Old Fools Blog

The bat and the mayor – a random page from Two Old Fools in Turmoil, the next book in the Old Fools series, to be published this year. *fingers crossed*

Something black shot out, swooped round the room and clung sootily to a picture frame.

“Aaaagh!” I yelled. “It’s a bat!”

I’m not at all frightened of bats outside in the fresh air. I think they are wonderful creatures, and they certainly did a grand job of devouring El Hoyo’s flying insect population. I loved the way they flitted round the lamp posts, and their tiny squeaks made me smile. But I have to admit, I don’t like the idea of bats flying round my head indoors. Specially scared, sooty bats.

“Quick, open the front door,” Joe ordered.

I flung the door open but the bat was too frightened to move, and merely blinked.

“Perhaps we should throw something over it,” I suggested, using the royal ‘we’ as I had no intention of doing it myself.

“Hmmm… Good idea,” said Joe, grabbing my favourite white T-shirt which I’d foolishly left lying around.

He hurled it at the poor creature, but the bat sat tight, its tiny hands gripped around the picture frame, its eyes regarding us over its shoulder. My T-shirt slid to the floor, soot-smeared.

“I know, I’ll get the little fishing net, if I can find it. Stay there, Vicky, and watch the bat. We don’t want it hiding somewhere in the room and coming out later.”

“Can’t I go and look for the net?” I argued, but Joe had already gone.

“Right, Batty,” I said quietly. “Just you hang in there and behave until Joe comes back with a net. We’ll soon have you outside.”

But the bat was restless. To my horror, it looked around, twitched, then sprang into the air.

“Aaaagh!” I yelled, crouched down and covered my head, trying hard to follow its flightpath as it circled the ceiling.

“Beaky!”

I must have jumped a foot in the air.

“Beaky! What are you doing?”

A figure stood in the doorway, blocking out the light. I knew that voice. It was Pancho the mayor. I half-straightened, my eyes searching the ceiling, but in that fraction of a second when I’d been distracted, the bat had disappeared.

“Poor Beaky!” said Pancho, walking into the room. His English was good, but his nasal voice always made my name sound like Beaky. “Are you sick?”

“No, no!”

“You must not be afraid, there is nothing here.”

“But…”

“Why were you crouching on the floor, poor Beaky? And why do you keep rolling your eyes to the heavens?”

“I’m not rolling my eyes!”

“Poor Beaky,” said the mayor, taking my hand and raising it to his lips. “You look pale. I am thinking your husband does not look after you properly. Perhaps he would let me take you out for a soothing drive. Or a quiet drink in my office at the Town Hall.”

My mouth dropped open. Where was Joe with that wretched net?

It’s been crazy hot here in Australia, and we are very lucky because we have a swimming pool. Lola is half cocker spaniel and half poodle, so she’s a water dog. It’s hard to keep her out of the pool.

Piggy is her favourite toy, and as you can see, she’s not going to let him drown!

Chickens, Mules and Two Old Fools has a brand new trailer! It’s only 48 seconds long, but I hope it captures the essence of the book. All the pictures come from our personal photo album. 

I’ve been looking back on 2016, and it’s been a real rollercoaster of a year. Joe arrived in Australia on January 1st so the year began well. House renovations began.

Then baby Winter, my new granddaughter, arrived in April.   And what a joy she is! Full of smiles and naughtiness, she is an absolute delight and her big sister Indy adores her.

B is for Bella, the second of the Sixpenny Cross series, was published in July. Then Joe’s book, One Young Fool in South Africa, followed in September.

It was almost as though Joe used the last of his energy to complete his book. At the end of September he developed a severe chest infection and was rushed into Intensive Care. Three times he was put on a life support machine, and we all thought the end had come.

Joe surprised everybody, except himself, by beating the infection and battling until he was released from hospital. It was a frightening time, but Joe is home now and coping brilliantly.

Through all this, house renovations continued. As I type, we still have no kitchen. I don’t really care because it’s midsummer and we have a barbecue, and Lola the Spoodle and I are just grateful that Joe has recovered.

I’m ready for a new kitchen and also a fresh new year. At least the events of 2016, both good and bad, have given me plenty of material for the next Old Fools’ book, Two Old Fools in Turmoil…

Join me on Facebook to see how we’re coping, day to day.
Friend requests welcome!

Now that Lola is one year old, you’d think she’d have outgrown her passion for muddy puddles.

Not so.

Here’s a date that’s written in red and underlined on our kitchen calendar. September 9th 2016. Why? Because that’s the date when Joe’s memoir, One Young Fool in South Africa, will be launched.

I have a confession. I’ve been keeping a very big secret. The reason for my silence was just that I couldn’t bear it if something went wrong. But, thank heavens, nothing did.

The second book in my new Sixpenny Cross series is now finished, polished and up on Amazon for pre-order. It’s called B is for Bella and  if you’ve read A is for Abigail, you’ll recognise many of the characters and places. If you pre-order from Amazon, the book will magically spirit itself onto your Kindle on July 1st 2016.