In August I was contacted by Annabelle Sing a picture researcher for Decanter magazine; she had seen my blog photos from our visit to The Crooked Billet in Newton Longville, last April. If I agreed the magazine designer might choose to use them in an article. What a compliment! If they were used would I prefer to be credited by name, or would I like information about their picture rates? Well what would you have chosen?!

I emailed the seven photographs and waited to see if the designer chose to use a few of them, or not. By September I assumed they had found others. Then on Monday I had an email saying they had indeed been used and I should invoice the accounts department. The rate depends on the size of the pictures, three were chosen and take up 1/8 of a page. I’ve only ever sent one invoice before, and that was to Simply Crochet for my brooch design and crocheted samples. There’s nothing to it although I was a bit daunted the first time, but now I find it quite exciting. You email a document and money subsequently appears in your bank account. I’m getting a taste for it now!

I asked if I might also be sent a copy of the magazine (the November issue) and received it today.

Ironically the photos here are pretty poor due to the low light.

The review is less than flattering, albeit honest. It’s a year and a half since we visited, when we had a superb celebratory lunch with friends. Ownership changed in September, after the previous owners of 20 years left, and the reviewer may have visited afterwards. It hadn’t occurred to me to ask about the review; I was far too flattered to wonder. Personally it doesn’t really matter as last year’s visit was my first and only, and I have no links with The Crooked Billet. I am rather disappointed however as I know the owners had built up a large following and the food, drink and service was superb.

Still, I am about to be paid a tidy little sum which is a very nice thing indeed!