Stuck in a limbo and desperate to do something meaningful, what to do? That is where writing began for me. A creative way of expressing myself and a chance to harness my wondering imagination. I close my eyes and I'm there. Wish I'd picked 'there' as a warm sunny day on a sandy beach, with the waves gently lapping on the shore...but I have to let the story load in my mind, then watch it unfold, wherever it may be. Currently I'm in an Estonian forest being bitten by midges
Did you know there are only seven stories in the world? Some would claim there are even less, but it has been acknowledged there are seven basic paths that a plot will follow in a story. These are put simply: man against man. man against nature. man against himself. man against God. man against society. […]
Much has been written in modern times of ‘Hedd Wyn’, the poet/farmer from Trawsfynydd, who was posthumously awarded the chair at the 1917 National Eisteddfod in Birkenhead. Ellis Humphrey Evans was a poet of renown and answered the call to arms to save his brother being conscripted. His taken bardic name, Hedd Wyn, means ‘blessed […]
Kautla (pronounced Cow-tla to us Brits) is a marshy forested area in the middle of Estonia, some 60kms south east of Tallinn. Heavily wooded and in an area of many lakes, it has a serene feel to those who manage to drive the many miles down the track from nearby Ardu. What is at Kautla […]
Following on from my post of images from key scenes of the novel Turn of the Wheel, I have produced a similar piee for By the Banks of the Rheidol. These are the actual places that inspired parts of the plot. Firstly, this is Aberystwyth, as seen from the South. Tanybwlch beach is in the […]
People of my generation in Europe cannot appreciate the full emotions of all-out war. The constant pressure of conflict. The stresses of attacks without warning and not knowing the status of loved ones, who may have been posted away to places unknown. The pressures of an economy totally focussed on war and rationing of food […]
The latest wave of the pandemic is easing and hopefully, the vaccine program has helped reduce the caseload of hospitals, so that they are no longer in danger of being over capacity. We all must hope this is the turning point and that the virus will, at the very least, become less of a threat […]
The new novel ‘Finnish Boys has now been released and as a celebration of my birthday (happy birthday to me!), I am publishing the beginning of chapter one on the web page today. The story begins in 1940, on the eve of the Red Terror, when the new Soviet government arrests ten thousand people across […]
Frongoch mine ruins in the 1980s. The Cornish pumping engine dominates, with its distinct yellow Flintshire brick chimney. Behind to the left, is the older pumping engine and the waterwheel/crusher. To the right is the site of the original mill ,
Many people in the UK have limited knowledge of Estonia’s past. When I was in school, the Baltic States were not even a footnote in the story of the Soviet Union. Personally, I only stumbled across their existence by accident, courtesy of a pre-war atlas. For those who have a similar lack of knowledge, here […]
Mining in the UK has been looked on as a male preserve in modern times. The work underground was deemed like many industrial jobs as being being too dirty or difficult for a woman. This is a brief summary of a woman’s role in the Ceredigion metal mines of the 19th century. I recommend those […]