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2006

June began in a blaze of sunshine and an excess of foxgloves. The hedges are full of flowers and the ground in places is like a medieval tapestry with tiny flowers of stonecrop and stitchwort. As the grass grows long the grasshoppers have begun to sing, or maybe I have just found time to notice them, and tiny blue butterflies are thrown about in the breeze, scattered like jewels in a waving sea of green. Its amazing what you notice with a heavy deadline looming.

The excitement for all of us in June has been to be invited to the Red House Children's Book Awards. Tom and Hannah came as representatives of the West Wales Children Book Group and I filled in for the missing authors, like the wonderful Eoin Colfer, who was in America. I'm not saying that the tube journey was the most exciting part of the day, but it was great to be able to prove to my kids that I could navigate my way around the underground, despite the closed lines and chaos. And in a reverse of "Alice in Wonderland" we came out of the underground and up the elevator into the magic of the Rooftop restaurant and garden in Kensington.

Above is a picture of Hannah in Wonderland complete with flamingoes in the background.

The place was abuzz with excited children and thronged with authors and publicist and publishers and journalists.

Hannah and Tom and Emily and Jenna from our West Wales group had the honour of presenting Jacqueline Wilson and Nick Sharratt with their award. I think Emily and Jenna enjoyed their day too. They were sat at a table with Robert Muchamore, who won the category for the longer novels, and whose book Tom loved, though I was given to understand that my children were unusually quiet.

I had the great pleasure of meeting Justin Somper, until recently famous for raising the profile of the Alex Rider books, much loved by children and adults, and whose book "Vampirates" I bought for Tom a couple of days before, and which Tom is now devouring with great enthusiasm.

And meanwhile the overall prize was won by the gorgeous Simon James for his book "Baby Brains" which we first heard and saw at Swansea Festival. I think Simon is now suffering back problems having been photographed with so many children.

After all this excitement coming home to Wales has been a quiet affair and settling back into work quite hard. Days of calm seas led me to think of going off for a quiet row in a Cornish gig with a few friends but the reality of Monday evenings row was more of a lesson in survival at sea, with huge waves in a black sea, but we made it back to dry land and I still ache from rowing.

The sunshine comes and goes, the seals will soon be gathering and there are bats flying round the garden tonight.

In amongst all the exciting trips away and visiting leopards and Italy I have managed to do some work, including the cover for the poetry book. Unfortunately the publishers want an image from The Owl and The Pussycat on the cover, and having sent off a package with lots of artwok for the book I am still waiting to hear whether it has arrived safely or gone on an exciting adventure of its own. I also managed to put together black and white roughs for the snow leopard book, but now have a head full of pirates and the desire to write a novel.

23rd June

After all the excitement of travelling around it has been good to settle back into being in one place.

The seals are indeed beginning to gather and the meadowsweet is holding its flowers in tight white fists of white perfume, ready to fill the air.

I have done little but paint and walk for two weeks. The Snow Leopard dummy book has gone away to America to an American book fair and I am worried for it and hoping it does well and that it meets with a positive response.

Had a lovely day in Aberystwyth with school children from all over Wales. I showed them a presentation on the Seal Children and they performed for the National round of the Children's Books Competition. I was very proud that schools from Pembrokeshire came first and second, though really all the children were brilliant, and Aberystwyth Arts Centre is a wonderful place with a fantastic bookshop.

The rest of June will be spent with my nose to a drawing board and the occasional time out on the beach watching the waves.