Hello and welcome to my August newsletter.  

Well, what a difference in the weather this week. A week or so ago we were in the Lake District, basking in glorious sunshine and now it is blowing a gale and pouring with rain. This was a holiday we should have taken in July 2020, but it was carried forward because of the pandemic and, even this year, things did not go smoothly. We had booked a cottage about five miles from Keswick and planned to go on holiday with our youngest son and his wife, and our two teenage grandchildren. However, they had to isolate themselves because they had been in contact with someone with covid and were unable to come. It was a shame as we were looking forward to spending time with them all. Unfortunately, we couldn’t move the holiday again at such short notice, so Bryan and I went anyway. We had lovely weather, which showed off the magnificent scenery at its best, and we had a great week. We stayed away from the main tourist areas and did lots of walks early in the morning when it was less busy and also cooler.

In my last newsletter, I mentioned that we had been to Tewksbury for a couple of night’s bed and breakfast and that most public toilets in the Cotwolds, charge 20p. Well, I’m not making a study of this, but I can now tell you, that was a bargain. In Keswick the cost to spend a penny (!) is 40p. I had 20p in my pocket but had get more change from Bryan. When I returned, he said, you do realise that is eight bob. For younger readers that is eight shillings, the equivalent of 40p in old money. Which is quite shocking to people who can remember what you used to be able to buy for eight bob!

Writing News
Not a great deal to report at the moment. I’m finalising “The Rabbit’s Foot” and one job seems to lead to another. However, it has been read by three people and they all seem to have enjoyed it. I’m now waiting for a proof copy of the paperback to come from the printers. Hopefully, if all is well, it will be published in the next couple of months and you will be the first to know.

I’ve also been tidying up “The Mazzard Tree” and “The Angel Maker” a bit and have changed the blurb on the back covers slightly.

I’ve had a few more reviews on Amazon which I’m always grateful for, and my books seem to be selling at Rosemoor, which is a relief. Two other shops have also ordered copies, which I’m pleased about.

Walk of the Month
This month’s walk is from Hele Bay, near Ilfracombe to Berrynarbor, a pretty little village. It’s quite a demanding walk of six miles or so and includes a couple of steep hills, but the scenery is beautiful. I always enjoy walking through the village of Berrynarbor as it is where my Great Grandfather was born, though I think the cottage he lived in has been demolished.  The other lovely thing about this walk is there is a choice of venues for lunch, either the Olde Globe Inn in Berrynarbor or the Sandy Cove Hotel, which is where we ate.  This proved to be something of a challenge as we could only order by downloading an app onto our phones. Not known for our technical abilities, and in bright sunshine which made the screens on our phones difficult to see, this was something of a challenge, but we got there in the end.  Anyway, if you click on the link below you will find directions and some photos of the walk.

Book of the Month

I loved this powerful and emotional book and found it difficult to put down, as the storyline was so good. If like me, you have visited Crete, then this is the book for you. The story is about a family in Crete who experience the horrors of leprosy at first hand. The people affected by the disease are sent to the leper colony on Spinalonga, an island off Crete, and the story follows their lives there. When people speak of leprosy you tend to think that it only existed in the distant past, but this is not the case and Spinalonga was inhabited by lepers until relatively recently. The book has had a few bad reviews, but I thought it was well written and interesting, as it is based on fact. I certainly recommend it as a great read.

I hope you have enjoyed my newsletter and thank you for subscribing to my mailing list. Until next time, please take care and enjoy the summer.