Not writing much on http://www.philippahawley.com lately because I’ve been in Felixstowe in my head (among other places) polishing off another novel set in lovely Suffolk. Agent hunting now so that’s the next challenge.
This is your first taster and I will be drip feeding more information as I go along, so watch this space.
Wandering in the garden, the day before lockdown eases, thankful for the wonders of nature and the time and space to enjoy it, grateful for the warmer weather and the welcome rain, hopeful we will take good care of our world for the future.
Tired bee.
Hungry juvenile great spotted woodpecker.
Polystichum setiferum, (auditioning for Jurassic Park).
Posting ruddy face mask welts and lockdown haircuts we reconnect through screens, rehearse our daily routines, and wait for the vaccine cavalry to restitch reality.
I scroll, I tap, I ‘Read More’. Graphs, quotes, opinions, read more! I need to salve the agitation simmering deep. All I find is distraction.
Pixilated Mum. Close up ear on upside-down phone. Tiny Mum in zoom cubicle. Disembodied voice. One year, more, she can’t crush me in her arms.
I weep in my bunk, in my hand a tangerine with a dusting of green where once a stalk joined it to tree and family.
Ian Richardson has been reading books and comics for a long time. Eventually, inevitably, he began to write and gained confidence to share his work. He lives in Scotland and enjoys walking his dog and exploring local countryside with camera in hand. His micro poetry can be found on…
I know a married couple, now retired from working in the NHS. During those years they were unable to take enough time off together for holidays of any length. Early retirement was the answer, while they were still fit to travel and explore.
Ten years on, they still live in the same, warm house, with generous garden, where they spent too little time during the decades of long hours on duty. They think how blessed they are compared to many, despite lockdown isolation and missing grown-up children and baby granddaughter 70 miles away. They exercise most days with a morning walk then lunch together before parting company for the afternoon.
She goes to her study, reads or sits at her computer sorting folders. She might look at photos of shared adventures or pictures of the children, before she writes. She tests her imagination and exercises her writing muscles as a tutor on a writing course once advised.
He on the other hand meditates or at least practises his version of meditation and it’s one to recommend. He puts his feet up, closes his eyes, then travels in his mind to the destination of the day. For an hour or so he takes himself to a favourite country, often revisiting a special hotel in Sicily or good friends in the Netherlands. On a cold day he’ll ski in the Aosta Valley, Arabba, Cervinia or Wengen, or maybe even visit the geysers in Iceland.
‘It’s Wednesday, I’m off the Grand Canyon,’ he might say, or ‘Thursday today, I think I’ll go to Vietnam and Cambodia.’
At teatime he reports on his journey and they remember pasties de nata in a square in Lisbon, waffles by the River Scheldt in Antwerp, ice cream with a view of Etna in Taormina. They’ll recall wines they’ve tasted in different countries and think of opening an Italian Fiano or Austrian Grüner Veltliner for supper.
Not a bad way to spend the days until lockdown is done and vaccines given, I think. I plan to take up meditation myself tomorrow, I fancy a trip to Sri Lanka.
WIVENHOE CHURCH STARTS WORK ON THE TRANSFORMATION PROJECT After nine years of careful consideration and planning, St Mary the Virgin church in Wivenhoe has signed the building contract with Bakers of Danbury for work to begin on its Transformation Project. The project comprises the re-ordering of the existing Nave, and the construction of an annexe […]
This press release explains clearly how the Transformation Project will bring something positive to the residents of Wivenhoe, from all backgrounds. It is reassuring for interested local people to learn of the many years of consideration and hard work that have gone into the project, alongside pubic consultation.
I am hopeful this important building, which stands at the centre of our small town, will remain more than just a landmark, and be a beautiful and welcoming place to visit and meet, providing social opportunities and support within the community.
As a member of local writing groups and reading groups I imagine the Annexe will make a great meeting place for some of our meetings and locally run courses. Can’t wait!