These last few days have been so cram packed with loads of exciting things with varying degrees of “oh my goodness” – There’s the one with the sharp intake of breath followed by a loud exclamation of “oh my goodness”, then there is the one where “oh my goodness” is repeated quickly in succession and accompanied by loads of hand flapping and we can’t possibly forget the “oh my goodness” with a mild case of hyperventilation thrown in for good measure!
… And the cause of all this excitement: My book has come out. It is officially available in bookstores in New Zealand and Australia. When it all started just over a year ago I said I wouldn’t believe it until I had a copy in my hands. But holding it in my hands still didn’t make it seem real enough, so I told myself I wouldn’t believe it until I saw it in the shops, and I’ve done that and I still have trouble getting my head around it, so now I think I just need someone to pinch me to prove it’s not some kind of dream I’ll wake up from in about 8 hours.
But it is all official. One of our local bookstores put it out four days early and we got the shock of our lives to see great stacks sitting on the table beside other esteemed authors. I was gobsmacked! Of course I took a photo – it seemed like the right thing to do.
Then we had the official book launch and it was such a lovely party. It wasn’t in some swanky establishment with people wafting about schmoozing. It was where is should be – in the garden that made the book possible. And the continuing drought and hot temperatures for once became a blessing as they helped make the garden the best venue for the greatest book launch – garden party I’d ever been to. Having said that I’ve never been to any other book launch – garden parties before.
As the book had its origins in a blogging competition where voting was required and often achieved through shameless cajoling of my nearest and dearest friends and family, it made sense to have them amongst the guests of this grand doo. The book is a family affair and so the launch invitation was extended to entire families and it does my heart good to see the garden alive with throngs of happy kids running about freely against the backdrop of a setting sun – long past the bed times of most of them.
Glasses were clinked and bubbles drank, and everyone who helped this book come into being was thanked, and the warmest, most genuine hugs were shared, and as the evening wore on strategically placed fairy lights sprung to life as the sun disappeared and the most amazing star-scape appeared in the cloudless night sky and the book aside, it was the most wonderful party we had hosted in such a long time.
The morning arrived with little chance for fragile heads to warm up gently… the “oh my goodness-ing” got another opportunity to show another version of itself as the glossy lifestyle section of one of the country’s largest newspapers had an article about me and the book. I knew it was coming, but didn’t realise it would have a full page picture of me (I’m not all that good with photos of myself) and the whole thing was spread over three pages! Luckily I can share it with you >HERE<
But yesterday wasn’t about me or the book; we attended the most beautiful garden wedding where our friends were also blessed with the kind of day only a drought can provide. Such a lovely couple. And now as the sun sets over my garden, I can look out from where I have exhaustedly draped myself and ponder just how blessed I am with my garden.
Come again soon – I still need to get out there and do stuff – the tomatoes need picking and things need watering, there is a drought on you know…
Sarah the Gardener : o )
Who is Clive Cussler? 🙂 Sam said after the book launch ” I know what Sarah’s book will say; Eat your veges!” Lol Congrats again buddy
Hi Mel. It was a fantastic party with the most amazing company.
Cheers S : o ) x
Congratulations!!! I am going to march into our local and demand to buy a copy. If they don’t have it I will order it in 🙂 I am dead chuffed for you! Drought and all. Drought is obviously a good thing in N.Z. here in Tassie it has knobs on but I am so glad the weather held out for your fantastic 3 days of celebrations :). You completely deserve it because you are the most generous blogger around and your site is a wealth of information for us all. Consider yourself pinched by the way for both the book AND the first of the month! 😉
Hi Fran. Thank you so much for your lovely support. I hope you can get hold of the book, if not I hope to have a paypal button put on my website (sarahthegardener,co,nz). Let me know how you get on.
With all the fuss and excitement the garden – which should be the focus of it all – has become somewhat neglected. But I hope to fix that tomorrow, starting with a decent watering. Rain can’t be that far away surely?!
Have a great week and good luck with those pumpkins.
Cheers Sarah : o )
I did the pumpkins and they were surprisingly a lot of fun after I worked out what I was doing. We have been told that there isn’t any rain on our Tassie horizons till next month! Our entire garden is limping along now and we are spot watering to try to keep it all alive but 4 acres is a whole lot of “garden” and some of the poor trees are really starting to suffer. When pittosporums have saggy leaves you know it’s getting desperate.
Congratulations! Soak it in.
Thank you so much, it is so exciting but at the same time quite scary. I guess that combination makes it exhilarating!
Cheers Sarah : o )
I love the thought of sun and tomatoes! It’s snowing here and the temperature is -1, but I’ve planned my sweat peas and chillies. I have so enjoyed reading your blogg, it’s keep me going through the dark winter months. here in England. Good luck with the book.
Hi Dorcas, It will soon be my turn to be inspired by northern blogs during our dark months, although at the moment it is hard to imagine being cold or wet. Thank you for your kind words.
Cheers Sarah : o )
Congratulations on your book. Wonderful news
Thank you so much Jean. : o )
Congratulations Sarah and Hubby the Un-gardener, who clearly had an important role in ensuring the blog material wasn’t lost in the ether somewhere. Through the Herald article I have just become aware of your whole story. You are one amazing family!
Hi there. Thank you so much. The Herald story was pretty cool, however sometimes when you are just going through life, doing what you do, you don’t stop and think too much about it until someone points it out. I guess that why I can’t believe the whole thing because it has come out of us just doing what we do. Having said that – I love the book, I think it looks amazing.
Cheers Sarah : o )
Congratulations! Well done! Very happy for you 🙂
Hi there. Thank you ever so much for your kind words.
Cheers Sarah : o )
Congrats! And well-deserved…
Thank you so much.
Wow!!! Seeing your own book on the shelves of a bookshop – what an amazing feeling that must be. Well done and many congratulations.
Hi there. It’s a weird feeling to see your own book in a bookshop, but amazing at the same time!
Thanks so much for your support.
Cheers Sarah : o )
BRAVA!! I’ve let my friends on Paraparaumu Beach know!
Thanks Cheryl.