February 2020 will be remembered for the weekend storms we endured, with people being flooded out of their homes - some for the second or third time. Such a sad and terrible time for them. We only suffered a broken fence which will need to be replaced, but that is a tiny inconvenience compared with the life changing destruction many people have suffered.
Following the Arvon week, I've been busy writing stories about the character I discovered from a photograph one of our tutors, Tiffany Murray, handed out. I called her Peggy, but she will probably be renamed at some point - I will always think of her as Peggy. She's great - going about her business, not worrying about who she might be upsetting with her honest feedback, but maybe trying to find love - if she even knows what that is. I've also been interviewing some old rockers about their memories of the seventies for my memoir book - that's been interesting research, usually carried out in a pub. It's work!
I had a quick trip to Edinburgh by train, which was fun if a bit cold and wet. I love the smells and colours of Edinburgh and we were upgraded in our B&B room - what a fabulous, constantly changing view of Edinburgh we had. We spent hours just looking down on the rooftops, and seeing what landmarks we could identify. When the mist cleared we could even see the Forth Road Bridge and a tip of the Rail Bridge. I could have sat there all weekend, but didn't. There were hostelries to be discovered.
Following the Arvon week, I've been busy writing stories about the character I discovered from a photograph one of our tutors, Tiffany Murray, handed out. I called her Peggy, but she will probably be renamed at some point - I will always think of her as Peggy. She's great - going about her business, not worrying about who she might be upsetting with her honest feedback, but maybe trying to find love - if she even knows what that is. I've also been interviewing some old rockers about their memories of the seventies for my memoir book - that's been interesting research, usually carried out in a pub. It's work!
I had a quick trip to Edinburgh by train, which was fun if a bit cold and wet. I love the smells and colours of Edinburgh and we were upgraded in our B&B room - what a fabulous, constantly changing view of Edinburgh we had. We spent hours just looking down on the rooftops, and seeing what landmarks we could identify. When the mist cleared we could even see the Forth Road Bridge and a tip of the Rail Bridge. I could have sat there all weekend, but didn't. There were hostelries to be discovered.
MA results are in and I passed with a merit. Much celebration - I didn't realise how important it was to me until I saw the results there on the screen. I have a graduation ceremony booked for March 2020 where I might even get to meet some of the amazing people I studied with and exchanged messages of encouragement with at ludicrous times of the night while we worked away in solitude. I will miss reading their work in our online forums, but hope to see their names on the bookshelves in Waterstones soon.
This is also the Christmas month and so there are door wreaths to be made - involving borrowing some beautiful berried ivy from one of my neighbours who was pleased to have it cut back from her chimney breast. Two groups of wonderful women came along to my wreathmaking workshops in the middle of December. Both evenings were great fun, and in addition to mountains of foliage, flowers and berries there were also copious amounts of fizz, chocolates and mince pies - very festive indeed.
This is also the Christmas month and so there are door wreaths to be made - involving borrowing some beautiful berried ivy from one of my neighbours who was pleased to have it cut back from her chimney breast. Two groups of wonderful women came along to my wreathmaking workshops in the middle of December. Both evenings were great fun, and in addition to mountains of foliage, flowers and berries there were also copious amounts of fizz, chocolates and mince pies - very festive indeed.
A head-clearing walk along the beautiful beach at Saunton Sands in North Devon is a good place to plan for the coming decade, after finally submitting the final assessment of my Masters in Creative Writing with The Open University. No more studying for me for a while.
What am I writing now?
- I'm slowly moving away from writing for an examiner, after studying with The Open University for six years, and I am enjoying writing what I want to write, and at my own pace. The study was great - giving me a few years of deadlines that are necessary sometimes, otherwise time just slips away and no writing is completed at all.
- I'm helping a local businesswoman with her social media posts and the content for her website, to promote her business.
- I am writing a cv for a local lass who needs a change of direction.
- My memoir is almost ready to be submitted - that will be an interesting exercise!
- I have an idea for a fictional novel that I want to write.
But first.... I have signed up for a Writing Course with The Arvon Foundation - almost a week in the middle of the Devon countryside with no phone, no wifi and no TV. Scarey, but I've decided, like many other people, that 2020 will be the year of change, and I am looking forward to the challenge.
