Wombles exhibition to open in Alderney

The grand opening is almost here... this Saturday, 30 June, to be precise.  I wish I could be there.  Bell-ringing Wombles...

From Norwich, it's the Womble Sale of the Week!

Or strictly speaking, two Wombles... Norwich is host to Wombling - a non-profit social enterprise - and last week Wombling ran one of its Saleroom events, to encourage people to get rid of their unwanted items by finding new homes for them.

Naturally Orinoco was interested in this, and kindly offered to help me out by manning (Wombling?) a stall.  In fact there were two Orinocos - little Orinoco who sat and kept an eye on the stock, and big Orinoco who... well, it's not easy to say what big Orinoco did. Apart from a bit of cake eating:

One or two bargain hunters were a bit disconcerted by this. One asked big Orinoco if it was "hot in that costume". What a question to ask. Naturally Orinoco, being far too polite to point out that it wasn't a costume and he was a Womble, said nothing.  Also, there's probably a little girl wandering around Norwich even now, a week later, traumatised by the way that big Orinoco's eyes followed her round the hall.  But most visitors to the stall were enthusiastic. Another little girl even asked if little Orinoco was for sale. What a cheek! Can't a Womble even have 40 winks without someone wanting to buy him?  (Although I should point out that one of the advantages of the big Orinoco costume - if we assume, hypothetically, that it was a costume with someone inside it - is that you can lower the head and have a nap without anyone noticing.)

All in all, it was an entertaining trip to Norwich - previously best known for hosting Sale of the Century, "the quiz of the week".  This might not have been the "Sale of the Century", but congratulations to Wombling on running the event, and best wishes for their worthy Wombling efforts in the future.

A book is like a baby

Producing a book is a bit like having a baby (it seems to me - ladies, please don't rush to hit me over the head in outrage at the comparison - bear with me on this one).

• It takes quite a long time to produce - something like four years in the case of this book.
• The production process - copy editing, proofreading, design, layout, agreeing the price - is as involved as pre-natal classes.
• There may be a big debate about what to call it...
• The final stages can be a little tortuous
• Then there's the real, real final stage - when the book has gone to press, but it isn't yet live and available for sale - a bit like going into labour, surely, what with all the nervous pacing of the expectant 'parent', and so on?

That's where I am at the moment; hoping, expecting, waiting, worrying. And, after it comes out (the book or the baby), there's the worry about whether it will look OK and what other people will think...

Not long to go now.  Resumes nervous pacing...