Writer of murder mysteries

First two books, The Art of Killing and the Silence of Killing, available on Amazon.

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Advent wreaths - can't believe it's come round again!

Advent wreaths – can’t believe it’s come round again!

Julie has just spent a happy morning holding an Advent wreath workshop: floral foam rings packed tightly with holly and embellished with fir cones, baubles, and ribbon. And it was happy because the participants enjoyed making something beautiful together.

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Don't try this at home!

Don’t try this at home!

Julie had Tom have just been to Athens for a few days.  They last went there many years ago before the twins were born and had fond memories of exploring the ancient Greek sites in lovely warm sunshine. The sun shone on them this time, too. After a visit to the Ancient Agora, they stopped at a restaurant for lunch, and Julie was very taken by the table arrangements – olive tree twigs set in an…

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Leftovers!

Julie has always been frugal.  Maybe it’s a habit she inherited from her parents, who were brought up in wartime Britain so knew what it was like to have to scrimp and save.  But Julie’s knack for combining leftovers into something delicious extends beyond the kitchen. Last week some guests brought her a bouquet of flowers, and this week the only flowers still alive were three chrysanthemums.…

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News only filters down slowly to my retirement field, but, let’s face it, I’m generally far too busy to take much notice of the outside world these days.  Yesterday I was just sort of peripherally aware that Dolly and Susanna were sauntering along the track by the side of the field – presumably on their way out on one of those hacks I don’t do any more – but I couldn’t even be bothered to lift my head to pass the time of day.

Anyway, I share my field with some big horses who’ve taken part in eventing in the past – not that I let this daunt me – and they maintain an ever so passing interest in what’s going on in the wider world, so it was through them that I found out that a horse called Sam won a gold medal eventing at the Olympics.  And may I take this opportunity to pass on my heartfelt congratulations to Sam – after all, the only thing I know about cross country is jumping over my favourite log (pictured, and in some style, I might add) and taking a flying leap at a puddle on the track while on my way back from a hack (not pictured).

But while Sam has my profound respect, I cannot help thinking about the name.  It’s not the first time I’ve noted that I have a rather grand name, not to say title, while other horses who are no less worthy of respect have a much simpler name.  Of course, my own name is often reduced to “Prin” or “Prinnie”, and, just occasionally, some one calls me “Igor”, but even Igor is a little longer than Sam.

So, while I remain in awe of Sam and his achievements (it’s not the first time he’s won an Olympic gold, apparently) let’s remember that greatness takes many forms and we all have different talents.  I’m not aware that Sam has written any books yet, but, now that he’s completed his Herculean task, perhaps he’ll have a little more time to do his own thing, and, who knows, he may even feel like kicking his heals and taking a leaf out of one of my own learned volumes!

  World Class News only filters down slowly to my retirement field, but, let's face it, I'm generally far too busy to take much notice of the outside world these days.  

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Free today

Julie is celebrating #britishflowersweek, and her World of Flowers is free to download today, 16 June.

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Bank Holiday Read Just to let you know that my Muck Heap is free to download today for a nice light Bank Holiday read.

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New venture for Julie!

New venture for Julie!

Julie’s World of Flowers  is now a year old,  and it has spent a large part of the last three months in the US Amazon top 100 for flower arranging.

So maybe it’s doing something right.  It was only ever intended as a bit of fun and an introduction to flower arranging for those who have no previous experience.  The emphasis is very much on creating something beautiful without having to pay the…

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Stroll in the local park

Stroll in the local park

Julie has taken the dogs for a walk today and found that her local park, famous for its rhododendrons, is coming into full bloom!

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And her creator is experimenting adding picture galleries to blogs!

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Are my books for you?

Are my books for you?

I’ve just spent yet another depressing afternoon reading about the importance of marketing. Honestly, marketing is one of the most difficult things about being an author these days, and most of us would rather get on with the serious business of writing rather than have to worry about matters in which we have little or no experience. But the truth is that there are just so many books around-…

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Gorgeous Palaces

I know we’ve now slipped into May, but somehow I felt I had a few loose ends to tie up after my blog on April anniversaries, and today was the right time to do it.

For the first time ever I visited Sir John Soane’s Museum in Lincoln’s Inn, primarily because I wanted to see the Charlotte Bronte exhibition before it ends on Saturday. The museum is the actual house in which the architect Sir John…

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Gorgeous Palaces

I know we’ve now slipped into May, but somehow I felt I had a few loose ends to tie up after my blog on April anniversaries, and today was the right time to do it.

For the first time ever I visited Sir John Soane’s Museum in Lincoln’s Inn, primarily because I wanted to see the Charlotte Bronte exhibition before it ends on Saturday. The museum is the actual house in which the architect Sir John…

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Free today

Looking for Death is free to download today

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April - a month of celebration

April – a month of celebration

I have always subscribed to the T S Eliot point of view that “April is the cruellest month”.  I associate it with wild temperature swings, shivering and overheating, and childhood illnesses.  In short, I have never liked it and I am always glad when it’s over.

Yet this April has been something different.  Of course there have been the usual vicissitudes of weather, and as I write we seem to be…

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Model for friendship

It’s a very special day for my friend Yvonne today – she has a significant birthday, and I hope she has a wonderful time.  Unfortunately I won’t be seeing her today, but we will be getting together later next week, and I expect we will create some more happy memories like the one above – this photograph was taken in the gardens of Lambeth Palace, and going round gardens is one of the things we…

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Free bucks

<a href=”http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/14760645/?claim=u7dy22an6x7″>Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

My Pony Tricks  is free to download again today, and I’m delighted to see that it appears on a list of top recommended books today – as indeed it should – so there were a few extra bucks in my field this morning to celebrate!

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Mother’s Day Julie's had a very quiet Mother's Day watching Andy Murray and Kei Nishikori on the television, and she hasn't felt the need to make a special flower arrangement for the occasion as her twins, Mike and Alice, have been tied up elsewhere.  

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Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother’s Day!

Well, in the UK at any rate.

But I’m not going to write about what Julie’s doing for Mother’s Day, although I expect it’s much the same as I’m doing – slumping in front of the television with a nice glass of wine a little later on.

No, I’m actually going to write about the idea of coincidence.

I went shopping for a Mother’s Day card rather late on Friday and just hoped it arrived on time.  It…

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