NEW BEGINNINGS

So - better luck this time. It is Sunday evening, 18 May at GMT 20.00 hours. I am sitting at our dining table right beside the French Windows, overlooking the patio and the garden beyond. I would like to say that the French Windows are open and the curtains are waving lazily in a warm summer breeze - but I'd be lying. It IS a nice evening. But that doesn't mean it is a warm evening, so the windows remain firmly shut.

Two weeks ago, Hubby and I ambled up to Lincolnsire to spend the Bank Holiday weekend with Hubby's brother and partner. They live about a mile outside the historic marketing town of Spalding in a detached house surrounded by fields. The house is beautiful - all dorma windows and shrubs. The nearest neighbouring house is two hundred yards away and a shallow dyke shields the house from a link road - which at times is fairly busy. Upon arrival, Hubby and I - plus Hubby's parents - were taken on a tour of the house. There are four bedrooms and each room is en-suite and there is a family bathroom on the ground floor. The main living room is lovely and airy and in an 'L' shape and the back garden is laid to lawn and framed in trees. Through a rustic gate at the rear of the garden lies The Lodge Cattery. Talk about Butlins for cats! Each 'lodge' has a play area, a snooze area and a rear 'bedroom'. There are places for the cats to climb, to scratch, to generally exercise and the radio is on all day and most of the night, so they don't feel too cut off from their normal lives. The lodges overlook a large spacious courtyard and to one end of this is the Feline Kitchen. Opposite them is an array of hutches for smaller boarding guests - such as rabbits, guinea pigs and chipmunks - plus a chicken house and a lovely wooden summer house that has been transformed into an office, where Brother In Law tends to all the business aspects, whilst His Other Half oversees the feeding, grooming and wellbeing of the guests. She also administers any medication so her former career as a nurse comes very useful. It really is a lovely place and we were there from Saturday evening to Monday afternoon. So quiet and restful. I am sure the cats must lreally enjoy it and there is certainly no shortage of love there. I'd love it if I were a cat!

On Monday, back at Current Company, I made no secret of the fact I had an interview lined up on the Wednesday coming and was equally as forceful on Thursday when I told them it had gone well. So well, in fact, the I was told a second interview could be on the cards. "What hours then?" asked Newish MD after almost choking on his felicitations at just how well it had gone. "Full time," I replied. "If you want full time, we can give you that," he blurted out. Now just one cotton-picking minute, I thought as I looked at him. How can they be thinking of offering me a full time post now when just a fortnight before they were as good as dispensing with my services? Turns out they want to take the company into a new age and would like to expand on the Customer Support Role they'd initially offered on a part-time basis. "I thought you only offered me part time because that's all you could afford," I remarked suspiciously. "No we offered you part time because that's what we thought you wanted," said Newish MD. A series of meetings followed at the same time as much discussion between Hubby and I. They have offered me; a better general package, a bonus scheme AND they have agreed to accommodate any writing commitments that arise as a result of Books 2 and 3 hitting the maket over the next year or so.

Well what could I say? By Monday just gone I hadn't heard from the place I'd been interviewed and nothing else was on the cards, so I decided to take up their offer - as soon as I had it in writing. I got the official letter on Friday last week so I am now re-employed. I have already been moved to a different office and that's that. I don't suppose we'll know whether or not it has actually panned out until we've given it a few weeks and - as everyone has said - there is absolutely nothing to stop me from leaving later in the year if it all goes to pot, is there? And the best thing is that they are prepared to honour any writing commitments - so now I can start contacting the schools and the bookshops without having to worry about using up holiday!

It is funny the way things work out don't you think? All I have to do now is get some proper Work lined up - a commission or two, a couple of talks and maybe some workshops. I am also playing with a Brand New Idea. Not the historic novel as yet - that remains ongoing. But I have been bandying this idea around for a new weekly column somewhere if I can persuade an editor to try it out. I won't say too much here, but I promise I will keep you updated. If I can pull it off, it could lead to all kinds of things - so watch this space.....