Wellies and Wallys

What, I wondered, would I blog about? My new wellies? Two parts of my anatomy occupy the majority of my day. My bottom, which needs to be comfortably positioned in a good chair. Without that, my back starts to hurt, my hips ache and when I get up I move stiffly for a while, like the battered, middle-aged lady I am, until joints and ligaments free off again. I write or do other writing related activities for a large part of the day, so that comfortable position is very important.

I treated myself to a ‘proper’ office chair a few years ago, which made a huge positive difference to my life. Now Nurse Daughter has left home I have acquired hers too. One day I must choose between the two and get rid of one of them.

The other part of my anatomy which spends a lot of time being used is my feet. I’ve funny, flat feet, more suited to belong to something that needs flippers as that is what they resemble. Flat feet mean my ankles roll inwards, which means pain, upwards into my hips and back. So good footwear is essential.

While out on the farm I’m constantly in wellington boots. It’s usually so wet here, plus the majority of the time I’m slogging around in mud or animal dung, so nothing else works.

Sounds very simple – except it isn’t. All wellies are not the same. Some offer no foot cushioning – painful, others especially nice posh ones just don’t last. There is nothing that a fashion conscious farmer likes better than a good wellie. Except finding a pair is the subject of many social media post.

The good old fashioned farmer boots are fine, but they are designed with plodding, stoic farmers in mind. Elegant ones are designed with just that in mind – and tend not to last. They are made for the occasional country walk and tiptoeing around city pavements when it is raining. Their seams split, the rubber perishes and before very long the wearer who dares to use them in proper mud and horse pee, finds their feet are suspiciously damp.

I found, a few years ago, a pair that are designed to cope with horse urine. They are comfortable, elegant and last forever – or as mine did until the soles are literally worn away.

So at Christmas, when I needed a new pair – what did I do? Replace them? No – I tried a new brand, swayed by the chunky soles I thought might last longer. They are comfortable, the big soles look as though they will cope with mud and thick briars. My feet are dry… after  almost a month.

The other blog subject was my new book, something I think I’ve probably rambled enough about over the last year I’ve been writing and rewriting it. I’m getting ready to start marketing it and am thinking about the cover, the blurb and other such vital points. It was, then, in the middle of the night when I woke up realising my title was rubbish. I like the title. Tallis. It is the detective’s name. The book is about her. But what, I thought, in a cold sweat, would inspire anyone to buy it? Nothing. What I pondered was the book about, what main theme could be captured in one single word which would inspire people to buy it. What would you call a book about a young detective, set in Cornwall about a man who kidnaps and kills young women. I’d found a great cover image of a spooky pick-up truck, which is what the man drives, but couldn’t find one that was absolutely perfect. Then I found an image of a girl, walking along a road. Exactly what happens just before she is captured and vanishes. Ta da! I had both my cover image and new title – Vanished.

And which of my blogs would be finished without a mention of the other massive part of my life – the animals. My dogs, cats, goats and the horses who make up such a big part of my day. As the land is so wet at the moment, the horses spend a lot of their day mooching around the yard. Not perfect, by any stretch of the imagination and not what I would like to do. However my land is so wet, because that’s how Connemara is there is little alternative.  They cavort in the sand arena, and have plenty of space to stretch their legs and get fresh air. And they love to get into mischief.

I’m in the process of trying to drain one of the gateways which will make it easier for the horses to get in and out of the fields. At the moment there are vast ditches, heaps of stone and gravel (perfect for the horses to run up and down) and drainage pipes. No idea what my big horse, Kinsale, thought he was doing, but he finds the pipes fascinating and carries them around in his mouth, while the other’s watch with a bemused expression. So instead of a cute puppy or kitten picture for my blog, here is a random weird horse image! He’s definitely being a bit of a wally! Caption it if you can!