Writing – like swimming only drier

I am about half way through my fourth book - working title, Two Things. It's about a group of people in supported accommodation and I'm really enjoying it. The reason it's taking me so long is that I started writing another book (Hearing Loss) and about half way through, I thought this book is depressing … Continue reading Writing – like swimming only drier

New

I don't really like new. When people show me their new kitchens, I smile and nod but often prefer them the way they were. I like places with character is what I mean ('falling apart' is what the OH says). I was brought up in old houses and somehow I feel comfortable with things that … Continue reading New

Living to please?

'I am a textbook people-pleaser. You can't trust me. I probably need help.' This is my (slightly adapted) favourite quote so far from a series my daughter introduced me to recently. She had been telling me about it for ages, to the point where I agreed to watch a couple of episodes just to stop … Continue reading Living to please?

School – the best days of your life?

'Even Michael McIntyre never had to perform for 6 hours solid,' says Fran Hill, author of new book Miss, What Does Incomprehensible Mean? released tomorrow, 21 May. But can teaching really be that hard? Charting the life of a secondary English teacher over the course of an academic year, the book is testament to the … Continue reading School – the best days of your life?

Retreat, Reuse, Recycle

Have you heard the definition of English hospitality? According to a peculiarly honest American who once stayed with us, it’s - Making people feel at home when you wish they were. It made us laugh, then it made us think. Then we wondered if he was trying to tell us something… I would defy that … Continue reading Retreat, Reuse, Recycle