the pantomime on Friday – not brilliant, but far more than we'd dare hope for when we were snowed in a few days previously. And they were enthusiastic, which was just as well because it was the first time we'd managed to get all the cast together – more like a dress rehearsal really. Over the weekend we gave two further performances on the Saturday and the cast became more confident – let's hope not too overconfident for next weekend's shows. On the right is a rather unfocused picture of me in the band. I'll try to focus better next week!

11th January 2010

There's really only one topic uppermost in our minds, and that's the weather! The snow started to come down on Tuesday evening just as we were about to go out – so we stayed in then, and the cars have stayed snow-bound in our drive ever since.

Fortunately we can walk to local shops, and to the local pubs (which have been doing a roaring trade), and we had no burning commitments to get out other than to pantomime rehearsals. These were cancelled on Wednesday and Thursday anyway as not enough cast could make it, but those who could walked down to the Village Hall on Thursday to carry on painting scenery, and yesterday we ran a full rehearsal which all but a handful of the cast managed to attend.

As I write, our cars are still snow-bound and the forecast doesn't seem to give much prospect of a quick release. Our first night for the panto is on Friday – we just hope we can get an audience as well as a cast! [We did, both]

Meanwhile, and on a totally different subject, old readers will know of my interest in the future of electronic books. I've always maintained that these won't catch on until a sensible apparatus is available to read them with. The current stuff (Kindle, etc) don't cut it as far as I'm concerned – but watch out for what Apple are coming out with their iTablet. And also this article and video gives an interesting insight as to what's likely to be on offer in the near future.

4th January 2010

We didn't just have one Christmas, we had at least three by the time all the various groups had met at various locations and various times. It's a way to spin out the pleasure. Finally, Dil and I had a day to ourselves on the Tuesday and opened the presents from people who we hadn't visited.

Now on the 10th day of Christmas (isn't it? – see here) we're waiting for the Lords a-leaping to arrive. Tomorrow the decorations come down for another year.

Continued …

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