Quite incredible how many proof reads a book needs before it goes to press. Four of us doing it, computer spell checks, readings, reading out loud, and still turning up errors. Repeated words across a line break, or missing words your brain just fills in. Wrong words that are actual words like badges instead of badgers. Takes a lot of smoothing out. And hard to pick up all the widows and orphans on the screen – keep having to print out to see them all. 160 pages, 200 captioned photos. The invitations to the launch have gone out, the paper is chosen, the pricing and packaging is sorted. Just a case of taking the final deep breath and sending it off. The file size of the pdf is just under 1GB so we use www.yousendit.com to transfer. I always hate that final commitment step, just knowing that some ghastly error or typo will be pointed out the moment it goes beyond the point of no return. Next stage is to get it on the on line shop – Paul is coming to help with that next week – and get it into the accounts system. A big financial outlay, so we need to be selling enthusiastically.  I’ve enjoyed working on it and the two people who have read it so far have been very complimentary. Up to a point I benefit from having the pressure of an external production deadline rather than tootling along at my own pace. It helps force it all together.