by Maggie Fogarty | Jan 9, 2015 | Uncategorized |
Now for a confession.
I actually like January. Repeat – yes like January.
I know it has a bad reputation as a miserable month, Christmas decorations all gone, bills coming in and terrible weather.
So time then to celebrate the upside of poor old Jan and in typical British fashion, I’ll kick off with the weather.
Here in Cornwall it’s been pretty damn good so far – hell I know I’m tempting fate here – with unseasonably balmy temperatures and even ‘T’ shirts getting a winter look in.
My car ‘soft top’ has been down several times this week and somehow Spring doesn’t seem that far away. OK, it’s not the same story all over the country but we are sure enjoying the early January days down this way.
Then there’s the start of a new year and the chance to begin afresh. Whether you call it ‘resolutions’ or ‘plans’ or simply ‘thinking ahead’, January is the month to get them going.
For me it’s starting my second Novella. I’m aiming to be at least three quarters of the way through it before I launch the first one of the series at the end of February. A tough deadline but it’s looking promising.
January is also a great month to take up those offers at local eateries, before they hit busier times.
Many have post Christmas deals and if your resolution is to lose weight, you can always be virtuous and go for the healthier options. Or make sure you combine it with a good walk before or afterwards. Simples.
Finally, January is the month when TV companies show case their big dramas and best factual programmes.
There is some fantastic viewing at this time of year and it’s a treat to settle down to a cracking bit of goggle box watching – in our case in front of a cosy wood burning stove – with a nice glass of tipple in hand.
Yes here’s to good old January. What’s not to like?
Now over to Bonnie, the very Cornish cockapoo….
‘Hi there folks,
Well didn’t I do well for my first Christmas?
New fleecy bed, over coat and plenty of tasty treats. Lots of people dropping by too and extra walks on the beach. Hey, this is a brill time of year!
The rents have been muttering about me getting another hair cut. They’ve been saying that I’m starting to look a bit like that Boris Johnson chappy again, the cheek.
So it looks like I’m in for another trim soon, with the lovely Pip at ‘Just Pet Care’. Can’t say I’m looking forward to all that clipping away at my lovely coat but hey ho – if I play along and look hang dog, I can always bag myself a new toy.
Meantime, I’ve been trying to be a good gal and help the rents with the house cleaning – see the pic of me with a duster to show I’m not making it up. Woof and out…’
by Maggie Fogarty | Dec 19, 2014 | Uncategorized |
Well we managed to keep it a secret – apart from our two good friends who we asked to be our witnesses.
On a sunny early December day – my birthday as it happens – we finally tied the knot after over 25 years of living together. ‘We’ being yours truly and my other half Paul.
Our chosen venue was the Guildhall in St Ives, in the ‘Mayor’s Parlour’ room. It has only been a wedding venue since this summer but judging from our experience, I think it will be a popular choice. Sarah, the Guildhall wedding organiser, was extremely helpful and friendly. Exactly the sort of person you want to have at the end of a phone when you need to check on things.
The ‘Mayor’s Parlour’ was just the right size for an intimate ceremony and I don’t suppose this can always be guaranteed, but the Mayoress herself even popped in to congratulate us. The Cornish blessing suggested by one of our witnesses was lovely and in the end we had the perfect ceremony for us – simple and low key.
We’ll be celebrating with friends and family over the coming weeks and months but to answer the frequent question we’ve faced, ‘why get married after all those years living together?’ the response is simple. Sometimes the time and place just feels right. It’s really as uncomplicated as that.
Our day was made even better when the St Ives Harbour hotel ungraded our room to a magnificent suite and I suspect one of our witnesses had something to do with that! The hotel restaurant comes highly recommended as well – we opted for the local produce menu and we weren’t disappointed. If you haven’t already tried it, give it a whirl.
Now over to pup Bonnie, who had her first sleep over at ‘Dog Collars’ dog sitter’s in Marazion, run by Dom and Hannah.
‘Hi folks,
I didn’t know what to make of it all at first. I mean I knew there was something up – my rents were spending a bit more time getting ready, perfume being sprayed, packages lying around. Something was definitely in the air and boy was I right.
Next thing I know, the rent Paul is plonking me at another house, with other mutts living there as well.
I recognised the place because I’d visited there a few weeks ago and liked the relaxed vibe – Dom the head honcho seemed like a cool dude with a dog collar. (He’s actually a real life vicar you know and that why the place is called ‘Dog Collars’ – get it?).
Anyway, I needn’t have worried. I made myself at home and even had a piccy taken with me chilling out watching TV with my temporary rents Dom and Hannah.
Don’t get me wrong, it was nice to see my real folks the next day but once I got used to things, it wasn’t a bad home from home.
The other mutts were friendly too and I even got to walk with Dom on his Christmas card round. I’ve now been roped into delivering my own festive cards – see photo of me getting ready to set off on a card run. Woof and out…’
by Maggie Fogarty | Dec 2, 2014 | Uncategorized |
What is the best time of year to publish a new book? Some swear by the run up to Christmas but then you are hitting a crowded market, all competing for publicity.
When I published my debut novel in November 2012, I used my own journalistic skills to get some great press coverage. It’s all about knowing how to write a press release that actually gets noticed. Whether the publicity turns into sales is another matter but it certainly puts you out there on the author map.
Now that I’ve finished writing the second novel, (strictly speaking a shorter ‘novella’), I’m toying with the idea of publishing in February. The new book is one of a three part series – collectively called the ‘Dilemma Novellas’ – and I’ll need to get the follow-up out as quickly as possible. This means that I have to be a good way into writing the second novella before launching the first one. Yikes, what have I let myself in for?
As with the debut novel, I’m going straight onto Amazon, despite having good contacts in the conventional publishing world. A few years ago, I was in talks with several large publishers about a factual book and got to know some key people.
Why then go the direct Amazon route?
Well it is speedy, you can get book borrowers alongside buyers and it is relatively user friendly. What you don’t get is the marketing – that is down to you alone. Like before, there will be a physical book as well as an e-book and this time I have gone for a stand-out professionally designed cover from the talented Cornish based Spencer Smart.
So it’s looking like the new novella, ‘Dear Mr DJ’, will be launched in February and it deals with a hot ‘talking point’ subject. Watch this space….and now over to Bonnie the very Cornish cockapoo pup for her latest news.
‘Hi folks,
Let’s face it, we cockapoos are known for our brains, cute looks and personality – we’re the doggy breed that has it all. (Me, big headed? No, just telling it like it is).
Anyway, my rents were reading about a new doggy intelligence test, a sort of IQ for mutts. Next thing, I’m being tested – the cheek of it. My male rent, Paul, put one of my biscuits in an upturned cup. Apparently if you are high up on the mutt IQ scale, you work out how to get to the treat in 8 seconds.
What, 8 seconds?! Yours truly flipped that cup over and snaffled that biccy in less than 3 – the rent was actually timing it, the saddo.
It looks like there are other stupid tests but no way is this girl going through all that rubbish. Bonnie knows where she stands on the brain front and trust me, it’s up there off the doggy scale.
That’s why I’ve managed to bag a new coat this week after doing an Oscar worthy act of shivering and looking hang dog. Nice shade of red, don’t you think?
Woof and out….’
by Maggie Fogarty | Nov 20, 2014 | Uncategorized |
Call me old fashioned, but when a much loved watch goes on the blink or a still newish vacuum cleaner breaks down, it is good to have the option of a repair.
Better for the environment and sometimes – in the case of the watch – it can have sentimental value.
Yet try to get something repaired and 9 times out of 10 you’ll throw in the towel. At least that’s my experience.
A couple of months ago I damaged a lovely watch. The glass face got cracked and the hands seemed to have stopped working. I took it to a local watch repairer who replaced the battery and that sorted out the stationary hands! But I was told that the glass had to be dealt with by a ‘specialist repairer’, so off went my little watch.
I was given an estimate of £46.00 for the work and decided to bite the bullet – after all, I love that watch. Two months later – repeat TWO months later – I’d heard nothing back so I phoned the shop. The assistant said something along the lines of: ‘Oh yes, the repairer has got back. The watch isn’t working properly and it will cost you £120 to put it right.’
What?! The watch didn’t cost that much to buy new, so I told her to forget it. Then I had another apologetic call to say that there had been a ‘misunderstanding’ and the watch was still actually in working order – it was just the small date indicator that had given up the ghost. By now I was losing the will to live but at least they agreed to knock the glass repair price down by £10 for my ‘inconvenience’. Yippee doo.
When I finally went to reclaim my watch, I noticed a large advertisement on the shop door. ‘Ladies watches down from £49.00 to £19.00’ – and the very same brand as the one I’d just spent £36.00 on repairing!
A mug then for not throwing it away? Maybe but at least I’ve done a little bit for the environment and a watch repairer – albeit a very slow one – somewhere in the country.
While in full grump mode, has anyone had trouble spending gift vouchers close to their use by date? I had one purchased as a Christmas present from a local facial/nail treatment business and it stated on the receipt that it was valid until December 20 2014.
Spotting that I still had a few remaining quid to spend on the voucher, I decided to treat myself to a manicure. I was then told that the person who used to do the treatments had left and the place was under new management with a new self employed therapist.
‘So where does this leave me with my voucher?’ I asked. Apparently, the new owner doesn’t have to honour it. As things stand, I’d spent most of it already but what if I’d still got £50 outstanding? Gift voucher buyers beware.
Now over to our very Cornish Cockapoo for her latest news….
‘Hey folks,
This has been a great week for little me. I’ve been able to hit the beach most days even though it’s mid November and I even saw some kids building those sand castle thingies.
The new extendable lead my rents have bought, gives me a whole lot more freedom. Hey, a girl needs to hang loose on the beach and this is the next best thing to complete freedom.
I hear that I’ve got to come back when the rents blow a whistle before they’ll let me go off exploring on my ownie boney.
Hmm – need to think about that one. Depends on what treats get dangled my way – Bonnie still needs to play hard to get.
So I’ll keep you posted on that one. Woof and out….’
by Maggie Fogarty | Nov 11, 2014 | Uncategorized |
‘So what’s it like living by the sea in the dog days of winter?’ a friend asked me recently.
The question got me thinking and I’ll share some of my favourite things about the winter months in deepest west Cornwall.
Watching those wild waves is awesome in the full sense of that word. Even in a storm – and boy did we get hammered last winter – the sea never fails to fascinate. It’s great to see those hardy kite surfers taking on the full might of the Atlantic when the challenge is both ferocious and sometimes damn scary.
Walking along near deserted beaches, especially on those days when the winds drop and the winter sun pokes its head out. (It happens here on a regular basis – see photo taken today, November 11). There’s something magical about the light at this time of year which can make a land mark like St Michael’s Mount resemble a fairy tale castle.
The smell of wood burning stoves as the temperature dips. We’ve got one of these west Cornish must-haves and yes, it is sometimes a pain to get lit and needs constant cleaning out. But all is forgotten when the stove is in full flame on a chilly winter evening. It’s even better when you get to sit by one at any number of our fantastic local pubs, glass of favourite tipple in hand.
Being able to take advantage of some great local restaurant deals as they try to make up for fewer visitors. You can often get a wider choice of seating and are less likely to share your dining space with loud noisy groups. Christmas time excluded of course!
You can zip along the minor roads without being forced to give way every few minutes to a coach or camper van. That’s assuming the high winds don’t throw down nature’s own missiles . On a clear, dry day those country lanes can be worth exploring by car, bike or even on foot.
Of course there are lots of things not to like – damp walls, high humidity, having to walk the pet pooch in the pouring rain. The good thing about having a dog is that you’ve got to get out there whatever the weather throws at you. I’m now the proud owner of a bright pink pair of wellies and to answer my friend’s question – yes, life is still brilliant down here in the winter months. Honestly guv and here’s the proof….
Now over to the very Cornish cockapoo, Bonnie, for her latest missive….
‘Hey Folks,
Getting used to the drop in temperature and shorter days – more time for me to lounge in front of the fire and in my new bigger bed. (It’s the doggy equivalent of a Queen sized bed, so yours truly can have a good old stretch and even squirrel away some snacks).
Not enjoying all of the walks – especially when it’s pouring down. It’s all right for the rents with their things called umbrellas or hoods but poor old me has to put up with a drenched fur coat. Still, we sometimes run into a pub for shelter and that’s always a bit of fun.
I also hear that my first Christmas is coming soon and I’m guessing it will mean more treats for me. I’m holding out for a new water proof over coat but we’ll see. Woof and out….’
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