A U-turn in fate

In what seems to be the start of a strange pattern, I didn't make it to Edinbugh festival to charm a nice publisher / literary agent / illustrator of naughty girls with pigtails. As with my attempts to eat a whole chocolate cake in one sitting, fate intervened once more to hold me away from published fame and fortune, instead throwing me in front of one of Glasgow's PR/Media gurus, at the Starbucks in Glasgow Airport.

There I was with my iced coffee, glasses on, 'Children's Writers and Illustrators Handbook 2006' in hand, (trying to look frightfully sophis) and in walks someone I've been keen on meeting for quite a while now. The rather exciting news is that despite my slightly foggy attempts to remember any clients I had when I was working in London (I noticed I succomb to mad eye movements to the left when trying to recall a distant memory; quite a give away of my unprepardness) it appears, (although I am not counting ANY chickens) that his agency, may may may may may, one day, perhaps sooner, perhaps later, who knows? Need. Someone. Like. Me.

The angels are smiling down on me.

Then...more good news. After a rather drunken and jolly supper here, I was asked whether I'd help out a friend who needs someone to do some secretarial work for him. The next day, having spent most of my time in the car (going up to Glasgow airport etc) I thought I'd walk Hinba over the hill to see him, to discuss this further. It's about 2 miles and I've walked it many times. If you are lucky you can see deer watching you from the trees. Lovely. But, it's a working estate and farmers put things like electric fences up without popping notices through your door to alert you, and so it was with concern that I found myself needing to get past one on my walk. In true Raleigh International leader-to-be style, I found myself doing an army roll underneath the tick tick ticking fence and into some long grass which covered me in fluff. Despite this, so far so good.

After climbing the hill the other side and looking out for 4 leaf clovers, Hinba running ahead, I saw a car and worried she'd walk backwards into it, or do something equally un-doglike and daft. (Sometimes I am an overconcerned parent). So, I hipped and hopped to the barbed wire fence and as I was about to climb over it, noticed that it was the friend who'd offered me this job who was in the car. Attempting to look uber athletic and slick, I jumped over the fence, but hooked my wooly jumper in the barbs and lost my footing at the same time, and so managed to sort of scissor-jump it with arm stuck behind my back, which twisted me back into the fence and onto my head. I was absolutey covered in burrs and bits of grass, I looked like the cartoon dog 'Whatamess'. The car was just waiting there, my friend thoroughly entertained (and probably quite embarrased for me). Thankfully this must be seen as normal behaviour around here, because after one or two 'who have you been cavorting in the fields with?' questions, the whole thing was laid to rest and my cheeks resumed their normal shade of pink.

So, things are most definitely looking up, and I am more than a little relieved that my days of sitting on podiums in car showrooms working the tannoy (oh, I didn't tell you about that - was far too embarrassed) are over. Now, back to finding that literary agent...