Merry Christmas...

Hemingway - Fellini - Bob Dylan

I prefer Hemingway’s 'Death in the Afternoon' even though the style of writing seems all old-fashioned today. At least it gives some insight into bullfighting - not that I like any of it. There is a scene in Fellini's film 'Spiriti dephi' that explains how the bullfighter creates the illusion with his cape and this magic is the killer of the animal. The Fellini is worth watching just because of the hats...

Zesting ahead relentlessly, here is what happened after Meike looked up Bob Dylan’s agent address. (See earlier posts if confused)

I wrote to them at the 'Creative Artists Agency, Agent for Bob Dylan, 2000 Ave. Of The Stars (no kidding), L.A., Ca 90067, USA', asking for the copy of CWW to be passed on to Bob. A few days later, they phoned me asking for my address. Just hearing the American girl voice pronouncing Yetholm like yeatholme almost brought on a fit of the giggles as I was sitting in the dark little cottage in the Borders. Then the doubts set in: could I already see large plants moving about in the dusky garden? Were secret agents creeping around the undergrowth to figure out if I was a terrorist or some madwoman stalking old superstars? I almost wished I had never started this. Then the postman brought the book back with a letter from the CAA, saying they had 'examined it' but couldn't deal with 'unsolicited submissions'. Pi**sed off, I re-sent the book to them, saying it was not intended as a 'submission for something to someone. It is intended as a personal gift for Bob Dylan. As you have examined the contents (i.e. it does not contain explosives) might you now kindly pass it on to Mr. Bob Dylan?

Well, they replied, I'll bring the letter along on wed, saying 'No' again. Apart from the book, I had put a wee note for our man Bob that runs like this:

Dear Bob,
Just a bit of fan mail, that's all.
Forget about the 'all fictitious characters' bla. No names have been changed 'cos this story is absolutely true.
But over to you. When the young girl cop caught you 'acting suspiciously' last week, what were you really up to?
I'm a crap emailer.
Praps post me a message
on the sole
of a broken shoe

love and respect
to gorgeous old you

PS Fancy meeting in Iceland  (the country, not the shop) sometime?

This went off on 30.08.09 with my mobile number, but of course, he never got it. Bummer! Especially 'cos I'd already run off to buy fab new underwear and even a new leather jacket. Ah well.

When I got another letter, returning the book Again from the CAA - they handily paid for all the postage so that was nice - I felt knocked back to the core, changed the leather for a warm granny cardigan and shot off to Spain.

Somebody told me Bob is on Facebook, but seeing I have yet to figure out how to get into that, let alone the blog of camping, I'll zest back home just now where we've had a major flood in the hallway. Ah, Life!
Ciao for now, H.

Promise more about the book VERY SOON!

Southern Reporter - Headlines

Hey I made the newspaper:

Please click here for more

Cool!!

The Inspiration behind the Book

May 2006.
And we (the readers) are traveling around Spain with a broke, single, and sex-starved grandmother in her prime.

She is in love with a dead poet, Laurie Lee, and decides on a whim, on a mountaintop somewhere in a Spanish sierra, to follow in the guy's footsteps, reliving the route he once walked, seventy years ago.

The apparently nervous wreck of a 'Gran on the run' is soon confronted with the heart of the journey: the poet was only nineteen but she is fifty-three. Is she fit for adventure or caught up in foolhardy fatalism?

Has she got what it takes or will she shrivel into a lily-livered chicken? After 2.500miles of this roller- coaster ride in grandma's red rust bucket, her (shy) dog Misty Blue tells all.

"We did the trip ' cos we were homeless - the flat in Torre was let because we desperately needed some money, so we took to the road. Yes and she did send a proof copy of CWW to the book review guy of The Big Issue but heard nothing back. Either this is because there was a postal strike at the time or because she never put enough money on the letter/stamp. Same story with Muriel Gray, Jenny Murray of Woman's Hour R4 and some others, which I can't remember at the moment. There is also the story of sending a copy to America," (see earlier blog post)

Bit more about me and how I got this far...

Heinke Pauly was born in Hamburg but ran away from home the day after she left school to live in sin with an Englishman in Moss Side (An "experience, but handy for the hospital"), Manchester.

They moved via Lewis in the Hebrides to a remote Orcadian Island, where the native sheep eat seaweed and can swim. After almost ten years, time for a change of direction and she left those romantic shores, and went to study in Edinburgh.

It was known at the time as Europe's 'Capital of AIDS' and she wrote a film script addressing the issue of HIV+ women, as well as a few short stories. Once her three children had become independent survivors, she went for a short trip to Spain, only to end up living there.

Enthusiastic hill walker and choir singer, she is currently learning the art of sailing.

Next Post: Update on my book!

More things that influence my writing

Favourite poem- The Love song of Alfred J. Prufrock and "Croft"
Aloft,
In the loft,
He Sits croft; He is soft.

Favourite Flowers - Tulip and Cactus

Greatest Fears - Dentists and Hairdressers
Tunnels and Bridges
Earthquakes, Volcanoes, Snakes, Silent spiders, Cockroaches

Favourite Music- Debussy, Manu Chao, 1008, Fleetwood Mac, Verdi, Dvorjak, Seal, Noisettes, Sam Coke, Spencer Davis, Billy Holiday, Marvin Gaye, Jamiroqui, Dusty, Bob Marley, Bob Dylan,Beethoven, Nina Pastori, Chopin, Portishead but not the last album,, Duffy, Massive Attack, Donovan, Louis Armstrong, Otis Redding, John Mayall, Aretha Franklin, Bonnie Raitt, The All Saints, Leftfield, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Pink Ffloyd, U2, Rickie Lee Jones, Robert Cray, Temptations, Midnight Cowboys, The Who, Janis Joplin, Grace Slick with Jefferson Airplane, early Stones, and counting....

I hate bullfighting, Pain and Injustice

I admire great graffiti. like the words Tortura no esta cultura sprayed on some rust old bullfighting rink in Torrevieja alst year. Also the fantastic outraged Dali covering an entire wall in the industrial estate.

Torrevieja has loads of brilliant graffiti. It goes to show not everybody here is half asleep with the heat and foreign affluence.

Me and Bob Dylan and the CIA ?

Favourite fanciable men
Seal, Lenny Kravitz, Morgan Freeman, Robert Cray, Lenny Henry with whom I once danced all night, Bob Dylan to whom I cannot send my wee book even though I have dedicated it to him as well as my grandson Peter.

Honestly, I looked up the address of his agent and Google said Ah, Avenida of the stars, LA something or other and I sent it off. Then I got this weird phone call from America asking for my address in Scotland so that they 'could deal with my request'. It never occurred to me to ask the friendly girl lots of witty questions; it was just too hilarious hearing her pronounce Yetholm in American. Once the phone was down, I freaked a bit. Could I see plants moving about outside in the dusky evening, people hiding behind them to spy on me? Is that what happens when you want to speak to Bob The Man? You get checked out by the CIA?
Danny de Vito, Placido Domingo (I got over Laurie Lee!)

About me

My Favourite Films? I give you a few -
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie with fabulous Maggie Smith;
Baghdad Cafe';
Torch song Trilogy with cool Ann Bancroft and today is World AIDS Day
Rainman;
Dr Zhivago
Brazil
The Dead Poet Society
101 Reykjavik
One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest
Into The West

I get my writing inspiration from lots of different sources...

My book: CAMPING WITH WOLVES

Will be published very shortly, lots more to follow very soon.