Mistaken Identity
My last blog post for 2023 is the column I wrote for the December 2023/January 2024 double issue of the Tetbury Advertiser, written in the run-up to Christmas.
On my first trip abroad for over a year – only my second since before Covid – I find it refreshing to hear other languages spoken. My short break in the historic city of Bruges exposes me to far more than Belgium’s three official languages, French, Dutch, and German. The cheerful hotel receptionist who greets us in fluent English converses just as easily in Spanish with other guests. As we roam the cobbled streets, we catch drifts of Asian languages from tour guides leading walking groups.
All the cobbled streets of Bruges inevitably lead to chocolate shopsAmid this Babel, locals may find it amusing to guess the nationality of tourists and address them in the appropriate tongue. Before I open my mouth in shops and cafes, they speak to me in English.
I’m therefore surprised when, stopping on our way home at a Calais hypermarket, a checkout assistant asks me in rapid colloquial French whether I have a store loyalty card. She must think I’m on my home turf. I interpret this as a compliment. After all, aren’t French women always more elegant than British? On the other hand, she might just be going by the sparse contents of my trolley: it’s not full of the cheap wine and beer beloved by the typical British booze-cruiser.
Next day, back in England, I meet two old schoolfriends in Winchester. (I cover a lot of miles this week.) We’ve been best friends since our first day of secondary school. Although we now live too far apart to see each other very often, as soon as we’re together, we revert to our teenage years, dredging up old in-jokes and catchphrases, laughing and egging each other on.
We have chosen Winchester as a quieter alternative to our usual London rendezvous, but as I navigate through town to find a car park, I’m puzzled by the bumper-to-bumper traffic. When I spot a young man in an academic gown and mortar board posing for a photo beside the statue of Alfred the Great, I realise it’s Degree Day.
Winchester’s statue of Alfred the Great (Photo in public domain via Needpix)Hundreds of new graduates are flocking with their proud parents to ceremonies in the cathedral. What’s more, surrounding the cathedral is the newly-opened Christmas market, housed in dozens of little huts reminiscent of a medieval village. As we browse the market stalls, my friends and I are often separated by the crowds. I’m repeatedly casting around to find my companions.
When a mature lady with grey hair and glasses makes eye contact with me from a few yards away, I wonder why she’s looking at me so pointedly. Then to my astonishment words come out of her mouth in the distinctive voice of one of my old schoolfriends, and I do a double-take. For a moment I’ve forgotten how much we have aged. But then she laughs at me, and I don’t care. On the outside, we may be grey-haired and bespectacled, but for today at least, on the inside, we’re still in our teens.
Whatever age you are now, I wish you the brightest and best of Christmases, and a peaceful, healthy and fun-filled New Year.
I’ll be back in January, with a weekly blog post, including articles about writing craft and reading habits, and a monthly post about a fellow author, as well as continuing to share articles I’ve written for magazines and other blogs. See you next year!
NEW FOR JANUARY 2024
Coming 26th January 2024!Sophie Sayers’ ninth adventure, Driven to Murder, will be launched on Friday 26th January in paperback, ebook, audiobook and hardback. Pre-order now via your favourite store for a treat to brighten the dark days of January!
Change is coming to Wendlebury Barrow – and not everyone is happy about it…
When the local bus company announces it will be stopping its route through their quaint Cotswold village, the people of Wendlebury Barrow are up in arms. Not least Sophie Sayers, whose driving lessons with her boyfriend Hector get off to a bumpy start.
But the locals’ peaceful protests against the decision turn deadly when a body is discovered on the Number 27. No one can work out how a passenger met their demise, let alone how the driver didn’t notice. While the police wait for the post mortem results, Sophie immediately suspects foul play, and launches her own investigation.
Can she solve the murder before another passenger is hurt – and save the village bus service? As ever, she’ll give it her best shot!
