Autobiographies..

..I had a brochure today from the Daphne duMaurier Festival, held every May in Fowey. and they have a couple of sessions for people who want to write their autobiography.. .. sounds like a fun idea, then you think about all the odds and sods you find nostalgic and sweet and realise that whilst they are fondly remembered yourself, they are to others, just that..odds and sods of a single existence. 

My Mum & step-dad had friends once who ran a Children's Home, came to Mousehole shark fishing with Phil, and had met a lot of people along the way...he and Phil laughed about so many stories, and the guy said he would one day write them down in a book.. called 'Words Fail Me'   I often think of it, and I'm sure if he were here today, in the 21st century with all it's red tape and political correctness he would have several more volumes to add!

My Col came up with a great title for his own book if he were to write it...and for those who know him, (now or have known him when he worked as a diver or with all things marine and engineering), I'm sure you'd see the double meaning in 'In Too Deep' 

He doesn't do much in halves and throws himself in deep to discover all he needs to know about something.  I guess a few times he has found himself up to his neck in smelly stuff, whether that's the real stuff working on a sewer outfall or some grim ship off India, or just promising the world to a customer, but only being able to deliver the odd continent or two!

And as for taking on me and two kids, he certainly had his hands full, but as always with a big smile and a positive head-on he ploughed on and made things happen... even if much later he admitted that the one thing he had underestimated was the dog!

Anyways, back to the festival... we've been a couple of times, but to see the least literary of the events.. one year Al Murray and another year Suzi Quatro...well creative in their own rights I guess and using 'Literary Festival' in its broadest sense maybe.  Suzi was so good, I think she'd just turned 60, still a big personality in a small package. Col's Dad said his face hurt from smiling so much, it was a good night!

This year the Stranglers are the token 'pop' offering, but not sure if we'll go.

As for biographies, one of my 'jobs to do' entails deciphering lots of pencil written notes in a note book, written by my Mum's Dad when he was in Africa during the First World War. he was a teacher and thinker by nature and must have found it hard to go to war, some of the bits I have read so far make me think of the Tom Hanks character from Private Ryan.