The Lewes Launch of Home Farm

The Lewes launch for Home Farm was on the 31st January at the Elephant and Castle pub in Lewes; the pub has a lovely upstairs room for events. On the morning of the 31st there was a forecast of heavy snow with a 98% probability it would fall that evening beginning just as the event was due to start! Throughout the day there were phone calls and emails from guests apologising because of the weather, worried because they would have to drive on country roads and in darkness. But the show must go on even if only one person makes it. So cakes were baked, the slide show of pictures from the farm loaded up to play on the large screen at the front of the room, boxes of books set up to sell, and fewer rows of seats put out in rows....

At seven a few people arrived. The snow had begun as light driftings of tiny flakes. At ten past seven a few more guests arrived and soon there was a steady flow of people coming up the stairs and then the room was full and we put out the rest of the chairs. At 7.30 my friend, the wonderful poet, Maria Jastrzębska made the introductions and I read with the farm pictures playing behind me. The curtains were drawn over the windows so we didn't know what was happening outside. At 9pm as people left to go home I drew back the curtains —thick snow had fallen on the sloping road outside and was still falling....

Clicking on the link below takes you to some more images of the event.