04 Mar 2004, Ballyconnell, nr Sligo, Ireland
Welcome to my new, re-vamped weblog. I'll be posting regular(ish) updates here in the run-up to my next expedition.
Top o' the day to ye! Ireland is famous for its Guinness and its friendliness, so it may not seem like the obvious choice of place to get away from it all, but I'm trying...
I've fled from the distractions of London to spend a month in a friend's cottage at the back end of the Irish beyond. The cottage is the white building, bottom right, in the photo above.
This is one of those places where everybody knows everybody (and all that ails them), houses are known by who lives in them rather than by their address, and the pub looks like somebody's living room with a beer mat stuck over the front door by way of a sign.
I'm here to get some peace and quiet and plan my strategy for the rest of this year. My main focus is the motorbike expedition around the Four Corners states of the USA - Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona - to learn more about the Native American culture and religion. Another book, and a video diary, are in the pipeline.
A few minor hurdles stand in the way, e.g. after two attempts I still haven't passed my motorbike test (not as discouraging as it sounds - more of that in my next update), and I don't have any money, but I'm not one to let such piffling trifles stop me.
I can't remember when I last had so much time to myself, but so far I'm feeling pretty chipper. The coffee shop withdrawal symptoms have been less severe than expected, and I drivel away to the cows in the field next door when I feel in need of conversation. I suppose I'm cheating a bit by having internet access, but a girl can only stand SO much of her own company... and the cows can only stand so much drivel.
|
Comments [0]
28 Oct 2003, Kew, London
I am a very lucky girl! Or is someone looking after me? Or am I making my own luck? Whatever it is, I make sure I count my blessings, never taking them for granted, and the good fortune and happiness seem to keep on rolling whenever I do something connected with my mission.
There are so many good things, great and small, happening around my book Three Peaks in Peru, surely it's just a matter of time before I get the book deal...
'Great book proposal, shame about the photo,' said my friend Philomena. She works in marketing, and had been reviewing the document I'd prepared to go to prospective literary agents and publishers. 'They'll love the sales pitch, but you need to get a more glam photo done.'
I looked at the picture - a snap taken in Kew Gardens by my ex-ish husband, of me looking happy but rather windswept (see top left of your screen). It had been fine as an outdoorsy image for our archaeological expedition's website, but maybe an author should look a bit better groomed.
But good, professional photos don't come cheap. And I didn't even have enough money to get a decent haircut for the photo, let alone fork out for the photo shoot itself.
Shortly after that I was walking along Oxford St, pondering this, when a young guy asked me if I wanted a free haircut. Normally I'd have ignored such an offer, as it usually entails a long list of conditions and hidden costs, but on this occasion I paused to find out more. It turned out he was a trainee, and simply wanted a model to practice on.
We went to a smart salon around the corner, and while I was being coiffed, I noticed there was another business in the same building that did makeovers and photo shoots. My hairdresser introduced me to the people at New ID. The receptionist there was an unpublished poet, who could relate to my plight as a struggling artist, and got very excited about my project. They offered me a generous deal on a photo session.
I went back there a couple of days later, and they transformed me - hairdo, makeup and nails. I still looked like me, only better, glossier, definitely more authorial. I was introduced to my photographer, Chris Craske, who has photographed Bob Marley, among others, and by pure coincidence (if I believed in such a thing) used to go to the same school as me in Cambridge.
I'm normally very uncomfortable and very unphotogenic in front of the camera, but Chris worked wonders. And they said the camera never lies.
The people at New ID did a great job to turn such unpromising raw material into a glamourpuss for an afternoon. Just wish I'd had somewhere smart to go that evening - I think my new look was rather wasted on the punters in the Coach & Horses...
This is one of the resulting shots. It's going to appear on my calendar and website. And hopefully, one day, the book cover!
|
14 Oct 2003, Kew, London
The more observant among you may have noticed that I'm writing this under my maiden name of Roz Savage, rather than my married name of Allibone. This is in no way a reflection of any change in my personal circumstances. I took a straw poll as to which would be a better name for a travel writer, and the unanimous verdict was in favour of Savage - easier to spell, pronounce, and hopefully remember.
Somebody did point out that Roz Savage sounds like a woman who wants to be able to do more press-ups, but those of you who know what a gym junkie I am will also know that I am indeed that woman! Sad to say...
I had to make a decision on this, because I now have my first speaking engagement in the diary. One of the sponsors of our Inca ruins expedition, Travel Screening Services, have invited me to give a presentation about my travels. TSS specialise in health screens for professionals before foreign business trips, so they'll be inviting various movers and shakers in the travel world - hopefully my big chance to meet some newspaper travel editors. (www.travelscreening.co.uk).
My other big news is that the manuscript of my book is currently with Stephen Fry, via Nick Green of the Bear Rescue project that Stephen figureheads (www.bear-rescue.tv). The hope is that IF he likes it enough he'll give it his endorsement. I guess, if he doesn't like it, it's back to the drawing board, or should that be the keyboard...
I'm sure I don't need to say how helpful, and exciting, his endorsement would be, especially given his current high profile with the release of Bright Young Things, his directorial debut. I went to see it last week, just in case I ever get to meet the man himself, and thoroughly enjoyed it. What, me? Sucking up to him? I would never do a thing like that! I genuinely liked the movie - go see it for yourself!
|
03 Sep 2003, Kew, London
(Above: it had to be done! Machu Picchu and me.)
When you last left me, I was hanging on my axes and the points of my crampons on a sheer wall of ice. I've been inundated with requests for the next instalment of the story, so....
...I thought long and hard about it, and decided you'll have to wait until the book comes out!
I'm now back home, and have just finished the first draft of my book - transcribing my story from my handwritten journals onto the computer, all 133,000 words of it. Even if I do say so myself, Peru has given me some pretty amazing raw material. I couldn't have come up with a better plot if I'd tried. We have funny stories, tragedy, drama, all building to a climax on Alpamayo, complete with German baddies...
So I have the raw material, now all I need is 3 re-drafts, and a book deal!
Still, all this desk work is giving my ankle a chance to recover. I had it x-rayed, as my GP thought there might be a flake fracture. Fortunately not, but all the same, climbing a couple of mountains on a swollen ankle may not have been the best thing for it. But I found a wonderful Peruvian painkiller, allegedly a cocaine derivative, called Tramal. No pain, and it makes you feel absolutely marvellous! Wish I'd brought more supplies back now, but an arrest for drug-smuggling may not have been the best finale to my trip.
I will keep you posted on the progress of the book. And in the meantime, if anybody knows of a literary agent or publisher, please let me know!
|
