Being the school holidays I’ve had time on my hands to do a little thinking about this here little blog of mine. One of the things you do as a blogger is read other people’s blogs and when I do, I have to own up to suffering from a touch of blog envy. My fellow bloggers are all wonderful writers and have great content. They are articulate and never ever ramble. If they were still at school, they would all get a great big A++ double ringed with a smiley face at the top of each blog post and a comment such as “excellent work” or “As always, a joy to read”!

And don’t get me going on how professional they look. Great layouts, formats, images and all that. They even have tabs that work and remember to categorise their posts and use the tag thingy. I haven’t got a clue what the tag thingy is for! Some of these clever people have even got blogger awards. Absolutely well deserved of course, but I’d quite like a little reward sticker to pop on my blog. I’m a sticker kind of person. I work with five-year olds and stickers are the ultimate reward you can get. Sadly I’m the one that gives, and never the one who receives. Can some kind person please give me a sticker and make an old blogger happy!

I’m rambling as usual. Bottom line is, I was considering a major overhaul and considering a theme only I haven’t the foggiest idea on what. Mr R and I often joke about a blog or book or even an app about the best loo stops on long road trips, but although a very handy guide especially for those with sensitive bladders, it wouldn’t really be sticker worthy. On the other hand, a guide to the best tea and cake stops sound right up my street!

I put my little blogging dilemma to my lovely Instagram followers. They are always brilliant when it comes to offering advice and making me see sense and the general consensus was that it should stay as it is, so you’ll be pleased (hopefully) to hear that A fifty Something Me will stay as it is, well until it has to change next year when fifty becomes sixty. Oh lordy, what a scary thought!!

So, now that little matter is done and dusted and I’m just going to keep doing what I do best at…rambling!  I have to admit to being in a little quandary which of my post ideas to kick off with. There’s the one about choosing a self catering cottage, another about the people not being very nice in the WI (and to reassure anyone in my WI, it’s nothing to do with our happy bunch). One on kindness or finally the one about my book idea.

Because I’ve written heaps already, I’ll choose the last one as it won’t take long at all. It is after all just an idea. As you may know, we went back to the Cornish holiday cottage with THAT wall for Easter. Last summer it was whilst staring at the wall that the idea came to me. I had a bit of a Shirley Valentine moment, only it wasn’t me talking to the wall, it was the wall talking to me. Obviously not for real, but it was sort of sending waves of inspiration. Anyway, the seeds of a storyline began to grow and I’m glad I didn’t start it as the wall told me at Easter to change things a little and I think they’re for the best!

 

This is the bones of my book.

Marion and Roger are a middle-aged couple on holiday in Cornwall. Think Victor and Margeret Meldew of One Foot in the Grave. Roger is a stickler for routine, order, a moaner and quite frankly dull as dishwater. He loves crown green bowling, military band music and sensible slacks, jerkins and velcro shoes in sensible shades of beige. Marion yearns to be the free spirit she used to be and is quietly seething.

They go to Land’s End where Roger discovers that it’s overrun with children and is not quite what he expected. This sends him into moaning overdrive. Marion’s seething intensifies and she’s close to screaming point. As she waits for Roger to return from one of his frequent visits to the loo -dodgey prostate problems-  she spies a group of cyclists ready to set off on a charity cycle to John O’Groats. She also spots the AI bus waiting at the bus stop. On a whim, she finds herself getting on the bus and planning to make it all the way to John O’Groats by bus.

Meanwhile Roger is annoyed that Marion has wandered off and goes looking for her. He spies her scarf  half way down a cliff that unknown to him had previously flown off in a gust of wind. Has Marion stupidly and inconveniently fallen down onto the rocks below and what should he do about it?

At the same time Marion embarks on a voyage of self discovery and adventures. Roger has time to reflect and decides to try to find his wife who is somewhere between one end of the country and the other!

Now if only I knew how to write my book and more importantly, can I actually write! Also, there would be some research needed regarding bus timetables and I might have to make the journey myself to see if it’s do-able.

Any advice or suggestions would be most welcome!

PS Any similarities to any real life people are purely coincidental!