Before The Old And Grey

Before The Old And Grey

As the day turns to night and the night turns to day,

I recall a time when my hair wasn’t grey…

Days when I could walk at a considerable pace

And I didn’t have a solitary line on my face.

But now I lie here, fading fast,

My bones are tired, I wheeze, I gasp,

Sun-bleached memories flood my brain,

Oh… give us one more shot at being young again?

I’d run through meadows and skinny dip,

Ride a rollercoaster to make my tummy flip,

Go punting down the River Cam,

Make endless batches of strawberry jam.

Watch as new leaves unfurl in spring,

Neck my first ever Singapore Sling,

Build monster dens from bales of hay,

And pretend life is still one long, summers day.

Marvel at sunsets; glimpse shooting stars,

Try on posh ball gowns and fancy bras,

Hold my babies for the very first time,

Barely daring to believe they are mine! All mine!

Beaches and sand dunes; an all-over tan,

Breakfast on eggs and bacon in a static caravan,

Hunt down pine cones and conkers and playing trick or treat,

Paddle in the sea with my silly flat feet.

Long, autumn walks and hugging trees,

Wobbly teeth and scabby knees,

Holidays, birthdays and Christmas dinner,

Put on a few pounds then try to get thinner.

Bunk off school and smoke some fags,

Curl my hair using mum’s old rags,

Drift back in time along the River Nile,

Whoop with joy at that very first smile…

Wedding bells and showers of confetti!

Perfect the art of cooking spaghetti,

Red wine, white wine, rosé or bubbles,

Puff on a joint to forget all my troubles.

Oh, life! You’ve passed in the blink of an eye!

I think of all the years that have passed me by,

I’d give all the tea in China to spend just one more day…

As the girl I once was, before the old and grey.

Copyright Tracy Hefferon 2015

Wine!

From Queen Bee Magazine, Summer Issue

We all know alcohol is bad for us. We are repeatedly told by public health officials that we must limit ourselves to fourteen poxy units a week. Alcohol damages your health, your looks, your bank balance and makes you fat.

So what? So do men. But do we abstain from them? Do we heck.

Alcohol ­– namely wine – is one of life’s staples. For many, a day without wine is akin to a major electrical appliance catastrophe. We couldn’t manage without our fridge, for example, just as we can’t manage without a chilled glass of rosé at the end of the day.

Wine lifts the spirits. It relaxes us. Calms us. Our days are long and stressful! Wine helps alleviate the pressure of our busy lives. And, contrary to popular belief, it is good for us… extraordinarily good for us, in fact. Granted, we must limit ourselves to 175ml a day, maybe just a splash more, but that one precious glassful is the elixir of life. Hippocrates, the father of medicine, promoted wine as part of a healthy diet. He even went as far as saying it should be used to alleviate the pain of childbirth, which sounds infinitely more enjoyable than sucking on nitrous oxide for hours.

Red wine is king when it comes to delivering the best health benefits, although white wine has been proven to boost both lung health and function, so it might be worth considering incorporating a glass into your weekly quota; just so you can breathe easy…

As for the ruby red variety; where to start? It reduces depression and helps prevent a wide range of cancers from breast to colon to lung. It raises levels of omega-3 fatty acids in the body, which safeguard against heart disease and, amazingly, reduces the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by half compared to those who never touch a drop.

Red wine’s miracle ingredient is Resveratrol – a chemical found in red grape skin – and this stuff is literally the marvel of the medical world. It helps prevent everything from diabetes to blindness, ageing to sunburn damage!

So, go ahead! Open that bottle of Cabernet, kick back and enjoy – safe in the knowledge you are preserving your body from the inside out. And remember… if it was good enough for Jesus then it’s good enough for you. Cheers!

Very excited indeed!

After approximately four years in the planning, I have finally started work on my first children's book! The synopsis has been written, the plot concluded and the chapters all mapped out. And now the writing can begin! I have put my original novel three on hold because I just need to get this new book down on paper. It's such a strong and magical story, I am almost bursting to write it. And it will keep me very busy through the long winter nights!

So, sorry Airtight... but you will just have to be book number four instead! Apologies also to my readers of Airtight who have read the first eight chapters and have got seriously hooked... I will finish it, I promise!!

The reader for this new book is going to be my nine-year-old daughter. She already knows the entire plot line from start to finish but gauging her reaction as she reads it for real – a story she's heard several times over the last four years – will be wonderful. I'm already imagining Touchstone buying up the film rights along with star-studded premieres and a whole range of merchandise based on my unusual little characters... always the optimist ;)

In the meantime, here's to wishful thinking and the belief that dreams really can come true :)

My new website has been launched!

A great way to spend a couple of rainy hours – design your own website!

Please visit

http://tracy230.wix.com/tracyhefferon

and have a look! Thank you! :)

Good morning!

Considering I had seven weeks off my day job and now have only two remaining, I haven't done much with my time. The first three were spent in agony as I underwent tooth surgery – twice – and then I spent an idyllic week in Cornwall recovering. This week I've been crazily busy every day, playing taxi driver, sorting out my daughters college course for September, getting her GCSE results (SHE GOT NINE!!!) and editing copy for Queen Bee magazine. Now, with just fourteen short days left until the alarm needs to be set for 7am every morning, coupled with the depressing thought of the onset of autumn... I'm feeling a bit deflated! I'd hoped to have written a sizeable chunk of my latest novel by now but I've barely managed 5000 words this holiday. I'm a third of the way through and although I love the story, I am itching to start the children's book I've had on the back-burner for a couple of years. I'm not a fan of winter but at least the dark nights and miserable weather allow me devote time to writing. 

The Fourteen Years Between Us is going down well. I'm part of the Kindle Unlimited scheme and both my books are listed on there. It means that if you too are signed up to Kindle Unlimited as a customer, you can read my books for free! Why not sign up and give one or both of them a read? Please remember to leave a review too. Thank you!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fourteen-Years-Between-Us-ebook/dp/B0125PNTDM/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1440147815&sr=1-1

The opening prelude to The Fourteen Years Between Us

Here is the prelude to The Fourteen Years Between Us. If you like it, please click on the link below and read more :)

THE FRAIL, OLD MAN dropped to his knees and threaded the well-worn cord through the spindles on the landing, winding it tightly around the post several times before tying a secure bowline knot. He pushed himself back onto his feet, stopping briefly midway as the pain from his arthritic spine caused his back to jar and muscles to spasm. He straightened up painfully slowly, then, with a shaky hand, dragged the chair from the corner of the landing until it was level with the banister. He gingerly stepped up onto the padded seat and looked down to the Minton-tiled hallway floor below. His head spun. He’d always had a chronic fear of heights.

He reached down and retrieved the other end of the cord from the railing and swiftly, and without hesitation, looped it around his scrawny neck and tied another bowline knot. He carefully raised one bony leg and hooked it over the banister, gripping the railing so tightly his knuckles were white. Then, after he’d regained his composure, he swung his other leg over and there he sat, like a wise, old owl on his perch, trembling with fear and the overwhelming rush of adrenalin for what he was about to do.

The clock in the hallway struck midnight and on the very last stroke he lowered his head, closed his eyes and spoke for one final time.

‘Lord. Please forgive my sins and welcome me at the gates of eternity… Into thine hands I commend thee my spirit.’

There was a short, sharp crack as his neck snapped in two followed by the eerie sound of air rushing from his rapidly deflating, tar-stained lungs. His body swung for a few moments, and it twitched here and there as the blood in his veins ceased to flow. Eventually he became still. Then he became cold. And the only sound to be heard was the gentle, rhythmic ticking of the clock beneath his feet.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fourteen-Years-Between-Us-ebook/dp/B0125PNTDM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1437466265&sr=8-1&keywords=the+fourteen+years+between+us

Fanfare moment!!!

The Fourteen Years Between Us is published today! I am very excited and I LOVE the book cover too. My second novel falls into the Young Adult genre but big people are allowed to read it too ;) I hope you enjoy it!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fourteen-Years-Between-Us-ebook/dp/B0125PNTDM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1437466265&sr=8-1&keywords=the+fourteen+years+between+us