📖 7 Books in 16 languages 📚 including: How To Change The World A Modest Book About How To Make An Adequate Speech.
The news in one sentence.
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Hello Reader Recently (*in the summer), I invited a handful of splendid individuals who happen to read this newsletter to give me one item of news - something on their mind - in ONE sentence beginning with their full name. I insisted there was no hierarchy of significance or mood, and was delighted to receive the following, some of which may be out of date by the time you read this: (Click on the links, where they are supplied, to find out more about the various splendid individuals.) Tracie Peisley is relocating her exhibition to her home (the night before opening!!) because the village of Vatoussa do not want pin holes in the walls of their town hall.
Robert Twigger has recently cycled to a small town with a very good bookshop navigating solely by dog eared os map using tracks and paths only (no roads) and when he reached the town he bought two secondhand books of great interest before cycling a different set of paths and tracks home covering a total distance of about 12 miles both ways, and it was most satisfying and enjoyable.
Chrissy Levett has worked on Creative Conscience for 12 years & is looking for more collaboration.
Michael Gilmore is not looking forward to his daughters going back to London tomorrow and instead trying his hardest to ensure he enjoys every minute they are still here with him in Singapore.
Bonnie Grotjahn is all too ready for a break from her client work, and is wondering how she’s going to manage to finish her supervision course essay, pack for a trip and have some time to relax all over the Bank Holiday weekend.
Mark Vernon has completed a book manuscript and, with the pressure to produce words now eased, is struggling to allow, not immediately refill, the free hours.
David Hutchinson is planning several poetry and music events including one in Leeds titled Poetry and Music of the Renaissance, with the awesome St Austin's Choir of Wakefield.
Liz Woodcraft is contemplating packing her suitcase for an imminent trip to Bordeaux and wondering whether she should take specific outfits to complement the different wines she hopes to be tasting.
Michael Cook is trying to be more committed to a regime of (only) painting in the mornings and (only) admin in the afternoons, allowing more time for the garden (if admin allows).
Mark Ellingham is worrying about treatments for his beloved hound, whose back legs have suddenly collapsed.
Rachel Hazell is writing about making books.
Gareth Turner is a volunteer repairer and has just fixed an old, much loved wooden rocking horse for a family, with immense pleasure.
Janet Barton is reading reports on the Reading Festival and being reminded of her second writing course with Arvon at wonderful Totleigh Barton (no relation!) which involved getting the train from Paddington to Exeter on the day the festival ended, leaving hundreds of tired, hungover young people with camping paraphernalia crowding on to Reading station in the hope of getting home for a solid week of sleep.
Lynn Farley-Rose has benefited from a creative break and resumed the absorbing tussle with her current writing project.
Ruth Middleton is feeling frustrated that she has been unable to leave her home for five days (so far) as her wheelchair broke down over the bank holiday weekend and getting someone to repair it promptly has been nigh-on-impossible!
Deb Boys is taking a holiday from the news and trying to plan a new bed for her garden while walking in Shropshire.
Charmian Spencer is hoping her now purple tomatoes in the poly tunnel will ripen soon and remain purple - and feeling relaxed enough to continue reading A Woman of Noble Wit (about Sir Walter Raleigh’s brilliant mother) now that her husband has had his operation, is home and seems very well.
Sheena Ginnings is looking forward to starting her Ignatian Spirituality Course and is working to create space to allow time for her to fully commit to the course.
Vernon Lidstone has put his memoir/autobiography on the back burner as there is so much else to do.
Brendon Lancaster has finished the first draft of his second novel (Estelle, a psychological thriller) and is editing with a view to approaching literary agent in September.
Rae Leslie is doing her best to block out the beeping, banging, and drilling of the construction outside her window, straining to hear the familiar morning melody of the singing city birds and fearing they’ve moved on to a new home, which makes her sad.
Andrew Menzies is constructing a secondary digital assistant brain to do boring things while his organic brain is free to do fun stuff.
Susan Kahn is struggling to see the light, and running a workshop on reinventing yourself. What about you?I do hope you will join in with this experiment. I’m excited to find out what you are up to. If I get totally overwhelmed with replies, I may not be able to answer, but I’ll read them all (thank you in advance). JPF PS. Not trying to show off, but the main thing on my own mind this month was participating with great success in the Olympics. |
John-Paul Flintoff
📖 7 Books in 16 languages 📚 including: How To Change The World A Modest Book About How To Make An Adequate Speech.
Today’s date: 24 April 2025 Hello Reader Someone recommended a book in January, and I read it, and for three months I’ve been following its advice. I’m delighted I did. The book is called The 12-Week Year. The basic premise is that you can do as much in three months as you might otherwise achieve in a year, through a variety of small changes to your routines. Sounds a bit glib when I put it like that, but I found it extremely helpful. I tried explaining it to someone in real life the other...
Did you read yesterday’s email As well as drawing her - in her office in Wiltshire on Sunday - I took photos to use as reference as I continue to work on her portrait. “Her”? The former very senior editor at The Times, author and presenter of various flagship BBC radio programmes. The woman I mentioned in yesterday’s email. I hope you got that email. My intention is to send THIS email, which you’re reading now, only to people who received yesterday’s, and actively opted in to receive more in...
On Sunday I drove from London to Wiltshire. Just after Stonehenge I turned off the A303 and continued for a short distance until I came into a village. (Hello Reader. This is my newsletter.) There was scaffolding on the front of the first house and a cattle grid at the gates. I drove across, then along the driveway. I had come to start work on a new portrait. (I call this series Portraits of Interesting People in their Offices, or Poipitos.) The Interesting Person in question is a woman,...