Pre-Christmas

Since the last blog lots has happened so I'm back a bit sooner than usual.

First there was the RNA winter party (I think of it as the first Christmas party of the season). The usual humdinger of an evening catching with friends and fellow authors, many of whom I don't see very often. We're a widespread group!

Had a bit of a shop and lunch in Oxford Street beforehand with crime writer Lesley Cookman; surprisingly I didn't succumb to the temptations of the handbag department of Selfridges which proved I do a teeny bit of will-power. Though I may just have to go back for the glorious red patent concoction that caught my eye on the way past it! In fact it called me... loudly. It even knew my name. 'get thee behind me Satan' I said firmly but.........

From the Institute of Mechanical Engineers in Birdcage Walk (where the RNA parties are held) on the Thursday to the Institute of British Architects the following Monday, the night of the Colman Getty Pen Quiz. I guess the copious amounts of champagne didn't do us much good as we did V. BADLY. But it was for charity so we consoled ourselves with that. The team from the Times were the winners. (Boooo)

http://tinyurl.com/lap33x link for RNA blog. (always a good read)
http://tinyurl.com/yfj8mdk link for PEN

(Memo to self: must learn to link properly. Offers of help anyone techy? x)

below is the Team pic taken beforehand at the New Cavendish Club.

left to right back row: Catherine Jones, Veronica Henry, Catherine King, Melanie Hilton. Front row:: Janet Gover, Katie Fforde, Judy Astley, Bernardine Kennedy. (team member Jay Dixon took the photo. where was Liz Harris??)

Forgot to say previously that my whinge onblog about Mercedes Loughton worked and my car was taken away, fixed and cleaned from top to bottom. The power of the web! I also had a singing/dancing stereo.cd changer fitted. Does anyone know if this will be obsolete when the digital changeover happens? Never occured to me at the time.......

I'm having a new website built so watch this space. will link as soon as its up and running. I'm going for grown-up and informative. The web-designer has done websites for several authors so I have good vibes....

Below is a pic of my waterbaby grandson at only five months. He's doing so well in the water which is so great, especially as he (along with his mum and dad) is en route at this very moment to Australia to spend a month with his Australian grand-parents who live near Canberra.

Okay, off to catch up with something or other from my very long to-do-list. Back soon.

Bernardine xx

PS for the man in the US who contacted me through this blog about the orchid (not) named after me! I deleted your mail by mistake. could you mail again? many thanks and many apologies!