Monday, May 28, 2012


Back Home to good News.


Some of you may remember that last year, on the advice of Daphne http://daphnewaynebough.blogspot.co.uk/ I entered my story in the Saga magazine Life story competition.  After a few months I checked if it was OK to use it elsewhere and was asked to be patient a little longer as I had been short listed.  I then heard the results would be out in July and decided that I would have heard by now if I had got anywhere.  I determined – after the holiday – rather than sit around like tripe at four pence I would put one last big effort into getting it published.


Back home the phone was flashing madly - it was – D – one of the judges, to say he had emailed me, I was a runner up and was I happy about my details being in the July issue of Saga and could I get in touch for a chat; that it was out of 5000 entries and I had reason to celebrate.  The bubbly was open before you could say knife.


I don’t know how many runners up there are but am content in the knowledge that D liked it and would like to talk further when things have quietened down, which probably means a trip to London but as MTL says – ‘You’ll regret it if you don’t go.’


Back to the holiday at Cricket St. Thomas: - designed in the Regency manner by Sir John Soane, Cricket House is noted for its glorious Grade II- listed gardens of mature cedars, maples and yews.  In c1328 the manor was bought by Sir Walter de Rodney, ancestor of Admiral, Lord Rodney.  Then in 1775 the estate was acquired by Alexander Hood, second- in- command of the Channel fleet during the Napoleonic Wars.  The vice- admiral’s heir Samuel Hood, married Horatio Nelson’s niece Charlotte, whose uncle and Lady Hamilton were frequent guests in the house.  Do you remember that old film with Laurence Olivier as Nelson and Vivien Leigh as an unforgettable Lady Hamilton?


Cricket House was Grantleigh Manor in that much loved TV series ‘To the Manor Born.’  The estate is 1,000 acres and there is a twelfth century parish Church of St Thomas which features the brocade cloth which adorned the altar at the Queen’s Coro9nation in 1953.



The estate includes lakes and gardens, farms, wild life and a sweet little puffer to view the sights.  At the end of each day, as we returned from some outing MTL would drop me inside the gates and I would walk the mile back to the barn we were staying in – up hill and down dale, stopping to chat to the llamas and berate the naughty lambs for sneaking out under the gate.  It was bliss.

Trouble posting photos so can't label them at present but if you read the above it should make sense.
More later.

23 comments:

savannah said...

congratulations, sugar! glad you had bubbly at hand for the celebration! cheers!! xoxoxo

Granny Annie said...

Such exciting news!

Unknown said...

That sounds like a lovely break, Pat; and what smashing weather you've had. Good to have you back on blog, and well done re the story competition.
Warm regards, Mike and Ann.

Pat said...

Savannah: thank you. We always aim to have a bottle to hand. You never know when it may be needed.xoxox

Granny Annie; I know I keep pinching myself and playing the telephone message. When I went to tell MTL I couldn't speak for blubbing. He was really worried.

Mike and Ann: thank you. Once the weather warmed up it was lovely.

Ms Scarlet said...

Congratulations, I would love to have a read when it comes out.
A thanks for making the sun shine!
Sx

Kim Ayres said...

Wonderful news Pat! Now we'll have to figure out how to get your author's photo taken for all the forthcoming publicity & promotion :)

Pat said...

Scarlet: as my #1 son says:
'Now don't get carried away as there's many a lip twixt cup and lip!'
I don't know where he gets it from:)

Kim: now there's a problem:)

Anonymous said...

well done you! glad you had a lovely holiday and hope the garden wasn't too parched when you got back!

angryparsnip said...

Oh Pat what wonderful news.
I am so happy,
Congratulations !
A Big Yea Haw from Tucson !

cheers, parsnip

OldLady Of The Hills said...

That is SOOO very exciting Pat....I'm so very happy for you, my dear. It has to be thrilling!!!

What a fantastic place that is....So much going on there and I love that there is all the "farm" life....! You and your dear MTL always find the most wonderful places to go for vacation.....!
So happy you had such a glorious time.

Anonymous said...

Congrats, dear! I look forward to a complete report on the award ceremony!

BTW, lovely vacation pics.

Cheers.

Unknown said...

Yeah! Go you!!

Pat said...

Rosneath: fortunately I delayed putting new plants in but it seems fairly lush.

Naomi: I shall be patient - I'm not in any mad rush to go up to London but my dear son says he will meeet me and take me to wherever.

Randall: I've forgotten what the prizes were - apart from the first, which was to be published but that seeme to be a possibility now. More pics later.

John.g: do my best:)

The Unbearable Banishment said...

The bubbly was open before you could say knife.

Is this a British colloquialism? I've never heard it before but it's a fantastic alignment of words.

Congrats! We, your loyal readership, aren't the least bit surprised, though.

Pearl said...

"Back to the holiday..."??!!!! No, no, no, let's go back to the fact that you will be published in July!!!

That's fantastic, Pat! Congratulations!

I knew you "when", you know...

:-)

Pearl

LL Cool Joe said...

Nothing like celebrating with a glass of bubbly! Congratulations! The trip to London will be fun. Well maybe not, I'm not a great fan of London, but that's just me!

GYPSYWOMAN said...

no one deserves it more, lady! please do keep us all posted as we sit with baited breath! ;)

Pat said...

UB: not as far as I know. I actually pondered what word to use - but I could have forgotten.
I really appreciate my 'loyal readership.'

Pearl: alas not 'published in July' that will just be an announcement of the finalists - as far as I know. I shan't consider I'm published until I hold the book in my hot little hand. I'm having a meeting in London (to be arranged) and if the wind is in the right direction a book will follow. Everything crossed.

Joey: I haven't been to London fo about seven years - deliberately - and it will be a great adventure for me. I'm quaking. What to wear? You know what I'm like:)

Jenean: one thing I have learnt is patience. It's been six years.

SDC said...

Congratulations! I wish I could read it, as I enjoy your writing and your perspective on things The pics from your trip are very beautiful too, so you are obviously quite accomplished with a camera also. You are most cool.

Pat said...

SDC: thank you.

Marjolein said...

Congratulations! That's fantastic news!

Sounds like you had a lovely holiday. :)

rashbre said...

Great news with the writing!

And it looks as if you've been having a good time on holiday.

Pat said...

Rashbre: it's a step in the right direction but it's a long old haul:)