Abeste profanis!

There is a man who keeps an establishment in the Old Town in Margate.  I visited it once, it was an unexceptional experience - perfectly average food, rather poor service and playing a little too much on itsextravagant decor.  While some people fill their establishments with piles of exquisite vintage tat.... this was really unattractive stuff - a lot of Victorian/Edwardian china, family pictures of other people's families, and a great deal of Dianiana.  My only criticism of this was that he really didn't have an eye for what was good - presumably he really liked this particularly lumpy style of stuff.

This man comes out of his establishment every week to buy more vintage tat from the Bazaar.  He passes by my stall.  He clearly finds it very threatening.  He (did I write about this?) walked past a few weeks ago and gave me a reptilian look through his tiny (lashless?) eyes that seemed to be full of hate.  I should have crossed myself, it left me with an unpleasant feeling.   Subsequently he has come past and ignored me pointedly.  Yesterday he bought something off the stall next to mine - I caught his eye (difficult since they are so small) and said "Hello" to him pleasantly (heap coals of fire upon your enemy's head!) he responded through clenched teeth and his eyes darted sideways to my stock.  I feel - and this sounds mad I know - that he has a bit of an evil eye.  I sold nothing for the next hour, until I prayed about it, and suddennly lots of people turned up and I made £50. 

I talked to S - who had the stall next to mine. 
"I don't know why he always gives me such a filthy look when he passes my stall."
She was silent a bit.
"You wouldn't believe what goes on in my head dear!"
"I can cope with most things."
:"I wouldn't eat in his place."
"Oh, I have once - it was OK"
"No - I couldn't - it's the thought of what he might have been getting up to the night before - you don't know where his hands might have been."
"Oh, it's not his sexuality that bother me."
"It bothers me dear!"

S and I were getting on very well, and I think years ago I would have been horrified at such sentiments, but either I have become corrupted by the narrowness of provincial life, or become so generous in my sentiments that nihil humanun alienum puto and therefore find her views no more or less abhorrent than his presumed sexual practices....

She is an interesting woman - she has considerable psychic powers - her mother was a medium, but she was frightened as a small child when she heard her mother channelling a man's voice, so never wanted to have anything to do with it.  She is still rather frightened by it. She finds occasionally she "sees" things about people - but she was lamenting, as everyone does, about how it is only certain people, and you cannot reliably say things about everyone.  Also it surprises her what she knows about people.  We were talking about this because next week there is going to be a "psychic" at the Bazaar.   Hmm.

Everyone is expecting a good week next week... it's Margate air show - and Father's Day - so lots of men to sell pasties to - and lots of bored women looking for a bit of shopping.  I have test-frozen some of the left overs to find out how much can be re-used, because I am still wasting quite a lot.   The fruit cake is amazingly successful - does better than brownies because grown-ups buy it.   I might do flapjacks next week - with sunflower seeds... v. healthy. Sold most of the bread - not the olive bread though!   Must try and work hard to make it a bit lighter.

That's enough market chat. 

Elsewhere in my life - money- money - money - or lack of.  No one is paying us at present.  We have set up the new bank account - all the debt letters are going off this morning.   Fiat justitia et caelum ruat!  I think the sky will fall in once they get the letters.   I wonder what Lloyds will do, we owe them so much money.  I expect they'll take a charge over the house.   I wouldn't mind that so much - it would mean we could pay the other creditors faster. 

Conscience is at a standstill - HH is doing the PR for Ramsgate Arts and I have committed a most dreadful PR sin.... and I have sent TFY to a new agent whom I already like very much.  Hope it's mutual, I have a good feeling about her, which I haven't had before.  Hope it won't be another "yes - but..." the last agent told me I needed a "hook" - what?  Make the J character a haemophiliac?  That suggests that the sibling rivalry book idea (idea? it's already 20,000 words) might have more of a chance.   After the last rejection I wondered whether I should concentrate on Conscience and try to push TFY as the second book - but how disappointed people who loved Conscience would be by TFY - still, Hilary Mantel doesn't write the same book every time.  I wonder who her agent is.... probably someone fearfully grand at one of the big agencies.  Anyway, she's a far more eclectic writer than me.    I have been thinking that I have so many extraordinary ideas, that I ought to try and write about them. I am just so lazy, but perhaps after C and the sibling book I might get bored and try to do something more abnormal.

I just read a book of short stories by Susannah Clarke.  I find her work delightful, it has a curious exuberance and courage that I really admire.  And I love the writing - nothing jars.  Grown up Faerie stories are an interesting phenomenon.  But I know several people who find it twee.  I thought JS and MrN was better than that - after all, it was about love too and had an emotionally satisfying conclusion. 

Gosh what a long entry.   It's at least 40 minutes long.