Kage Baker was fanatical about meeting deadlines. She also hated being late. This was somewhat amusing – and sometimes maddening – as she never actually checked her deadlines or knew what time it was.

Deadlines were always posted beside her desk, but no matter what enticingly varied coloured inks I used, she never checked ’em, And she absolutely could not, in her heart of hearts, tell the difference between 10 minutes and half an hour. It was also my business to get her to appointments on time; so I kept all the clocks in the house 10 minutes fast…

Today – or tonight – I have missed the deadline for getting a blog entry in. But I plead the service of art and beauty – I was cheering on Regency Dancing until midnight. I myself do not dance; I sit on the sidelines and knit. I also guard reticules, shawls, fans, spare slippers, hats and the like. I unhook fans from lace gloves, tie up hair ribbons, tighten bodice laces and occasionally fetch water for the over heated. I pin up ruffles torn during an over-enthusiastic chasse.

This is a time-honoured and traditional activity for ladies too old and fat to dance anymore. You get to enjoy the music, and you can actually see entire dances instead of just the couples in your set. If there are two of you, you can gossip.

Anyway, I had a lovely time, but the dancing loonies footed it for 4 hours! And now I am tired and am going to bed. This will have to count for today’s entry – and I will do another when I get home to Los Angeles tomorrow.

For now, I seek my pillow with the exquisite strains of the Congress of Vienna Waltz in my head … it was Kage’s favourite.