How's that for an unexpected picture?

Catherine Sampson is my daughter-in-law, wife of James-the-Elder in Beijing. FOA is her first book, published last year. (Hand on heart: it's good. It's published by Macmillan, and it's available in the States too.) Yesterday morning we got a message from China (from James, not Cathy) to say that the cheap edition was being launched so in the afternoon after our lunch party I sent my husband up to the bookstores on George Street with the camera. I used to think that three-for-two was the bookstore's way of offloading books they couldn't otherwise get rid of, but that is apparently not so. It is a great boost to sales if you are selected.

She has delivered book two to the publishers, but I know no more -- neither what it is called or when it will be out or whether she has a further contract.

My mother had a modest success writing thrillers ("detective stories", they were called in those days) in the 40's and early 50's. Hers was a difficult, depressive, mistrusting character and she missed out thereby on a lot of the joy family life might have brought her. I so wish she had lived to see this. She would have been delighted by Cathy's success, without complication or reservation.

James has bought the domain name catherinesampson.com for future use.

We had a nice lunch. Our recent purchase occupies a lot of space, at the moment, in boxes in the dining room (well away from the leaky part of the ceiling). Our guest, a publisher, said "Ah! Cook & Wedderburn!", although those words do not appear on the spines.

I spoke to Mrs Carson yesterday, and can only hope that things are in hand upstairs. I want to get back to my vegetables (and grass-cutting) next week. We can't sit around forever waiting for water to come through the ceiling.

Anyway, knitting.

I did a bit more Clapotis, and reached the first ladder. Great fun. Tonight I'll have to sew those buttons on.

I had a nice note from Marilyn, in the form however of one of those comments that I can't reply to. Hi! Marilyn, and thanks.