Busy busy book week

What an amazing week I’ve had dragoning schools in places as far flung as Bristol, Arundel, Chippenham, Calne, Tadley, Thatcham and Malmesbury.
A big thank you to St Phillips and Arundel Primary schools in West Sussex, St Werburgh’s in Bristol, Holbrook and Crudwell schools in Wiltshire, Redlands, Thatcham Park, Burnham Copse Primary schools and finally rounding off the week at Cherhill – you all made me very very welcome and asked some brilliant questions at the end of my presentation. I hope I’ve inspired some dragony creative writing!

Fyfield and home

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The first Saturday in October and full of glorious warm sunshine despite yesterdays downpour. We parked a few miles down the A4 in the hamlet of Fyfield and set off across the A4 to find Devil’s Den which Secret Society of Dragon Protectors readers will recognise from Book 3 A Shadow in Time. A perfect day for capturing the wonderful megalith on camera with brilliant blue sky background. It’s changed a bit since I last came up here a few years ago and is now easily accesible via gates and footpath – much easier than clambering over a barbed wire fence to hug the stones and try out my dragonore! Rolo found it pretty exciting too…..the cart track/bridleway back to the A4 at Clatford was very muddy (lucky I had my wellies on!) and Rolo got very muddy indeed. He went for a swim at Lockeridge though and dried off in the sunshine at The Who’d’a’Thought It…a favourite local watering hole of ours where dogs are welcome inside and out.

You can tell it’s Autumn despite the sunshine as there is a lot of funghi around – it’s been so wet! Red Admiral butterflies are still fluttering about and plenty of birdlife in the hedgerows….today is the first of two Saturdays for the Marlborough Mopp fair….no longer anything to do with hiring shepherds or selling sheep – now a huge noisy funfair which fills the centre of the High Street where vehicles are forbidden and parking suspended. I caught sight of a pack of hounds today – haven’t seen those for many years. The young pheasants are hiding in the cut fields…..Rolo likes to chase them to hear the funny noise they make when they take off but he hasn’t actually caught one (yet!)

Bling at Buckingham Palace

A glorious early September sunny day spent at Buckingham Palace. This was my first visit (it has only been open to the public since 1993 so it’s taken me 19 Summers to cross the threshold!) From 1820, on George 1Vs accession, John Nash was commissioned to convert the royal family London house into a palace. During the next nine years the flamboyant architect drastically overspent and was finally sacked from the job. The staterooms on view today are mainly unchanged – the resulting opulence of Nash’s half million pound spree is jaw dropping. As you move from room to room, listening to the free audio guide, your eyes become wider and wider at what are essentially modest sized rooms with high ceilings, exquisitely decorated as befits a monarch. Buckingham Palace is no royal hideaway – it is a working palace where heads of state and commoners are received. Nash’s vision was less extravagantly finished by Bloor on instruction of William IV after the death of George IV in 1830. Amazingly no monarch lived in Buckingham Palace however until Queen Victoria moved in after her accession in 1837 and Bloor was commissioned to add nurseries and guest rooms to make the Palace more functional as a family home, albeit a royal one.

After the devastating fire at Windsor Castle in November 1992, The Queen decided to open the doors of Buckingham Palace during the Summer months whilse the family were not in residence, to contribute to the refurbishment of her beloved Castle. The ticket price of £18 includes an audio guide and if you buy your ticket from the box office you can return free during the following year. Beware though, this offer does not apply to tickets bought through a third party (e.g. lastminute.com) even when paying the same price.

This year’s exhibition (included in the admission price) is the Queen’s Diamonds (for the Diamond Jubilee) and what an amazing display beautifully lit and shown off – revolving tiara’s and necklaces, earings and ceremonial swords….the most instantly recognisable is the Diamond Diadem which The Queen wears for The State Opening of Parliament every year, and Queen Victoria’s tiny tiara she wore throughout mourning on top of her familiar bun and veil, and the wonderfully named ‘The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland’ tiara bought as a wedding gift for Queen Mary in 1893. The gorgeous Duchess of Cambridge certainly has some pretty pieces to look forward to wearing!

Earl Grey Tea in the garden tea room with scone and jam and cream rounded off a perfect day. Unfortunately but understandably no photography allowed in the Palace so the photos are all from the grounds…oh and Paddington Bear in situ at the station where he was found.

By the way, the Queen may be unaware, (despite her secret corridor from her own rooms to the receiving room through a hidden door concealed behind a revolving gilt mirror), that she has a dragon hiding in a big Chinese vase in the Canova sculpture room downstairs. The Secret Society of Dragon Protectors need to investigate.

Raining cats and dogs but mainly dogs

The lady was told that Jack Russells don’t like rain…what a load of old tosh..it washes the wheatfield track clean and everything smells fresh out there. I don’t think the lady minds it too much either – she’s got a black plastic raincoat with luminous flashes that makes her look like a firewoman. I heard her saying she bought it in Sweden a few years ago when caught out by inclement summer weather when the floppy haired boy was playing in a football tournament. We don’t seem to meet any other dogs or their owners though. The lady said to me if we waited for it to stop raining I’d be crossing my legs all week! We have a right little pantomime when we return from a wet walk…she carries me in a towel to the utility room, shuts herself in with me and then attacks me with the towel. When I am finally released from the ‘wet’ room I wipe myself all round the newly covered green and blue setees. She doesn’t seem to like this and keeps shutting the lounge doors. Spoilsport as I can’t sit on the back of the setee in the window…my favourite perch. Haha She thought she was going to sit and watch Wimbledon all afternoon but that doesn’t look too likely. She’s changed all the beds but can’t dry the washing – silly lady!

I met Nanny and Grandad last week (well thats what the floppy haired boy calls them so I will too). I was very good and didn’t wee up their curtains nor dig their garden and Nanny gave me an all butter shortbread biscuit. I hope I see them on a regular basis! I see the lady has put some dog biscuits in a pot to take to Nanny’s though…how disappointing.

Have to confess I was a bit naughty yesterday. Went for a long walk with the lady and kept her in sight and came back every time she called me. She bought a dog whistle, figuring it carries further in a wheatfield than the human voice. She’s right and the little booklet tells here different sounds can encourage me to sit at a distance, come, stay etc….blimey she’ll have me rounding up sheep next! She’s been training me to come when called with the aid of a smear of cheese triangle on a rubber chicken leg (oh pleeeeeease!… she says Waitrose don’t do Primula cheese in tubes which is what they use at Dogs Trust). Anyway I went along with it all…and then got a bit overexcited when we got back to the big field at the end of the big walk and I suddenly remembered the flat cats in the garden down the alleyway and took off, before the lady had reattached the lead where she usually does. In my defence I completely ignored the flat cats (I now know they’re not real) and instead explored every front garden and gate in the cul-de-sac. The lady was a comical sight furiously whispering ‘Rolo’, not wanting to use the whistle as it was only 7.30 on Sunday morning. I got firmly told off and shut in the kitchen on our return home but we made up later. We’ve had lots of long walks, the lady and I…trouble is she gets as tired as I do and sometimes we both stretch out in the conservatory. Not good because she’s supposed to be getting on with Book 6 and I like it when she writes as I sleep at her feet in the ‘office’. (A room filled with dragons).

Just now the postman came (enemy no. 2 after nextdoors cat) and he poked a soft parcel through the letter box. I thought I’d help and managed to pull it through for the lady. I’m so clever.

Hoping for an evening at the Cricket Club watching the floppy haired boy but the lady keeps looking out the window and tutting…not sure the match will be on.

Aloeric Primary School dragoned today!

What a lovely drive from Marlborough across the Downs, via Avebury, skirting round Calne to Melksham. Beautiful winters day – the green rolling hills, plump sheep (soon to be lambing) and stark trees. I don’t know Melksham at all but easily found Aloeric School thanks to my trusty satnav Hugo (U go I go)…and a warm welcome from the Head, Matthew Nightingale whom I previously met at Pewsey Primary some 3 years ago. Years 3 to 6 were suitably dragoned and then a bit of Child’s Play storytelling with key stage 1 and a book fair after school in the Family Room. A thoroughly enjoyable afternoon and I will return after school tomorrow with more books….I hope someone’s spotted a dragon hiding place in Melksham for me!

Happy to line up some more free author visits in Wiltshire between now and the end of Summer Term.

Dragon Day at Lacock Abbey, Wiltshire

I am very excited to be taking part in the National Trust property Lacock Abbey‘s Dragon Day on Thursday 27 October (during half term). The day begins at 1100 and I will be doing 2 presentations at 1215 and 2pm to spread the word about The Secret Society of Dragon Protectors, as well as selling signed and dedicated copies of our books.

I know for sure there is a dragon on the roof…and I will be wrapped up well  in the cloisters (made famous as being one of the Hogwarts locations in the Harry Potter films). Watch this space!