Marcia has attended three events this summer and so I thought I would bring you up to date on those now and then go back and fill in the other things that have been of some interest this summer.
The first of these was a signing at the Harbour Bookshop in Kingsbridge which is run by Pat Abrehart. Pat has acted as hostess to some quite momentous events in the past. It was here that The Children’s Hour (Marcia’s first book after switching to Transworld) was launched and here that Pat organised an evening with Marcia Willett which attracted over a hundred guests.
Although it had been decided that we just could not fit in signings while trying to move, we all knew that The Harbour Bookshop would be an exception. As always there was a jolly group of readers waiting when Marcia arrived and they continued to pour in for the next couple of hours. Once again, a big thank you to Pat and all at the bookshop.
Next up, as they say, was Pulham’s Mill. The mill is mentioned in The Prodigal Wife (Henrietta and her mother, Cordelia, meet there) and Marcia was invited to have lunch so that she could meet some of their customers who are also readers of her books. I suspect that the reason Cordelia chose Pulhams was that we know from personal experience that there is no better cooking on Exmoor - period! Sunday lunch there is one of my treats which we can’t manage very often: which is probably just as well as I weigh far too much already. It was nearly the end of July before this could be fitted in. We travelled up the day before and spent the night in our cottage on Exmoor. The lunch was great fun but not everyone was able to
The first of these was a signing at the Harbour Bookshop in Kingsbridge which is run by Pat Abrehart. Pat has acted as hostess to some quite momentous events in the past. It was here that The Children’s Hour (Marcia’s first book after switching to Transworld) was launched and here that Pat organised an evening with Marcia Willett which attracted over a hundred guests.
Although it had been decided that we just could not fit in signings while trying to move, we all knew that The Harbour Bookshop would be an exception. As always there was a jolly group of readers waiting when Marcia arrived and they continued to pour in for the next couple of hours. Once again, a big thank you to Pat and all at the bookshop.
Next up, as they say, was Pulham’s Mill. The mill is mentioned in The Prodigal Wife (Henrietta and her mother, Cordelia, meet there) and Marcia was invited to have lunch so that she could meet some of their customers who are also readers of her books. I suspect that the reason Cordelia chose Pulhams was that we know from personal experience that there is no better cooking on Exmoor -
Rodney’s Blogs
29th August 2009
Okehampton Library.
The remains of the delicious cream teas provided by the library staff can be seen on the table to the left.
Pulhams Mill
Standing at the back on the right are Pauline and Ian who not only run the cafe but are also a talented artist and cabinet maker respectively. Their work can be bought at the mill.
stay for the photograph (above left). Our hosts were Pauline Clements and Ian Mawby (Ian is the chap to the right in the picture with his arm around Pauline’s shoulder). They run a craft shop at the mill where you can buy all sorts of craft goods including china decorated by Pauline and furniture made by Ian who is the throes of building a new workshop where he intends to hold classes in cabinet making, etc as soon as it is finished.
The third was a delicious (I speak with inside knowledge) cream tea at the library in Okehampton. Marcia has always said that she owes an enormous debt to the library services as she was brought up in a home with few books but did have access to a wonderful library in Bristol. As a result she is always happy to do anything that she can to support them. Sadly Susie Hewitt, the librarian at Okehampton, who is standing at the left in thephotograph (above right), will be leaving shortly as she is moving to Exeter. Meanwhile I would draw your attention to the scones with jam and cream just visible in the picture. These are the ones that gave me that inside knowledge I was taing about!