Bonjour from France!

I’ve learned that the French have a marvelous way with food, wine and perfume, all three of which I’ve indulged in since arriving in Paris from London.

I found my first yarn shop, too, and because of their reduced inventory after my visit, soon there will be several hundred naked sheep wandering the French hillsides.

Am looking forward to meeting my French editor on Wednesday, and then I’ll be heading home after a fabulous European tour.

In the UK they say “brilliant” instead of wonderful.  I’m having a brilliant time here in London.  I met with my U.K.publisher and visited their offices in Surrey.  Today was the Stitch and Craft Show in Olympia, which was fabulous.  I was surprised at the number of people acquainted with me and my books and was delighted to find the auditorium where I spoke to be standing-room only. 

At the Craft Show I was surprised to find possum yarn (a blend of wool and possum fur) and immediately purchased several skeins.  I was first introduced to possum yarn when I visited New Zealand and have been searching for it ever since.   More so than knitting, the hottest thing at the show was needlepoint.

Last night I was treated to the play The Sound of Music.  I’ve seen it many times, but this production was truly brilliant.  It was so well produced that I had tears in my eyes many times. 

Tomorrow I'll be on the Eurostar (underground train) on my way to Paris for a few days of fun.  I’m so looking forward to that!

I’m enjoying Ireland just as much as I thought I would.  This isn’t my first visit to the Emerald Isle, but I did experience a first:  my first Irish coffee!

I also had my first international phone call using my Blackberry.  As usual, nothing is as easy as it seems.  I was in such a rush to get ready for my trip that I didn’t follow through on the international calling details I needed to complete, so of course my phone would not work when I reached Ireland.  I was finally able to get in touch with a phone tech, who immediately knew that I had not read my manual.  I promised I would do phone summer school—whatever it took—to get it working.  He made it happen, so I guess I’m going to summer school.  And can you guess where this phone tech was located?  Nope, not in Ireland—he was in Albuquerque, NM!

Even though I’m enjoying myself, this is a business trip, so I’ve been meeting wholesalers and signing stock.  I’ve met some wonderful people, and it was exciting to meet members of the international press. 

There was a wonderful shop right around the corner from my hotel that sold hand knit sweaters, and they had a bit of yarn, too, but that’s all I’ve found so far.  I’m hoping for more opportunities in London, which is my next stop.

I spent an incredible four days at Mt. Hermon Christian Writers conference this past weekend.  It was a fabulous experience and I would recommend it to any writer.  I must have been more tired than I realized when packing for this trip.  Mind you, this is a FOUR-day conference, and I packed three pairs of shoes, nine books, two knitting projects, underwear, pajamas, and only one extra set of clothes!

For my three evening speaking engagements, (shared with Dr. Jerry Jenkins of the Left Behind series fame) I ended up borrowing clothes for each night .  There is nothing more humbling than begging clothes off of complete strangers!  To poke a little fun at myself, I did a little modeling act, saying “clothes by” and named the generous person who loaned me their jacket for that evening.  Trust me, I’m packing a lot more carefully for my European trip .

My head is spinning, and, unfortunately, it isn’t always in the right direction.  Yesterday Wayne and I flew from Florida to Washington State.  Half away across the continent I leaned over and asked Wayne if he had the keys to the house.  He gave me one of his dubious looks that said of course he did. 

I reminded him it’d been three months since we left Port Orchard, and I wasn’t sure where my house key was.  As it turned out, he thought I meant Florida, and I was talking about our Washington home.   So we landed without a way into our house.  Added to that, we completely forgot we don’t have a car here, either!  It made for an interesting return, but fear not, all is well.  We slept in our own beds, and I rediscovered that I don’t like driving Wayne’s truck.

We were out on the Indian River again last night with two sets of dear friends.  We stumbled upon such a sight that it still gives me chills just to think about it.  We saw a manatee swimming.  Manatees aren’t uncommon in Florida; in fact, a couple of weeks ago I saw four of them off the dock at Joan Johnston’s house near St. Petersburg.  However, this is the first time I’ve ever seen a manatee in open water swimming.  They are such graceful, loveable creatures and awe inspiring to simply watch.

On our drive home from Naples, Florida on Sunday, Wayne and I decided to head for the Everglades.  We’ve taken the Interstate through Alligator Alley before, but one doesn’t really see much.  This time we took Highway 41, which skirts the Everglades.  We stopped a couple of times and saw alligators, fish, and more species of birds than we could count or recognize.  What an awesome way to end our weekend with good friends.

On Saturday we’re taking off to visit our friends, Joan and Bob McKeon (check out the dedication for Back on Blossom Street).  Joan and I are like twins separated at birth:  We both love the Lord and knit like fiends.  In addition, we’re charter members of the frequent eaters club.  Between talking about yarn, sharing recipes, and deciding where we’ll go out to eat, I imagine the weekend will fly by.  Wayne and I are grateful to have friends like Joan and Bob and Tink and Renelle in our lives.

We had a thunder and lightening storm last night that rivals just about anything I’ve ever seen.  The sky lit up with one giant flash after another with thunder so horrendous it set off car alarms in the parking lot.  Our friends, Tink and Renelle, are visiting from Washington State.  Renelle and I sat in the dark room and watched and cheered God’s amazing hand.  One thing is sure—I don’t want to do anything to strike the ire of God.  His hand in awesome.

I was part of a video shoot all day yesterday, which is a whole lot different than a photo shoot.  I taped five different videos, each between 30 seconds and two minutes in length.  Thankfully, I worked with an incredible crew that made the process almost painless.

The exciting part is, if you’re traveling through the Los Angeles Airport in the early part of June, one of those videos will be playing on the airport monitors!  Another one will be up on the Borders Books website (but I don’t know when).  If you get a chance, check it out, and if you do, pay special attention to the make-up.  They brought in a make-up artist and I’ve never looked so good.  In fact, I probably won’t wash my face for a week.

My walking partner, Martha Powers, and I, walked on the track for the first time this winter.  Martha has had a number of health issues, and between my travel schedule and her doctor appointments, it took us until March to finally get in our two-mile trek.  It was a joy to see her again.  In and out of the hospital, Martha’s one complaint, after spending a total of a week there, walking the halls and riding the elevators, not once did she find the cocktail lounge!