Womb rentals

Now it seems that any Hollywood diva wanting to preserve her perfect figure and lavish lifestyle at any age, without the tiresome need to get pregnant, can merely pay someone to do the hard work and pushing for her. Although surrogacy is controlled to some degree and the fees are not huge, it is still tempting enough for women on low wages to take the plunge. A 50,000 dollar pay check could mean the difference between meeting the family’s rent or being out on the street.

Of course, the gap between the wealthy would-be parents and the lowly surrogate is now wide and there is always the danger of abuse of power. The women who offer up their wombs for hire can expect hormone injections, health risks, endless legal paperwork and constant scrutiny and demands. Although some clients treat their surrogates warmly, others purportedly treat them like understudies for The Handmaids Tale. They are merely a means to an end, an incubator for the trophy that they will deliver nine months down the line.

Many A-listers have sought help from surrogates for various reasons. These include Kim Kardashian, Sarah Jessica Parker and more recently, the likes of Paris Hilton. And then there are the celebrity gay men who use a surrogate to create their own family unit. Meanwhile thousands of babies and young children need adopting every year all over the world. Imagine if they chose to sweep up those poor little bairns instead? I’m sure they would appreciate a wonderfully secure home.

You have to wonder whether a dangerous precedent is being set by which any woman or man with enough dosh can simply on a whim hire a poor woman’s womb to create a new life. Is it very different from choosing a puppy from a dog breeder or ordering the latest Hermes handbag?

We live in an increasingly selfish and impatient world where people want things here and now without putting in any effort or enjoying the ride. I may have spent nine months waiting for my little bundle to spring into full life but it was worth every second and given the choice, I’d never have had it any other way.

The cat’s whiskers

My three domestic moggies are well and truly spoilt and I spent time in pet stores and supermarkets selecting brands and flavours that I hope they’ll like. Still, much as I try to find healthier options, I recently realised that it was a lost cause. The truth is that my two male cats want nothing more than the likes of Whiskers, Eroski-own or Felix. Only Molly Mitten, my Siamese princess, is a fusspot and will only eat Gourmet Nature selection. I think my lads are simply junk food junkies. If they were human, they’d be dining at McDonalds every day and having take-outs. Maybe I should be grateful given that they are compensating me for the ruinous amounts I shell out on Miss Molly’s rarefied fare. All the same, I would like them to at least try some of the more naturally produced packet food and grain. Instead, they have a nibble, exhibit an expression of disgust and walk out of the kitchen.

Kindle kindred spirits

Years ago, my nephew kindly bought me a Kindle which self-destructed on an easyJet flight from the UK. I decided it wasn’t meant to be but now I’m tempted again, especially as a Kindle would be very convenient for bus journeys into Palma. They have also gone down greatly in price. I adore paper books but it wouldn’t hurt to own a Kindle as well, surely.

As an author, I try to keep any eye on amazon reviews and generally watch what’s happening over on the Kindle channel too. I learnt years ago from a leading London literary agent that number of reviews is actually immaterial. It’s the quality that counts and the number of books you actually sell. He had best-selling authors with only a handful of reviews on amazon and Kindle which he presented as evidence. Many eBooks are free of charge or very cheap to purchase meaning that the author can have lashings of reviews but derive little or no income. To be a commercial author, that simply doesn’t make sense unless you really want to offer freebies in the hope of winning future audiences with new titles. Publishing and marketing both paperbacks and eBooks is a complex business and getting the formula right takes years of experimentation and research. In fact, it’s an on-going process. I therefore feel for any new authors entering the arena of Amazon these days. There are millions of books bursting Amazon’s banks, particularly from hopeful self-published authors, and without effective marketing, few will make a pretty penny.

Good eggs

Easter is upon us and yet not a chocolate egg, chick or bunny is to be found in our finca. Long gone are the days of cheery Easter egg hunts with our son and his chums and it seems somehow ridiculous to sit scoffing eggs on our own or decapitating Lindt choccy bunnies. So for now, we will have to make do with our own hens’ eggs and remember the days when we’d paint and roll or hide them about the land while giggling, enthusiastic little nippers went on the hunt. Happy days and memories indeed.