At last: time to share some of what I got up to last week.
My run of school visits, all of which were good fun (especially the fabulous Sawley Juniors - hi guys!), were topped off with a weekend of family events at Grantham and then Cheltenham.
Saturday's Red House Book Award party was lovely: a gentle afternoon with some of the children in the Grantham Children's Book Group area. I got to meet two other author/illustrators too: Jonathon Emmett and Adam Stower, both Red House winners.
Adam Stower and Jeanne Willis won this year, with the very silly Bottoms Up! featuring the line: 'Do calves put on bras to hide their bazoomers?' We illustrators get to draw some daft stuff!
We three talked a bit about our work and answered children's questions. My most surreal question of the week actually came from a child at Ladygrove Primary on Friday: 'What's your favourite number?'. I think said '382'.
Then the children were divided between us and we each did a workshop. I practised my Bears on the Stairs routine: it takes a little while to really 'warm up' a book and I think I'm about there now.
Adam I had a bit of a wait at the station for our trains home and we spent a lovely half hour or so in the cafe, looking through each other's sketchbooks (his is BRILLIANT - often quite eerie and always beautiful).
On Sunday morning I was up early for a train to Cheltenham Spa for my Cheltenham Festival event to promote Bears on the Stairs:
It was a bit of a whistle-stop, but I still enjoyed myself enormously. I was relieved that it was really well attended (I think we crammed about 80 children in!).
I thought I'd given it to John when he got ill mid week. Then, when he took to his bed, I thought: man cold.
Above is my original picture book illustration. 
Well done Lynne. It looks like the same venue I had last year at Cheltenham. My event had a poor turn out, which was a bit of a shame - and it's a big room!! x
It's so unpredicable, isn't it? At least with a school group you've a guaranteed audience (although I once had one where the teacher forgot to bring them, so it seems nothing's certain in this world!)
Lynne,
You are a nice lady!
Why, thank you kindly, Bob!