Adventures in a (mainly) Wonderful World
September-Back-to-School-Bumper-Edition
Dearest Everyone,
Warning: this is a longer read than I would ideally like to bring to your inbox. But if you decide to go on the reading adventure, I hope you like the view. It’s packed with events you might be interested in coming to – from book festivals to book clubs, conferences to cabarets. (And on the latter - I’ll be appearing on the pavement cabaret stage at the York Rise Street Festival today at 1pm along with some other local writers – if you’re a north London neighbour come on down!)
Introducing: Save Me From The Waves - The Adventure Retreat
So… I want to start by telling you about something EXTRA SPECIAL. I’ve recently launched my first ever in person adventure retreats in association with SwimQuest Holidays. Cue picture by the wonderful artist Sam Mould:
There are two options to choose from – three days in Scotland in December (brrr) or a week on Formentera in May (ahhh) - so you can choose your adventure depending on whether you like long or short / hot or cold (personally I adore both). In fact these retreats, which I am co-leading with SwimQuest Founder Alice Todd, are going to embody everything I am and love. Part creative journey; part sea to summit challenge; part soulful wellness retreat – it will be a unique and unforgettable experience that will be an adventure in itself. It won’t be like anything you’ve ever done or probably will do anywhere else.
It's something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. And there’s a long(ish) story about how this all came about which I wrote to my Big and Brave Family about a few weeks ago (fyi my Big and Brave Family is my paid community on Substack and they got priority booking to the retreats before anyone else. I’ve now made that post free to read here if you’re interested in the background). And excitingly (embarrassingly?), I am writing to you, my wider subscriber list, at a point in which the first retreat in Scotland is sold out. And the week long retreat in Formentera is already half full (with only 7 places remaining). But if you’re reading this and interested, I’d love you to come. All the details – dates, location, programme and price can be found in these links:
SAVE ME FROM THE WAVES: The Adventure Retreat – Formentera – May 2025 (Half Full Already!)
And if you want to ensure that you don’t miss out on priority booking for more retreats and exclusive events, and you want access to my all-new ‘Your Shit is Your Superpower’ series and workshops along with my most raw and vulnerable writing on the internet then why not become a member of my Big and Brave Family? Here is a 50% discount on paid subscription – available for the next 48 hours. I’d love for you to join us.
September Events
Having had an amazing August – more details on that below – I’m now back on the events adventure trail – I’d love to see you at one (or more!) of the following:
Book Festivals
Saturday 13 September – Chiswick Book Festival - I will be interviewed on stage by my dear friend the broadcaster Janet Ellis MBE (who also interviewed me at my book launch). Check out the homepage of my new-look website for an excerpt of us together on stage at the Lyric and join us next Saturday in West London for the next instalment!
Sunday 29 September – Jersey Festival of Words - I’m really excited to meet and be interviewed by broadcaster Eric Blakeley MBE who was the second ever Pond to Peaker – and still only one of 14 people in the world to swim the English Channel AND summit Mount Everest (fyi I am number 14). This is going to be a good one!
Childless/Childfree Events
September marks two very important events in the calender for the childless/free community.
16 – 22 September - World Childless Week - I’m proud to be an Ambassador of WCW – check out the huge host of webinars that are taking place. I’m not participating in one this year (but you can watch the one I did last year – in which – yikes – I publicly break down which is very rare for me). This year I’m staying on safer territory and will be active within the community on Wednesday 18th September which is the day exploring ‘The Importance of Pets’ for which I’ve submitted a piece for publication.
28 & 29 September - Storyhouse Childless, Chester - Last year I was the keynote speaker. And this year on Saturday 28th September – I am honoured to be curating and leading the Benjamin Zephaniah Memorial Event . Writer, activist, childless man and beautiful human - he was one of my most favourite public figures I ever got to meet who sadly died at the end of last year. This is a special one for me. Here’s a pic of me flirting shamelessly with him at my own festival – Fertility Fest – in 2019 - one of the highlights of my life!
Clubs & Conferences
Tuesday 17 September - Fertility Alliance Book Club - It’s such an honour to be chosen as the first ever book club read for the new charity Fertility Alliance. If you’re on a fertility journey - join us to talk The Pursuit of Motherhood!
Thursday 26 September – Women in Work Summit - It’s also an honour to be an official ‘ally’ of the Women In Work Summit – founded by dear friend Laura Biggs – CEO of the annual Fertility Show. This year there is a truly amazing line up of speakers. It’s a must attend event if you’re a woman in work. Hopefully see you there.
A Python on the Prom
Support the Go Fund Me Campaign – just launched - to erect a naked (!) statue of Terry Jones
Something you may not know about me is that I have a close family connection with the Monty Python legend who was Terry Jones who died from dementia in 2020. Even though I write about my life; even though Terry was a major presence in it, particularly in my childhood; and even though he was a guest on my favourite radio show (and if you don’t know what that is, where have you been?), I’ve never written about any of this publicly. My personal writing policy is that I only write in detail about my closest family (my mum, my dad, my grandparents, my sister, my best friends, oh yes and Peter (sorry Peter, but thank you for letting me)).
So it was truly incredible when a lovely woman called Sandra Harris Ramini – who I didn’t know and have never met – happened upon my latest book - Save Me From The Waves. Over the years, I’ve had so many amazing messages about my books – it’s one of the things that keeps me believing that my words matter. And this one was up there with the most incredible I’ve ever received - for so many reasons. She’s kindly given me permission to reproduce some of it. In it, she articulates better than I feel I ever could about the healing power of an adventure with my favourite radio show in nature. And extraordinarily, the episode she wrote to me about was Terry’s – having no idea of my family connection. It was like a loving sign from the Universe (AKA Chomolungma). Thank you Sandra!
Jessica - I feel we’re neighbours. All your London references take me back to where I lived for over 55 years. The heath, the pond, Parliament Hill Fields, Highgate Woods, they were all part of my life for so long until I lurched into my last adventure, aged 80, when I decided to leave my London life behind me, relish the memories and go and live beside the Indian Ocean in my native Australia…Four months later I wrote this - saved by Desert Island Discs. Can you now see how wonderful your book has been for me? I’m now 82.
WHAT NEXT DIARIES… Ebb and flow…May 31 2021
I think I might have discovered perfection. It’s 7am and only just not dark, because tomorrow, my friends, it’s going to be winter. Yet I’m spinning along Marine Parade, on my way for a swim. Out of my window the Indian Ocean fills the horizon with blue. That’s what I can see. What I hear is the profoundly civilised and utterly unique sound of the BBC of the old days. Having downloaded, purely for nostalgic purposes, a whole lot of podcasts from the archives of ‘Desert Island Discs’…Imagine. What I can see is nature at its most magnificent and mysterious while what I can hear is simply the best of British…Today I heard one of the great Monty Python team, Terry Jones who was being interviewed by Roy Plomley in 1983. It was utterly wonderful. Terry, who died a few years ago was still young, enthusiastic, recalling school and early days of Python and Ripping Yarns and being utterly out of order on the BBC. Yet despite this, his careless erudition reminded me of how education worked in those days. People actually read the Encyclopaedia Britannica. They relished the onion thin paper that crackled with knowledge about absolutely everything…
A few days ago Terry’s children (my cousins), along with Pythons Michael Palin and Terry Gilliam launched a Go Fund Me campaign to erect a naked statue of Terry playing the organ (inspired by the famous Monty Python sketch) in Colwyn Bay in Wales where he was born. If you’re a Python fan do watch the youtube video above and support the campaign with a donation, however small.
And Finally
Ok that’s September covered. So what of August? Well in the words of Taylor Swift ‘It slipped away’. But it was sublime! I went to Turkey (new for me – my country 52). I travelled on my own from Bodrum to Canakkale and met my mentor ‘Nike’ at Ephesus (the goddess of artistic and athletic victory). And then I met up with my dear friend Anna (and a Trojan Horse!) and swam the Hellespont – the most legendary open water swim in the world in the strokes of Leander and Lord Bryon. And then we had an amazing three days in Istanbul – mosque-ing it, hammam-ing it, and eating and drinking like a sultan. See below for the grid. And btw if you’re a swimmer and fancy trying the Hellepsont and want some tips – just ask. It’s an amazing event with over 1000 swimmers each year – the water’s warm, it doesn’t take too long and you get to boast that you’ve swum from Europe to Asia!
So much adventure ahead! It’s so exciting! ❤️