Bits & Pieces

I visited the Lake District in September. The natural beauty of the landscape is breathtaking, very inspirational and well worth a visit. While I was there I visited Hill Top, Beatrix Potter's most famous home. The 17th century farm cottage was gifted to the National Trust by Beatrix upon her death with the expressed wish that it should not become a museum, but be preserved in the condition of how it looked when she lived there. Her furniture, including her writing desk, are on display and it is easy to imagine Beatrix walking through the rooms and writing her children's books. Several parts of the cottage, including the oven range, inspired Beatrix's illustrations and can be easily recognised in her tales. She wrote many books, initially unaware of the success they would become...

“I am aware these little books don't last long even if they are a success."     Beatrix Potter

Beatrix Potter's home isn't the first writer's home I have visited. That accolade goes to ...

This year has been like no other and will be remembered for decades, if not centuries, to come. My heart goes out to all those who have suffered during this pandemic, whether directly by the virus or indirectly by way of the restrictions placed upon us. I am also very thankful, and have great respect for, all those who had to carry on working, particulary during the first lockdown. It must have been incredibly stressful to go out to work in the early days when so little was known about the virus. 

Every cloud has a silver lining. Yes, even a little light can be found in the wake of a pandemic. Let me try and explain why I believe this...

I know a lady who celebrated her 80th birthday this year. This lady (let's call her Alice) has always wanted to write a book, but she soon discovered that writing a novel is more difficult than she thought it would be. She has discovered that writing fiction requires skill, stubborn perseverance and an understanding of the craft. Some of this is learnt through trial and error, and some of it by study, but there is also an element of, dare I say it, natural born talent. Alice is the first to acknowledge this and she admits herself that she is not great at "imagining plots".  However, even I, a writer, could not imagine the real-life plot that was about to unfold during March, 2020.

As a writer of historical fiction, I never imagined I would be part of an epic, historical (and devastating) event that would change the lives of nearly everyone on the planet. The Corona virus global pandemic has taken us all by surprise. There are many who will say that we should have saw it coming, however I never envisaged everyone in the UK would be distancing themselves from their friends, families and work colleagues, as I served our family’s Christmas dinner at the end of 2019.