THINGS WE LEARNED...RNA CONFERENCE 2012

Things we learned on the Roadtrip to the RNA Conference

By Ruth Long, Denise Deegan, Jane Travers & Sally Clements

Ferry companies should not have a staircase reminiscent of the Titanic on their ships, nor should they show documentaries about exploring shipwrecks. Or have safety videos that seem to have been made by the same people as Money for Nothing by Dire Straits.

It is possible to eat your body weight in free mini pastries on the ferry.

Four Irish women in a car soon revert to stereotypes of parents & kids.

Wales does not exist in the rain. It is all grey. And invisible.

While some people discuss folklore, mythology and legends in the front of the car, some people throw jelly babies about in the back.

It is possible to eat your body weight in jelly babies.

The magic of an RNA conference means the moment we reached the Lake District the sun came out. And it was GORGEOUS.

Ruth and Jane work well together as navigator and driver, right up until the moment they arrive at the campus when they promptly argue about which entrance to use. They were both right!

Our reputations preceded us. (Oops! Blame Twitter. And the Roadtrip)

Do not mention anything unmentionable to Jane Lovering just before she gives a speech (Kate Johnson).

On Friday night we were the quiet kitchen. This had to be amended.

Ruth still believes we were the quiet kitchen on Friday night. Shh, don't tell.

The Sun always Shines on TV, and at an RNA conference. (Well, not always, but more than for the rest of the summer)

We don’t want another 50 shades of Grey conversation.

We are easily confused/bewildered/amused.

Jane Lovering can bring Jane Travers to the verge of an athsma attack in under a minute.

Ms Alison Maynard has a little cup.

On Saturday night we were NOT the quiet kitchen.

It is possible to drink your own body weight in wine. Though perhaps not wise.

It may not be possible to get up the next morning. Not all the way up.

There is a beautiful garden in Newton Rigg. With WICKERMEN in it. It is probably best that we didn’t discover this until we were about to go and were under time constraints.

Be careful when purchasing pasties. Very careful.

Wales is pretty in sunshine. And there. Which was nice as that’s where we were getting our ferry from. Phew.

No one is allowed to say “Nothing can go wrong now” until all the way home. ALL THE WAY HOME. And then some.

It is possible to eat your body weight in free cheese and crackers on the ferry.

The RNA Conference itself... we learned SO MUCH. And were awed by the kindness, generosity, friendliness and intelligence of everyone there. Thank you all so much. We will be back. (If this sounds like a threat... oops).

Valentine's Presents? Sally Clements Shares A Bit of A Disaster

Last year, I decided to buy the DH a heart shaped valentine’s day frying pan to fry an egg in. It seemed a good idea, at the time, but in retrospect, I wonder what on earth I was thinking. DH loves fried eggs, so that definitely had something to do with it. And I wanted to say more than ‘here’s your card, where’s mine?’ After all, I’d given him a card and a box of chocolates (and received the same in return – what can I say, we’re chocoholics) for the previous twenty-six years, and I felt like a change.

It looked inviting, next to the comedy pants, and the bottles of bubbly. I even bought a few of those heart shaped chocolates and filled in the round bit in the centre for the yolk with them. I thought it screamed, ‘Innovative! Different!’ but of course it didn’t. Instead it screamed, ‘What?’ or rather DH asked ‘What?’ with that funny little wrinkle that appears on his forehead when he receives one of my ‘unusual presents.’

I made him a fried egg in it, holding the frying pan at an exaggerated angle to keep it from tilting over (the handle was too heavy, so if left to its own devices it tipped up). Cut his toast into heart shapes with my heart shaped petit fours cutters. And offered him a couple of chocolates from the box he’d given me. On the whole, it was an unmitigated disaster, as far as love displays go.

This year, I think I’ll just go with the flow, cave in to commercialism, and get him a chocolate orange. After all, it’s almost heart shaped, ( if you squint) and I know he loves em!

Sally's book BOUND TO LOVE is out now.

Jake Forrester, a controlled, self-reliant security expert  scarred by his father’s murder is pursuing his goal of an independent life, relying on himself and logic, until he’s forced to accept the help of an impulsive, spirited goldsmith who follows her instincts, wherever they may lead.

When Tempest MacKenzie witnesses a gorgeous stranger being bundled into a van, she tries to help him, but becomes tangled in a complex web of intrigue. Tempest finds stubborn Jake attractive, compelling and infuriating, his logic the complete antithesis of her reliance on her instincts. And Jake is fascinated and attracted to the feisty redhead.

As they spend time together trying to thwart a heist at the British Museum, the attraction between them flares out of control. The thief has a grudge against Jake, and danger stalks their every move. Will Jake learn to trust Tempest’s intuition, before it’s too late?

Bound to Love is available in print and e-book from Amazon.co.uk here.

And from Amazon.com here.

And from Salt Publishing here here