I’m starting this post today with a picture of one of a lovely bunch of peonies I have sitting on the dining room table in the living room. I bought them at our local Aldi, where I frequently shop because it is such great value for money and the food is good quality (I don’t like their ready meals, but I don’t like any ready meals anyway). Isn’t it beautiful? On a miserable day like today, I think it’s nice to start the day with some natural beauty.

Anyway, how are you? Hope you are all hail and hearty? What’s your week been like? As usual I have been busy writing. The good thing about Storm Hector and all the rainy horrible weather we’ve been having is that I can’t get outside to garden, so have been writing even more. I am nearly half way through a sequel to Dusting Down Alcudia. I’m steaming ahead with it because I am keen to have the complete story down before I set it aside to start editing my last book, which is a murder mystery set in the 1920s. The murder book has been cooling away in the background, leaving my memory so that when I go back to give it its first edit, it’ll be all bright and fresh to me…and, more importantly, I’ll pick up on any omissions, mistakes or things that do not work.

Are you intrigued by the title of this post? Then I’ll tell you all about it. Are you sitting comfortably? All cosy and warm and waiting with baited breath to find out about our spectre? Yes? Well, here we go. Picture this: a dark and stormy night (had to put the cliché in here because it amuses me). It was the night of Storm Hector and the storm had not yet built itself up to its full glory, although it was getting there. Myself and kids were in bed. At exactly 10.20pm our doorbell rang. I had been reading in bed, but sat up when I heard the bell go. The dogs, who had been sleeping peacefully, jumped to their feet and began barking hysterically. The kids were alarmed. Who was ringing the doorbell at this time of night? I put my housecoat on, slipped on my slippers (I hate having cold feet, it’s just one of my things) and hurried downstairs. I unlocked the inside front door and looked out. Our porch door is half glass so you can easily see who is there. There was no-one there. I opened the porch door and peered out into the windy damp night. Not a soul to be seen anywhere in our garden or street? My kids were at my back. “Who was  it?” “Where are they?” “Do you think they are playing a game?” They wanted to know. I had no idea, but ushered everyone back to bed and we all settled down for the night once again.

Ten minutes later the doorbell rang again, this time more urgently. Ding-dong-ding-dong-ding-dong. A little annoyed now, I pulled on my slippers and housecoat and ran downstairs to catch the culprit for surely someone was playing a nasty game of knock-the-door-and-run-away. Or could it be a ghost? Although who or what it was I had no idea. Once again there was no-one there. My children were beginning to panic. What was happening?

Outside, the wind howled and the rain started to come down.

And then it struck me.

It wasn’t someone playing a horrible late night game nor some spectre sent to torment us.

No.

It was the wind. Ringing the doorbell which was not fully raised itself back out of its ‘bed’ after a delivery man had rung it earlier. I pressed it a couple of times to release it and went back to bed.

“It’s okay,” I said to the kids who were fearfully peering down from the top of the stairs. “It’s just the wind.”

My jiggling of the doorbell seemed to do the trick for we were not annoyed again by any ghostly ding-donging of the doorbell that night.

Wooooooooooo! Sorry, couldn’t help myself.

See, that’s one of the problems of being an author: an over excitable imagination. I had the doorbell ringing down as someone or some thing tormenting us when it was only the wind. All sorts of things went through my feverish mind, but it was something simple.

Anyway, the rest of the week has been relatively peaceful. I have been reading the Guardians fantasy trilogy by American author Nora Roberts. I’ve just finished number two and am on to number three. The books are Stars of Fortune, Bay of Sighs and Island of Glass. I’m really enjoying them. I love a good fantasy story with a bit of romance thrown in and these don’t disappoint. I would really recommend them if you are looking for something to read that is fun, exciting, romantic and with a bit of fantasy thrown in. There are six main characters and an evil baddy they have to fight. I’m not going to go into it any more. Grab copies of these books for yourself and enjoy.

Right, I am going to finish up here for today. It is 9.15am on a Saturday morning and I have things to do. Plus the dogs have decided to freak us all out again by barking frantically at nothing. I need to go and investigate. Til next time.

Dawn xx