Murder in Mitcham Parva

During a Baltic cruise I visited the Catherine Palace in Tsarkoe Selo and saw the famous Amber Room. My friends subsequently asked if I was going to write a book about it.

Oh yes, I have.....

Sir Bernard Smythe owns Mitcham Manor in Mitcham Parva which has an Amber Room. Some items, including a couple of panels, are found to be fakes. Many people wonder whether the panels that are originals were some that had been stolen from the Catherine Palace during World War II. Once the expert has confirmed that the fakes are modern, the police are called in.

Who was responsible for the thefts and are they connected to the murder of one of the Manor's cleaning ladies? There are plenty of suspects and Cleo Marjoribanks, now back home in the New Forest following her Spanish holiday, manages to get involved. DCI David 'Steaming' Kettle is put in charge of the investigations and Primrose Day, Cleo's journalist friend also helps.

Cleo's fans will welcome back some of the people met in previous books including her cleaning lady, Mrs. Walsh and David's team of DC Jenny Dixon and DS Jeremy Wiles. And, of course, Cleo is happy to be driving around the New Forest in her beloved Rolls Royce Silver Wraith.

Murder in Mitcham Parva is the fourth book in this series. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00V3CX074

The previous titles are:

Homicide in Hampshire,

Dirty Deeds in Downdene,

Poltergeists in the Parador.

All of them are available for e-readers. 

The Fabulous Fire Mountains

It was six years of eruptions in the 18th century that formed these fantastic mountains on Lanzarote and the highest ones are still hot.  One of the hottest areas is Isolte de Hilario where at only 10cm below ground the temperature is 140c and at 61cm down it is over 460c. The first 'experiment' we encountered on arrival was to pass around a small pebble that had been dug up. Yes, very hot, but it did have one advantage - it warmed out hands. We had all taken jackets against the cold but most of us had forgotten our gloves.

This volcanic area is the Timanfaya National Park. Timanfaya and Tinecheide being the names of the mountains.

I didn't get to see the other two 'experiments' properly. The first was the burning bush. A gentleman held the bush down into a small crater. First it started smouldering, then it burst into flames. Unfortunately, when it began smouldering the smoke blew into my eyes and I had to turn away. The last demonstration was an imitation geyser. A man poured some water into a deep hole, he fled, then hot water spurted up. He did this twice and on both occasions a lady's head got in the way of my view. Same lady.

We were then directed into the cafe where some had wine or coffee. Once I had thawed out I left to take a stroll in the area. The scenery is spectacular and, when you look carefully the colours come to the fore. It isn't just boring old brown lava. Here and there are dots of green looking like pin cushions. Just around a corner I found myself looking at an artist's pallet of colour. Grey-green, a field of bright grass green, a strip of ochre mixed with orange. Breathtaking.

The drive through the lava fields was superb. Devised by local artist the late Cesar Manrique the narrow road twists and turns to display the scenery to its best - and most artistic - advantage. Petrified waves, gorges, towering pillars and some really scary shapes.

If you have visited Lanzarote and wondered about the fields (some on hills) with low crescent shaped walls, wonder no more. They are vineyards. Due to the winds that blow across this island the vines are low growing and the walls protect them.

Before I finish let me recommend another gorgeous sight. El Golfo is a deep emerald green lagoon and is half of a volcanic crater. The other half is in the sea.

This was another excursion from my Canary Islands cruise on P&O's Oriana.

Painting Paradise - the new Exhibition at The Queen's Gallery

Opening on 20th March a new exhibition - Painting Paradise: The Art of the Garden - will display the ways in which the garden has been illustrated over the centuries with more than 150 paintings, drawings, books, manuscripts and decorative arts on display.

There will be some of the spectacular paintings of royal landscapes, jewel-like manuscripts and beautiful botanical studies. These show the changes in gardens from the 16th to the early 20th century and will include paintings by Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt and some of the fabulous work of Carl Faberge.

The first real garden painting on record in British art is Henry VIII's Great Garden at Whitehall Palace which forms the background of the painting The Family of Henry VIII, (c.1545).

In the 18th century there was great rivalry between the French and English kings as to who could produce the most elaborate royal garden. In the exhibition there is a panoramic view by Jean-Baptiste Martin of the gardens at Versailles (c. 1700) and 'A View of Hampton Court' by Leonard Knyff (c.1702-14).

The 19th century saw the advent of the 'natural' look as created by Capability Brown - and copied by others - which features in many paintings, but Queen Victoria and Prince Albert wanted more domestic paintings. This produced work by Edwin Landseer (who painted the Royal couple in the East Terrace Garden at Windsor Castle) and William Leighton Leitch who did a watercolour of the Swiss Cottage at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight.

Flower designs were very popular on porcelain, silver, furniture and textiles. Jacob Wauters (c. 1650) produced a vine-covered tapestry of a pergola; Faberge created the beautiful 'Bleeding Heart' which has flowers suspended from gold stems so that they quiver and look as if they are being blown by the wind.

This exhibition runs from 20th March - 11th October 2015 at The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace (entrance in Buckingham Palace Road).

For more information log on to www.royalcollection.org.uk

La Palma - the 'world's steepest island'!

I published this blog in February 2015 following a cruise which called at this island. 

I haven't measured the height of any islands so you'll have to believe (or otherwise) the quote from a guide book!

Like the other Canary Islands, La Palma is volcanic and had its last eruption in 1971 so some of the lava fields are quite 'fresh'. (Sorry my pictures aren't that clear - I had to take them from the coach.) Right in the centre of the island is the Caldera de Taburiente, one of the largest craters in the world. 

As with La Gomera I took the easy option - a coach ride. We drove through the highest point of the island - the upper part of the Aridane Valley. There was a stop at El Paso (don't expect to see John Wayne mosey into town!) to take photos of the spectacular scenery. This is the centre of the silk and cigar industries but there isn't a lot of silk these days. Most of the trees that you can see in this area are pines, myrtle and laurel.

From there we drove past the brown lava fields of Los Manches to go and see the pretty La Glorieta Square. It was created by a local artist, Luis Morera, who had been a pupil of the late Cesar Manrique of Lanzarote. Morera has created a haven with mosaic floors, a pool, mosaic seats and flower beds.

Our last stop was for coffee (yes, really) at a winery near Fuencaliente at the southern tip of the island. The town was named for a hot thermal spring which disappeared after a 17th century volcanic eruption.

Sorry that Nature has taken a toll on this pretty island but I am sure it will recover. 

Is he married? Excerpt from 'Irresistible You' by Jemma Linley

Is he married?

Mel sat at the table and stared at the computer screen.  Trust Karen to think of that.  At the moment Mel wasn’t particularly bothered about his marital status.  Since the divorce she no longer viewed every man who passed her way as being potentially marriageable.  That’s the trouble with these happily married women, she thought wryly.

She and Karen Foxton had been best friends since High School and even though at eighteen when they left school their ways had parted – she to a secretarial job and Karen to Secretarial College – they had remained friends.  Somewhat against the odds as some of their other friends thought, but probably because they were such complete opposites was Mel’s conclusion.

Whereas she, Mel, had been ambitious and wanted to become a professional singer, all Karen had wanted to do was get married and have a family.  The thought of which for herself had made Mel shudder.

And as she’d now made the marriage mistake she realised that it definitely wasn’t for her.

And here was Karen coming up with what she thought was the all-important question.

Quickly Mel typed in her reply.  Don’t know.  Don’t care.  Not important.

Let Karen make of that what she will, Mel thought grimly before closing down.  She needed to get this place tidied up before Andy arrived.  Not that she had any intention of inviting him in, but one never knows, do one?

La Gomera - a small Canary Island

Stunning is the only word to describe the scenery on this volcanic island. From its lush forests to the rocky pinnacles and the beaches.

I chose the lazy way to view the scenery - by coach from San Sebastian de La Gomera. The only thing wrong with the trip was the weather which was, for the most part, dull.

Our first stop was at Hermigua - to 'browse' the local handicraft centre. As you will have guessed, we were expected to buy souvenirs. Not me - I went for a stroll to look at some of the town. Very pretty with its background of tree covered mountains.

Then on to the Garajonay National Park (a UNESCO World Heritage Site). Deeps valleys, fantastic rock formations and, of course, trees, some of which can only be seen on this island. In fact, there is a rare heather that can grow to over 50ft/15m (the Erica Arboreal). In some places the atmosphere was most eerie, the close growing trees with dense foliage made to seem so by the grey skies.

By way of a change of scenery the coach wended its way down and around the hairpin bends to look at the beach at Valle Gran Rey. Oh yes, we had to go back up those bends to take us across to the other side of the island, finally finishing back at San Sebastian.

I attempted to take photos from the coach even though we did make photo stops. Some came out well, others didn't. Keen photographers should probably go on the walking tour. It was a pity it was so misty when we had a great view of Mount Teide - on Tenerife.

Incidentally, La Gomera has its own Valley of the King, which was the home of the island's last Guanche Chieftain.

If you suffer from vertigo DON'T take this tours!

This was one of the tours I took during my P.O Canary Islands cruise last December.

You can just about see Mount Teide on Tenerife!

Will the police find a body in the house.....

In this extract from 'Model Murder' the police go to the murder victim's house to break the news....

No reply at the locked front door.  No reply at the back door which, fortunately, was unlocked.  Chris, who had put on some protective gloves, cautiously opened the door and called, ‘Halloooo!  Anybody home?’

Silence.  Not even a burglar alarm shouting the odds.

‘Do we go in, guv?’

‘Very carefully.  We wouldn’t want to disturb a crime scene.’

‘If there is one.’

Always prepared Chris handed him some plastic bootees to put on over his shoes and did the same for herself.  Sinclair gave her full marks.  Ideally they should have suited up but if Mitch Pepper was merely snoozing or had been knocked out that might scare him.

Together the pair checked out the rooms on the ground floor including what appeared to be a small flat for an absent housekeeper.

‘Might be her night off,’ Chris commented quietly.  Sinclair merely nodded.

Nothing seemed to be out of place so they went upstairs and glanced through those rooms.  Again, there were no signs of damage, nor bodies – alive or dead.

Although there was an office on the ground floor they also found what appeared to be an office upstairs for Amaryllis.  ‘Guv, there’s something written on the wall chart.’

They went to look at it.  ‘She should have been in London.  Went up Saturday and due back tomorrow.  Who’s this Ricky Davison? Name sounds familiar.’

‘He’s an actor, guv.  Looks like they had a function up there.’

‘Address book?’

On the desk.  Very carefully the DC opened it to find details for Ricky Davison. ‘Got it,’ and she jotted the information in her notebook.

‘Is Jonathan Pepper in there?  In case Sergeant Roberts hasn’t had any luck.’

As soon as Chris had that information they returned downstairs to Mitch Pepper’s office.

‘Nothing,’ Chris said with a sigh as she looked at the blank page in his diary.

‘Damn.’

‘Do we wait for him?’

‘He could be away for the night.’

‘Or for good?’

‘Don’t be a pessimist.  We’ll leave someone here.  Now let’s get out and see who’s arrived.’

............

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