Friday 4 September 2009

Where did THAT week go?

Sorry, have been absent much longer than I intended, due to a combination of post-fabulous-weekend-exhaustion, an avalanche of washing and the last minute frenzied panic of getting the children back to school. The headlines are that my team didn’t bring home the wooden spoon this year (no thanks to me, of course) and that the fancy dress was riotously funny. You can’t ever really say you know your own brothers until you’ve seen them in wigs and dresses, I’d say. We were predictably poor at taking photos, but as soon as those from more organized members of the family filter through I’ll post a selection of edited highlights. One magical moment we did manage to capture was the bit on Sunday night when my Auntie Moira (who has always had an incredible talent for making things feel special and leaving a trail of fairy dust everywhere she goes) gave us all fire lanterns, and we made a wish as we lit them and watched them drift up through the night sky and float high over the dark fields like glowing stars, or very languid comets. It’s a scene that will no doubt go in a book one day, but in the meantime is safely stored in my mental box of Gorgeous Memories.





Anyway, back to business and I find myself thwarted at every turn. Not only have my author copies STILL not shown up, but with the children out of the way at school I’ve been trying to put together a post with Tristan and Lily’s playlist, only to discover that copyright law now prevents it. (See those playlist things over there <-- ?? Purely decorative now, it seems.) Like all authors I’m all in favour of anything that stops the free distribution of stuff people have sweated blood, neglected their children and given up sleep to produce so I’m not grumbling about this at all, but I could have done without the hours of mind-numbing internet searching I’ve endured trying to work out if I can post stuff here that I’ve bought from i-tunes. The answer, I believe, is no but if anyone knows different do get in touch! I adored this playlist way too much not to share it—it’s my favourite of them all by miles, largely because it naturally fit the book so damned well. If you’ve read Tristan and Lily's story you might like to check out some of these songs…. Tonight and the Rest of my Life—Nina Gordon (The mood of this inspired the first chapter to such a degree that a couple of lines are spookily similar. See if you can spot them!)

Gravity of Love—Enigma (Chapter Two… It even mentions a dove!)

Remember When it Rained—Josh Groban (Lily remembers waking up in the night with Tristan.)

This Woman’s Work—Kate Bush. (Tristan’s regrets as he watches Lily sleeping in the hospital in Barcelona.)
My Immortal-- Evanescence and Breathe Me—Sia (Lily struggles to come to terms with what she’s lost.)

9 Crimes—Damien Rice (Loving each other/destroying each other. Sigh. Gorgeous song.)


Now all that I need to do, if everyone hasn’t passed out from extreme apathy while waiting, is post the question. It’s been so long since I began all this that I suspect ‘What is the title of the book I’ve been rambling on about?’ might be a good one, but instead I’m asking for the names of Tristan and Lily’s best friends. (First names only will do—you’ll find them in the post from 24th August, below.) Email me via the website, and I’ll pick out a winner a week today and send them (hopefully) one of the elusive copies of the book, some of my favourite L’Occitane soap from where Lily gets her ‘milk and honey’ fragrance, and some other bits and pieces.

There, now you see I’ve finally got round to finishing this off, and now I’ve gone and mentioned the website. And that’s a whole new chapter on my Things To Do list. (Buries head in hands and weeps.)


5 comments:

Kate Hardy said...

The fire lanterns look amazing, and I agree that it sounds like a book idea. :o)

Good luck with your to-do list.

(And oh, you lucky woman. We are STILL NOT BACK AT SCHOOL. And I am doing my accounts. Which is worse? Accounts or gloss paint? Definitely a Scylla and Charybdis day...)

Unknown said...

Kate, the lanterns were just beeeeautiful-- you'd love them. Check out this link to see Hugh Fearfully-Witteringon launching some at River Cottage http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JxLukXcCLw

Accounts worse than gloss paint, I think, but then my friend's 8 year old was doing sums in the car on the way home from school today that had me utterly stumped. Get all the horrid jobs over this weekend and then on Monday you can Enjoy The Silence (as Depeche Mode said sometime in the 80s.)

Trenda said...

The fire lanterns are perfectly lovely! What a gorgeous sight they must have been!

Michelle Styles said...

The fire lanterns are perfect. And I agree that they should go in a book.

PIty about the playlist...But simply posting the song titles (and possibly links to youtube?) on one post should do it.

Unknown said...

They were beautiful Trenda. You make a wish and watch them fade into the darkness miles away and it's truly magical. (Though if you try them yourself I'd suggest moving well away from cars as you launch them. My poor cousin was in desperate fear for his gorgeous, shiny BMW...)

Michelle, you're right and I'm an idiot! Should have mentioned that I'd put the youtube links in the post... Click on a title and it should take you to the song. (But forgive the random videos!)