While I was slumbering

 . . . A good night's sleep - how divine. Something I seem to be getting better at lately, and long may it last, whereas my other 'arf tends to get up at around 4am! and wanders like a gangly ghost around the kitchen in his pyjamas. However, the wandering is, luckily, highly productive. Yesterday, woken by the scent of baking bread, I slipped from the bed and went downstairs to find Sir had made bread and rolls, yogurt, Kiefer and had prepared lentils to soak, while intermittently playing the cello.

I think Mark must have been a baker in some other life, possibly in the Middle Ages as from what I've read, getting up in the middle of the night to do household chores was quite common before returning to attempt to sleep again amongst the various other family members and uninvited insect populations. This he still has to re-master - the re-sleeping bit, at least we don't have the insect population, or not that I'm aware of . . .

Portrait

If I'd tried to set this up properly it wouldn't have worked, but as a phone-snap taken in a friend's sitting room with just the right amount of 'Vermeer' sidelight it was a happy accident. I probably should have moved the basket of towels, perhaps added a few relevant-to-Mark books to the table, but sometimes no thought is better.

        Mark Lockett. Composer, pianist, audiobook producer, cake maker, and general polymath.

Launched!

Our audiobook of Londonia was launched today on Spotify's Finally voices - and other platforms. To celebrate a year's worth of work we held an event last evening in the salon of a beautiful C14th building in our local town, Saumur. Owner of said house is the most generous and relaxed human being - you just tell me when you want to do the event; I'll provide wine, and make tea. Just do what you like, move the furniture around, whatever . .  numbers of people? Up to you; I'm sure we can accommodate a good crowd, etc.

In fact nearly everyone turned up except someone who got stranded in Nantes, and a couple of flu-struck bods. It was a lovely evening. Mark played some of the Londonia pieces he had composed for the story; I did quite a few readings and tried out my accents, and people seemed to want more - a useful experiment!

Mark had made Jake the Prophet's ParkPlace pies, which were fantastic, and Hackrovia WTC cakes (Whatever is in The Cupboard, cakes). A great mix of nuts, dried fruit, flour and spices.

The last Londonia launch we held was back in 2021 in London when the hardback book came out. Interesting timing . . . the 13th March, literally a couple of days before lockdown. We had a good crowd with only a few, possibly sensible, people staying well clear, but there was a palpable feeling of angst about what was about to happen. This time was certainly more relaxing . . . 

2025

January was welcomed in at our house by Mark making his own 'Galette des Rois': Puff pastry, frangipane edible round item that appears by the pantechnicon-load at this time of the year in all French bakeries and supermarkets. 

Not biased or anything . . . but his G des R was (and still is - large version) far superior.

Happy New Year to all my regular blog readers and anyone who happens to stumble into the attic of my mind.