A Fine Fortnight Of Festival..."

Chester Literature Festival ran for 2 weeks ( www.chesterperforms.com )
And I was lucky enough to go to lots of events....
 I'd love to have time to write about EVERYTHING...BUT will gallop through the gigs I saw at breakneck speed.....

SUFFICE TO SAY, 2013 was a superlative Festival, catering for the most varied of tastes as yet.....most in the immaculate setting of Chester's Victorian Town Hall.

Here come the evening gigs..... Lunchtime ones will follow...

** Sir Derek Jarman, so dignified, so delightful, appeared with bubbly Ruthie Culver and the seriously talented UtterJazz Quartet. A Wonderful mix: music/ poetry/Britten/Auden.

** Mark Lawson discussed his new novel: " The Deaths" ( and one could say he discussed lots more!) I could have listened much longer....as could most of the audience. A great session.

.**Effervescent Kate Mosse introduced her1st book of short stories:" The Mistletoe Bride And Other Haunting Tales" . Highly apt as Hallowe'en was about to creep in...( absolutely)

**Dan Morden enthralled us with his story telling......as did the delicious music of The Devil's Violin ( violin, cello, accordion)

**Margaret Drabble visited Chester the same week her new novel" The Pure Gold Baby" was published. This was her 1st for several years .And we felt most privileged to meet this strong and lovely lady who writes novels we've enjoyed over many years...

** AND Tim Vine? WHAT can I say?
What wit we heard.....what repartee....what startlingly stunningly brilliant " daftness"..
.AND all of it littered with jokes and quips and off-the-cuff word play.......The woman next to me had tears COURSING down her cheeks....AND I too was well on the way to following suit....
.And I felt,  as we drove home, that I'd just been on an invigorating holiday.........