Betty Birney’s Blog

  The second week flew by. On rainy Monday, we chose the British Museum, about a block from our hotel. I’m there with the Elgin Marbles - amazing the amount of treasures moved there … and well, should they give them back or not?

The rest of the week: I adored Westminster Abbey even more than I expected and got very sentimental at all the writers memorialized in Poet’s Corner. Frank was looking for a plaque memorializing his fifth-great-uncle George Walsh. We asked at the information desk and the docent looked it up, but no, it wasn’ t in the book. The docent apparently took a dim view of us Americans claiming to have a relative there, but she grudgingly said we could go to the library and research it there. (Frank remembered seeing the plaque years and years and years ago.) We were walking through the Cloisters on our way to the library when Frank looked up and it was there, larger than life, huge and very legible - dear old Great Uncle George. We also found Magdalena Walsh, said to be a relative, but I’m not sure how. Hey, I just married into the family. I did name my son “Walshe” - using the family spelling with the “e” which was supposedly added after Uncle George gave his life for his country as a kind of honor - or? A family castle would have been nice but the “e” is distinctive. By the way, we went back to tell the docent we found the plaque but I’m not sure she believed us. I hope she took a walk over there later - you could hardly miss it. (By the way a couple of years when Walshe was visiting there, he asked about the plaque and was told they’d show him - for a substantial fee. He didn’t take up the offer.)

We ALMOST got into Parliament but at the last minute, they had too many invited guests. So we took a long walk up past Downing Street - there was some kind of activity going on at #10 but hard to see. because of the amazing security, which I understand. And just steps away, we happened to arrive at exact moment of the Changing of the Horse Guards (this is different than the Changing of the Guards at Buckingham Palace) - beautiful horses and they knew just what to do.

We spent a very windy and blustery few hours at the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace and thoroughly enjoyed it. The pomp and circumstance is a funny contrast to us human rabble gaping on the sidewalk and the horseriding Bobby and her white horse both thoroughly entertained us - she, with her dry wit and the horse, with his subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) ability to get people to move.

Wind howling, we made our way across Hyde Park to a pub recommended by our neighbors, Don and Mary, from when they lived nearby.  I hesitate to tell anyone about it because it could be ruined by tourists and it’s small and cozy and we sat and chatted with the proprietress, Cynthia, and ate an absolutely delicious lunch and lingered. There were people from Cape Cod there … one woman whose daughter goes to my son’s alma mater, Boston College … a cute dog … a roaring fire. There’s even a ghost. It’s supposedly in that book, 1001 Places You Should See Before You Die … at least I’ve hit one of them.

Okay, I’ll give you a link. http://www.pubs.com/pub_details.cfm?ID=193 From there we trekked to Harrods for shopping and viewing the food court and picked up nibblies to take home for dinner.

Our last day was just fabulous. We went to St. Paul’s Cathedral, which most people either remember as being built by Sir Christopher Wren and/or where Prince Charles and Princess Diana were married. From there we went to Sir John Soanes’ Museum - the very quirky home of a very quirky collector, highly recommended by my sister and everyone I asked in London and now, by me. From there, we walked to Covent Garden and were glad we did - great shops and restaurants and the best “buskers” ever. Amazing performers. We hated to leave but we had theater tickets! We walked down Charing Cross in the drizzle to the old Garrick Theater and saw Alan Ayckbourn’s Absurd Person Singular, starring Jane Horrocks (we loved her as Bubble in Absolutely Fabulous and as the Academy Award nominated star of Little Voice) and other familiar faces from BBC and Masterpiece Theater. Wonderful performance, very funny, Jane Horrocks was everything we could have expected. We were struck by the casualness of the somewhat shabby but historic theater. People with trays selling sweets and ice cream - sort of like in Shakespeare’s day. And people took crisps, bar drinks and candy to their seats and ate. Which is fine in a movie theater in the U.S. but never in the “legit” theater.

A wonderful end to a visit we didn’t want to end at all.

There so much I didn’t get to see but I will return. And the trick of enjoying the week was concentrating on seeing what we could see without obsessing over what we couldn’t fit in this time.

  Our home away from home 

 No cars to pick us up, no helpful handlers … Frank and I were on our own for the second week in London and managed to survive. The first free day, Saturday, I was laid low by digestive problems (nothing new for me, especially when traveling), so we enjoyed our very nice room and then took a walk in the drizzly weather to a very nice Waterstone’s Bookstore where I signed some stock and we stocked up on books. We also investigated our neighborhood more closely. We were in the Bloomsbury section of London (where many noted writers, such as Virginia Woolf, lived). And just a block or two from the Fitzrovia section, once a hangout for artsy “Bohemians.” Just about every townhouse has a plaque saying someone famous lived there. Directly across the street from us was the University of London (the College of Hygiene and Tropical Diseases) but RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art) was there as well - one of their buildings - we passed another one elsewhere. We were a short block to Tottenham Court Road, which turns into Charing Cross and took us almost everywhere on foot. But on Saturday, we rested.

Sunday I felt great and we headed off to Charing Cross Station, across the Thames to Kent, where we were met by a devoted UK fan, Anna, and her very generous parents, Julie and Robert, who had extended an invitation to visit. They were kind and patient (even when we foolishly missed our stop at Orpington and they had to drive to Seven Oaks to pick us up. Seven Oaks - wasn’t that Scarlett O’Hara’s plantation? Now I know where that came from). We headed off to Chartwell, Winston Churchill’s beautiful home. The weather was alternately drizzle and sunshine but there were daffodils blooming!

  With our new UK friends at Chartwell

 Anna in front of the Chartwell playhouse - how I wanted one of those when I was growing up!

We had tea at Chartwell, then Robert gave us a tour of the area around where they live: charming villages, beautiful countryside, we got a glimpse of Hever Castle, which was Anne Boleyn’s family home … Biggin Hill, an RAF airfield important in World Wars I and II … and the Wilberforce Oak, on the estate of William Wilberforce whose antislave trade campaign was memorialized in the recent film, Amazing Grace.

While we were tempted by the offer of a cream tea, I wasn’t sure my system was ready for an onslaught of sweets, so instead we opted for good, solid British fare at The Little Brown Jug, a delightful family place and excellent food.  

  I want to go back to the Little Brown Jug!

Such a lovely train ride back, across the Thames at night with Big Ben, Parliament and the London Eye (that’s the big wheel) all lit up.

Many thanks to Anna, Julie and Robert.

  It all sounds just fabulous - right?

But it wouldn’t have happened without

a) the generosity of the entire Faber family (especially managing director Stephen Page and my editor, Julia Wells)  and …

b) Helena Zedig

Helena is publicity manager at Faber. I’m sure both she and I were hoping for the best when we began this journey, because Helena was the person we spent the most time with - a total stranger who was taking us to Bath and spending the whole weekend with us … taking us to St. Albans as well … and getting me to the Guardian and back. She was the key. And it worked so well.

I can’t speak for Helena but I can speak for Frank and me - she was fabulous. We were well taken care of every step of the way but even better, we enjoyed her company thoroughly. She’s a woman of many interests and facets. 

So this is my thank you to Helena, who along with Rebecca and Emily, got us in and out of cars, in and out of trains, made sure we ate and slept and had the right equipment every step of the way.

Why am I sooooo appreciative? Because I was a publicist once myself.

 Jolly good show!

 Marcus Chown, a pirate and me!

 The official World Book Day was March 6 . After meetings and signing stock at Faber, Rebecca accompanied author Marcus Chown and me to Stratford Circus, a performing arts venue in east London.  Marcus is a well-known science writer and broadcaster whose first children’s book, FELICITY FROBISHER AND THE THREE-HEADED ALDEBARAN DUST DEVIL, is about to be released by Faber. Marcus also was formerly a radio astronomer at Caltech in Pasadena, so we talked a lot about L.A. while he pointed out interesting sights - he’s very knowledgeable about London’s history and layout.

Several schools were brought in to the theater and some of the kids were dressed up for World Book Day.  Marcus and I spoke and signed books and had a great time. It was probably the only time the lead-in to my presentation including vomit in outer space but let’s just say the audience was paying attention!

On Friday, Frank and I took the train to Basildon in Essex with Emily, who was another perfect handler. We were at the Basildon Towngate Theatre … in the Mirren Studio  - yep, named for that Mirren.One of the school groups didn’t make it due to - well, I’m not sure if it was a bus problem or illness. But the remaining children in the audience more than made up for a few empty seats with their enthusiasm and unending stream of questions!

 And … whoa - that was it! No more drivers or helpful publicists to ease the way. We were on our own in London … but the fun was far from over

With Malcolm Burgess at the Towngate Theatre, Basildon, Essex

With Emily at Faber

I had casually mentioned to Faber’s publicity manager, Helena, that Frank had done archaeology at St. Albans when he was in college. The international dig, at the site of the Roman City of Verulanium, was conducted under the supervision of famed archaeologist Sheppard Frere and the University of London. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verulamium.

I never expected that she would plan a visit there, but it  happened on March 5. After a short train ride, we arrived at the Abbey School, which is connected with the magnificent Cathedral and Abbey. http://www.stalbanscathedral.org.uk/. We were warmly greeted by Vanessa - our contact there, and Brenda, who provided the books for the day. Once Frank’s mission was known, Brenda whisked him off on a walk to the site while I set up my presentation.

[Note: Some of the events where I spoke this week had professional tech people, who tried very hard, but in every case, there was a glitch. At the Abbey School, two students, Louis and William, had volunteered to help me and I was set up in - are you ready? - four minutes!] 

 Tech guys, Louis and William           Signing at the Abbey School

   With Vanessa and Brenda

The students at the Abbey School were polite and very responsive and it was a FUN-FUN-FUN time.

Frank returned while I was signing and recounted his visit to the site, which he didn’t recognize at first. Brenda had pointed him in the direction of the museum, where he met the resident archaeologist and his staff. Amazingly, they went to the archives and found photos from that dig that showed Frank, which he kindly gave to him. As Frank was leaving, he slowly began to recognize things - the house, the pub and environs.

When Frank talked about his summer in St. Albans, he always mentioned the friendliness of the people there and that’s one thing that hasn’t changed over the years. The generosity of Vanessa, Brenda and Sue at the school was so heartfelt, I only wish we’d had more time in the beautiful village. After I finished signing books, Vanessa walked us across the school grounds towards the Abbey, where Brenda gave Frank, Helena and me a tour before kindly driving us to the train station.

 Frank is head down, digging in the middle  

Back in London, I finally - FINALLY - got to the offices of my publisher, Faber and Faber, for lunch with my UK editor, Julia Wells. And what a welcome! The lobby of the Faber was lined with displaysof Humphrey books. At Faber, I did a live web chat for the Blue Peter show - a popular kids’ TV show in the UK which is - are you ready - 50 years old! I was on the phone and the person on the other end was madly typing in my answers. They had hundreds of questions submitted but we covered what we could in a half-hour.

Then it was off the boardroom, where Managing Director Stephen Page gathered the forces together for a champagne toast to Humphrey (oh, wouldn’t he LOVE-LOVE-LOVE that?) and I got to meet more of the Faber team. We ate yummy antipasti, heard tales of famed poet T.S. Eliot (an editor at Faber - and a native of St. Louis, MO, like me), and just generally TALK!

Frank and I wandered back to our hotel in a happy haze and collapsed!

Click to enlarge

 Another word from our sponsor: TROUBLE ACCORDING TO HUMPHREY (U.S.)  is out in paperback with another of the brand-new covers which Humphrey and I LOVE-LOVE-LOVE!

Frank and I are back, but I need to scan a very special photo for my next post about our visit to St. Albans - a place you shouldn’t miss!

Some things you need to know: It was extremely difficult to leave London … so stay tuned for posts about visiting one of the 999 places you must visit before you die (it’s in the book) …about our night at the theater (what a way to end our visit), about our day with a wonderful fan and her family in Kent … oh, I’m already nostalgic and I haven’t been back 24 hours yet!

However, it was great to see the darling Miss Desi again, back from her doggie spa. (Always think we’re a bit disappointing to her after two weeks of living the high life in Topanga Canyon. Lucky Dog.)

Stay tuned ….

On Tuesday, up early again for a car to take Helena and me to the Guardian (newspaper) newsroom. This is an educational facility across the street from the newspaper offices, bright and modern with all kinds of interactive displays and a mock newsroom to help students learn about journalism. First things first, though: a stop at the coffee shop where I met fellow author Sue Bentley, which whom I’d be presenting, and the program’s organizers.

Sue is author of a super-popular series here called The Magic Kitten. Her World Book Day book is the 16th in the series and there’s a magic puppy in Sue’s future! They brought in two different groups of students and we each spoke, then took questions together and did a signing. Sue and I were so simpatico, if I lived here, I’d suggest we always do our presentations together. The only sour note was that one school didn’t make it, due to a train shut down in Tooting. It’s not difficult to remember how exciting a field trip is and we were so sorry for their plight. We signed a set of books and posters to be delivered to them.

A quick lunch with Sue and organizers, then off to the BBC. I’m not only a fan of BBC television productions, I even listen to the radio online. And there I was, at one of the larger radio facilities on Portland Place, where another Faber friend, Rebecca, met me. It was quite an impressive place with an oddly menacing revolving door at security. Vibeke Venema, the producer, took us upstairs to tape an interview for Go4It, a children’s program on Radio 4. I was told that I’d be interviewed by children but, to my surprise and delight, I was interviewed by a hamster named Henrietta (in the human form of actress and reporter Sue Elliot-Nichols). Sue had developed a complete life history and personality for Henrietta and it wasn’t all so happy (Her family always forgets to top off her water.) As I answered questions about Humphrey, I learned a lot more about Henrietta, including the fact that she has quite a crush on Room 26’s favorite pet. Even with breaks for Henrietta to crunch her celery, it was a delightful experience. I’ll put up the link when I have it.

    Sue, Vibeke and me

Then Rebecca and I walked to another BBC building a few blocks away. Literary fans, I checked in at the desk next to author Julian Barnes. Then we went up to somewhat shabbier offices and waited in a reception room until I was called into a tiny room where I was left alone with a microphone and headphones and a volume switch. I was told that someone would come on the air soon. It took about as long as it takes to boil water (forever) before I heard the voice of Steve Scruton of BBC Radio Essex telling me we’d be on the air in a minute. Steve was a great interviewer, as it turns out, who gave Humphrey and me a glowing introduction which included a review from a young boy who said everything I’d want to be said about the books.  Steve had done his homework well and the interview was a lot of fun.

My career at the BBC came to a (temporary, I hope) end and a car took me back to the hotel where I got ready for a very big evening!

Julia Wells, my UK editor whom I’d never met, came to the hotel first, then walked Frank and me to a nearby pub where other members of the Faber team were waiting. Julia was hardly a stranger after several years of emailing and one phone call and besides, she chose Humphrey! It was something like meeting long lost relatives - faces put with names, and people who are working for Humphrey that I didn’t even know about.  Then we walked around the corner to a restaurant on Charlotte Street called Passione. http://www.passione.co.uk/home.php3 The chef is Gennaro Contaldo, who is Jamie Oliver’s (The Naked Chef) mentor. We had a private dinner upstairs with the Faber group and select people from the children’s book world (buyers, reviewer, etc.). The best food and generous pourings of wine and excellent, excellent company. A night to remember and yes, I do remember what I ate: a pear and rocket salad, halibut on a bed of spinach, blood orange and lemon sorbet. More interestingly presented than I made it sound. I couldn’t finish it all and the walk home (after lengthy goodbyes to our Faber friends on the sidewalk) felt pretty darn good.

 First… a word from our sponsor (yes, they used to say that on television): SURPRISES ACCORDING TO HUMPHREY is out and I’m getting great feedback. Also, TROUBLE ACCORDING TO HUMPHREY is now out in paperback. Both have the newly designed covers. And now, back to our program, where Betty just appeared at the Bath Literature Festival.

  We spent the night in Bath and the next morning, Helena and I hurried up the hill and met Gill at the Royal High School Junior School. A very welcoming place with magnificent views and VERY-VERY-VERY nice students and teachers! However, there were tech problems for the assembly at which I was to speak. My overall experience has been this: if they hire professional tech people, there will always be a glitch. Everyone bent over backwards but I had to give the assembly with no visuals. The students didn’t seem to mind.

Another tech person was brought in, the problem was fixed and I did two other presentations and signings. It was a whirlwind trip but not one easily forgotten!

Then we took a cab to a village school - the Shaw School in Melksham, Wiltshire. I truly have read so many British books, I felt right at home on the ride there and even more at home once I arrived. Many months ago, I made a connection with the Shaw School when teacher Susan Jackson emailed about her students’ love of Humphrey. They even got their own hamster named Humphrey, and searched out The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs, which isn’t published in the UK.

     Shaw School friends

& Susan Jackson

The students knew so much about me, we had a lengthy question and answer session after my presentation (no tech problems; I used my own equipment- it’s a drag to carry but never fails me.) Then I signed a lot of books. We had to hurry back to the train but it was a little difficult to leave Shaw School.

On Sunday morning a car was waiting to pick us up and we went back to Paddington Station where we met Helena for our trip to Bath. A nice train ride, about an hour and a half, past lovely canals with canal boats and fishermen and sheep. Bath is an amazing sight - all of local limestone which gives it quite a unique look. We checked in at the old Mercure Francis Hotel directly on Queen Square and then hurried over to the Guild Hall - next to the Abbey and the Roman Baths - for my presentation.

Everyone involved with the Bath Literature Festival was welcoming - as was the constant aroma of whiskey (at 11 am) because a famed whiskey maker was a sponsor and handing out samples. We sat in a very grand room before one of those enormous fireplaces and were brought tea and sandwiches and fruit. Lots of good writer conversation - Martin Amis had just been there and Margaret Drabble was speaking in the afternoon and writers were coming in. We did a tech check - not entirely satisfactory because of a strange built-in screen that no matter what we tried, showed my Power Point pictures stretched. So everyone and everything looked short and squat. I forged ahead. A nice audience of children and parents but the theater wasn’t particular user friendly in that it was very dark and I was up on a high stage with the children below. (I like to get up close and personal.) Still, a lovely, lovely group with a nice signing afterwards - my first in the UK. And the only signing I’ve ever done with the scent of whiskey all around me and the children!

Afterwards, we were given vouchers for a catered lunch upstairs in the Guild Hall and then Frank and I tried to see a little of Bath. We waited and waited and waited some more for a bus which finally came and took us up the hill to see the Royal Crescent and the fabulous view of Bath. But it was late afternoon and we got off at the Roman Baths, the one thing we definitely wanted to see. Luckily we were able to spend enough time there to feel we’d seen it all. We actually did go to the Pump Room and drink the water. People told us not to, that it tasted so bad, but we’re both as curious as Humphrey and we drank it. It tasted well, not great, but not as bad as I was led to believe. However, no miracle cure seemed to result from it.

After a quick freshen-up, we joined Helena and John and Gill McLay, founders of another festival, the Bath Children’s Festival. We ate at a hole in the wall called The Hole in the Wall and had a delightful evening. Ummm and good mussels!

And then….. more to come! (more pictures of Bath - some of them are still on a little throwaway camera bought when we mistakenly thought our camera battery had run down.)

  World Book Day display, Borders bookstore on Charing Cross Road; Humphrey’s up in the left hand corner

 World Book Day is celebrated in many countries (not the U.S.) but is especially big in the United Kingdom. There are numerous events for adults and children in celebration of books, special short reads published for adults … but the children here get the very best deal. Every school child in the UK gets a 1 pound token to buy one of nine short books especially commissioned for the event. Or they can get 1 pound off any other book.

This year there were nine authors chosen, including Dav Pilkey, Neil Gaiman and me! Thirteen million tokens are given out; the book printings are around 250,000. My book, ADVENTURE ACCORDING TO HUMPHREY, is about a third of the size of a normal Humphrey book.

Many schools mark the day with book events including costume parades where students dress up as their favorite characters. I met several children who were dressing up as Humphrey - my apologies to their mums for having to make such complicated costumes!

Because WORLD ACCORDING TO HUMPHREY was a Richard and Judy winner (Richard and Judy being the Oprah show and book club equivalent in the UK), and because I was asked to write a World Book Day Book (ADVENTURE) and because TROUBLE ACCORDING TO HUMPHREY and the audiobook for WORLD ACCORDING TO HUMPHREY both come out in April, Faber and Faber, my UK publisher, generously invited me to come over for a week of promotional activities.

(My husband Frank tagged along because we’re spending an extra week here on our own.)