BOOK EVENTS

As well as completing the colour spreads for my new book in a few weeks just fifteen days time (oh lordy it makes me weep a little when I write that) I am jetting all round the country in the next few months promoting my books, including my newest book release with fantastic author Lucy Coats.

First up I'm visiting two schools for the Booklinks Festival on March 4th. Absolutely love being part of this festival run in partnership with Pop Up which is an excellent creative programme and always has great authors and illustrators involved. My last school visit with them was such fun, you can see the amazing results here.

Then I'm off to the Shrewsbury Festival, School's Week, on the 6th March for two days where I will be visiting a school all day, and delivering these workshops based around my book 'The Girl with the Bird's Nest Hair'.

After that it is off up to Newcastle where I will be doing a 'best friend' reading and drawing workshop at the the AMAZING Seven Stories with Lucy on March 17th. Details found here.

Then on May 28th I'll be a little more local in Herne Hill, South London, at the beautiful book shop Tales on Moon Lane at 10.30am with Lucy to read our Bear book and do a short drawing workshop. On June the 1st I'll be back in my old stomping ground in East London at the Discover Story Centre to do an event there with the lovely Lucy again.

If you live near Newcastle or London and want to pop along to one of the events get booking now as they sell out quickly. And let me know if you are coming so I can say hello! I'm afraid the other events are just for the schools I'm visiting. Fingers crossed I might be at Cheltenham later on in the year for their book festival...

And then I will be putting my feet up and having a well deserved cup of tea and seeing my poor neglected child!

OH, IT ALWAYS HAPPENS WHEN YOU DON'T NEED IT

Sickness that is. I am so rarely ill. Stanley has his moments, like all good babies they pick up little treats here and here. For example this morning I went in to his room to find that he had been sick in his cot. I will come back to that...for now it is about me. I was ill Sunday, you know when you start to feel something creeping in and it has that way of sweeping over your body with the same dread and lethargy I loathe. Anyway by Monday morning I had a pretty impressive temperature and felt terrible. It is so hard too to explain to Stanley that I'm not my usual crazy dancing self because I'm ill. And no it's not because I don't want to give in to all the 'uddle mummy' demands it is because I reeeeeeally don't want to pass this on to your tiny little body to deal with. I had to get better, I had a book festival to go to miles away in Southend on the tuesday...the very next day. I had someone picking me up at 6.20am to drive the hideous 3 hours there. I think though sometimes that helps - forcing yourself to get up, get moving and basically get over it! In the end I made it. It was booked 6 months ago and I didn't want to let the library down, the staff, or the lovely children coming for two workshops. In the end it was the best decision. The place was lovely - Southend Book Festival is one of the best small book festivals I've been too. Welcoming, well organised and run with kind people making sure I was ok, feeding me sugary treats and cups of tea to keep me going. The kids were a joy to work with, thoughtful, clever imaginative and above all fun. I clearly wasn't quite right as I completely forgot to take my normal photos of the wonderful creatures they draw. This time though I did get something given to me... this as a memento from one of them. What more could you ask for when you're not feeling quite yourself?!

Now though I am of course back to full health, Stanley it seems not so much. Not sure what the sick was about but I do know I had that horrid Mama guilt of knowing he had slept in it for several hours without making a fuss, poor lamb. A warm bath, a hairwash (oh dear) and some clean clothes have made him happier and comfortable for now. Hopefully this afternoon with some sensible food in his belly he will start to feel better.

♥ S&s

footnote: I hope to post the second t-shirt painting photos this week, sorry I forgot all about them.