Nuala Ní Chonchúir's Blog, page 7

Open Mic in Palmerstown - Red Line Book Festival

The Red Line Book Festival is all over the west of Dublin this October and this year the Irish Writers Centre is taking an open mic event to my grandparent's old house in Palmerstown, The Coach House, which is pretty cool. The Coach House is now a café and craft shop run by Stewart's Hospital. Details of the Red Line/IWC event below. Booking advised.
Takin' the Mic

Thursday 13th October
Time: 7.30pmVenue: The Coach House, PalmerstownAdmission: FREE
The Irish Writers’ Centre is delighted to take its longstanding and one-of-a kind “Takin’ the Mic” to the Red Line Book Festival. We’re welcoming poets, prose writers, songwriters and musicians, comedians and anyone else who wants to have a go at our open mic night. Each performer will have five minutes and slots are on a first come, first served basis. This lively event will be hosted by comedian, writer and broadcaster Alison Spittle and there will also be several curated performances throughout the night from Stephen James Smith, Jessica Traynor and Kevin Curran. Stay tuned for full line-up details. In the meantime, get practising, prime your fans and prepare to take the mic this autumn!
Book here.

EVE'S PUDDING from *BECOMING BELLE*

Eve's Pudding with Alpro Soya CustardThe finished Eve's PuddingI am at the end of a rewrite of novel #4,  Becoming Belle , and I have, as usual, got my heroine eating her way through the plot. Early in the novel, Belle's domineering mother (in an off-page moment of sweetness) makes an Eve's Pudding for Belle and her two sisters to enjoy while their parents are dining with the regiment. So, naturally, I had to make one and try it for myself :) It's research.

The cooking apples with lemon juice and sugar mixed inI used Bramley apples because they're the best ones for this recipe. But, also, because when I was in England in August, doing final on-the-ground research for the book, we drove through the pretty village of Bramley in Surrey.
A fine Bramley (or 'Brailsford')However, it turns out Bramley apples actually originated in Nottinghamshire and were named after a butcher called Matthew Bramley. But!!! The apple tree was planted by a girl called Mary Ann Brailsford - Mr Bramley bought the cottage and garden where she planted her tree. So, we should be making our Eve's Pud with Brailsfords, really :)
The apples with the batter poured onAfter all that, I made the pudding today for my husband's birthday, we had it with custard, and it was delicious. The apples stew together and are nicely tart-sweet, and the flaked almonds give bite.


INGREDIENTS
Filling:3 Bramley cooking apples (peeled, cored and thinly sliced)75g brown sugar1 tablespoon lemon juice
Sponge topping:150g self-raising flour75g butter or marg (room temp)75g caster sugar1 egg (beaten)100ml milkA handful of flaked almonds (optional)
METHOD:Pre-heat oven to 180˚CGrease an ovenproof dish.Mix the Bramleys with the granulated sugar and lemon juice.Spoon the apple mixture into the prepared dish.In a bowl, beat together the flour, butter, caster sugar, egg and milk to a batter with a soft dropping consistency.Spread this over the apples and sprinkle with the flaked almonds, if used.Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180°C, bottom shelf, for 45 minutes or until sponge is golden brown.(Cross-posted with The Hungry Veggie)

A TRIO OF SEPTEMBER GIGS

Writer Paul Kingsnorth - I will interview him at Shorelines in Portumna
I have three gigs this month, which is fun after a quiet August on that front. I am busily doing rewrites on novel #4 but it's always nice to get away from the desk and meet real, actual people.

CORK SHORT STORY FESTIVAL
Sat. 10th September, 2.45pm, Firkin Crane Theatre, Cork

I am taking part in a panel on the author-editor relationship chaired by Patrick Cotter, with Declan Meade, Danielle McLaughlin and Sara Majke.

CASHEL ARTS FESTIVAL - CULTURE NIGHT
Fri. 16th September, 7.30pm, Cashel Library, Cashel

I will read from my novel Miss Emily - a free event but booking is advised.

SHORELINES ARTS FESTIVAL
Sunday, 18th September, 3.30pm, Christ Church, Portumna

I will be in conversation with author Paul Kingsnorth whose latest, intriguing novel Beast is published by Faber.

POEM ON RTE'S ARENA

I read my poem 'The Birds of Madrid' on RTE Radio 1's Arena on Monday. It features in the Salmon Poetry​ anthology Even the Daybreak. Here.

RESEARCH TRIP - NOVEL #4 & MONK'S HOUSE

I'm at the final research stage for novel #4 Becoming Belle - this is my 'walking the land' time. So I went to Sussex and Hampshire to see where my character lived as a child and where part of the action of the novel plays out. Aldershot and Heathfield were my two main places and I really enjoyed the museum in the former and a good walk around the latter. Because I was in the area I had to visit Virginia Woolf's country retreat in Rodmell: Monk's House.

Monk's House Fireplace in the sitting room Window group - yellow tray by Vanessa Bell or her daughter Angelica The dining room at Monk's HouseFor those of you who follow me on Twitter and Facebook, you already know I was there but, because of some confusion, I want to state now I am NOT writing a book about Virginia W. I wrote a short story about her ages ago (which I now see a hole in...) and a poem, but there are no plans for anything else.
Pear in the gardenI've been reading VW's diary in preparation for the trip and, if I was one of those monsters who mark up passages in books, the pages would be destroyed. It is so full of wisdom, insight and lit gossip, as well as self doubt and anxiety. I find myself nodding along, and pausing a lot to write down quotes, as I read. This passage I identify with: 'Is the time coming when I can endure to read my own writing in print without blushing - shivering and wishing to take cover?' Word, Vee.


It's fascinating that someone of VW's genius couldn't gauge her own success and/or brilliance. We make the mistake, I think, of presuming that succesful/brainy types are very aware of how good they are but, most likely, they are not really aware, objectivity being difficult and all that. Roald Dahl's wife was saying something similar about him on the radio this morning - he didn't fully realise his own popularity. VW talks a lot about praise in her diary, regarding her writing, and how it affects her.

Juno on the bowls lawnMonk's House was magical, anyway, even moreso than I expected - it was one of those serendipitous afternoons where everything seems to align and we were full to the brim with the beauty of it all as we wandered around. The approach is a small country lane, packed with pretty houses with abundant gardens. It was a gorgeous summers day, sunny and windy. My heart was in my mouth as we entered the gate and my 7 yo daughter Juno was giddy. 'It's so exciting to visit Virginia's house!' she said (though she actually knows very little about VW). My happy anticipation had clearly rubbed off.



All of the staff were informed and welcoming but unintrusive - basically you can walk the house and grounds at your leisure, which I really enjoyed. The house is furnished still with VW's belongings - and her husband Leonard's: painted furniture, book covers VW made for her Shakespeares, her sister's and other friends' artworks. The volunteers had fresh flowers from the garden in pots and vases; everything is rustic, homely and organic. All of it so earthy and pleasing to look at.

The 1929 extension - entrance to VW's bedroom

VW's bedroom - the narrow bed!

I love that the success of VW's novels meant they could improve Monk's House: new plumbing, an extension, a new kitchen. My novel Miss Emily built our beloved sun-room, a fact that pleases me every day.

Sitting room table, painted by Duncan GrantThere's an amusing passage in VW's diary about other people's houses (a pet peeve of mine also), she talks about 'chill superficial seemliness' and 'mercantile smugness'. (My own beef is with rooms that lack personality, rooms that look 'done' and showhousy, rooms full of boring, crappy furniture and no art.)


Happy selfie in VW's glorious garden

The garden at Monk's House is the real star: it is enormous, abundant and has fantastic views over the East Sussex Downs. It is set out in different areas: an orchard walk, an open lawn, glasshouses, a walled garden, and lots of country cottage beds.

VW's writing lodge

VW's writing lodge is in the garden, nicely secluded and elevated. The bit where she wrote is behind a glass partition so you don't feel immersed in the space as such, but it's wonderful to get to see it nonetheless.

It's appropriate that the couple's ashes were scattered in the garden - they bought the house because of the garden's 'shape and fertility and wildness' and VW talked about the 'pure joy' of pottering there after they had spent their first weekend in Rodmell.

You could make a portrait of VW - Juno's is bottom leftHere's a great blogpost from Miranda on what to read if you plan to visit Monk's House.

So, apart from fruitful research for novel #4 and a magical trip to Monk's House, we drove a lot, found a pub-less town, went to a mini zoo in Tilgate Park, visited the wonderful charity shops for my beloved ceramics and glass (blogpost soon at Edna O'Blog), and, naturally, we ate cake, most notably in Pretty Things in Horsham - a great find by the husband when I asked him to go and find somewhere good. Score :) It was a gorgeous trip and I was grumpy coming home. But, back to reality and all that. And it's a sunshiney day in Ballinasloe, I wrote this morning, and I am going to take a walk shortly and think about the new scenes needed in Belle. All is well.


Paddington 'meets his cousins' in Pretty Things



Neapolitan cake
Raspbo & carrot cake and Choc Ganache cake

WRITING AND SAILING RETREAT - SPAIN

[image error]Adm Wyeth
Here's something marvellous from writer Adam Wyeth. He is conducting this magical writing and sailing trip around the Balearic Islands this October. I spent two weeks on Majorca many years ago (one of two 'sun' holidays I have taken) and it is a stunning part of the world. All details below:

If travel turns us into storytellers, what better tale than a story of the sea. From the birth of Western literature with The Odyssey, to contemporary narratives, the sea continues to inspire. For those who dream of being a writer, Kingfisher Sailing is offering the ultimate travel package to help unlock that potential.

Family-run business, Kingfisher Sailing, has announced the first in a series of new sailing experiences available this year. Whether you’re an aspiring writer looking for practical tips or a complete beginner looking to find your voice, the company is offering a unique opportunity to enjoy a week’s sailing combined with a creative writing workshop devised and facilitated by an award-winning writer. Sailing among the beautiful Balearic Islands on the 3rd – 9th October 2016 (£895 per person, full board) the trip includes the opportunity to become an active member of the yacht’s crew, no previous sailing experience is required.
The package comprises of a week on-board a beautiful yacht with award-winning poet and playwright Adam Wyeth, author of two books Silent Music (2011) and The Hidden World of Poetry: Unravelling Celtic Mythology in Contemporary Irish Poetry (2013), and just ahead of the publication of his third book The Art of Dying.
The Balearic Islands, rich in history and myth, have been drawing writers for centuries. The trip combines a sense of exploration, along miles of unspoilt coastline, with specific locations designed to support the course material. With onshore visits to ancient sites and villages, such as Taulas of Menorca with its ancient stone megaliths and the cultural centre of Palma, there will be plenty of opportunity to fire up the imagination.
Drawing inspiration from these stunning locations, Adam will explore key writing topics, including general hints and tips, plot development, characterisation, sensory perception in descriptive writing and the role of metaphor and myth, to name a few. The workshop will be conducted through a series of group sessions and one-to-one tutorials, with Adam on-hand to help with any problems. Under his expert eye, participants will have the opportunity to explore style and ideas with someone who understands the process, whilst getting a unique insight into the life of a writer and his much anticipated third book.
Accommodation is on-board the beautiful 65 foot yacht, Klaus Störtebeker, recently launched back into service following an extensive refit which has returned the boat to her former glory, creating contemporary accommodation for up to ten people. As well as writing and sailing, there will be plenty of time for other activities, as the pace is set by each individual. There will be time to swim, explore or simply relax.
Adam Wyeth comments:
“In literature the sea is a symbol for the unconscious so the connections with writing run very deep. The course aims to give practical advice whilst allowing time to explore different texts. Like an ocean voyage to new worlds, every writing exercise is a trip to the unknown, you never know quite where you’ll end up but you know you’ll come out of it a new person in some way. Writers are navigators of the imagination. The trip promises to be a fascinating experience and the ultimate escape.”
This could be you in October!Creative writing Balearics7 days • 3-10th Oct 2016  • £995pp • 8 places availableGreat writing is all about imagination and surprise and there’s no better way to free your mind than to escape to sea.
On this unique vacation you’ll be an active crew member as we sail around the beautiful Balearic Islands while taking part in a exciting creative writing workshop devised and facilitated by award-winning poet, playwright and essayist Adam Wyeth. No previous sailing experience is required.These islands, rich in history and myth, have been drawing writers for centuries. Adam has created a unique series of workshops with fun exercises and games, many of which will be inspired from the sea and mythology. With onshore visits to ancient sites and villages, there’ll be plenty of opportunity to fire up the imagination.
The atmosphere will be inclusive and creative, and as intensive or laid back as participants wish to make it. Group sessions will be complemented by one-to-one tutorials. Adam will be informally on hand to help with particular problems that students may encounter.
This creative writing sailing holiday is suitable for those with some previous experience and for complete beginners. All you need is paper and pen and your imagination. As well as writing and sailing, there will be plenty of time for other activities: to swim, explore or simply relax.
Some of the of the workshop exercises will include:The art of speed writing or stream of consciousness writingFinding your voiceKeeping it symbol. Exploring how symbolism can deepen your work.Plotting and shaping a short story or novelCharacterisation, conflict and angleAvoiding cliché and subverting itThe importance of myth and giving it a modern twist.Tackling poetry formsLooking at metaphor and simileRewriting, editing, polishingUsing literature as models and springboards for writingAn unforgettable week exploring the imagination and the beautiful Balearic Islands. Prepare to be inspired.
Please note, we require a minimum of 4 guests to run this retreat. If you're interested in joining us and would like to receive more information once dates are confirmed, then please contact us.
For further information or to make a booking visit Kingfisher Sailing.

SHANGHAI AFTERS & PICS

Chairman Mao at the uni Pudong district buildings and the Huangpu River from the BundIt has been a long, long week since I got back from China. I spent the last two days of my Shanghai trip confined to my hotel room with food poisoning which was not fun. I also fainted at Shanghai Airport and woke up on the bathroom floor (with a sore head) surrounded by kindly airport officials who called doctors (help comes in multiple figures in China). Mortified! Anyway, I was let on the plane but it was a long, hard flight and the combined smell of noodles and perfume almost did me in. I got home eventually and have had a bit of a lost week of sleep, sickness and general dullness (with two exhausting forays to Dublin for a gig and a wedding.) Whatever bug I picked up does not seem to want to let me go :(

Huge duck, Fangsheng Park
Anyway, up to that point the trip went well. We got to see a little of the city (vast, smog-lidded, high rise blighted) and we enjoyed the International Short Story Conference as always. It's lovely to re-connect with old friends/short story lovers.

Aquarium eel

Looking up a shark's rear end at the aquarium :) My fave thing and I didn't have much :(

Communing with penguinsMy husband and I had some time to explore Shanghai so we went to a bazaar (again, vast) and to the aquarium (I love belugas and they had three), to lovely Changfeng Park (beside our hotel) and to the Bund to see the amazing modern buildings. The heat was incredible (30 to 35C and humid) so we would walk for a bit, then hide for a bit in anyplace that offered air-con.

Bazaar Bazaar Jetlag, oncoming illness, and pre ice-cream mania... Large waffle cone in YooShake - is this the food poisoning culprit?!!Food was difficult for us as veggies so we did not dine well overall and I have no idea where I picked up the bug. Maybe an ice-cream bought from a park stall? Or one eaten in YooShake? Who knows...

Ann Luttrell at Dashu Wujie Baby courgettes and mushrooms Lotus heartsThe Irish contingent were delighted to have dinner at gourmet vegetarian restaurant Dashu Wujie at the invitation of Zhao Lihong, director of the Shanghai Writers' Association. The food was incredible: lotus hearts with asparagus, teeny tiny courgettes, tofu and seitan done in many ways, avocado wrapped in beetroot etc. We talked Cork (Zhao Lihong has been published there),Yeats, Wilde and the Irish language with the help of interpreters.

Jamie O'Connell introducing me and Alan McM Alan McMonagle
Me reading my story 'Napoli Abú' from the conference anthology Tracey Slaughter, NZAt the conference, which took place in the East China Normal University, I enjoyed many readings by the likes of Gish Jen, Yiyun Li, Robert Olen Butler, Clark Blaise, Felicity Skelton, Katie Singer and her daughter Kayla, and my friend Alan McMonagle (we read together).

NZ panel: Tracey Slaughter, Jack Ross, Frankie McMillan,
Leanne Radojkovich, Bronwyn LloydI really, really enjoyed the panel of New Zealand writers who were as down to earth and vibrant as one might expect. NZ author Frankie McMillan also gave an interesting paper on flash fiction which is having a renaissance in her county. Inevitably at a conference so vast it is impossible to get to everything but, considering I felt pretty unwell most of the week, I got to lots.

Clark Blaise, Robert Olen Butler, Gish Jen and Yiyun LiThere weren't many books for sale at the conference but I managed to get Gish Jen's s/s collection Who's Irish? and it is totally brilliant - funny, deep and informative on the Chinese immigrant experience in the States.

Wigdresser
Shanghai was as hectic and strange as I'd expected (it was my first time to Asia). The clichés stand up: lots of overloaded bicycles transporting odd goods; funny signs 'translated' into English; lots of hawking, nose-clearing and spitting; copious amounts of bullfrog and pig intestine on restaurant menus; a sweet and friendly populace.

Welcome sign in the s/c beside our hotel Sugar Report - a café in the s/c and its cryptic/appropriate message
Sweet shop A very empty Shanghai Tesco The whole 10 Yuan shop (or a €1.40 shop)
Because my eating forays were so haphazard over there, I took pics of cakes especially for John Foyle, who always enjoys the foodie aspect to my travel posts. Here you go, John. Enjoy!
Chocolate bread at Ichido, French bakery Cream buns at Ichido Ichido Bun(ny) - I was too sick to eat anything but his bready ears :(

MISCARRIAGE STORY IN IRISH TIMES

Illustration by Jane WebsterI have a new story in todays' Irish Times, 'Storks', about the aftermath and pain of miscarriage. It's set in Spain, mostly in Cáceres, where I was invited to an Irish Studies Conference a few years ago by the lovely Carolina Amador. Cáceres is a beautiful, mystical place. You can read the story online here.

PREGNANCY LOSS & STORIES

Pregnancy loss has plagued my life for 16 years. I have written about it a little in my novel The Closet of Savage Mementos and a lot in poetry collections, most especially in my last one  The Juno Charm . And I have a story called 'Storks' forthcoming in The Irish Times that is about the aftermath of miscarriage.

But today I have a short-short story (flash) in a brand new UK-based magazine for women writers called Halo . Halo is a gorgeous and welcome outlet for women and the art work for this issue is fabulous. There will be a limited number of print issues soon - keep any eye on the Halo Twitter account for more on that.

My tiny miscarriage story, 'Tilt', is on page 36. Go here.

PARIS & EDIS AFTERS - report and pics

'Between my finite eyes -' Emily D.
I was at the Emily Dickinson International Society (EDIS) Conference this past weekend in Paris, which was, of course, trés jolie: Emily and Paris, two of my favourite things all wrapped up together. We enjoyed the 'blue and gold' of Emily D's June - the sun shone often - though there was more than the odd 'curious Cloud' too.


Butte aux Cailles graffiti & Juno Fondation des États UnisThe conference took place at the Cité Universitaire, in the 14th arrondissement, in a trio of beautiful old buildings, full of oak and marble and delicate murals. Our hotel (a bit cruddy, tbh) was a 20 minute walk from the uni, through residential streets and Parc Montsouris. The park held one of two Clark Lunberry art installations, inspired by Emily D.

Clark Lunberry ED text on the pond at Parc Montsouris
It's always lovely to reconnect with fellow Emily fans and I even managed to overcome shyness and talk to some ;) The theme of this year's conference was 'Experimental Dickinson' (apt) and I heard papers on Emily's letters (especially those to her beloved SIL, Susan, as well as to her friend, and posthumous editor, Thomas Wentworth Higginson).

Dr Emily Seelbinder with Juno, both sporting Emily D T-shirts
Also, some great papers on teaching Dickinson, including a fascinating one from North Carolina-based scholar Emily Seelbinder, who challenges her students to create an objet d'art using Dickinson's poetry as a jump-off. (My kind of class). The students have produced fantastic work, everything from art books, to fortune cookies containing Dickinson aphorisms, to a boardgame: 'Dickinson Dash to the Death', and a T-shirt connecting Kanye to Emily :)

Georgiana Strickland's paper was about the discography she is compiling of interpretations/versions of Emily's poetry that have been set to music. We were treated to various extracts from different composers, including Aaron Copeland and, my favourite, Craig Hella Johnson.


Natasha et Linda
That paper set us up nicely for Saturday evening's concert 'The Poet and the Muse: Dickinson in Song', with soprano Linda Mabbs and pianist Natasha Roqué Alsina. It was fascinating to hear, for example, four different composers' versions of 'Will there really be a "Morning"?', performed one after the other. Linda Mabbs is a beautiful singer and her interpretations were moving and funny, and her explanations of the arrangements were really informative.


ED and Celebrity panel: Paul, Páraic & Elizabeth
I went to a panel on ED's dealings with literary fame - her own and others'. It was great to hear papers by Elizabeth Petrino, Páraic Finnerty and Paul Crumbley that looked at different aspects of 19th C literary celebrity and where ED saw herself within it all. And how she may have had a firm eye on posthumous celebrity. Fascinating stuff. (Páraic Finnerty has just reviewed my novel about ED, Miss Emily, in Breac - a wonderful review, I am honoured.)


Lunberry 'Written on Air' installation - Fondation des États Unis, Cité Universitaire
There was a lot of overlap as ever with the content and themes that people chose to present on. Emily D's penchant for concealment and revelation came up a lot, the known/unknown nature of her life and work.


Me and Ju, on our way to the concert and banquet Banquet bread and wine :) Lovely people: EDIS President Martha Nell Smith with conference organiser Antoine Cazé
We had the conference banquet on Saturday night in the Fondation Deutsch de la Meurthe in the gorgeous, balconied, wood-lined Grand Salon. Despite making it known we were vegetarians in advance, there was little for us to eat. Even the ratatouille contained fish (why? why?). So we ate bread and drank wine and, sure, what else would you need?! Juno was delighted to meet other EDIS members' children and had a ball with them, outside the fondation building, running about and chatting. (I must add, though, that the lunches at the conference were outstanding - the choccie tart! The cheesy puffs! The salads! All very delicious.)




View from the Tour Eiffel
We had four full days and two half days in Paris and, apart from the conference, we managed to squeeze in a lot: shopping, sightseeing, scoffing, walking, art etc. The area we stayed in, the Butte aux Cailles, is gorgeous. I had stayed there before and loved its olde worlde charm. It's full of sweet bars and restaurants and there is the most incredible graffiti/wall art everywhere.




Skaters outside Notre Dame - they were brilliant Finbar at Notre Dame The Seine Deyrolle window displayWe visited the famous Deyrolle in St Germain to see the taxidermy. No photos allowed inside, but I took one of the window display. You can buy a stuffed bison, lion, piglet or duckling, depending on your budget. Though a duckling costs about €200... I made do with a vintage map/poster of vegetables annotated in French.


Forlorn and covetable dolly at the marché in VanvesWe went to the marché aux puces at the Porte de Vanves. We wandered for ages, buying nothing, only to have a flurry at the end. I bought a blue enamel brooch by Bretaudeau Paris; a silver tone pendant with opalite and turquoise stones by Miracle (both for €20), and a turqouise, floral Japanese pot for a tenner. Juno bought yet more Playmobil (and was ripped off) but I am nonsense at haggling myself, so I said nothing.


'Standing Girl Nude, Turned to the Left with Arms Crossed' - Paula MB
We also went to the top of the Eiffel Tower - such joy to see Juno's delighted face. And we stumbled on the fact that there was a temporary exhibit of Paula Modersohn Becker's paintings at the Palais de Tokyo. I wrote an (unpublished) novel about Paula years ago, so it was great to re-connect with her and see some work that I have never seen because it is privately owned. That was a real bonus.



Grass jelly drink, anyone?What else? Oh yes, we went to Chinatown for a look around but it was pretty grey and grim, apart from the great Asian supermarkets, like Tang Frères.


And we watched the Ireland vs France match in a bistro in St Michel, having failed to get into two jam-packed Irish pubs. That was fun until our team were hammered. We consoled ourselves in Notre Dame Cathedral: mass in progress, hymns being sung, candles twinkling. Heaven felt near, as Emily D. might say.


Falafel, Le Grenier styleMore consolation, then, in our favourite Parisian veggie restaurant, Le Grenier de Notre Dame. Drool. Followed by dark choc from the gelateria next door. Slurp. Le Grenier has poshed up a bit, mind you, since we were last there. As has Shakespeare and Co., which feels a bit Disneyish now, I hate to say, though I bought an Emily D. book I don't have - JCO's Essential Dickinson. (Husb also brought Juno to Disneyland Paris; thankfully I escaped that torture. I did my bit years ago with my two older kids. Once was quite enough.)


George Sand's house - tea garden roses
'Nobody knows this little Rose -
It might a pilgrim be...' ED George Sand's houseWe also went to George Sand's house, Musée de la Vie Romantique. Well, it was Ary Scheffer's house but George lived there with him. They have an incredible collection of her jewellery and some fine portraits by Ary. And there's a tea garden where I had the best chocolate mousse of my life.


I wanted one of these so badly. Too pricey, though :( Métro station ads are the bestSo, it was a marvellous trip, all thanks to the Arts Council for funding me. It's great to be home too, though I'll have to get used to no more pain au chocolat for brekkie and no more nightly booze.

And at some point I guess I will stop feeling exhausted out of my brains and start some proper work. I have rewrites on novel #4 to tackle and class prep for Saturday's IWC class. For now, I will just let myself feel I still have one foot in Paris. With Emily and all those who love her.

The EDIS conference poster 'I've seen a Dying Eye
Run round and round a Room —' ED