It's raining

 After a holiday in the sun, the windy rainy weather is a shock to the system.

As is the sheer amount of day to day stuff you almost forget about on holiday. To say nothing of sorting out clothes and sadly putting away the thin tops and dresses and hunting out the jeans and sweatshirts.

But you know? It's good to have some rain. Okay perhaps not as much as we are having at the moment, but some. So many places suffer from the lack of rain. If only we could share some of ours with them.

Basically this blog is a bit of a non-blog. I'm trying to decide whether a short story I wrote on holiday is any good or not, hunt out one flip flop, rummage in the freezer to see what I can find for dinner, and generally play catch up. 

Back to normal (whatever that is) next week.

Happy reading,

love Raven xxx

when men was iron and ships was wood...

 ...or something. It's a phrase my late father in law used—sort of. I may have it wrong. But basically he used it for as he said 'when I were a lad'. I.E a long time ago.

(Source: Freepik on pinterest)

It came to mind, because recently, on holiday, I've been reading some old favourites, which were all written well over half a century ago. As in when I was a child. 

Miss Read, (about village life) Doreen Tovey (Siamese cats), Lillian Beckwith  a middle-aged lady moving to Skye), James Heriot, (Vet in Yorkshire), Nicholas Rhea (Policeman in Yorkshire,) and so on.

Apart from loving the memories some of these stories bring back, it's fascinating to read just how life was then. Especially when you visit the areas written about and think, oh I bet that's where so and so lived. Or whatever.

It's a great way to learn about history that's not centuries ago. About people and places. Lives and living conditions. Employment and education.

I'm well over my half century. I can remember some of the things I'm reading about. I have very vague memories of Keith, the butcher who came around in his little white (I think) van. When he opened the back doors there was a set of scales and some bits of meat. As meat rationing didn't end until 1954, he was the man you gave your coupons to and you got what he had. I don't remember any of that, but my mum told me all about it.

There was also the bread van, Mr Bradshaw's mobile shop and of course the milkman and his deliveries. Which were left on the doorstep and if the sun was out, you better be at home so you didn't have curdled milk.

How things have changed.

But it's good to read about those days of over seventy years ago, from the horses mouth so to speak. Speaking of horses, the rag and bone man, Mr Smith, used to come round with his horse and cart, and beg a drop of milk and hot water for his tea can.

I've had a book fest over the last few weeks. As my lovely husband says, thank goodness for eReaders. 

Because I always used to take at least one book for each day of my holiday. Which meant a lot of my clothes had to go in his suitcase and he was sure, one day, his case would be opened and a pile of ladies undies be pulled out.

Thankfully it never happened. Now I pack my undies in my own suitcase. 

Happy reading,

love, Raven xxx

The gluten-free Authors guide to...

 What do you call it again?

Actually It's not fizz, but I felt like using that image (Source pinterest). Otherwise it would have been this one again.

Which, let's face it, does get used a lot in my blogs.

And I am thinking again here. 

About labels.

Specifically labels about whether something is gluten-free or not. 

One of the first things I started to do with diligence when I found out that gluten was a no-no, was read labels. Lists of ingredients. The various signs that denote whether something included wheat or barley or rye or oats. 

Years ago, I tried to make sure I could say please, thank you, could I have the bill and where is the toilet please, in several languages, I needed to add, 'without gluten', and Coeliac to my lists.

Sin gluten, senza glutine, sem gluten, etcetera. Checking if Trigo or Cevada is in the list of ingredients, or farine de ble—with apologies for the lack of an accent there.  Writing those important words down in the language of whatever country I'm in. 

Plus fathoming out how restaurant menus work.

Some do a blanket, 'may contain' and stick a picture of wheat on everything. Better to be safe than sorry, but I do sometimes wonder how a green salad contains gluten. Yes, I know its the chance of cross contamination!

Some do the crossed grain no gluten thing and you can tell that the chicken curry or steak and chips are safe.

Others say 'ask you server' and that can be tricky. I got told a certain brown sauce was gluten free because it had no wheat in it. It did however have barley and malt vinegar, and is not recommended. Sometimes it's easier to eat at home.

However we've recently visited the lovely island of Lanzarote, and I've been able to eat our really well. Except at Burger King, which advertises gluten free buns. Ohh I thought, I'll try one. I'm not a big burger fan, but the temptation was there. So the lovely husband ordered, paid, queued, and when they eventually called his 'number out it was to tell him they didn't have any glute free buns!

That was twenty minutes we'll never get back.

That apart, we have some great curries, lots of delicious cataplana and of course paella. To say nothing of the basics, like steak and chips.

And my Spanish, for 'gluten free please', and reading the labels is coming on a treat.

(Source Pinterest)

If you're in Playa Blanca at ny time and want a good gluten free curry, try the Mumbai Masala in the Rubicon, and for seafood, Casual Seafood in Faro Park.

For snacks (and popcorn and peanuts with a drink) try Cafe Berrugo also in the Rubicon.

And honestly there's a lot of places to chose from. Just don't expect the gluten free roll at Burger King!

Happy eating (and label reading)

love Raven xxx

Too far fetched? Here's the details

 I was going over some old writing related emails the other day, and deleting stuff that was no longer relevant. I must admit I did wonder why I'd ever thought I'd need to keep so many that were really just notes to say something had arrived or edits would be coming in x amount of time.

So the delete button was being kept busy.

(Source:pinterest)

Some of those emails made me squirm, some made me laugh and some made me glad that I enjoy research. and often use things and places I know in my books.

Take for instance the time I was told that the hotel where my heroine was stopping was not correct. That no five star hotel would have catering facilities in their rooms or suites. I sent details of their website and a photo of me using said facilities. Probably didn't make me very popular but hey ho. 

Or the time I was told that if I didn't put an 'E' in whisky, it could be construed by many people as a typo. To which I replied that as my other half was a director of a whisky company (no 'E') if I did put an 'E' in the word I'd be divorced. I was of course writing about Scottish Whisky which doesn't have an 'E' in it. Now it's a standing joke amongst my friends. Plus I tend to describe the drink as a malt or whatever. 

(Source TCM Gourmet)

I know I'm lucky to be able to use so much personal knowledge as well as the ever so handy on-line sites, and also that I enjoy research. somethings you don't need to go into great details about, but others, well yes you do.

To me, there's nothing more likely to make me stop reading a  book if something is so obviously very wrong. 

It doesn't matter how an author writes a detailed description of a journey north from Perth (Scotland) to Edinburgh—it is not correct. And to be honest any map will show you that.

(Source, as shown)

A specific hospital in a certain city does not have an Accident and Emergency department. It tells you on their website. A public house in xxxx closes at midnight  (or whatever) 

There's no mountain in East Yorkshire. I could go on and on, but I won't.

Yes I get things wrong, of course I do. But some things are easily checked. And if written sources can't confirm what you want to know, there's usually someone somewhere who can.

After all so many of us have been there, done that, or if we haven't we know someone who has.

On that note I'm off to check my details about smugglers in East Yorkshire are correct. Not that to my knowledge do I know any smugglers, but I do have a fabulous library nearby.

Happy research,

love Raven xxx