Annie Waller

Another one down 40 more to go (if I’m lucky…). Gets a bit scary when you look at it like that - half way through life already. So I pledge to treat 2007 with yet more enthusiasm.

Did you survive the silly season? Our tree was stripped daily from toddler height down and redecorated by toddler’s big brother with Lego. Used to worry about things being perfect but since I became a man - refused to write cards/shopped on line/ate packaged mince pies, everything made sense.

My 6 year old played Joseph in the church nativity (result!) and we dragged him off to see the big lie himself. Toddler refused to sit on Santa’s knee so I did (at least I think it was his knee) to show solidarity. Rather clever FC - he delivered a massive cardboard box filled with balloons for her and both kids spent all Xmas day (as dogs) inside it. They even drank from bowls howling with laughter ignoring the presents. In preparation for New Year’s Eve I had two early nights. I find it impossible to stay up till midnight waiting for drunk rellies to phone and wake the kids up. What would the nation do each year without Jules Holland and The Vicar of Dibley?

Right, back to it…

Look around you - no amount of plastic presents could compete with one second of tenderness.

At the end of the day it’s all about love, whatever spiritual banner you fly. So laugh at life, fight for your friends and tread lightly on the earth.

Wishing you all a happy Christmas and a fat New Year…

Annie.

Life is always a rush - weird thing happened to me last night. Sandi Toksvig pulled out of speaking at an event in Oxford. Denise Barkley, a journalist with The Oxford Times and Patron of ‘Against Breast Cancer’ phoned me at 6pm to ask if I could step in as their after dinner speaker. I was half way through bathing the kids and looking forward to a night of working on the sequel (yes, yes nearly done - proof reading now…).

Not having a babysitter and a husband away yet again meant I had to say no. However, Denise sent her 20 year old daughter over to my house in Buckingham. So I got in the bath with the kids, stuffed fire lighters in my husband’s shoes and threw them in the wood burner (what? they’re usually on ebay anyway) to get the fire going and an hour later found myself in front of 100 people at Eynsham Hall near Witney talking about my love of writing.

Thank God everyone laughed in the right place - “I’d like to say thank you for inviting me but since you didn’t I won’t…”

It WILL be done and dusted by Christmas (out next year).

Trouble is, darling husband retires from the Air Force soon and the house we were buying fell through. So, before everything went pear shaped, I floated through life - writing ’till midnight and even cooked healthy meals! Amazing days happened like RIAT (see log) and Oxfam phoned to ask if I could open one of their new bookshops. Brilliant! I bought a hat and practised saying, “People of Marlborough, it gives me great pleasure…”

It was great fun to cut the official ribbon and meet the crew involved. I wish them every success.
My publisher Boltneck Publications Ltd tells me the 1st edition of Married to Albert has almost sold out. The 2nd edition comes out in Sept (new cover and price) so grab one of those first editions while you can.

Back to manic lifestyle…

I don’t think words can describe the awsome feeling of being (ahem, a VIP) at the largest air show in the world. Although my six year old was more impressed at parking next to Jeremy Clarkson than seeing the Red Arrows. Even the heat haze couldn’t dampen our enthusiasm for the sheer noise of engines as they roared overhead. Of course the best display of the day must go to ‘Daddy’ in the Hercules (it was certainly strange to be at a military event in my own right and not as ‘wife of a display pilot’).

I owe an enormous thank you to the RAF Benevolent Fund who invited me along and Waterstone’s for their incredible support in selling my book. Since before the birth of Married to Albert I pledged a percentage of sales to RAFBF. Check out my photo gallery to see the pics. I am certainly acting like a celeb in training, I just hope to keep on making money for my chosen charity. What’s next you ask? I’m opening Oxfam in Marlborough on Friday…