October – a Time for Reflection
A week ago was my Birthday and I spent it travelling to Elba, an island of the coast of Italy, to attend a wedding. The day was a transition not only from one country to another but also from a [...]
All at Sea
My other half has decided to spend about three months this summer cruising in a small 32ft boat around the British Isles - some 2,500 miles. He has persuaded some other lunatics to join him at various points so he always [...]
Rare Road Sign
I was driving along a country road in Somerset recently and I came across this delightful road sign, which I've not seen before. Ever since reading 'The Wind in the Willows', I've felt that toads were quirky, undignified and should [...]
Teething Problems in Paradise
I have recently returned from a short holiday in 'Paradise' - or to be more accurate a tiny island in an isolated atoll in a wide ocean - or to be more precise: Fonimagoodhoo Island in Baa Atoll in the [...]
Good Riddance to January
January 2018 is memorable (or rather unmemorable) for having the longest number of sunless days and hours of any January since records began, so I'm told. It was a dark, dismal, dank month - and - to add adverbs (now [...]
25 Years on Borrowed Time
A quarter of a century has passed since my reprieve. I was lying on my back under a searingly bright light, alone. I had been dreaming of freedom and fervently hoping that I would outwit my enemy and come through [...]
Role Reversal
A year ago I retired from a long-term part-time job, which gave me plenty of time for writing. I intended to transform my life and re-brand myself as a full-time professional writer. So why have I written so little and [...]
My Dragon won’t Listen to me
At last my voice is beginning to return to how it used to be, though it still sounds pretty ragged to me at times. I lost it back in April and I'm disappointed that it is still strangely hoarse. [...]
Struck Dumb
Nine weeks ago I woke up, tried to say good morning to my darling husband and found I could not speak. I couldn’t even to croak - nothing! Very strange. My vocal cords had gone AWOL. The evening before, having [...]
PEP Talk
It's been over 4 weeks since I finished my book. I felt elated even though I knew it was only the first draft. After 10 months and some 95,000 words, I needed a break from it, and decided not to [...]