Do you want a nice story before going on leave ? Last week I sat in London Newman street around a table with the marketing director of Hi-Tec shoes, a top manager and the Ceo of Travel Channel. The point was to find a way to get our long feature movie translated into english. It's a different cut than the series, and that's the one that won seven international awards in adventure film festivals, still to be seen in english. And we badly need it if we want to do any lecture at all in the Commonwealth. The idea look simple, but it's more than four years I'm trying to make it happen in vain... How can I help the coming out of my book if I can't lecture ? Finally the deal is closing down, Hi-Tec is going to help travel Channel for the costs, we are going to record our voiceover in a London studio and we go celebrate this achievement in a nearby italian restaurant. I take my Eurostar back home, relieved by the issue of the meeting : we are going to be able to lecture in the Barnyard Theatres in South Africa next October November where we plan to tour to help the outcome of our book with Jacana publishing. It's so emotional for us : our story is coming back to where it belongs. Sit next to me a lady in her fifties. Half asleep I grasp that she and her two friends are going to hike in the Alps. "Keep quiet" I say to myself, "don't show off, if you start taking about walking you won't stop till the train stops, and you need a rest..." After a while, by looking at some pictures of my kids like any father away from his family for more than 12 hours, I notice my neighbour is twisting her neck to have a glance. I can't resist and have a chat... "What age this little boy ?"" In London for tourism ?"" No, for work.""What kind of work ?"... And here we go ! ... Her boyfriend is a dutch cyclist. He's informed of my cycling around the world via blackberry, and replies straight away, "Is he the one that walked Africa with his wife ? Yes I read his book in German ! " My neighbour is enthralled, and my vanity flattered. It could have stopped there, but she asked "but what did you do in London ? " "I managed to have our film translated ?" "because there's a film too ? That's fantastic ! My best friend is the president of the Lake District adventure film festival ! Let's mail her. (We still haven't entered the chunnel...) Ann Martin replies straight away : "Fantastic I book them for my next festival !" Between this board-meeting and this magical mystery train meeting, I had talked to no-one, and it's more than four years I'm trying to have my film into an english speaking adventure festival.... And I almost avoided to talk to the lady because I was tired.... How many more years would have been necessary to reach Ann Martin ? And here she was brought to me by Angel Margaret ! Do you want to see her ? Here she is : You have to talk to your neighbour to make things happen in life. We are nothing on ourselves. Others make ourselves flourish. "All the universe plots to have you dreams come true..." (P.Coelho)

Margaret Ingham, was my daily angel plot.

Enjoy your holidays for the ones who take some. And look for thesse little plots, they are everywhere : open your eyes, an d talk to your neighbour !

Alexandre