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.
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…