Things have been hectic as the holidays are bearing down on us … and I still haven’t finished Humphrey book seven. Eerk!

Hopefully in 2010, I’ll be back to blogging.

Meanwhile, thanks so much and Season’s Greetings to Humphrey’s friends and to the entire Sassafras Springs community!

I’ve been back from the UK and NY for a week and a half and I’ve been unusually quiet – I think I just need to process all I saw and did. I’ll be filling in the backstory as I go through the hundreds of photos I’ve taken. But rather than a blow-by-blow, I’ll just take some of the more interesting photos and caption them.

Meanwhile, if you’d like a smile, check out this book trailer for Surprises According to Humphrey from a school in Laredo, Texas. The book is currently on the Texas Bluebonnet list.

We spent a week in Caterham, Surrey with Wendy (sister of my good friend Nicky) and Roger in their guesthouse … and with their daughter Min (our friend for 20 years), who lives next door with her children, Jonny and Suzy and hamster, Smudge.

We had a glorious day in Bath Sunday, a sold out crowd for my event at the Guildhall, large signing of fantastic Humphrey fans, dinner at the famous Hole in the Wall restaurant, where we ate last year. Now it’s back to Surrey for one night and on, regrettably, to Heathrow and NY. The fun’s not over, though, as we’ll be in NY with family and friends (and best of all, our son) for a few days more!

If I don’t get on the internet tonight, farewell to the UK – I really do consider it my second home!

Humphrey’s friend, Bobbi!

Awesome author and fellow LAYA Paula Yoo just blogged a SCARY-SCARY-SCARY story about her intrepid hamster, Bobbi, who recently interviewed me. (Bobbi’s a good writer, too. So is Paula’s cat, Oreo, who is writing a novel!)

Bobbi experienced a rather dramatic experience at the vet’s office this week. I have to tell you it has a happy ending or you’d be chewing your paws in suspense. All I can say to Bobbi is: keep on spinning that wheel! Whew!

In two weeks, I’ll be meeting another hamster – Smudge – who lives in Surrey, UK. She had an unsqueakably scary experience last weekend but I’ll tell you more about it when I get to hear her side of the story!

As Richard Peck said at the SCBWI conference week before last, “friend … is not a verb.” I agree. But I took the plunge anyway and put myself on Facebook as another way to communicate with friends and fans. So check me out, friend me – “friend” will be a verb in the dictionary very soon I predict. (But I only wish everyone could have heard Richard’s moving speech.)

The conference is behind me and right in front of me is a month-long trip to NY/UK/NY. Everything’s in place – a mixture of pleasure and book promotion (which is pleasure) and time with the wonderful people at my UK publisher, Faber & Faber. If you haven’t checked out their Humphrey website, please go to http://funwithhumphrey.com/. There’s a brand new Humphrey story in the Hamster Zone.

We’ll have two different chances to see our faraway son Walshe in NY, nephew/niece Michael and Claire in Glen Ridge, NJ, great-nieces Rita and Josie, my agent, Nancy Gallt and her new agent Marietta Zacker whom I met at SCBWI, Humphrey editor Susan Kochan, Humphrey paperback editor Jen Bonnell, wonderful friends Betty and Alex, and cousin Reed Birney in a play – he works all the time in NY and it will be treat to see him onstage at Playwrights Horizon in Circle Mirror Transformation.

Oh, and I also have a bit o’writing to do!

I had a very relaxing day on Sunday (unusual for me=relaxing). Granddaughter Remy and her parents Rebecca and Gary came over and we pulled the table out under the trees, had a Mediterranean feast (Greek food is my favorite) and talked ourselves silly.

Remy pulled out her usual collection of toys, including Humphrey and Og puppets,  and also did a LOT of drawing. I particularly like her drawing of – well you can guess who it is (above). There are books about him. He has a cage with a lock-that-doesn’t-lock. He lives in Room 26 of Longfellow School. Okay, enough with the hints.

I’ll put up my schedule for London, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Bath very soon. We’re also looking forward to time in Surrey with friends Min (and Johnny and Suzy), and Wendy and Roger. But I must say a month-long trip takes a lot of planning as far as clothes.

(Take a deep breath, Betty.)