The writers baggage ,Cumbria, Jake Polley and Sarah Hall

I am packing and I do not have the capacity to self regulate what I take as a car opens up infinitely more possibilities for over packing. There are no one in-flight bag and one suitcase in the hold restrictions on those of us supporting the English tourist economy. I am always suprised how much a Renault Clio can hold especially if you put your shoulder to the door. Fly swat, pith helmet, organza ball gown, pit boots, hoof pick, defibrillator, blow up target doll of Boris Johnson complete with darts, shredder (you never know when you might need to shred these days )and a chocolate fountain, Scrabble in English and Cyrillic script are all on my maybe list although one or two of these items might slip onto my definite list if I can find another square inch of space. The 'if room' list is fast being abandoned as there will be no room even for the definites at this rate. I have allowed space for friend and her luggage but luckily she is small boned and very flexible and I am presuming her bag will be equally small and neat, although why I should presume this shows my sizist thinking which I must curb.

I have never been able to pack, my mother was never able to pack and I vaguely recall my uncle squeezing a drum kit into the back of an old Morris 1000 once when going on holiday. My mother once told me her mother took the hall mirror on holiday to Skegness and her best tea service in case it was stolen whilst they were away and she was travelling by train then... given a car there is no doubt my grandmother would have been lashing the best settee on top of the car just in case. It must be a genetic thing, the drive to carry with you items that you might need given the extent of your lurid and unbounded imagination..so of course a vivid imagination so necessary for a writer is the cause of all this.

Now that could be a question on facebook..do writers carry more baggage than other people?...Someone phone the help line or the Facebook Obsessives Group (FOG)before I fire up Facebook yet again. I will go cold turkey on holiday and will give accompanying friend strict instructions to drag me past internet cafes and ensure that I don't start lurking around strange houses in the dark in a vain attempt to find some unsecured wi-fi.Second week will be spent with Jake Polley and Sarah Hall on an Arvon Course where hopefully I will ensure that my vivid imagination is channelled into other areas and all my extensive baggage is put to good use.
Here is a video of Jake reading his poem Owls from his second collection ' Little Gods'and an interview with Sarah Hall about her latest novel The Carhullan Army.