Springtime in the Bay has a distinctive look. It’s bright, sparkling and full of life. Shades of sky blue to muted grey-blues are set off by the white surf and the various greens on the banks as they come into life. And the canoes have left their winter store and are on the march down to the sea to join the surfers who are back despite the frigid temperature.
In the garden, the look of Spring is everywhere. It’s a real show with muddles of blue and vivid green punctuated by an abundance of early pink clematis climbing over a fence. In the veggie terrace, the giant garlic plants have sprouted to kick off the ratatouille collection.
And the annual Spring clean is underway. The (inherited) hot tub, used twice in thirteen years- Gone. The fancy garden lights, broken for more than five years- Gone. And the ugly tree stumps left by the winter’s storms- Gone. It’s so refreshing to get on with the jobs list.
It’s Eastertime and right on cue, here come the calla lilies, symbol of peace. They are this month’s star. Enjoy the look of spring.
Book work has slowed while I learn about the difference between playwriting and script writing. It’s another new world to get to grips with but book-writing will resume shortly as I have deadlines to meet. And there is some good news too: although sales of Louisa’s Lament have slowed, we have still made enough money to make another contribution to the Students’ Hardship Fund. Thanks to everyone who bought the book or borrowed a library copy as each loan is worth £1 in the pot and it all mounts up.
Old Lady by the Sea 
Hi Pat,
Hope you are o.k?
Garden looks crisp and fresh .This calla lillies
spectacular too !! Thank you for sharing.
Hopefully catch up super soon.
Catch a few rays for me
Janet B.
P.s Still in Hotel i will keep you updated
Sent from Outlook for Androidhttps://aka.ms/AAb9ysg
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So, the scurrilous tract denouncing hard-working London doctors was not written by Annie Graham! Page 369 coyly informs us that the author hiding behind a nom de plume is none other than Pat Oakley!
You may not remember me, I was the professor of Hand Surgery in the Pulvertaft Hand Unit in the Derbyshire Royal Infirmary, and we met when you visited the unit many years ago.
Your book paints a very interesting picture of life at that time – the character of the physicians and surgeons and the environment in which they lived. You really do take people back in time and I suspect your details are very authentic to the period.
Perhaps predictably it was an argument that nobody won, they all ended up discredited by association.
It’s obvious Pat that you have accrued a ferocious amount of knowledge about the people of that era and more importantly the environment in which they lived. That created a lot of fascinating text.
I found the book particularly interesting as I bridged my move into retirement by writing some novels – also using a nom de plume, Tom Fox. The first was in a modern setting but I wrote a 2nd one in a more historical setting based on St Helena from 1838 onwards. I followed my heroine through the next 20 years in 3 more volumes sticking closely to real events at the time. My Ruth is entirely fictitious but I hope reasonably believable although I probably stretched surgical prowess a little too far!
I greatly enjoyed your book I do hope all goes well with you. I hope you enjoyed writing yours as much as I did writing mine.
Frank Burke.
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