Passing Flame

The picturesque seaside town of Aberaeron yesterday buzzed with excitement as people came to see the Olympic Torch pass through the town.
An hour before the torch itself arrived the entourage of vehicles accompanying it passed through the town, now full of people all waiting for a glimpse of history in the making.

A Welsh Cob was used in the first part of the relay through the town, then it was passed to the runners and finally, as the sun was smothered by clouds and rain began to fall I caught the first glimpse of the flame. In the picture below, between the bus and the lorry, as if protected by the red umbrella, is the flame!

Everyone cheered as the flame passed by and jostled for position to get a photograph of it.



Here Comes Summer.

Well I hope so anyway. It's still a grey and overcast day as I look out of the window, but the signs are all there. The Swallows returned several weeks ago and are busy raising new families in the eaves of the stable. Soon after they were followed by the House Martins who are in total awe of the amount of mud around after all the rain and are building nests everywhere.

Another sign summer is approaching is the day the cows go out after being in all winter. Normally they have all the time in the world to amble along at their own pace, yet the day they go out for summer they buck and frolic like little lambs and gallop along at great speed.

On a writing front I'm looking forward to attending the RNA conference in July, which this year is in Penrith. Then at the end of summer in early October I'll be heading for one of my favourite places - The Watermill, Tuscany.

Just imagine a whole week in such a beautiful location, with fabulous food and the company of other writers. The course tutor is Kate Walker and having attended her weekend courses in Fishguard I'm really looking forward to this course.

I am also preparing my current work in progress for submission to the New Writers' Scheme and then I can start a new story which is just begging to be written.

What are you looking forward to this summer, or as some of my readers are in Australia, what are you looking forward to as winter arrives?



Busy, busy, busy!

As a writer, I find it difficult when life gets in the way, leaving me very little time to write. All sorts of things crop up that stop me putting words down. Life on the farm has been really busy lately, with far too much paperwork to do, but when animals need attention that has to come first. Thankfully now, the really busy period is passing and I can finally get back to doing something other than scribbling late at night.

Today it's a beautiful day. I do wonder though if summer has come early. I just hope it doesn't disappear and never come back. I took this photo this morning, but it will be such a different view once the trees have their leaves out. Can't wait!

At the beginning of the month I did manage to get away for a weekend with writers I'd met at The Watermill. We all spent the weekend in an old farm house that dated back in parts to the 1600's. It was a brilliant weekend where we discussed our work in progress. It was great fun having brainstorming sessions on new ideas.

The old farm house, part of the Landmark Trust, was fascinating, with a narrow twisting staircase leading up to the bedrooms, open fires and an old barn that still had stalls for the animals that once lived there.

The views were amazing and the sun shone although it was quite a bit colder then. We even woke to a dusting of snow on Sunday.

A weekend by the sea.

Last weekend I was in Fishguard attending a romance writing workshop with Kate Walker. As usual it was a brilliant weekend and once I arrived home I became immersed in my latest story, dealing with the areas that needed more work - as well as trying to do my jobs on the farm.

The sun shone after a wet Saturday morning, but ensconced inside, learning all I could to make my writing better, I didn't mind. It was a great group and we all helped and encouraged each other.

So if you fancy a weekend away, immersing yourself in your writing, then Fishguard is the place for you. If romance isn't your genre, then maybe one of the other courses offered like poetry, short stories even painting, might be just right for you. How can you resist a view like this? I know I can't and I'll be there again next February.

It started with a ....

Valentine's Day. Where did it start?

One of the answers I've come across is that it began in Rome during the third century. Emperor Claudius II wanted to fill his army but many men were unwilling to leave their wives to join the army. So the Emperor decided to ban marriage hoping it would create a whole army of single men willing to join. What he hadn't bargained on was a priest, Valentine, who continued to perform the banned marriages until the day he was caught.
The jailer's daughter visited him often before he was executed for his crime. On the day of his death, 14th February 269AD he is said to have left her a note, signed, love from your Valentine.

Have a Happy Valentine's Day!

Passionate Flamenco, Culture and Writing

Last week I travelled to Madrid to visit a friend I'd met whilst attending Sharon Kendrick's writing course at The Watermill two years ago. After leaving behind a snowy landscape I was a little surprised to see most people bundled up in scarves and gloves as we headed into the centre of Madrid for Tappas, but believe it or not, it was only marginally warmer there than back at home.
We treated ourselves to a night out at a Flamenco Tablao, where we had a fantastic meal and watched in awe as the dancers performed with passion and unbelievable energy.

We also visited the famous Prada Museum. Here we concentrated on paintings by several of Spain's artists, Bosch, Velazquez and Goya. Also we went to Museum Reina Sofia to see Picasso's Guernica. All of this opening up a whole new world to me.

I enjoyed strolling through Madrid's Retiro park, despite the cold and wished I'd been fast enough to get a photograph of the red squirrels as they scampered up and down the trees. The boating lake behind us looks very cold now, but must be fun in the summer.

In the middle of the week we took a train to Seville, where it was quite a bit warmer. There we saw the city from an open top bus and then visited the majestic Seville Cathedral. My favourite place was the orangery, where workers were trimming the trees, filling the warm sunny air with the beautiful scent of oranges.

It wasn't all play. As both of us are writers working hard towards publication, we settled down each day to some serious work and I was pleased to arrive back in a frosty Britain having written lots.

It's a Beautiful Day!

Finally the dreary wet weather has gone here in Wales and this morning it was a beautiful mix of sunshine and mist.

It is also Friday 13th, a day linked with lots of superstition and bad luck, yet today is crammed full with things I shouldn't be wanting to do on Friday 13th -if I were really superstitious. Our cat is at the moment in the vets with an abscess on her face, the farrier is shoeing the ponies and my daughter is about to leave Austria on a twenty-four hour bus ride after a week of skiing with the school. So I suppose I'm not really superstitious, but I always count magpies and never walk under a ladder?

It's also said a bird leaving a message on you is good luck, and with hundreds of starlings with us at the farm each winter I'm often the recipient of such messages and did in fact receive several whilst walking the dog this morning! With this good luck in mind, I'm reading over my synopsis and first chapter ready for a course with Kate Walker in Fishguard next month and on her blog today are more venues and dates if you want to take a course with Kate.