When a stray wanders onto the page of your novel?
One of the strange pleasures of novel writing is when a character pops up out of nowhere, fully formed ready to bounce into your story and assert his presence. …
My Yorkshire Garden In Winter
The Plotting Shed returns to the Plant Shelter once we put the garden to bed. The frosty mornings have stripped the ash trees of leaves which we literally hoovered up to make compost. The beds are bare, garlic is planted and only the leeks to show for our summer efforts. The rain and rabbits decimated, cauliflowers and purple sprouting broccoli.
My Yorkshire Garden (Part 3)
Many years ago we did a house swop with a family in Pennsylvania, who amongst raising Suffolk sheep, ran a day lily (Hemerocallis) nursery with an acre of wonderful plants of all colours. This is the species that produces one new flower every day for most of the summer.
My Yorkshire Garden
Leah's Yorkshire Garden
Boundaries in life are important and especially in garden design. We took our wild and woolly farmyard trying to create four distinct “ rooms”; a dining outdoorsy side garden, a football play area in the front of the house .....
Leah’s Yorkshire Garden
When we first moved to the old farmhouse, in the Dales, the garden lay under a thick carpet of snow. The farmyard was still by land with barn, small stable, grass, 3 apple trees and a clump of mint but a view to die for. Four children, a live- in caravan, a barely habitable farmhouse was our priority. With few green fingers between us, talk about a learning curve…
The Art of Marriage
The famous saying of medieval mystic, Mother Julian of Norwich seems apt today. It has been my personal mantra for many years but I would also like to share with you the words of another wise woman who said, “Never confuse a wedding with a marriage. A wedding is easily arranged, (I’m not so sure about that!)
Life is Full of Circles
Ribblehead Viaduct
Many years ago when I was a student in Leeds, term began for me with a journey from Glasgow Central through the moors southwards. When we reached Settle I knew I was almost there but it was usually dark. By then I knew all the stations of the Thames Clyde route: Carlisle, Appleby. Kirkby Stephen…