Lisa Jewell: Diary September 2005

Diary

September 2005

Another year, another shop-bought cake. Bad mother! Amelie's 2nd birthday.

Well, there goes another quarter of a year. Scary. This summer Jascha, Amelie and I have mostly been going on holiday. We went to Sardinia for a week at the end of June, then spent a long weekend in Bath at the beginning of August with a week in Mallorca at the end. Next week Amelie and I are off to Italy for another long weekend with my family and four days after we get back the three of us are going to Portugal for Jascha's annual golfing holiday. I've always maintained that holidays are the meaning of life and this year I seem intent on proving my theory to myself most fulsomely!


This picture was taken outside an agriturismo restaurant in Sardinia shortly after I had scoffed pretty much an entire suckling pig.	In Victoria Park, Bath. Amelie shows a disgruntled Zac just who's in control. A bus driver in the making, perhaps, like Jess in V&J?

Jascha and Amelie outside the amazing Georgian House in Bath where we stayed in August. It was right next to the Roman Baths.	Young and sweet, only twenty three months. Amelie the Dancing Queen at the Baby Disco in Mallorca.

As I predicted last time, It's been a brilliant summer, one of the many highlights of which was the launch party for Vince & Joy. It was held on a balmy August evening in the Parlour at Sketch (how posh!). I dressed myself up to the nines and then spent the evening drinking specially concocted cocktails, called ‘Vince' and ‘Joy' (which were delicious, but shockingly strong) and chatting with my friends and family. Afterwards me, Jascha, Judith and the Penguin team headed off for dinner at a restaurant called Inn the Park which is er, in the park (Hyde Park). We sat outside and drank champagne and it was without a doubt my favourite launch party to date. Very special indeed.


Me and my dad looking over‘joy'ed in the Parlour at Sketch.	Me and my superb sisters. Aren't they gorgeous?

Me, Jascha, Judith and the incomparable Penguin team having dinner in Hyde Park after my party.	Amelie at Broadcasting House the next day, practising being the next Mariella Frostrup.

Apart from jet-setting around Europe and attending lavish launch parties I have also, of course, spent a large part of this summer promoting Vince and Joy. I've appeared on Breakfast TV and local radio, I've spent a day in Dublin doing interviews, I've signed a thousand books, written countless articles, answered a dozen questionnaires and had my picture taken at least twenty times. But all that hard work still didn't manage to generate enough sales to push Dan Brown and his ridiculous FOUR bestsellers off the top spots. If you take Mr Brown out of the equation (which I do, just to make myself feel better!) then Vince and Joy entered the charts at a very respectable number 4. Hurrah! It's still selling really, really well and everyone is delighted with it. But much more exciting than boring old chart positions, has been the amazing response from you lot.

I've been overwhelmed by your lovely comments in my guestbook, and so incredibly relieved that you all approved of the book. It was such a strange book to write, at such a weird, transitional time of my life (pregnancy, new motherhood, moving house, ill mother etc.) that it was impossible for me to judge it objectively. It was also the most personal and autobiographical of all my books (except, maybe, for Ralph's Party) so it was important to me that it people ‘got' it and loved it. So phew , and thank you. I'm thrilled. And now, of course, totally paranoid that the book I'm halfway through writing is going to be a complete turkey and that you'll all be horribly disappointed. It's due at Penguin at the end of December and then, guess what – Jascha, Amelie and I are going on holiday! Three weeks in Thailand and a few days in Malaysia to see Jascha's brother who's now a qualified pilot living in Kuala Lumpur. But until then I've got half a book to write and that's what I'll be concentrating on.

In other news, Amelie continues to be amazing (of course!) She had her second birthday at the end of July and entertained all her cousins, grandparents and aunties with cake, champagne and nibbles in a blustery communal garden. She is now talking pretty much fluently and is delightful and lovely in every way. I will stop there before I lose control, but suffice it to say that I am her number one fan. As for me, well, my God, I turned 37 in July! I am now, officially, old. But not as old as Jascha (or Kylie come to that) which always makes me feel instantly better.

I'll write again at the end of the year, when hopefully I will be jubilantly and triumphantly announcing that my new book is finished. Until then, enjoy these last few days of summer and have a great autumn. And THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LIKING VINCE & JOY!

Much love,

Lisa xxxxx

I have accidentally taken 8000 pictures of Amelie this summer and some of them are so lovely that I feel compelled to share them with. Yes, I am a baby bore. Sorry.

Amelie Gallery :


Mean and moody with a ball on my birthday.	Mean and moody with a straw in Mallorca.

Mean and moody with a straw in Sardinia.	Mean and moody on a miniature train at Longleat.

Mean and moody on her birthday in fairy outfit, combats and Wellingtons.	Just to show that she doesn't only do ‘mean and moody'.

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