I've got to that stage with Rough Patch where I'm registering
the book with Nielsen BookData, so that booksellers
will know about it, and adding it to my www.willowisland.co.uk
website. It feels as if it is really going to happen now. I've pencilled
in a publication date of 7th October but we're hoping to have the
first copies from the printer later this week.
This kind of work is no big deal, but it seems like one giant step
to take after the months of preparation. What I want is a mid-morning
break that will just take me out of ordinary office work for a short
time . . .
A Taste of the Orient
There's a clatter at the letterbox. My friend Tanya Yeo
in Singapore has sent me a couple of sachets of
Gold Kili Honey Ginger Latte. There's a strong smell of
ginger as I add the hot water to the mug.
Refreshing, spicy, sweet but piquant and full of oriental wisdom.
But enough about my friend Tanya - the ginger latte is invigorating,
though a bit too sweet for me; I'd prefer to make my own
ginger tea and add just a smidgen of honey. Good for you though,
I'm sure.
Lau Pa Sat
With the pungence of the ginger wafting through my mid-morning
break, it's almost as if I'd stepped out into Lau Pa Sat,
the old food market in the middle of the city .
Tanya's drawings of architectural details at Lau Pa Sat, built in
1894.
'It is apparently a tourist attraction of sorts,' Tanya tells me,
'even though the food is (a) not that great and (b) overpriced.'
But should we believe her? Tanya says that Singaporeans are renowned
for complaining about just about everything. No wonder
she and I get along so well.
I've never been to Singapore, but if we did ever make it to Australia,
I'd want to stopover there. 
Tanya's Chinese name
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