I bid you $20. Do I hear $25? Who'll give me $30?

Last Friday I was invited to an event at a school about seventy miles away. The school had previously contacted me re donating one of my books "of which we've heard great things" as a fund raising for their school.

Being always willing to help with such donations for any charity or event I was only too pleased to send them a signed hard back copy of "Across the Pond". Following this and some further emails passing in the night, I was invited along to the event. Then I could actually sign it then and there for the person who had one the item in the auction.

The school was only about seventy miles away but traveling in the rush hour in what was left of hurricane Ike when it arrive in CT (mainly rain) was not the most pleasant of journeys.

When I arrived at the school there were about seventy items ranging from "power saws" and "golf lessons" to a "free pass for homework" and being "principal for a day" in the "silent auction". I am pleased to say my book managed to get at least three bids as well.

After the silent auction came the real auction, I was amazed that such a small school had so many brilliant items for auction. These ranged from a week in a vacation home for ten (went for $1300)through items like "2 round trip tickets anywhere in US that United flies" (went for $550). In amongst all these there was one item I would have liked to have won, in fact it was the final item of the auction
"Zhu Zhu pets".

For those who do not know these are the "must have... can't get" items for this Christmas. rubbing my hands and counting what money I thought I might manage for this item, also thinking it was last item and people had already spent a fortune (to me anyway) on the other items I thought I had a chance to get this "Giant Hamster fun house and four pets" as a real treat for my children.

Was I wrong!!!!

The bidding went way pas the top end of my spending scale, in the end the item sold for $375. So it looks like an overnight queuing outside some of the stores for Black Friday is my only hope.

At the end of the day, no I did not sell any books, nor did I win any auction items.
But I had fun, I made contacts for possible future signings and I had a good time.


Barry



BARRY EVA (Storyheart)

Author of Young Adult Romance/Fiction book
"Across the Pond"

STORYHEART SUNDAY UK BLOG - TICKETY-BOO

Tickety-Boo

Yesterday I was hunting around for a copy of a song I heard a while ago thinking to replace the opening music for my “Book and a Chat” radio shows which currently is set to “Tea for Two”. The reason being, the show is aimed to be a friendly chat between two friends over a cup a tea/coffee. The guests I have had so far and the show has been running since February with over forty shows so far and a waiting list for guests going into November.

Anyway I was looking for a song called “Tickety-Boo” by one of my favorite singers Ralph McTell, who sang the song along with Billy Connolly with the launch in October 18th 1999, Tickety-Boo is tea. The sales of this tea in eighteen months after the launch, Tickety-Boo had already raised over £50,000 to help children in India, China, Romania and Tibet.



The song not only starts with a whistling kettle coming to the boil but has such wonderful lines as…


“A little cup and saucery is magic in the morning.”
And…
“Tickety-Boo, isn't that nice? The only cup of tea that makes you feel good twice. “

Needless to say I could not find my copy (old cassette) nor find a place on line to purchase or down load the music.

Today I did find the old cassette, and also why I had not played the music as the cassette due I would guess to little fingers was broken.

So while I hunt the internet for another copy I though I’d check up on the meaning of
"tickety-boo"

This is the best I have found…

There are a number of theories regarding the origin of the expression "tickety-boo" (also sometimes spelt "ticketty-boo", tiggity-boo") meaning "all in order, satisfactory, as it should be." or " Everything is going fine"."Things are proceeding smoothly or quickly".
It appeared in the early 1920s, well before World War II, and was in general use by the 1940s. It is still used in UK by people of "a certain age" and therefore has become rather old fashioned.
There is the theory that it is a relic of the British colonial presence in India and it may have originated in the British military. One of the most accepted and common theories about "tickety-boo" connects it to the Hindi expression "tikai babu" or "tickee babu" meaning "Everything's alright, sir".

So this week when people ask how you are feeling,just tell them.

“I’m tickety-boo”






Author of Young Adult Romance/Fiction book
Across the Pond
http://acrossthepond-storyheart.blogspot.com/
http://across-t-pond.com


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MOTHERS DAY ACROSS THE POND
ABOUT THE UNION JACK
ENGLISHMANS VIEW ON BASEBALL
WHAT IS BOXING DAY
BRITISH TV TRANSPLANTS
WHO WAS SAINT GEORGE?
BOBS YOUR UNCLE
SWEET FANNY ADAMS
EUROPE'S GOT TALENT - WELL PERHAPS
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