I spent the day in Oxford a while ago doing a short interview at Radio Oxford about my book TITIAN’S BOATMAN. It went very well in the sense that I did not make a complete idiot of myself and kept talking. Nick Piercey was lovely but even so the levels of adrenaline these things bring out in me are akin to the time I jumped out of a plane with a parachute on my back. So the relief of it being over meant that I then ran amok in the Bodleian shop in the Broad. A shameful example of behaving like a tourist in the town of my birth.
First up this lovely bar of chocolate. I actually prefer dark, dark chocolate preferably 85% but I couldn’t resist this one for obvious reasons. Next time anyone asks me about WRITER’S BLOCK I will say, ‘Oh, it’s delicious. It’s luxurious … I wish it was darker but I eat it whenever I can …’
Is there any chocolate left in it do you think?
I like writing related consumables and have come across WRITER’S TEARS (not sold in the Bodleian shop) which is a whiskey. The packaging makes the tear look rather cheerful. It would be nice if there was only one and it was this lovely orange colour. Interesting how anything writing related seems to be about the downsides rather than the upsides. I wonder why that is?
Fancy some writer’s tears. No neither do I!
Second up from the shop this postcard of the oath you have to swear when joining the Bodleian. I must have sworn this myself a long time ago but have absolutely no recollection of doing so. I particularly like the bit about not setting fires and it’s interesting to see the word ‘kindle’ in there.
I swore this a while ago. I like the presence of the word ‘kindle’ here.
Third, a selection of beautiful bookmarks and also a turquoise leather notebook. Along with having a bad 85% chocolate habit I also have a very bad stationery habit. I couldn’t resist this one. Nostalgia, the memories of childhood home – the usual sentimental guff I’m afraid. When will I realise that a beautiful notebook is not going to make it all any easier. Probably when I’m laid out in my coffin.
Finally books. I’ve been doing a bit of research on the early days of the Bodleian and both these were perfect.
So there we are. The website says, “Take a treasure home today!” Well, I did didn’t I? A sack load of the stuff!
victoria blake 
I think keeping talking AND not making a complete idiot of yourself is something rare these days. Well done! Xxx
Phil Welton Check out: The Kismet Collective on Facebook page and SoundCloud River Garage Studio on Facebook page
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Thanks Phil I hope that was the case because I couldn’t bring myself to listen back!
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Parachuting!
I must get that chocolate next time I’m in Oxford (which is not that often).
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For a woman who does not like milk chocolate that much I whizzed through it in a nano second. It’s worth it for the moment my partner says ‘How’s it going?’ – the writing that is – and I can say ‘Fine – I’ve been eating my writers block. The parachuting was a mistake. I still feel the cold in the ankle I broke!
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Great haul! Makes me want to visit Oxford…
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Hi Madame Bibi – yes I felt like I had a lovely large bag of swag. Actually I’m fractionally better at talking on the radio to talking to large groups of people because it’s one to one and you can kind of pretend that no one is there other than the person interviewing you. Visit soon – Oxford has some very nice bookshops!
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Parachuting??
Chocolate, Whiskey, Stationery … sounds like every artist’s dream, well mine in any case! Well worth the occasional block.
Great well done for braving the airwaves!
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There’s a very stomach lurching moment when the light round the mike goes from red to green. Well, I think it was that way round and then you are on air … or in my case babbling like a loon!
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Pish Tosh, I’m sure not!!
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Brilliant marketing. And you had fun.
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I did have fun! It’s a fantastic shop.
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You jumped out of a plane…And there I was thinking you were (fairly) normal (for a writer), I thought Writer’s Tears would have been more gin-based…:)
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Fortunately whiskey gives me a blinding headache if I even look at a bottle otherwise I’d be sorely tempted! The plane jumping was a mistake …..
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What fun and clever gifties! I love the writer’s block and the writer’s tears!
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Me too!
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Well done for the interview – it would terrify me, I think! And some great treasures, I too have a stationery habit, maybe it’s a writer thing – interesting point about the writer souvenirs being negative ones…I may have to introduce a pledge to our libraries just like this one 🙂
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Reading about the early days of the Bodleian it sounds amazing that anyone studied there at all especially in the winter because they were so terrified of fire there was no heating. I think they also had to stand to read manuscripts that were chained to the shelves. I don’t think I’d have lasted long!
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