Made it – just

Phew. We made it. It’s not been without effort, I have to say. We are now at our first stopover, our lovely, peaceful CL just off the Severn. Unusually we are not alone. There is another Hymer with us. But the field is so big you really can’t tell. Our plan is to take stock and then move on after the weekend, ‘up north’ somewhere. A big part of me doesn’t want to come back. We’ll see.

Mum’s was not without stress. We took her shopping, the first time in 16 months. Inevitably she found it difficult (mask down; not quite getting people and distances; always questioning) and she had a few sharp words with us. But that’s understandable … and, the good news was we managed to get her three new pairs of shoes and, in the end, we had a lovely lunch out.

we bought some shoes

The last three days has been mostly, for me, about getting the book sorted. It’s a bit of a story. I thought I’d managed everything at Mary’s, using her machine and Word. It took me four hours to sort the wrap round cover, but eventually I had the process and eventually Amazon accepted what I offered. On that basis, I ordered a proof copy which was to arrive on Wednesday, giving me a full day to sort any last minute issues [I have told everyone it’s live tomorrow, Friday – self-imposed pressure. But, hey ho, it keeps me on my toes].

Well, you would have thought that, having got back from mum’s and Mary’s, and having sorted the book, and having dropped the consultancy plans down a notch, I would be all set for a summer of chill. Ready for the first day of the rest of my life. Come on, Roland! 

It didn’t happen like that. I woke on both Tuesday and Wednesday down in the dumps. Wednesday was particularly bad. The proof copy of the book arrived and the cover wasn’t quite right. But I knew the process and sorted it. Tick. I had a really good run on Wednesday. Tick. We had arranged to go see an old army pal and his wife on Wednesday night … and that was lovely. Tick. My narrator delivered the prologue for Unsuspecting Hero, and that was a wrap. Tick. And another old army pal of mine came round on his huge Motoguzzi on Thursday morning for an early lunch. Tick.

the local chapter turned up

So, what was the problem?

I dunno. Well, first thing on Wednesday I got up, picked up the proof copy of The Belmonte Paradox, read half a chapter and thought … ‘this is rubbish?’. And if it is rubbish, are all the other books rubbish as well? Am I a fraud? And that left me with no alternative. I had to read book to make sure it wasn’t as bad as I thought it might be. 

frantically reading

So I started. And, much to my surprise, I found a mistake. And then another. It wasn’t littered with them, but there were a few. One or two very obvious ones – and this is post-professional proof reader. And that set me on a journey. The book was primed ready to go for Friday. But it couldn’t, not with the mistakes I’d found. So I now had a race against time. It took me all of Wednesday and most of Thursday to get to the end. By the time I’d finished I’d found 8 mistakes and about 10 other changes I wanted to make. The concern now was whether my chromebook would deliver a suitable Word copy to update the script. And I still had to make changes to the paperback copy, which comes with a different typeset. And then my mate Kenn arrived on his bike. And then Amazon told me the paperback cover I’d submitted wasn’t good enough. Aaaggh.

But, and it’s an important but, I really enjoyed the book. I really did. I’m not saying you’re going to, but it’s another ‘the best I can do’. And the narration is fab … the plan is to have that out by 1 October. And I sorted the cover. And Amazon accepted the Word document. And we made it to the campsite. And, as I said t the beginning, I have the rest of my life ahead of me. So it’s not all that bad. It really isn’t.

And, of course, England won last night. What a match. What a manager. What a team. 

No words from me on Johnson’s decision to use the UK as a petri dish. I hope, I really do, that it’s the right one. 

Stay safe, everyone. Please. 

and we packed