The Ego Has Landed

Did I ever post this great review of Waiting for Gordo from Curtis Urness, on Goodreads?

Even if I did, I am still going to post it again (see heading of blog). Mr Urness says:

"When I first opened the pages of Waiting for Gordo, I was expecting a light-hearted vacation story, good for a few chuckles. While it certainly was that, the novel, like the mysterious island paradise that serves as its setting, turned out to be much more.

Miranda is on a diving holiday with her stalwart husband, Jim, and a group of expat British nationals (plus one American) at an Indian Ocean island resort. She is not there to explore the ocean deep with the others but to relax, enjoy the seclusion, and begin work on a novel. While she mines her friends’ gossip for story ideas, Miranda clearly prefers the company of her imaginary Hollywood alter-ego model for the heroine of her novel, Carmen Miranda, and Carmen’s equally imaginary suitor, Al Nino. Oh, and there’s also the Bathroom Cockroach, with whom she has negotiated a nonaggression treaty and who serves throughout the story as a winged objective correlative.

Just as every rose has its thorns, so does this island – plenty of them. It is called Small Island, but not only because it occupies a minute geographic space. There is some small terror lurking there that motivates the hired help to leave every evening rather than spend the night in its presence. Miranda senses it but cannot quite define its nature. Curious smells, such as sandalwood, permeate the air; curious creatures scuttle through the undergrowth. In the center of the atoll, the palatial estate of the isle’s owner, a wealthy Arab with a magical name, is surrounded by a gated wall overgrown with thorns. Yes, there are literal thorns, which the island groundskeepers struggle to keep under control, and which pierce Miranda’s tender skin.

Meanwhile the weather is idyllic, and the diving is great. Outside the periphery, a fierce storm rages, preventing Jim’s experienced diving partner, Gordo, and another group of tourists from arriving. Hence the title. Odd misfortunes start to befall the small group. The hired help and supplies become scarce. Miranda knows she has some measure of protection, thanks to her pact with the Bathroom Cockroach, but inevitably she must come to terms with the malevolent force that threatens her existence.

As the action progresses, the narrative becomes even more fanciful and absurd. I am reminded of the writings of Polish-Argentinian author Witold Gombrowicz. A more contemporary comparison would be with the works of Neil Gaiman. Knight guides the reader along with reserved wit and irony. This is the most fun book I’ve read in a long time. If you’re looking to for an enjoyable read, you can’t go wrong by Waiting for Gordo."

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35746959-waiting-for-gordo

Thank you Curtis.  I appreciate it so much. It is so good when people really enjoy reading the book.

And on that sad Tuesday last, I got Kathryn's beautiful Autumn card, with her news, and a photo of her two attractive grandchildren.  Her health is not at all good either. And that is the dilemma of age that all of us, the damaged children of disobedient Adam, are caught up in.   She also said that Disraeli Hall "certainly held me in its grip".   I do try to make people want to turn the page and find out what happens next.

Col had a good day yesterday.  He found a silver groat - in very good condition.  It will appear on his blog in time.  He also found a lovely little bronze bell - a harness bell - as in "jingle bells, jingle bells".

I had a Zoom hour with my siblings this morning - and Nute is feeling a lot better.  She and Pen are hoping to be able to go and get Janet's cats next week, if her recovery continues.  In the meantime, there is a good arrangement in place for their care at home.  It is so sad to think they might be waiting for Janet to return. Though I also suspect they may know she will not.

What a sad world system we live in now.  But not for much longer.  Here are some comforting verses from Psalm 37, which promise us exquisite delight in the abundance of peace, right here on the earth. And this is a promise from our Creator, Jehovah, who cannot and who does not lie, and whose every purpose is fulfilled.  He can and will achieve what no human government can.

• "Just a little while longer, and the wicked will be no more;

  You will look at where they were,

  And they will not be there.

  But the meek will possess the earth,

  And they will find exquisite delight in the abundance of peace."

Another Lovely Review of "Waiting for Gordo"

A wonderful review.  A treasure.   Thank you so much Curtis Urness!   And thanks especially for finding it a good read - fun. That is what I wanted. 

And your review is a little work of art in itself.  I loved the "non-aggression treaty" for instance.

Curtis says:

When I first opened the pages of Waiting for Gordo, I was expecting a light-hearted vacation story, good for a few chuckles. While it certainly was that, the novel, like the mysterious island paradise that serves as its setting, turned out to be much more.

Miranda is on a diving holiday with her stalwart husband, Jim, and a group of expat British nationals (plus one American) at an Indian Ocean island resort. She is not there to explore the ocean deep with the others but to relax, enjoy the seclusion, and begin work on a novel. While she mines her friends’ gossip for story ideas, Miranda clearly prefers the company of her imaginary Hollywood alter-ego model for the heroine of her novel, Carmen Miranda, and Carmen’s equally imaginary suitor, Al Nino. Oh, and there’s also the Bathroom Cockroach, with whom she has negotiated a nonaggression treaty and who serves throughout the story as a winged objective correlative.

Just as every rose has its thorns, so does this island - plenty of them. It is called Small Island, but not only because it occupies a minute geographic space. There is some small terror lurking there that motivates the hired help to leave every evening rather than spend the night in its presence. Miranda senses it but cannot quite define its nature. Curious smells, such as sandalwood, permeate the air; curious creatures scuttle through the undergrowth. In the center of the atoll,  the palatial estate of the isle's owner, a wealthy Arab with a magical name, is surrounded by a magical name, is surrounded by a gated wall overgrown with thorns. Yes, there are literal thorns, which the island groundkeepers struggle to keep under control, and which pierce Miranda's tender skin. Meanwhile the weather is idyllic, and the diving is great.  Outside the periphery, a fierce storm rages, preventing Jim’s experienced diving partner, Gordo, and another group of tourists from arriving. Hence the title. Odd misfortunes start to befall the small group. The hired help and supplies become scarce.   Miranda knows she has some measure of protection, thanks to her pact with the Bathroom Cockroach, but inevitably she must come to terms with the malevolent force that threatens her existence.

As the action progresses, the narrative becomes even more fanciful and absurd. I am reminded of the writings of Polish-Argentinian author Witold Gombrowicz. A more contemporary comparison would be with the works of Neil Gaiman. Knight guides the reader along with reserved wit and irony. This is the most fun book I’ve read in a long time. If you’re looking to for an enjoyable read, you can’t go wrong by Waiting for Gordo.

https://www.goread.com/author/curtisurness/article/book-review-waiting-for-gordo-by-sue-knight/?fbclid=IwAR2p66PL5U2CE283wYtSKhvJGbOIc5JIWK0jk3tr1vEaIU7oVRnDELkp8Wo

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Yesterday - what on earth did I do?   Is it all lost in the mists of time (unlike our childhood picnics on the moors which have just come back to me so vividly - see previous blog.)   We shopped in the morning, dropped Jackie's shopping in - lunched -  veggie soup - and thanks again Nute and Pen fort the soup machine.

I visited Maggie - and then I went out with one of the young pioneer sisters. I am listening and learning a lot from her -and she is fun to work with.

And Curtis, should you be reading this, I am so happy that you read and enjoyed my book.  And that you took the time to review it.  Thanks again.

Still Waiting for Gordo

A fb friend from Oz asked me how the book sales are going. The answer is that I am still waiting for Waiting for Gordo to become a bestseller. Which made me think I ought to try for a bit more publicity, hence the photo of the great cover they gave me for Gordo. If my publisher were big enough and rich enough to get his books into the airport bookshops that cover would sell it like hot cakes.

I have a lovely review in a dive magazine from someone who bought it to take on a dive holiday, thinking it was a book about diving. It isn't. And in his review he warned people about that, but he also said that once he started it, the book got to him and he had to finish it. And that is exactly what I aim for in all my books, to keep the reader wanting to turn the page, to immerse them in the world of the book.

The book wasn’t long enough to divert me from diving for too long, but my vaguely unreal paradise surroundings did match the atmosphere of the book nicely, and the story has an unsettling dream-like quality that gets to you.
The plot might seen quite slight, but there are hidden depths there.

https://divernet.com/scuba-diving/waiting-for-gordo-by-sue-knight/

I did work to try to convey the beauty of the Maldivian islands - while making it clear that the serpent is still in charge of the paradise garden, without any overt preaching. And without being boring! So I am very grateful for that review.

However I am not in the airport bookshops and I remain a non-best seller, but am continually grateful to be published at all. And to have some reviews - a few, but positive.

Well, it is now September so where has this year gone to? And I love Autumn by the way, my favourite season of all. It rained all day on Thursday, and the weather caused Captain B to leave The Field early! He then kindly volunteered to drive me to the meeting at the Kingdom Hall. If he hadn't, I would have attended via Zoom, as my foot while at lot better, was not up to driving.

This morning though I paid for my hobbling and zimmering of the last two days. As I tried to leap nimbly out of bed - well, when I say nimbly I mean creaking slowly and painfully - I found that my right knee had pretty much seized up. I slept well though, which I badly needed after the last two nights.

The News continues to be terrible, and I do realise this makes the Kingdom preaching work ever more urgent.

Here is the inspired definition of love, from 1 Corinthians 13: Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous. It does not brag, does not get puffed up, does not behave indecently, does not look for its own interests, does not become provoked. It does not keep account of the injury. It does not rejoice over unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  Love never fails. 

Suppose everyone in the world was at least trying to do their imperfect best to live up to those standards...

First Review of "Waiting for Gordo"

The waiting for the first review of "Waiting for Gordo" is over, as I found this on the Amazon site today - and from a fellow author too.    I am so happy with it.

"This very unusual novel combines magical realism with tension, suspense and humour. Miranda and her husband Jim arrive on a luxury, but remote, island for a diving holiday. Jim will dive with their party, and Miranda will enjoy the sea, the sun and relaxation. But like all Paradises, something is lurking on the island that may not welcome the visitors. What is it that moves in the undergrowth as Miranda strolls round the island enjoying the night sky? Why is the long-awaited Gordo continually delayed - and why is it that one by one, Jim and Miranda's party, the only visitors on the island, are starting to vanish? WAITING FOR GORDO explores eco-destruction, responsibility, and the darkness that so often underlies the beauties of nature. Miranda and Jim are characters who engage and convince, the slow burn of the narrative means the tension gradually builds. And what about the golden cockroach? Highly recommended."

But I am still waiting for my first copy of "Waiting"  - which is kind of appropriate, I guess.  People have been asking me how long it is, how many pages. And I have to admit that I don't know.

I was talking to Lilian from PlanetExpat about it yesterday. And talking of the lost Planet, we are meeting two of it ex-denzins for brunch today - they are touching down locally for an hour or two in their travels.  We last saw them on their super yacht in Chichester Harbour before they sailed it to Oz.

I made it to the Meeting last night - thank God - under my own chaufferage.  My first outing since Captain B took me to the dentist on Monday morning.

WAITING FOR GORDO

The waiting for "Waiting for Gordo" is over!  It was officially launched at the Fantasticon in Hull this  month, and has even sold some copies.  I'm really sorry we could not be there. Maybe next year?

http://www.fantasticon.co.uk/book-launches.html

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Waiting-Gordo-Mrs-Sue-Knight/dp/1912053667

https://www.fantasticbooksstore.com/waiting-for-gordo-all-formats.html

I started writing it many many years ago - and it was taken by a London Agent briefly (also many years ago), but she then changed her mind and said it did not fit existing thriller categories.

Some years later I submitted it to Fantastic Books as an "eco-thriller" - and voila!  it found a home.

I now hope it will find readers and reviewers. And I would LOVE it to make my young publisher some money...

The inspiration for this book came from the annual dive holidays Captain Butterfly used to organise for the Aramco Shoal.  We went to some lovely tropical islands.   And so I combined that with an Agatha Christie plot - "And Then There Were None" - put my characters on a small island, and then, one by one...

This is one of the many lovely photos he took.

I've just noticed its being marketed as a novella. so while its a lot longer than "Till They Dropped", it is clearly quite a short book.  I have not yet seen it in book form, and am longing to.

So, its short, and I hope it is very readable. I have tried to make it entertaining, while touching on some more serious subjects - tourism (the benefits v the damage), global warming, and the way we are ruining the earth.

It is very much not a political thriller - it takes no sides and has no political solutions to offer.  And given that even I did not know who was doing it (and why) it till I was halfway through writing it, I hope my readers will be surprised when they find out.

"Waiting for Gordo" - another review!

I was talking to a facebook friend yesterday.  They were asking about my book and said they would buy a copy - and while I was looking up the Amazon site to send them a link, I came across a review in an online dive magazine.

The Reviewer says that the book "gets to him"., even though its not about diving as such.   I am so pleased it did and must try to see if can find him online and thank him.

THIS SLIM VOLUME is an eccentric thriller about a mixed bunch of middle-aged scuba-divers holidaying on a small resort island, presumably
in the Maldives, as seen through the filter of non-diver of the group Miranda.
The book is Sue Knight’s second novel, and I’m not sure if it’s significant that the author is a Jehovah’s Witness, although her publisher does underline the fact.
It kicks off with the lyrics of the nursery song Ten Green Bottles Hanging On a Wall, setting the theme of a book in which the cast of characters soon starts thinning out.
I didn’t count how many friends there were, and kept getting mixed up as to which was which, because we don’t really get to know any of them well, apart from Miranda and her domineering husband Jim, but they probably do number 10.
Some of the friends are friendlier than others. Gordo, Jim’s dive-buddy, is, as the title suggests, lurking offstage.
The story is out as a paperback but I had downloaded the ebook on Kindle to read while sitting on the beach on a different tropical dive-island.
The book wasn’t long enough to divert me from diving for too long, but my vaguely unreal paradise surroundings did match the atmosphere of the book nicely, and the story has an unsettling dream-like quality that gets to you.
The plot might seen quite slight, but there are hidden depths there.
I wouldn’t normally rush to the bookshelf for a dose of magical realism but Waiting for Gordo made for a pleasant diversion.
I should make clear, however, that unlike in Twelve Mile Bank, and despite the dive-island setting, it turns out that there is precious little actual scuba-diving in this book!
Review by Steve Weinman

https://divernet.com/2018/03/07/waiting-for-gordo-by-sue-knight/

When I wrote Gordo, I was middle-aged Miranda.  Now I am elderly Miranda. 

Our lives are so short   .  So it was great to be at the meeting at the Kingdom Hall Sunday morning - and to be reminded of the hope we have.   

And thank you so much Steve Weinman, your review is much appreciated.  It is interesting that he notes I am a Jehovah's Witness.  My young publisher did include that info, though I didn't ask him to, as (sadly) he does not share my beliefs.   Obviously my religions beliefs inform what I write to some extent, but this is not a book about religion in any way.  Though it is about the way we are ruining the earth - and how NOT to tackle the problem.

But when I first went to the Maldives - so many years ago I feel dizzy thinking about it - I used to wonder why, when we were here on a paradise island - so beautiful - with a a group of lovely divers - it clearly wasn't paradise. And it should have been.

The creation was trying to tell me something.  And I wondered and wondered about what Janet Frame calls "the sadness that belongs to the world".   So even though I knew next to nothing about the Bible at the time, let alone Jehovah's promise "to bring to ruin those ruining the earth", that is kind of where the book began.  With a question:  It ought to be paradise, why isn't it?

I don't answer the question in my book.  But the Inspired Scriptures, both Hebrew and Christian Greek, do answer. Its a wonderful answer.  So please - talk to us when we call, and accept a free home Bible study.

Waiting for Gordo - a Staycation

I am spending a lot of this week wrestling with the changes my publisher wants in my third (and probably my last) novel.  It's the one I would like to call "A Present from Betelgeuse", but can't, because if I do it will go on the Sci-Fi shelf - and it is not Science Fiction, or Fantasy.  Although it is of course fiction. 

So hopefully this would be a good time to mention my previous books:

If you can't go to a tropical island destination this year, maybe you would like to read about one?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Waiting-Gordo-Mrs-Sue-Knight/dp/1912053667

A review:
"When I first opened the pages of Waiting for Gordo, I was expecting a light-hearted vacation story, good for a few chuckles. While it certainly was that, the novel, like the mysterious island paradise that serves as its setting, turned out to be much more...

...Knight guides the reader along with reserved wit and irony. This is the most fun book I’ve read in a long time. If you’re looking to for an enjoyable read, you can’t go wrong by Waiting for Gordo."

In Goodreads, Curtis M. Urness
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2723920998?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1&fbclid=IwAR1RJk1G_LG0uiuCWAAiLnVir7mnjiwRk4NQ8WQBilSPqumFzhS0GR37L6Y


While I am a million miles from a best-seller, I have got some lovely reviews. And I appreciate every one. To know that someone has enjoyed reading your book, and wants to keep turning the pages... wonderful.

And if you can no longer shop till you drop, maybe you would like to read the story of the last shopper left alive?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Till-They-Dropped-Mrs-Knight/dp/1909163813

And here is a lovely Amazon review, from a real author, Stuart Aken:

"Fantasy? Science Fiction? Magical Realism? This book is all of these. But it’s a thoughtful, imaginative, and ultimately terrifying cross genre piece that stirs both emotions and ideas.
We’re plunged into an undefined land, except that it must be the so-called civilised world, in an undeclared time, which must be the future. What is clear quite quickly is the sense of threat, unreality, turmoil and confusion. This is a nightmare place with few answers to the many questions posed.
We follow the progress, if progress it can rightly be called, of the young woman trapped in this consumerist empire ruled by autonomous machines and AI. The suggestion is that society’s overbearing urge to consume, buy, and own, has been usurped by the serving machines and AI, which have initially enabled this pointless activity, then encouraged it. Without the moral restraints of humanity, the machines, guided by AI, decide that consumers may be fair game for consumption.
This world is depicted with great imagination and superb imagery. The relentless attempt to escape the banal but murderous entity that shopping has become is described with brief flashbacks that explain how this all came about.
A nightmare, brought to life, and populated by the innocents left in this world by previous generations of unthinking, greedy, selfish consumers. Beware!"

Or if you want a few quiet moments with some poetry and some verse:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Old-Playgrounds-anthology-edited-Knight/dp/1470139774

I have also been keeping up with my studying, and such witnessing as I can do. 
And we had an extra little meeting tonight to teach us how - when we have the Zoom meetings - to put up our virtual hands if we want to comment.  I seem to have mastered it, but we will see tomorrow night.

Before I finish, and as the door to door witnessing work is still suspended.  I wanted to ask you to think next about these two verses.

2 Peter 2:9 which says:  "So, then, Jehovah knows how to rescue people of godly devotion out of trial, but to reserve unrighteous people to be destroyed on the day of judgment."

and 

2 Peter 3:13 "But there are new heavens and a new earth that we are awaiting according to his promise, and in these righteousness is to dwell."

A rescue is on the way  Jehovah will not allow his beautiful earth to be ruined by the greed and violence of some.   He created us to be happy and to find nothing but joy in our life on this lovely planet earth.

Another Review of "Waiting for Gordo"

Here is an Amazon review of "Waiting for Gordo" from a poet whose first novel is just about to be published - J Dean Knight (thanks):

"Sue Knight brings us vividly into the world of diving on this island paradise. Waiting for Gordo is a darkly comic story with disappearances and difficulties aplenty, but with a witty satirical edge sending up a group of affluent westerners who exploit nature for their own pleasure. Until, of course, a terrible revenge is wreaked! I'm not the biggest magic realism fan, hence my rating, but for any reader there is a lot to enjoy here, not least the powerful climax, and the wonderfully evoked environment. Take it on holiday...but maybe only if you're going skiing..."

click here for Amazon purchase

We were out on the work Thursday morning - managed one and a half hours, which is, sadly, my walking limit these days.   Then we went for a coffee at Waitrose, which gave me a chance to do a bit of shopping.   Captain B's alarm clock went off at 5.30...again... 

This morning Jean and I were out, doing return visits - a lot of people not at home, but we had some good calls.  Very hot and sunny - has Spring finally arrived.  After I had taken Jean home I made lunch and fell asleep.  A phone call from Captain B woke me up - he is out Butterflying with his comrades - Mark and Neil.  So I then managed to stagger about getting the fridge cleaned and making his sandwiches for tomorrow.

We are going to Jackie for supper, and Bea of the North arrives on Tuesday.

Waiting for Gordo, in Arabian Weather

September has been incredibly hot and humid so far, with the sea as still as I have ever seen it - so no cooling breeze, just heat and humidity.  A friend was out on a fishing boat and said he has never known the sea so still. Thankfully, on Sunday lunchtime a breeze started up, and it is still with us. We did have one brief cloudburst. And it is certainly cooler today.

But it has been like being back in our desert town, and is bringing back some memories - see Col's photo of desert flowers above.  

Clearly I used to be able to cope with the heat. I can't now.  Summer in Arabia is no joke, yet in the early years, I used to walk back from my job - we worked from 7 a.m. till 12:30 - in the noonday sun, along with all the other mad dogs and Englishmen.  It was quite a long walk, across a big stretch of shade-less desert out to the little courtyards most of us Brits lived in.  Or, more grammatically, in which most of us Brits lived.

Here is another review, this time of my eco-thriller  Waiting for Gordo- all part of revving up for M.A.B.L.E. - the Fantastic book Launch in October:

The location in Waiting for Gordo by Sue Knight is an exotic corner of the world we live in today. The story takes place on a tiny island in the Indian Ocean. Written with a light touch, it will make you smile, but then make you shiver at the sinister undertones. Also, what a great name for a book! Apparently, it was originally destined to be called Small Island, but Andrea Levy got there first.

https://medium.com/feedium/reflecting-an-uncomfortable-reality-eco-thrillers-99813c4988a5

It has become oddly timely given the concerns about global warming and strange weather. - and the disasters that is causing.  It was written over several years on a couple of small islands in the very low-lying and very beautiful Maldives.  I used to sit under a palm tree in the bar, in the morning, having waved the Shoal off on its boat, with a glass of whatever the current fresh fruit juice was - often pineapple.  And I so much wanted to capture two things: the paradise-like beauty of the islands, but also the way that what ought to be a paradise is not. Earthwide, the serpent is still in the garden - still running the garden - and still deceiving so many of us.

The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him - Revelation 12:9

But not for much longer.  And that is the good news of the Kingdom of God - the new and perfect heavenly government, that will soon be ruling over the earth. Under its loving rulership the whole earth will become the paradise of peace it was always meant to be.  And we will wake up to no more horrors on the news. There will be nothing then to make us afraid or even worried.

Still Waiting for "Waiting for Gordo"

Back into our routine on Saturday - Jean and I went out together - walking to local calls - but it does mean I have to cope with driving out of the block of flats.  The parking on the road is so intense that you come out blind. There is no way of seeing what is coming either way.  I do a lot of praying.

She hurtled about on her walker, leaving me breathless in her wake. Amazing.

And we had Jacks round to supper last night - staying till 9.30, which is pretty much the usual time these days.   We had mascarpone chicken, mashed potato, veggies, followed by ice-cream. And we laughed a lot.

Still haven't seen a copy of "Waiting" - which has given me an idea for a follow up:  "Waiting for Waiting for Gordo".  Apparently my copies are on the way from the USA.    Longing to see it.  Have sold two copies so far, and have loads to give away - when they arrive that is.

In the meantime, a great cloud of butterfly memberships arrived. They are done and dusted and are in the hall awaiting their trip to the Post Office - hopefully first thing tomorrow morning.   And me and my lovely young householder practised our talk for Thursday.  I have the return visit in the Main Hall - 4 minutes or less.

And I had a lovely long chat with Nute and Pen - who were both a Lilac Tree - on Skype.  It unsettled me a bit, as there is a part of me that wants to be living back up North near to my sisters and their families...  but we are also very well settled here...   

"Wating for Gordo" - in eBook

Got the news today from my young publisher that "Waiting for Gordo" is now out as an eBook.

http://uk.kindofbook.com/books/waiting-for-gordo/?ref=0

Bandos Island Resort

I hope hope hope it will make some money for him.

Bandos Island Resort

And I got a lovely review from an old Uni friend this morning, in which she called it a "wonderful book".  And said why she thought so.  It is so lovely to hear that people enjoy reading it. That is what I hoped for - that I could write a "good read" -  and I wanted to try to do justice to the beauty of Jehovah's creation - while also acknowledging that, at the moment, the earth is a spoilt paradise. The "original serpent" is still in the garden - in charge of it in fact.

But a rescue is on the way. So close now. Jean and I were out with our gallant siblings trying to tell everyone about that rescue this morning.  It is what we are praying for when we say the Lord's prayer, and ask for Gods Kingdom to come and for His will to be done on the earth.

Travelling Years

Now I am in my non-travelling years, my housebound years, I suppose, I find I have been thinking about our past travels. So I have searched Captain Butterfly's photo gallery and found a couple of photos for this blog.

I have picked one from the Tabletop - the strange and lovely land at the top of Table Mountain.  The other is from the Maldive Islands at sunset.  I loved the islands at night - hot, but without the fierce tropical sun, and so quiet, apart from the sound of the waves - the sound of eternity. And there was the smell of blossom everywhere. I tried to do the beauty of it some justice in Waiting for Gordo.

I am glad we were able to do our travelling back then, because things were not so crowded, and flying was not as difficult and stressful as it became.  In our last travelling years, you had to arrive so early at the airport, and go through so much security - all of it absolutely necessary of course - that I was exhausted before we even started.  

I can remember when it was just that bit more informal, more relaxed. 

For example, on my one and only trip to Africa - South Africa, after apartheid - just as we lifted off from Jo'burg on our way to The Cape, the pilot of our plane told us the time we would be arriving in Harare, He then laughed heartily at the panic of those of us not used to his style, as we all assumed we had got on the wrong plane, and realised it was too late to get off - without a parachute anyway!

The staff then sang what was apparently a rude song (in Africaans) to welcome a family travelling with us who were moving from Jo'burg to The Cape. It was a jolly journey. And the pilot got us there safely and to time.

On another flight to the Maldives - Air Transylvania(?)  - before The Wall came down anyway - one of our party of divers, the prettiest American wife, was actually at the controls of our plane at one stage. You could see her in the cabin driving it while the pilot had his feet up reading his newspaper.   While I would like to think they had autopilot, I don't know. It was a very small plane.  But the pilot and the diver got us there safely and on time. And who could ask for more?

I did not worry about flying in those days. But I would now.  The older I get the more fragile and the more wonderful life seems.

And we got to see some places before they filled up - like Chiang Mai for example. It was not a tourist hotspot when we stayed at the old British Embassy (then owned by our Thai friend's company). We had it to ourselves, apart from the staff, who cooked us a lovely breakfast every morning. We pretty much had beautiful Chiang Mai to ourselves too.

And we got just a glimpse of the old city - no more than that I guess - on our first visit to Bangkok in that the roads were not yet choked with traffic. We could wander down the Soi our friends lived on and watch birds and butterflies, and the waffle man could drive his cart to their backdoor so we could have fresh waffles for breakfast.  On every subsequent visit, Bangkok - including the little lane they lived on - was as choked with traffic as every other city is now.

Of course, it is tourists like us who help to cause all this - yet we are needed for economic reasons - which is the central dilemma of Waiting for Gordo.

There are many places I would have loved to have seen of course. and never did.  And I had hoped we could travel round the UK quite a lot in our retirement...  However, IF we "inherit the earth" as Jesus promised, we will have all the time in the world. And who knows where we might go and what we might see then? There is an immense, ever-expanding universe out there.

But we do need to be meek - not meek as in a character trait, but meek towards our Creator, Jehovah, prepared to seek for him, to find him, and to be guided and moulded by him.  He will help us every step of the way.

Today is my Zoom day - two double Zoom sessions with friends, one a.m., one p.m.  We had our usual Zoom family get togethers on Monday, and all seems well.  On Tuesday, we travelled to Rustington, to do our fruit and veggie shop - no plane journey involved, just a pretty drive past a rather grey and swirly English Channel. The daffodils are everywhere - valiant creatures.  And isn't each one of them a miracle of beauty and engineering?  How often do we stop and thank their Creator, Jehovah, for them, for all the beauty he has made for us, and for all the beauty he will make for us?

In May's Gaud Gown

The strange poem MAY by Karen Volkman begins this way:

 In May’s gaud gown and ruby reckoning 

the old saw wind repeats a colder thing.

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/55530/may-56d2373a7826d

Karen uses language in a wonderful way - very alive, very zingy - and, IF I am understanding her right (like much of current poetry it is on the obscure side) this is about how short our lives are now. That is what it says to me anyway, as another May comes to its end and I wither away in the freshness and the glory of the Spring.

We have heard that the daughter of our Texan friends will be travelling in the UK sometime this year and are hoping to see her.  We first knew her as a beautiful young teenager, and now she has just retired!   How strange getting old is. But I am very grateful to be here still. And, as you know if you read my blog, I do want to be here forever, to "inherit the earth" as Jesus promised.  And when he said that he was confirming the promises in the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament).

We have many happy memories of our times with her parents.  Camping in the desert in winter - we used to make a campfire in the evening - and Mary made a great chile and cornbread.  We had many weekend trips to Bahrain, we were in Oz together - at the Barrier Reef, and of course there were the Maldive dive trips.   

Which is a chance for me to promote my book Waiting for Gordo, which, while very far from a best-seller has garnered some good reviews on Amazon - some from real writers.

https://www.fantasticbooksstore.com/waiting-for-gordo-all-formats.html

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Waiting-Gordo-Sue-Knight-ebook/dp/B075WS4YFB

Captain Moth-Butterfly took Saturday off metal-detecting and spent the day at Kithurst Meadow finding loads of micro-moths to photograph.  See the Mint Moth which heads this blog.

I dreamt the other night of a white fluffy Persian cat, with an angel face like a doll, but with a shaven patch on its back and matted fur.  I was sitting in an approximation of the Kennel Club and the cat went over to give a tiny girl just arriving such a friendly greeting.  

I woke up thinking about Mai Tai, Mary's cat who was lost and then found.  She was an indoor cat, Persian, a sort of tawny colour. She went missing while being housesat while Chuck and Mary were on repat.  Luckily the housesitter who we knew, came and told us, and Col organised an extensive search, with posters and a reward. She was found before her people returned. And the gardeners who found her got a nice bonus too.

She was a very inexpressive cat. Whatever she thought and felt she kept to herself. I too housesat her on a previous occasion - and she never said a word. But the sitters said that the day she came back she talked and talked - telling the other cats what had happened? telling off the housesitters for losing her?  Who knows?  But clearly she was very relieved to be back home after what must have been a fearsome experience.  And she wanted to talk about it.

Col had a SUSSAR call out in the early hours of this morning.  The Misper (Missing Person to you and me) was found safe.  We both now feel very tired.

 

A

An Imperial Fish

This Imperial Angelfish is Col's calendar shot for April, taking us back to our expat years and our trips to the Maldives, with the Aramco Shoal.  Which is always a good excuse for me to mention my book "Waiting for Gordo", a lot of which I wrote under the shade of a palm tree, looking out over the Indian Ocean being inspired by the beauty around me.  And of course I was also inspired by that feeling of paradise lost, of "the original serpent " still being in the garden.

This kind gentleman at Divernet gave me a lovely review:

https://divernet.com/scuba-diving/waiting-for-gordo-by-sue-knight/

Captain B took me out for a drive on Tuesday.  We had planned to get some Nemesia for our balcony. It thrives there and fills the whole balcony with its vanilla scent.  But we found that our favourite garden centre is closed till mid April.  It wasn't a wasted half hour though as I got to see loads of Spring blossom, and the roundabouts full of daffodils and tulips - each flower a miracle.

April has started out very cold - and just at the time everybody's heating bills are rising dramatically.  I think the hot water bottle will be making a big comeback.  Assuming that is you can afford to heat up the water.

The first meeting back at the Kingdom Hall with the brothers juggling cameras and Zoom (about a third of us are still Zooming) went well, no glitches. And even the tiny brothers and sisters, born during the pandemic, and whose first unvirtual meeting it was, were as good as gold.

We had our Special Talk - WHERE CAN YOU FIND REAL HOPE? - in which the Speaker posed these three questions:

1. Why is there so much suffering?  (A question I always asked myself.)

2. What hope does the Bible give?

3. Why can we trust what the Bible says?

And he gave us the Biblical answers to all those questions - wonderful answers too.  You can find information about how to join a video presentation of this talk on our website:

https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/memorial/

It is our Circuit Overseer visit this week, so we will be getting a lot of extra support, in the spiritual sense.

And how much we need it, in the face of the horrendous news coming out of the Ukraine.  But the Memorial will remind us of the rescue that is so close now.  And, when the earth is being restored to the paradise of peace it was always meant to be, the dead will not be forgotten.  Those who died in circumstances of such horror have such a joyful awakening ahead of them.

Jehovah will not awake them from the dreamless sleep of death until the whole earth is at peace under the loving rule of the Kingdom of God.

Another Lovely Review - Waiting for Gordo

I have just received another lovely review of Gordo!  Very timely as I am busy worrying about the revisions to my next novel (that I will call "A present from Betelgeuse" for the moment, though I doubt it will be called that as then it would end up on the SciFi/Fantasy shelf, and it is neither of those things.)

It is a modern take on Rebecca, with my granny's house - a somewhat grander version for fictional purposes - featuring as Manderley - the lost Manderley.

I am puzzled by some of the changes my editor wants - though some of them I do agree with, and have done.   But a couple of revisions he wants just do not sound right to me.

Anyway, it was heartening to get this good review for Gordo:

"We've all read apocalyptic tales in which the mistreated earth exacts vengeance on humans, but this novella scores maximum points for several reasons. First, it makes its point using a microcosm, "Small Island", rather than the whole globe. Second, the (doomed?) characters are generally likeable and engaging and the divers love the natural world they're exploring. Third, the allusions to Hollywood super-heroines, the self-indulgent lives of rich ex-pats, Alice in Wonderland, Aladdin, and the Garden of Eden generate a cocktail that is both entertaining and thought-provoking. The protagonist, Miranda, prevents the golden cockroach in their holiday-villa bathroom from being swatted, and at the end we're left wondering whether the cockroach has saved her life... but the book ends in a delightful ambiguity. The theme of ecovandalism and waste is clear but not done to death, and above all the story is easy to read and thoroughly enjoyable. Few horror stories are so subtle and understated. I strongly recommend this little book."
.https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/customer-reviews/RSZUJUUC6H4N8/?fbclid=IwAR342qZQPe0fGJuud5hvWw3IXjRT5IlBshcyNR73dQRkNh44U-hq0Le4IqA

And I love that the writer found it easy to read and thoroughly enjoyable - I aim to keep people wanting to turn the page.  I want to keep my readers interested and to pull them into the world of the book.

The days race by, happily enough, but then I am by nature a solitary person.   We spoke to Jacks on Wednesday.  She is not well enough to go out even if and when they do release us.  And I have spoken to Jean, who is wondering about venturing into the world of the internet.  The Watchtower Society is gently encouraging us all to do so, as no-one knows how long our meetings will be in Zoom.

Our meeting on Thursday night was great, and I did finally manage to get my virtual hand raised  However, I wasn't called on. And I then managed to lower it again!

Today, for the first time since the Coronavirus lockdown began, the overflow carpark on the Green has cars in it.

I spoke in my last blog about the new heavens and the new earth promised in 2 Peter 3:13.   And they are exactly what we are praying for when we say the Lord's prayer and ask for God's Kingdom to come and for his will to be done on the earth

That Kingdom, the heavenly government with Jesus at its head, is the new heavens, and the earth under its loving rulership will indeed be a new earth.

The Umbrellas of Hamelin - A GoodReads Review

Here is a review of Umbrellas from a real author, Mark Henderson.  I know he is a fan of "Waiting for Gordo" - and, thank goodness, he likes this short story collection too.  

Anyone who’s read Waiting for Gordo or Disraeli Hall will expect the fine literary style of Sue Knight’s stories to mask unsettling and thought-provoking contents; and they won’t be disappointed. Notwithstanding their variety, the stories in The Umbrellas of Hamlin are all seen from the viewpoints of lonely, isolated, troubled women trying to come to terms with their situations.

The title story typifies this theme. It’s set in an art gallery where Anita is employed but threatened with redundancy. She spends her lunchtimes in a small room beside the gallery where a continuous black-and-white video is projected on to the wall, showing women hidden under umbrellas walking through incessant rain. She is usually joined by three other women; but are they really her friends, and does the video ever stop playing, even overnight? And is it in truth displaying the continual wet weather in the world outside? What happens when Anita finds herself alone with the video display? It’s a memorable, beautifully-written tale hinting at meanings beyond its confines.

Some of the stories are more direct, though still subtle and multilayered. The Martian goes to a Party and has a Nice Day is a fine portrayal of the sense of isolation and incipient menace that afflicts emigrées (and emigrés) in all lands. One, Talky Tin, is very short and witty. Others are far from direct; The Rainy Day House moves from an annoying if potentially dangerous situation to a surreal fantasy about the protagonist’s present and projected future, revealing much about the character in so doing. Klook and Plukey takes the standpoint of a middle-aged journalist recapturing her teenage years by interviewing two clever girls from her schooldays and revealing her own location on the autism spectrum in the process. The final item in the collection, the novelette-length Till They Dropped, turns the theme of returning to childhood into a futuristic nightmare, an elusive horror story that demands to be re-read and thought about; not that it’s easy to STOP thinking about it!

This is definitely a collection for your bookshelf if you’re a lover of good literature, but lock it away from people who’re too young to handle stories that get under your skin and unsettle you.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196073058-the-umbrellas-of-hamelin

I hope they are quite funny too - some of them - and that they won't be too unsettling.  I did write much of this before I had any idea what the Bible said. I have a very different outlook now, and tend to confine my writing to blogposts and to my witnessing letters and emails.  So I guess Umbrellas will be my last book.  IF I do "inherit the earth" as Jesus promised, then I don't know if there will be a need for fiction then. But if there is, I guess there will be new stories. At the moment we only have one, the one we are living in: things have gone wrong, they need to be put right.

The photo is of our fierce and lovely Saudi cat, Whites.  He appears as Tiswas in The Martian Goes to a Party and as Talky in the eponymous Talky Tin.

He is buried in a desert garden, with flowers.  Will we see him again in the paradise earth - IF we are there that is?  Would it mean anything to Whites to see us again, or not?   Well, one day, I hope to know.  I would love to see all our cats again and our lovely Shadow, the Golden Retriever.

Posting "Waiting"

Monday morning - while we were waiting for Hurricane Ophelia to arrive (hopefully just as a storm) - I got the first copies of "Waiting for Gordo" posted.  One to each aunt - Bea and Jo - one to the Oz Branch of the family - one to Julia who, many years ago, helped me with the first chapter (she advised me to ditch it, I did), one to Lilian whose lovely and unusual (and unused by her) first name I have borrowed for a character (one I get safely off the island), and one to young Amy, who did such a positive and intelligent review of "Till".

I have asked David in Oz to let me know his new address if he wants a copy too.  And I must also get a copy despatched to the Bavarian branch of the family.  I ran out of envelopes.

Jackie has her copy and says she has already started and has four chapters under her belt. And Jean has her copy too - she said she loved the cover - "a work of art".  I can take no credit for it, as the publisher decides, but it was based on a photo that Col took on one of our dive trips. so it conveys the tropical paradise well.

I can only hope people will find it a good read - and both scary and funny.  I have one review on my Amazon page, a positive one.  Hurrah.

At 2.30 in the afternoon the sky was full of darkness and there was a wonderfully ominous light from the West. The wind was starting to blow and there were white horses on a previously calm Channel. It was very dark to the back of the flat, inland.

However, the storm blew away quickly without really touching down here. It has caused some devastation elsewhere though.

Monday night the talk season at the Arundel Westland started.  The first was about birds - their feeding habits.    We - the Captain, Terry and me - went.  Terry bought us all a tea, and he won a nice sturdy shopping bag in the raffle, which he gave me - and I am grateful for the addition to my shopping bag hoard - valuable things nowadays.  Jacks, sadly, was not well enough to come.  Jean and I went out yesterday morning, but not to the Field Service group. We did calls - a cluster of Jean's calls and four of mine too. I am getting further and further behind, so that was a help.

Now Captain B is off for his hairdressing appointment, so he will take a copy of "Waiting" to Malcolm, who said he would like one when I told him about it.

I just hope people will enjoy reading it. I have lost all confidence in it now. But I have to agree that the cover is a work of art.

Waiting for Reviews (of "Waiting for Gordo")

I only have 2 reviews of  "Waiting" on my Amazon page.  But they are both lovely. And I got a boost yesterday when I got an email from an Oz friend - we gave her a copy of the book when they visited us. Not only did she love it, but a visiting friend picked it up, started reading it, and was enjoying it so much that she took it back to Victoria to finish!

What author could ask for more, that people are enjoying her book?

I listened in to the meeting yesterday - as Col (off on his Detectoring) rang me to say there was a lot of ice about, and he was worried.  The thought of another fall...  The Watchtower was about courage, which made me feel a complete wimp (which actually I am), but I don't think I am going to be able to be at all courageous in the face of ice.  It is too easy to fall. And if I fall I will break something. I am still quite crippled in my left arm from that fall in Sheffield.  And also poor old Captain B will be back on nursing duty.

And then I got our calendar in a mess and double booked us for Saturday night. It was Jackie who helped to sort that one out.  Now I have managed to get in a muddle all my life, but when it happens in your seventies, it takes on a sinister overtone...

Jean and I went to the Field Service group on Saturday morning - though we did return visits, not first calls, and had some good calls. Still so hard to find people at home though.

I have a talk on Thursday night - just 2 minutes - and I have emailed it to the young sister who is my householder and she will come over on Thursday for a practice session.

We had Jacks over for supper on Saturday - beef chile with small small things (spring onions, chopped tomato, yoghurt, grated cheese) - and lemon drizzle cake with ice-cream after. I made the chile on Friday so it wasn't a rush.

It is a recipe I learnt many many years ago on Planet Expat when I did a Tex Mex cookery course.   I have cooked it many times since then, and it has never let me down.  The Captain and I finished this batch for our supper tonight.

The Chase - and the Waiting is over

It was a very slow chase, involving my artificial knees (taking me with them) and a very elderly gentleman in his pyjamas. We were chasing a beautiful fluffy Siamese cat, not each other.

The gentleman is a regular call and we found him in, but he had forgotten to shut his cat - who is not allowed outdoors - in the bedroom, and the cat made a dash for freedom.  It shot under hedges, into gardens, under vans, with his owner and myself creaking along miles behind. Jean guarded the front door keeping it open as she felt that the householder did not have his keys with him (being in his jim jams).

Three young men joined in to help us, but no use... the cat had innumerable gardens to go into, hedges to get through and cars to go under.

Then Jean shouted to us that the cat had gone down one of the alleys close to the house - the elderly gent tottered down one, I tottered down another.  As I was doing so I realised there was no way we were going to catch this cat unless Jehovah intervened. So I quickly asked for his help.

I went into the next garden and there was Fluffykins sitting in the middle of the lawn.  I went up gently talking to him, and praying and he let me pick him up and carry him home!

It reminded me of Daniel in the lions den, to be honest.    Jehovah spoke to those lions and I have to believe that he spoke to that cat.

The elderly gentleman was so overcome with gratitude that he kissed me.  But it took it out of both of us.

Then I got stuck in the car park.  I took Jean to Sainsbury's on the way back so she wouldn't have to go out again. But the parking spaces are so narrow there that it took a whole load of backing and fillings for get out when our shopping was done.  In the end poor Jean had to get out and try to guide me, and I think we both asked Jehovah for help again. 

What would we do without Him?

The waiting for "Waiting for Gordo" is over. The books arrived yesterday.  It looks lovely, but now that it comes to sending it to people, which I have been longing to do, I have lost confidence and am wondering why would anybody want to read it...

oh dear

The Butterfly of the Baskervilles

I am now kicking myself that I did not make a butterfly the hero of my upcoming Dive Thriller, "Waiting for Gordo". It has an insect protagonist, who plays an important role, but its a very unglamorous insect indeed.   However it did come to my rescue many years ago, at a very tricky moment.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Waiting-Gordo-Mrs-Sue-Knight/dp/1912053667
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Till-They-Dropped-Mrs-Knight/dp/1909163813


We belong to Butterfly Conservation now - and maybe I would have had a whole market ready and waiting for me if I had transformed my gallant rescuer into a Butterfly.  A Purple Emperor perhaps? They are fierce little creatures, who have been seen chasing birds away from their treetop.

The insect that came to my rescue has no Conservation Societies devoted to it. Rather the reverse in fact.

To write "Small Island" as it was originally called, I borrowed an Agatha Christie plot, "And then there were None", and put my divers on an island, where, one by one, they begin to disappear.

So I am wondering, if I am to write a follow up, is there another plot I could borrow - and put a Butterfly in it?

The Butterfly of the Baskervilles will be a fearsome creature that glows in the dark and makes a dead set at the new incumbent of Baskerville Hall - now Baskerville Hall Hotel   Given what Purple Emperors feed on, it will make quite a good match with the Giant Glowing Hound it will be sharing Grimpen Mire with.


We were out on the field service this morning - four of us - and had coffee at Waitrose afterwards. We had a good morning, though did not find many in. It was such a beautiful day - blues skies, mountainous fluffy white clouds, and a feeling of Autumn in the air.

I visited Maggie yesterday, in the rain.  And came back to find that Captain Butterfly had been called away on a search for a missing despondent.  Sadly they were not able to find him in time.

The world system we live in is such a sad one.  We need the coming rescue - the Kingdom of God - so badly.

The dead will not be forgotten then.