I loved the way Roald Dahl described his daily routine.
It went something like this: Up about 8am and my wife brings me breakfast in bed 5 days out of 7, the other two days I get it (equitable enough I suppose), read The Times, up and bath, then to the writing shed in the apple orchard at 10, two hours work and in for a G&T and lunch, a wee repose and some betting on the nags, tea and up for 2 more hours writing, back in at 5 for a whisky and dinner with a splash of claret.
Now that’s the life for me!
And he lived in an idyllic English country town with all the idyllic English country town thing going on. You know the quaint cottages, sublime pubs, butchers shops selling Old Spot and all that forever England stuff.
He did come across as a bit of a rum chap mind and seemed acutely intelligent. Nice with it too.
Lovely life if you can get it I suppose. But he made the very interesting point that a main part of his success was the routine of just writing and getting down to it basically. Obviously he had his fair share of ability and all that, but it had to be eked out.
Anyway that’s the life for me I think. Ok I would probably choose the Cotswolds over Buckinghamshire but it would be the same old world idyll. Away from the trammelling world to be lost in childish imagination and beauty and books and beer.
But I’m letting my imagination get away with me here.
Anyway, hope to see some of you down at Cheltenham next week.
I’ll be hanging out in The Hollowbottom as usual.
And I can’t see beyond Allaho and Minella Indo by the way. But don’t bet your house on it.
Especially after my recent form.