Sweet Nothings

11/12/2017

A Town Called Renwick

Lillian and George

Lillian sat in the drawing room of Renwick Manor sipping a sweet sherry whilst flicking through a copy of Horse and Hound. She could hear George pottering around in the bedroom above. If he thought he was going out again he had another thing coming. It was one thing his having an affair but another to flaunt it in such a cavalier fashion. She heard his footsteps in the hallway and had worked herself up into quite a tizzy by the time he eventually popped his head around the door.

'I'm just nipping out again darling,' he said,
'don't wait up as I may be late.'

'Glad to have had the pleasure of your company, albeit for such a short time,' Lillian replied in a sarcastic voice.

'No need to be so tetchy my dear,' George intoned 'even you will be impressed when I tell you where I am going and you remember who is staying at the Castle tonight.'

At this Lillian perked up considerably. Oh my giddy aunt, she thought to herself. Quickly she dropped her magazine to the floor beckoning George to her chair as she hastily stood up.

'My dear man, you only had to say. Now stay still while I re-do your tie. I think a Windsor knot would be more appropriate tonight, don't you?'

06/12/2017

A Town Called Renwick

We meet Yvonne..

Later on that day Yvonne was still feeling decidedly worse for wear. Her head was slowly clearing and with it came the realisation that she was in a no win situation. A classic 'Catch 22.'

Normally in situations such as this Yvonne would ask her best friend for advice but as her best friend was Bob, her husband, this seemed a tad inappropriate. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, but thinking a s*xual relationship perhaps tipped the loyalty scales, Yvonne texted Eric and arranged to meet that lunchtime at the Rendezvous Cafe on the beach front.

The Rendezvous Cafe had on more than one occasion been described as a time capsule. It's fifties decor belonged to another era. It was not quite retro enough to be trendy, but amongst its regular patrons it held a charm all it's own. The ice creams were the air filled synthetic whipped type topped with fluorescent red 'monkeys blood' or a chocolate flake, and it still served banana splits, peach Melbas and coke floats...

05/12/2017

A Town Called Renwick

The folly on the crag

Peter Dodds drove slowly up the driveway towards his home atop Catheugh Crag. The castle shaped folly came into view, dark and foreboding in the moonlight, the surrounding trees swaying slightly in the gathering wind.

Peter had lived on the crag for many years. It was owned by the Earl and Peter paid a peppercorn rent to reside in the desolate building. Indeed the folly, which was modelled on a ruined castle, had never really been intended for habitation. It was a whimsical building built by a long since deceased ancestor of the Earl who had built it to amuse his young wife, the Countess, who enjoyed riding her horse ba****ck from the castle. She would picnic upon the Crag before painting in the observatory which adjourned the main body of the folly. The Countess fancied herself a bohemian free spirit and the folly afforded her the opportunity to indulge in this illusion. Much in the manner of Marie Antoinette who had a peasant cottage built in the grounds of Versailles so she could role play at being a lowly shepherdess

04/12/2017

A Town Called Renwick..

George Johnson..a few snippets..

George had a great sense of self-importance. A big fish in a little pond, he believed that the mere mention of his name could move mountains. In a way, it was probably true. He came from old money, and, whilst not the sharpest tool in the box, he had managed to charm and cajole his way through life. George had his great grandfather, Rupert Johnson to thank for his big fish status. Rupert had been Renwick' s first Town Mayor way back when, and upon his untimely death his son had commissioned a visiting Italian stonemason to design and erect a fountain and drinking font in the towns market place. The Johnson memorial fountain still stood, although subsequent events had somewhat marred it's presence.
......

George reclined his chair and drink in hand started to read excerpts from his Ventian guide book out loud to Raymond. Quite enjoying the experience of hearing his own voice pronounce difficult Italian words. The artist Turner, he read, described Venice as 'a city of rose and white, rising out of an emerald sea against a sky of sapphire blue.' George was about to read an excerpt about Byron when he glanced to his left and realised from Raymonds posture and steady breathing that he had, in fact, fallen asleep. Suppressing a surge of irritation, he reminded himself that the purpose of this trip was recreational rather than educational, and if Raymond slept now he would have all the more energy to entertain later on....

02/12/2017

A Town Called Renwick

A snippet from one of the later chapters

Eric the publican was chivvying his son Adam to hurry his breakfast. He had a large order expected from the brewery and would like to be back in the bar to oversee its arrival. His pot man was lax at checking every crate for breakages or short date codes. Eric had been stung in the past with a Danish lager that had only one month remaining on it and it had meant a special promotion with loss of potential profits as he had no choice but to flog it during the happy hour: damage limitation. He didn’t want that happening again things were quiet enough in the pub trade as it was.

Feeling his aggravation increase, Eric comforted himself with thoughts of Yvonne.

Sweet pliable Yvonne, who would comfort him, stroke his fragile male ego and listen attentively as he launched into his latest tirade on Rhonda and the unfairness of the courts in awarding joint parental access. The fact that Rhonda thought of Yvonne as a personal friend made the thrill of netting 'Bob the taxi’s’ wife all the more tangible. Eric had recognised that Bob bored her to tears when he had first been introduced to them as a couple. He had cast a few compliments her way, dangled his legendary s*xual prowess as bait, then swept her off her feet and reeled her into his arms. To be honest had it not been for the factor of getting one over on Rhonda and future goading, Eric would have dispensed of Yvonne long ago. Her body lithe, receptive, full but surprisingly firm despite the children, was the additional pulling point. But her conversation was monotonous, wearisome and constantly repetitive. After s*x Eric wanted to cut and run but s*xual etiquette dictated otherwise. For Eric the thrill had always been the chase, and with Yvonne it was a case of been there, done it and fumbled beneath the t-shirt.

Local business

30/11/2017

A Town Called Renwick

A few snippets from chapter one

Sooty it must be said was not a greatly attractive woman. She had never had the blonde hair or hourglass figure that classically beautiful women seem to have, but despite this she did possess a certain presence which was accentuated by her height. Sooty turned heads, she held herself well, not stooping apologetically as some tall women have a habit of doing.....................
The house in Gloucester Court was a short stroll from the bistro, about halfway between it and the Castle that had so enthralled Sooty as a young girl. It was set back from the street, accessed by an arched doorway squeezed between another house and an Italian restaurant. The narrow dark corridor led to a large sunkissed courtyard garden. Sooty claimed she had chosen the house from a romantic notion that the corridor led to a secret garden, but a more cynical friend, who fancied herself as an amateur psychiatrist had a different interpretation. Sooty had, according to the friend, chosen the house purely because it was hidden from the street. Just as Sooty chose to hide her true s*xuality from the general populace of Renwick, so she had chosen a house that hid it's true frontage and presented a false facade.

29/11/2017

A Town Called Renwick
Is anyone who they seem?
Sinister Peter Dodds numerarie of the Opus Dei, living in a folly on Catheugh Crag with his Ukranian bride Tania.

Head teacher Sooty and her partner Lennie, estranged lovers, glued together by complacency. Both overcome with a passion but not for each other.

The Earl and Countess of Renwick Castle. The Countess dreaming of creating her very own Versailles and the Earl cultivating exotic plants in the aptly named potting shed

Bob the cross dressing taxi driver hiding a penchant for all things silky.

His erstwhile wife Yvonne hiding a penchant for Eric the local publican

Dubious antique dealer George Johnson and his wife Lillian a Machiavellian puppeteer with illusions of grandeur

Marina newcomer to the town and Head of Department at Tadcastle University. Richard her partner formerly of Harley Street but in line to be the next Royal Practitioner.

Lisa and Joey also newcomers to the sleepy market town and proprietors of its first veggie restaurant soon embroiled in its hidden agenda.

Stacey, living in an old converted chapel in Wetherby romancing Lennie from afar. Seducing her with the language of love and empty promises.

Defrocked nun Jean mourning the loss of her lover Lucy..looking for love in all the wrong places.

Liz the private investigator arriving in Renwick to dish the dirt on a suspected adulterer and suddenly transported into solving the biggest crime of the 1970s.

As lives interweave and secrets are exposed you will never take things at face value again.

Suspend belief and get ready for a gripping yarn of a tale. Batten down the hatches and get ready to read it in one sitting and ask yourself is anything really as it first seems

28/11/2017

A Town Called Renwick
My first post production blog with a brief synopsis of the novel..

A Town Called Renwick
The novel is underpinned with political and celebrity events of the time..Set loosely in the 1990s it revolves around the people who live in an ordinary market town in the North of England. The premise of the story being that things are not always as they first appear.Secrets and lies have a habit of clawing their way to the surface. The fictional town of Renwick is a Pandoras box of adultery, lust and deceit. Just as Peyton Place depicted the torrid underbelly of an all American town in the sixties so A Town Called Renwick will rock a preconception of a sleepy market town in the nineties.
Is anyone who they seem?....

06/11/2017

Just a reminder I have also made a number of cards featuring last year's design as it proved so popular..the Cute Xmas robin is made from a page from a vintage Peter Pan book and priced at £2.00 a card or £10 for 6

06/11/2017

Also as an additional option on the scramble family cards I can print directly onto a stretched canvas frame so the card becomes a gift to keep forever.The frame measures 5 x 7 and the cost will be 6.00 plus postage and packing

05/11/2017

Starting to print this year's Xmas cards.A bespoke Scrabble theme where I will add your family members names and appropriate Xmas words such as Yule.noel.xmas etc..i can even post them out in time for Xmas for an extra 50p..special price on this site of £2.50 each..just inbox me family members/pets names Tec.. all printed on high quality cream card..

14/09/2017

Getting excited new project starting soon under this sweet nothings 'umbrella '..watch this page