Wednesday, May 18, 2011

canals

Current work: new Medical
Listening to: Bach
Reading: next on TBR

This week is really turning out to have a watery theme – today’s muse is about canals. Yup, it’s another BBC4 programme I caught (Kate Nerdy gives a happy sigh), this time on the golden age of canals. Fascinating. Given the fact that fuel prices are rising so rapidly, I wonder whether horse-drawn barges might become a viable form of transport again in a few years?

I have been toying with a canal story for a while (had a brilliant lightbulb from a fellow author) but haven’t managed to get it to work for my editor. There is officially only one canal in my part of the world (the North Walsham and Dilham canal) and only a small part of it is still navigable. So if/when I do write my canal boat story, it won’t be set locally. And it might morph rather a lot from the original lightbulb – which has to stay in the back of my head for now, as I have a deadline to work towards.

Best canal boat story ever? Katie Fforde’s “The Rose Revived”. I think it’s still my favourite of her books – very, very funny and wonderful dialogue.

And the one canal-related topic I do not want to hear about today is a different sort of canal: root canal work. Yup, it’s D-word day here for me and the kids. Just a check-up, and our dentist is utterly lovely, but I still have to pretend to be brave for the children’s sake :o)

3 comments:

Liz Fielding said...

The tinned tomato soup and peas! One of my favourite books, too, Kate.

I had a thought about a canal book, too. I once lived in a house with a garden that backed onto the Grand Union. Long time ago. Would need lots of research, but we do have the Brecon canal within striking distance. Hope your editor relents!

Lacey Devlin said...

I love the sound of a Kate Hardy canal story!

Kate Hardy said...

Liz, it's fab, isn't it? And wow, you have inspiration there. My ed isn't going to relent, but yours might ;o)

Lacey - so do I... (Note to self: behave and do as you've been told!)