I was going to write about the fine time had by all this weekend at the DuM festival (as always), mentioning Linda Grant and Michele Grant’s brilliant sisters’ double act, Jenny Eclair’s splendid breakfast japes, Lizzie Speller’s tales of reckless excess, Virago’s kindness to authors in the presence of Victoria Pepe, Dovegreyreader‘s blog IN PERSON!, Helen Taylor’s splendid stewardship of our panel event on DuM’s historical fiction, the kindnesses of both Waterstones in the tent and Bookends and Bookends Too of Fowey, and Shelley Silas, as always, best car company (21 years, never a cross word, oh no). As well as what a great festival it is and how important it is to make sure it continues.
I was going to talk about all of that, but actually, Lizzie and Jenny have already done so. And better. Follow the links to their reports.

Here, instead, is a pic of me swimming in the sea in the cove just beyond Readymoney Cove (anyone knows what it’s called?) – I say ‘swimming’, given it was a whole new cove and given there were no signs about the safety of otherwise of the water, it really was just a dip in & out. #safeswimmingchildren!

It is probably also important to note that uphill unsober in stunning, v high-but-architect-designed shoes is a doddle compared to doing the same, sober, downhill. (Steep hill, that Fowey hill.)