Patricia Sands

Author

ForeWord 2010 Book Of The Year Finalist

Mission accomplished!

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With reference to my last post about making choices, missing golf, and other assorted moans, it took me all week but I got the job done!

Clearing the mountain of paper, books, files and assorted flotsam and jetsam off my desk took longer than I expected. Sorting through the piles (which resulted in several “So that’s where that went … ” moments), organizing an enormous collection of business cards, filing papers and information  appropriately, and … um … making yet another “to do” list finally led to this.

I decided not to post after last Tuesday until I could show you the final result. Ta Daaaaa!

There was a desk under that mountain of stuff, after all!
There was a desk under that mountain of stuff, after all!

I had chocolate to celebrate!

I don’t always write in here as I like to take my laptop into other rooms when the spirit moves me, or out to the terrace. This is Control Central though, when I am in Toronto, and it’s been unrecognizable for several months as I copped out and simply piled everything into a frightening, sloppy mess. Seriously. I don’t know why I did that. I just did!

I’m feeling much better now.

It’s so much easier to focus on writing without that haunting image playing constantly in the back of my mind.

Have you ever let all your paperwork get completely out of hand or are you always organized? I’m seriously going to attempt the latter from now on. How do you do it?

Thank you/Merci beaucoup!

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I’m dashing out the door to meet with my editor but want to say an enormous

THANK YOU

to all the readers and supporters who responded to The Bridge Club as Book Of The Day yesterday on eReaderNews. 

The Bridge Club shot up to #4 on Amazon’s Movers and Shakers/Digital Text! Woohoo! Thanks a million, everyone!

 

À la plage … to the beach!

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If it’s Friday, it must be France …

Pour yourself a favourite summertime beverage and cool off with a visit to a few of my favourite beaches in the south of France .

Going to the beach on the Côte D’Azur is as much about the setting and scenery as anything else … and …bien sûr … food, of course … scrumptious seafood at the beach restaurants and super yummy baguette sandwiches and frites served from Le Truck or Le Snack or Le Whatever at the public beaches. Maybe it was the sea air or we were just lucky but we were never disappointed!

The beaches to the east of Antibes are pebble and take some getting used to. To the west, they are sand. Everywhere the beautiful Mediterranean cools you down. Although the beaches in my photos may look busy, there are countless secluded coves offering peaceful escape. I’ll save those for another post.

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Where is your favourite beach? Is it nearby or a bit of a hike? On a hot day would the beach or an ice cream be your first choice to cool down? Here’s to finding a pleasing way to stay cool in this long hot summer!

A Gold Medal Winner!

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It it’s Friday, it must be France …

During the next two weeks there will be many gold medals awarded at the Olympic Games in London, England.

As I was making my favourite dessert for a dinner party the other evening, I was watching  previews about the Games. It occurred to me that the crème brulée

Photo courtesy of FoodNetwork.com

I was preparing was more than worthy of a gold medal. I first tasted this dessert in France more years ago than I care to remember and if it’s on a menu I’m a goner. It took a while to find just the right recipe to prepare at home. Oo-la-la! I’m not the greatest dessert-maker but this recipe is foolproof.

Here’s the recipe I swear by from FoodNetwork.com. Bon appetit!

To what recipe would you award a gold medal? Were you watching the Opening Ceremonies for the 2012 London Olympics this afternoon, like I was? Here’s the link to the website for schedules and news about all the events. Are you inspired by the amazing athletes each time the Olympics come around? Although I appreciate their tremendous talent and don’t miss any of the competitions ( let’s hear it for Tivo!), even more so I love hearing the stories of their personal journeys. I’m not a big television watcher but I’ll be glued to the Games for the next two weeks. Will you?