Yesterday I returned to somewhere which holds a special place in my affections – the Crown Hotel in Boroughbridge, North Yorkshire. This is where, almost 23 years ago, the inaugural meeting of the Northern Chapter of the CWA was held. And our latest lunch took place there on a day of marvellous sunshine. Numbers were down from the usual levels, no doubt due to the competing demands of the World Cup, the One Day Cricket International, Wimbledon and Glastonbury (well, maybe not Glastonbury) but as usual it was a convivial occasion.
The convenor of the Chapter is Roger Forsdyke, whose debut novel I covered in this blog some time ago, and it was great to see his predecessor, Peter Walker, in rude health, along with his wife Rhoda. I shall always be grateful for the kindness that the Walkers showed to me when I was a newcomer in the crime writing world.
Among the topics of conversation were the CWA anthology and a possible week-end symposium for Northern crime writers. I was seated with John Dean, the CWA’s Press Officer, and Christine Poulson, the Membership Secretary, both of whom are very agreeable companions. I did take a photo of Chrissie to accompany this post, but Blogger's image upload facility is defeating me at present, so I shall have to keep it for another occasion!
The splendid food was served with great speed and efficiency, no doubt reflecting the staff’s eagerness to watch the World Cup match between England and Germany. I raced back home in the hope of catching the second half on TV. However, the M62 was closed, so I did not arrive home until after the final whistle. But given England’s abject performance, perhaps it was just as well.
Martin - Glad you had such an enjoyable time. It's always nice, isn't it, to go back to places where one's got a special connection.
ReplyDeleteYeah, England did not do well... nor did Mexico for that matter. Both were robbed a goal!
ReplyDeleteI can't wait until you post those pics.
CD
Well, if you suffer from high blood pressure, it probably was well. I actually watched that match (as I plan to write something about it), and though it was quite fair that Germany won, I can understand if some Englishmen want to use the referee in a horror story.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments. Dorte, I'm afraid it's true that, despite the disputed goal, Germany were better than England. And even if England had won, I don't think they would have made further progress. The players' mindset was wrong.
ReplyDeleteGood to see you, too, at the lunch, Martin. I also remember the first CWA meeting I went to - Beverley, 2002 - and the wonderful warmth of the welcome.
ReplyDeleteChrissie