Tomorrow afternoon (Saturday) I’ll be at my usual base in the Belgrave/Victoria area, just behind the station. I have a booking at 1.30pm for an hour. If you’re free either just before (say maybe 12pm) or maybe just after (3pm), how about popping over for a roll in the proverbial hay? It’s been a bloody miserable day today weather-wise and I know what would lift my spirits this weekend.*wink*

Everybody who knows me knows how much I love reading. And just a warning that this will be a long one, so please dismiss if you’re not into reading like me.

I can’t remember what my first book was, something Peter and Jane-like. Remember those? One of my earliest memories though is my primary school teacher giving me a library card to the school library and telling me she’s “leaving me to it, there’s nothing more that I can teach you”.

I have my favourite childhood books. Enid Blyton’s The Famous Five and The Secret Seven. Fantastic! What a world to escape into. Those books left me on such tenterhooks that when the light went out and I was supposed to be asleep, I would either read by the landing light via the small window at the top of my bedroom door, or I’d use the light from my sister’s toy projector. No wonder my eyes are knackered,lol.

The “whodunnit” genre would follow me into my late teens and early adulthood, where I would read a lot of Agatha Christie. My all-time favourite in her stable is Murder On The Orient Express. I much preferred Hercule Poirot to Miss Marple, and David Suchet’s portrayal was exactly who I had in my mind’s eye when reading one of her mysteries. I didn’t think Joan Hickson was what I had in mind as far as my image of Miss Marple went, but then I saw an old black and white movie with Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple and I thought “That’s who Miss Marple is”. She was brilliant.

I also read a lot of Sidney Sheldon, Arthur Hailey, Barbara Taylor-Bradford, Jackie Collins, to name but a few. My tastes were pretty eclectic back then. I’d even read Jacqueline Susann’s Valley of The Dolls, but I didn’t get it. It was years later that I understood that the title was in reference to drugs and pills.

And (she pauses) I admit, I still read my share of “fluffy” books. I must’ve read hundreds of Mills & Boon, ‘though I cringe when I think back now. I think I just read them because some of them were more racier than others, for me they were bordering on porn: “Her soft golden beauty was captured by the low candlelight, her breath caught in her heaving chest as she felt the hands of Blaine cupped around her bosom, whilst she felt his manhood aching to be sprung free from the confines of his britches…..” Oh my goodness, I’m wetting myself laughing whilst I’m writing that. I can’t believe I read all those. At least my defence was that I was a teenager. Not something I can imagine reading as a “grown-up”.

*Sigh* (as she wipes the tears of laughter from her eyes).  The books I love to read now are a far cry from my days of Mills and Boon and indeed, Catherine Cookson. Now that was stout, fulsome reading. I loved reading her books, my favourite back then being her series of The Mallen Clan.

But my genre of the moment is more sinister now. I love reading Crime books, either physical (where you read all about the gory details) or physcological (where the author leaves it to you to come up with your own nightmares,lol). My three favourite authors of the moment are Tess Gerritsen, Karin Slaughter and Mo Hayder. I wet my knickers whenever I hear or see that they’ve just published a new book. I pop into my local bookshop when I’m out and I have a quick scan of their “new bestsellers” section, just to make sure that I haven’t missed a new publication.

But (and I know this sounds a little odd) sometimes it can get a bit heavy going reading about constant blood and gore and serial killings, so I like to intersperse my reading with some light fluff. I’ve just bought Julian Clary’s Murder Most Fab, which looks absolutely hilarious, and I reckon I’ll be reading that soon. I always thought he was very funny, quick-witted and sharp, so that should be reflected in this book.

There’s one author I never thought I’d catch myself reading, and that’s Ken Follet. I’m not into spy novels. I did try with Day of The Jackel by Fredrick Forsyth and although I did like it, I found that it wasn’t for me. But Ken Follet has stepped away from his usual spy thrillers and penned a couple of books; The Pillars of the Earth and the follow up World Without End.

I’d bought Pillars of The Earth on a recommendation from the Oprah Winfrey Show where she has a book club. I was in Florida with the family and I’d seen there was sale on some paperbacks. Far as I was concerned that was a sign to buy it,lol. I started reading it when I got back from our holiday, and I couldn’t put it down. Who thought such treachery and duplicity could go on in a church?!

I’m waiting for the right moment to start World Without End. It’s a buggar of a hardback and it’ll take some carrying around when I want a read on the train. But I can’t wait to start it.

Published with permission from client.

I had a wonderful booking this afternoon with a client who’s registered blind.

Inbetween the throes of passion, we took a five minute break for a breather. We started talking about the sensitve issues regarding the able-bodied helping the disabled. In the street, shops, anywhere. He mentioned that whilst it’s always nice to be asked by an able-bodied person whether or not he needs help, it seems some kind-hearted souls sometimes go a little too far.

Like when Mike (name changed to protect his blushes) would be standing at a kerb corner and somebody asking if he would like help crossing the road. And before he could protest he would be whisked across to the other side of the road. Said kind-hearted soul would probably be walking away, happy at completing his good deed for the day, whilst Mike would then be left to have to make his way back across the road to wait for that taxi he was just about to hail.

I laughed when he told me this. It conjured up those Loony Tunes cartoon when scouts would try and help the little old lady across the road, and she’d whack them across the head with her umbrella because now she couldn’t get back to where she wanted to be. I didn’t think things like really happened. Isn’t it such a cliche? But then cliches are such for a reason aren’t they? They were borne from an original situation or idea that has been much over-used or parodied.

*Sigh*. Well, that was my laugh of the day.

Now that I haven’t broken my site and my webmistress is still talking to me, may I tentatively say hello and welcome to what will be, my ramblings.

I really do hope you enjoy what I’ve got to say. Please feel free to leave any comments you may have. You will have to register first I’m afraid. It’s necessary to keep out the spammers that like to frequent blogs of any kind.

Are any of the lovelies still about that used to remember me way back as Buxom Brandy? Do you remember when I retired for oooh….about 6 weeks, then came back,lol. Actually that would’ve been exactly two years ago now.  Well, things never quite worked out at home the way they were supposed to, so I’ve been back for the past two years as Kinky LaRue. Still gorgeous, still sexy and still kinky,lol. “Next time” I’ll just disappear into a rather voluptuous puff of smoke.

If I have any announcements to make of any kind, plus make sure to check here first. I’ll post them here as well as an announcement on the home page. My latest tour will be a flying stop at Heathrow in October. More of that later on in the month.

I’m already bursting at the seams to start rambling. So next time you have a peruse, make sure you’re settled with a cuppa.