During the chat that Simon and I gave at the Felixstowe Book Festival, we mentioned meeting other bloggers and people we had met at online book groups etc and how these friendships, initially started in cyberspace, have blossomed into reality. I have made so many friends this way and yesterday I met up with one such, Diana Birchall, who loves the UK and has seen much more of it and visited more literary shrines than I have. An Austen expert and in Cambridge for a conference celebrating the 200th years Pride and Prejudice was published, I took the opportunity of zapping along the M11 and met up for coffee, chat and lunch.
Memo: Diana is very supportive of Mrs Elton in Emma. After reading her essay on this character I began to feel that perhaps she was not so bad after all. Check it out here.
Of course we had to visit a bookshop and we both went to one of our favourites, The Haunted Bookshop, in St Mary's Passage and though I managed to escape with just one (an early D E Stevenson only recently discovered) Diana, egged on by me I am ashamed to say, came out with a bagful. By this time it was beginning to drizzle so we took refuge in a cafe for coffee and more chat and then repaired to the Galleria, a restaurant I visit often.
In fact, I am back there next Friday when I am meeting another friend for chat and gossip. Talk about ladies who lunch....
An off day, weatherwise, one minute the sun was shining, then a gentle light rain, then more sun and then downpour. Seriously odd. But this did not stop people enjoying themselves.
Diana showed me some of her lovely collection of rhinestones - the colours are wonderful and such a contrast to the grey sky overhead. I oohed and aahed and to my delight I was then presented with a piece as a present. It is the emerald green brooch on the right of the picture. This is not a colour I wear often but this is so colourful and vivid I am going to pin it on my white jacket and enjoy the contrast in texture and shade. Thank you Diana and I so enjoyed our meet. I don't think we stopped talking for one moment.
After we went our separate ways, and I hope we meet again as soon as is possible, I went for a gentle wander. I never tire of strolling round the streets of Cambridge. OK it is always full of tourists and always crowded, but there is such a wonderful atmosphere about the place. I used to visit so often when Helen was here she pointed out to me that I really did not need to come down that often, she was fine thankyou....
So a good week - quiet and restful and relaxing. Final of the cricket one day tournament tomorrow, England v India which should be interesting. I do not know who is going to win but it should be a good contest. And then on Monday my two weeks of hunkering down on the sofa with strawberries and cream and Pimms starts when I shall be watching as many matches at Wimbers as I can fit it. I will spend some of my time hiding behind the sofa (this will be when Murray is playing), shrieking oh do stop fiddling with your shorts (that will be Nadal), shouting go on miss it (that will Djokovic) and oh do shut up (that will be either Sharapova, Williams, Azarenka et al) though I will probably do my best to avoid all the women's tennis as I find it so boring. Lots of blonde Lithuanians, Ukrainians, Poles etc all with their long blonde hair tied back in a pony tail and all looking exactly the same.
But I love it.
Au reservoir everyone and have a good weekend. I am.
