Well hello and welcome back!
As you can see the site has had a face lift and is looking all fabulous and shiny courtesy of my new web demon...Great, isn't it? It's also pretty easy to navigate. I know this because even I can find my way round it without any hitches which means that its foolproof for the computer illiterate.

Anyway, I hope you like it as much as I do. Browse it - take your time - there's a lot of stuff going on in my little world at the moment. Check out the MUSE page. Check out what I've got coming up, what books and stories are scheduled for release, and when I may be popping up in a town near you- It's all here...

Now for the blog stuff.

I went to London yesterday.
It was a friend of mine's birthday and so five of us (and Baby Smith who had the cosy seat inside her tummy, but didn't get to see much) headed into town and did one of the London Walks.
We went to discover Clerkenwell's secret village with our guide, Jean, a retired actress.
It was fabulous. Over that two hours of strolling in the sunshine we watched children happily playing in keyed gardens that had once been plague pits (think medieval mass graves), learned the history of Smithfield in gruesome detail and found hidden gems of history nestled everywhere in the cobbled sidestreets, from the Rookeries to Charterhouse.

Now I talk a lot about going to live elsewhere. L.A. New York. The south of France - all of these places appeal to me. But London? I LOVE London. There's no place in the world like it. Not for me. It's days like yesterday that remind me of that. Wandering through the quiet bank holiday streets you can almost smell the blood, the fear and the passion that are the city's foundations and the place never fails to stir something right in my core.

I lived in the heart of the West End for several years (different life then..big sigh..) and it's only when I go back that I remember just how great that was.

London's history is one long fantastic universe of stories. Everywhere you look hints of them are there. From the obvious ones like Traitor's gate to the hidden ones, like the sealed up underground network of prisons. I love history. I love stories. How can I not love London?

If you haven't read any Edward Rutherford then I recommend starting with London. Written by an eminent historian that book brings a thousand years of history to life and will teach you more than any school lesson about the city.

I had a boyfriend once, a Crouch End boy turned West End man, whose only nightmare was one where he'd be trying to get to London only to find that it had disappeared. Gone. Poof. Just a wasteland left behind. I think he now lives in Rio or a sunny Costa somewhere due to a misunderstanding with the law. I'm sure the law are very unhappy that he's got away from his alleged crimes without punishment. But I know that being away from London is probably punishment enough for him. Londoners love their town.

So I've now decided. The homes in L.A, New York and Antibes? They'll just have to be part time! London's the place for me....

And back in the real world, in the house I can afford to live in (not in any of the above locations..) it's time to get on with the writing for the day..

BUT - if you ever do get to London and have a couple of hours to spare - do one of the walks! www.walks.com They're great. Next up for us - a day of Christmas shopping followed by the Jack the Ripper tour....Brrr...

Until next time,
Keep well,
me x