It’s publication day for The Clarks Factory Girls at War by May Ellis

Can love blossom in times of trouble?

Life-long friends Louisa, Jeannie and Kate are following in the footsteps of their families, working at the Clarks shoe factory.

But when Britain declares war on Germany, the Somerset village of Street is shaken to its core. The Clarks factory is at the heart of life in the village, but the Clark family are Quakers and pacifists. Before long, there are fierce debates amongst the workers and tensions between those who oppose the war and those who believe the village men should go to fight.

Each of the girls must decide her own position but as brothers and sweethearts leave for France, Louisa is relieved that her sweetheart Mattie, a Quaker, who won’t be signing up. But she’ll soon find that they face fierce opposition at home as well as across the Channel.

Will the girls’ friendship be enough to keep them together, as everything around them falls apart?

A heartwarming and gripping new saga series perfect for fans of Elaine Everest and Rosie Clarke.

Who are the Clarks Factory Girls?

Meet Kate, Louisa and Jeannie – shown left to right on the cover of The Clarks Factory Girls at War.

Kate Davis is the youngest of four siblings and the only one still at home at the family cottage in Silver Road. She loves her gentle mother but hates and fears her drunken father who takes all of Kate’s wages. She’s hardworking and proud, not wanting people to know how things are at home, and is fiercely loyal to her friends.

Louisa Clements is the only child of a foreman at the factory. She lives in Somerton Road. Her mother is very aware of their status in the community and has high expectations of her daughter. Louisa is blonde-haired and blue-eyed, a pretty girl who turns heads. Her father is strict and Louisa tries to be a good daughter but is headstrong and wants to make her own way in life.

Jeannie Musgrove is an only daughter with three brothers, whose Quaker family live in a cottage in West End. Her father died several years ago in an accident at the factory and her mother has suffered badly with her nerves ever since, leaving Jeannie and her older brother Lucas to support the family. Gentle Jeannie feels plain next to her more vivacious friends, but with her soft light brown curls and perfect skin she has a quiet beauty that her friends envy.

What is the Machine Room?

This was a vast room where three hundred women and girls worked sewing together shoe linings made from a coarse cotton drill and leather uppers. It was noisy, repetitive work and workers were charged for any wasted thread, so it was important to avoid making mistakes and having to unpick your work. The director in charge of the Machine Room at the time of this story was Miss Alice Clark, the first woman to be appointed to the board of Clarks. She was an educator, suffragette, and academic who had a huge influence on the characters in this story.

What made Clarks special?

The Clark family were Quakers who put their faith and ethos of service at the heart of everything they did. War time was especially challenging for the pacifist Clarks.

As well as building a business that employed over four thousand people at the start of the first world war, over the years the family have constructed homes for the workers, schools, a theatre, a community centre, a library and even a swimming pool! They transformed the small village of Street in Somerset into the thriving community that it still is today.

Clarks is still a major employer in the area and generations of local families have worked there.

Who is May Ellis?

May Ellis is an historical saga author published by Boldwood Books. You may know her as Alison Knight, who writes gritty dramas set in the 1960s and 70s which are published by Darkstroke Books.

She lives in a house on a road named after a Clarks shoe, on the site of a former boot and shoe factory, so it was inevitable that this writer would want to write about the people who worked for Clarks in days gone by. The first in her series about three friends working in the Machine Room at Clarks during the First World War, The Clarks Factory Girls at War, is available from 9^th March 2024 and is available here: https://mybook.to/clarksfactorysocial, the second book, Courage for the Clarks Factory Girls, is due out in June.

You can follow May/Alison on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/alison.knight.942/ and on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/May-Ellis/author/B0CRDZQPLV?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

A Trip Back in Time

First of all, I’d like to wish everyone a somewhat belated Happy New Year. Yes, I know we’re a good halfway through February, but all sorts of things seemed to get in the way after Christmas, including a boiler breakdown which left us with no heating or hot water. Luckily we have an excellent heating engineer who sorted the problem out very quickly and got us back to normal. It made me realise how much we tend to take our creature comforts for granted!

As someone who has worked for building companies, both in the commercial and residential sectors, I still take an interest in the housing market. This means I’m a regular visitor to Rightmove. There are some great properties on their website and although it would be lovely to up sticks to a new location, we probably wouldn’t have all the benefits we currently enjoy. Open fields to the rear which are currently being developed into a small country park, good transport links into town, and countless walks within five minutes of home. However, it’s still interesting to see what’s currently on the market. 

Last week, for a change I decided to click on my old home town to check out the houses there. As I scrolled down, I noticed a commercial property for rent. It turned out to be the building which was once home to our local Woolworth back in the day. Its last occupant was the Heart Foundation’s furniture and electrical store, meaning the shop front has been painted in their ‘corporate’ colour of bright red. Looking at the photograph, it took me right back to those long ago summer months, when between leaving grammar school and starting college, I worked there as a Saturday girl.

With exams over, we didn’t have to return school until the final day of term. During that time I had made enquiries about summer employment, was interviewed by the senior supervisor in ‘Woolies’ and accepted. My contract was for Saturdays and the holiday weeks between terms. I began on the grocery section in a far too long white overall (which I had to take up) and matching headgear (similar to a cinema usherettes) with a large red ‘W’ in the centre. Working with the girl who was responsible for the food counter, I restocked shelves and served customers and was taught how to order new stock. This arrived in large wicker baskets on wheels from the stock room on the first floor, and any surplus would be stored in cupboards under the shelves. It was also the early days of frozen food and there was a small deep freeze that sold a limited selection of Birdseye, Ross and Findus foods – mostly burgers and fish. One of my jobs was to take off the protective plastic lid which was put on overnight. I then had to carry it up a short flight of steps to the fire door and pour the water which had gathered on top of the lid overnight, into a nearby drain. As the plastic was quite flexible, it was quite a juggling act to keep the water within the confines of the lid before I reached the drain. I have to confess that on one occasion I didn’t make it but luckily another staff member was quickly to hand with a mop and bucket!

After a couple of weeks, I was moved on from food. I felt really glad to leave my ‘whites’ behind and joining the other girls in their green nylon button through overalls. I gradually worked my way around the store – electrical and lights, jewellery and sweets (remember Pick ‘n Mix?) makeup, biscuits and cakes and hardware. Sadly, I never got to work on the one counter I really wanted to: records.

In those days there were no tills which automatically totalled up the purchases. As part of the interview, each applicant was given a mental arithmetic test – several lists of items to add up in our head. No easy decimal currency calculation then either, as we were still in the world of pounds, shillings and pence!

From 9.00 to 9.30 each day, staff could shop in store. Their purchases were then taken up to the supervisors’ staff room for safe keeping and the goods paid for during the afternoon tea break. We had two tea breaks a day plus an hour for lunch. That summer, from memory, was a hot one and after lunch I would shop or walk down to the park, which was only a few hundred yards away from the high street.

Although a small provincial town, it was a busy store. On Saturday afternoons there was always a group young guys who would wander into the store after drinking in the pub opposite and make a nuisance of themselves. Striped paint and left handed cups were two of the things I remember being asked for on one occasion. Although they were harmless, the manager soon sent them on their way.

At the end of each working day – the store closed at 5.30 – we were let out through the front door where husbands and boyfriends waited to walk their partners home. Living only a couple of miles from the town centre, I used to cycle there and back with a full-timer called Gill. We would leave our unlocked bikes in the alleyway at the side of the store that let to a small printing works. Something you certainly couldn’t safely do today. When summer had ended, I abandoned my bike and caught the bus instead. On colder mornings, several of us early birds used to meet up at the local milk bar and warm up with a coffee as we waited for the shop doors to be unlocked. In those days there was also early closing on Wednesdays. This meant all shops closed at one, giving us the bonus of a half day off.

I stayed at Woolworth until the following summer, when one of the girls in our college group mentioned she could get us jobs in a local food processing factory at nearly double the money I was getting. So I left, and after that summer was over, I waitressed weekends and college holidays in a local restaurant until getting my first secretarial job.

Looking back it was a fun time. Leaving school and entering the world of work. It was my first experience of earning my own money and buying my own clothes. At sixteen, the world seemed an exciting place to be in, with the music and fashions and so much to look forward to. Sometimes when I watch a drama that takes me back to those days, I’m temped to say ‘no, it wasn’t like that at all’. But I guess my view of the world then was slightly rose tinted one…

Until next month…

A shout out for author Lizzie Lamb

Book Birthday Interview and Review – Dark Highland Skies by Lizzie Lamb @lizzie_lamb #BookBirthday #AuthorInterview #RespectRomFic #IndieChampionOfTheYear #DarkHighlandSkies

How apt that on Valentine’s Day Lizzie’s latest book Dark Highland Skies has been featured. I’ve loved all of her books, but I think this is her best so far. And there’s more to come regarding the story of Halley and Tor, which I’m really looking forward to…

2023 – Goodbye to another year…

WRITTEN ON FRIDAY 29TH DECEMBER, 2023

So here we are. The final post of 2023 has arrived at last. Although I’m sad to see the end of another year, I always feel full of optimism at what the new year will bring.

It’s official. Goodreads have notified me that I’m in the top 25% of reviewers for 2023. I admit that since my last novel was published in April this year, I’ve taken a step back from writing. The mojo seemed to have left the building…fled in fact. Not sure the reason, but the fact I’m looking at book number thirteen and am just a tiny bit superstitious might have something to do with it! Actually, it’s not really number thirteen as in 2019 I decided to update the last of my Little Court novels and The Other Side of Morning became Wicked Game. It means if you look at things in a slightly different light, I’m about to embark on book number twelve! Despite this, I took the rest of the year off, embedded myself in reading and reviewing, and it appears the forty books I set myself on the Goodreads 2023 Challenge, has expanded into 86!

I must admit I have enjoyed being able to escape into other writers’ fictional worlds and avoid the dreaded writer’s block for a while. Even after having written eleven books, it is still capable of putting in an appearance, and throwing a spanner in the works when you least expect it. I’ve also found some new writers I’ve become very much a fan of. Wes Markin, Sarah Goodwin, and Jenny O’Brien, all creators of either psychological thrillers or crime. These two genres are my stable favourite reads, but occasionally something a little different catches my eye and I think ‘yes, that looks interesting.’ And so I have added Rachel Burton, Phillipa Nefri Clarke, Anne Madden and Imogen Martin to my list of writers to watch. Looking at my TBR list for 2024 I have new books by three of these writers lined up and can’t wait to read them.

So what about my own writing? Well, I hit the buffers during 2023 and yes, I know, a book won’t write itself, and you just have to get up, dust yourself off and get on with it, but I just felt I wasn’t ready. I’d had several false starts. The inspiration was there but nothing I wrote seemed to work.  There were all sorts of reasons. The last two books had been part of a trilogy so the people and surroundings were familiar and the stories almost wrote themselves. Now here I was, with a new cast and new location. Whereas with the last two books I could easily decide that a character ‘wouldn’t do that,’ here I was in unfamiliar territory.  So I decided to take a step back for a while and have a rethink about the whole project. And I’m glad I did, because I’m ready – new year, new challenge. With my reading for the year over and the decision to limit myself to four books a month for 2024, my current plan is to get some serious writing underway from 1st January. Wish me luck!

And now my reads for December. Unlike some of the previous months, December has seen quite a slowing down, probably because the month is a busy one with Christmas just around the corner and the inevitable socialising and food organisation that comes with it. This month I chose three very different books – Crime, a Psychological Thriller and an historical novel set in Ireland. The latter has joined my list of favourites for 2023.

So that’s it from me. Have a Happy New Year everyone, and see you on the other side!

Best wishes

Jo xx

NOVEMBER CATCH UP

I’m writing this on the last Friday in November, which means at the end of next week we’ll be welcoming in December. Of course, for weeks we’ve been aware that the festive season is just around the corner. TV advertisements and some shops already sporting decorations. Our local Christmas Market opened yesterday (23rd) and will be open until mid-December, bringing shoppers into the city. This year, as I worked on my gift list for friends and relatives, the thought of past Christmases conjured up some memories

Santa Claus

One of my strongest childhood memories was meeting Santa Claus. I must have been about six when one of the girls in my class told us how she’d not only met him, but had actually spoken to him. Of course, once I’d heard that I knew I’d have to meet him too. There were questions that needed answering. Like how did he get around the whole of the world delivering presents in one night? And how did his sleigh work when we rarely had snow before Christmas? Then there was also the question of negotiating our chimney. All the drawings of him were of a large, tubby man. Surely he would get stuck. On Christmas Eve I snuggled down under the blankets to wait for him, excited and apprehensive, with all these questions lined up in my head. When I heard the door to my bedroom creak open, I was about to sit up and face him when I heard familiar voices whispering, followed by the rustle of presents being left at the foot of the bed. The door closed and I lay there. All my questions had been answered, but sadly not by him. Was I disappointed? It’s so long ago, I can’t remember. I know didn’t tell anyone about my discovery. They would find out soon enough for themselves.

Carol Singing

As a member of the Sunday School, I would join the rest of the children as we were packed into two cars and driven from one end of the village to the other to entertain the locals with festive songs. Not sure we were appreciated everywhere though – I remember at least one house where the lights went out as soon as we began singing!

Nearer Christmas, the church held a carol service where each child added a figure to the nativity display. The church was decorated with holly and lit by candle light, very atmospheric and a great childhood memory that comes back to me every year.

The Christmas Bird

My grandfather kept chicken and ducks, together with a few geese which he fattened up for Christmas. For most of my childhood, it meant goose was the bird of choice within the family. I recall my grandmother used to save goose grease in a tub – a hand me down remedy for colds and chest infections when mixed with honey. Rubbed on the chest and back, then covered with brown paper – doesn’t bear thinking about, does it?

Christmas Tree

During my early childhood, the era of the artificial tree had yet to arrive. Instead we bought the real thing, usually off the local farmer. Unlike today, they came with roots, and if small enough, could be planted in the garden and reused for several Christmases to come.

And finally, One of Santa’s Little Helpers

Years later, one of my bosses thought it would be a good idea if his children had a typed reply from ‘one of Santa’s elves’ to make things a little more exciting for them. He roped me in to create a response and although I was a little sceptic, they loved it! Was this the start of my journey into writing fiction? Not quite, but a small creative moment nonetheless.

AND FINALLY, NOVEMBER READS AND REVIEWS

My favourite read was Calico. Not at all what I expected, but definitely worth five big stars from me.

Next month I’ve only three books for review which suits me fine as there’s so much going on in the run up to Christmas. I’ll catch you all after the turkey and tinsel. Have a very Happy Christmas!

Best wishes

Jo x

OCTOBER ….

This post, although written well before 31st October, has become like a sticky toffee paper on the bottom of my shoe. It’s reluctant to be dislodged, keen to stay where it is. It seems to me that since I left the workplace behind, the endless amount of time I thought I would have, meaning I’d get so much more done, has not, in fact materialised. Instead, I always seem to have quite a lengthy ‘to do’ list. What is worse, because unlike work any urgency to get a piece of work out (i.e. my monthly update) is all down to me and doesn’t affect anyone if it’s late. However, I am now finishing up and today (10th November) it will be published.

29th October, 2023

It seems that 2023 is now on some sort of toboggan run as October has simply flown by. It’s been a really strange few weeks. Returning from an amazing holiday in the Italian Lakes – clear blue skies and 34 degrees for seven whole days – both of us went down with a virus the day after landing at Bristol Airport. Was it Covid’s latest offering? Well not according to the rapid flow test we both took. Whatever it was, we spent three weeks trying to shake it off, the first ten days indoors and avoiding everyone. It felt as if we were going back to the good old days of 2020. A week after we stepped out into the world again, we had our Covid and Flu shots at our local medical centre. Just as last year, it was well organised, with minimum waiting time and thankfully not much in the way of side effects other than hot, aching upper arms for 24 hours.

Since then, life has got back to normal. I’ve written a Christmas gift list and am now working out what to buy – a complete headache, but I hate copping out and giving everyone gift vouchers. The predictable envelope isn’t half as much fun as a festively wrapped package. I’ve also bought my cards which are tucked away ready for another dose of writer’s cramp as I sign and seal, ready to post. I’ve cut down the number this year as the postal rates are simply crazy. I remember back in the 80s when the Boy Scouts were allowed to issue a specially reduced priced postage stamp which would enable them to deliver local Christmas cards. Sadly, those days are long gone. For Christmas shopping we usually alternate between Salisbury and Winchester. This year it’s Winchester’s turn. The huge open area surrounding the cathedral enables the city to set its Christmas market well away from the main shopping area. Although crowded, it gives good access and isn’t such a crush as many other markets are.

Writing is progressing slowly. I have a few other plans which have taken my attention away, but I hope to be back on course soon.

Of course the monthly news wouldn’t be complete without listing my reading for the month. Of particular mention are Wendy Dranfield’s Her Lonely Bones – the sixth in her Detective Madison Harper series and yet another unputdownable read. Then Jenny O’Brien, The Puppet Maker and Alex Pine’s The Night before Christmas, both of which are addictive reads and highly recommended.

So that’s all for now until the end of November. Since our return from Italy in mid-September, the weather going into autumn has given us brief glimpses of sunshine amongst the wind and rain. However, I always choose a background image on my PC to remind me that the winter will eventually end and the better weather will be with us once again. On this occasion, I’ve chosen one of the shots from our Italian holiday. It reminds me of that afternoon when after a two hour ferry journey, we disembarked in Garda town for a wander and some lunch. Great holiday memories and looking forward to more in 2024.

See you next month

Jo xx

SEPTEMBER UPDATE…A LITTLE LATE

Yes, apologies everyone. Following a perfect week in Lake Garda, Italy, we arrived back at Bristol Airport only to be struck down by a virus infection. Although Covid tests were taken and showed a negative result, I did have my suspicions. I lost my sense of smell, and that has never happened before. Even with a cold, I’ve always had some sense of smell. Not this time. We both had different symptoms too. While I had runny nose and blocked head (plus the lack of smell), OH began with those symptoms, but quickly developed a cough. Continuous intakes of paracetamol and cough mixture gradually improved things. However, it was a case of keeping up the medication and staying indoors, to avoid giving it to others. Not sure where we picked this up. We’d used buses and ferries during our week, and eaten out in local restaurants, so it could have been anywhere. Glad to report it’s now packed its bags and gone.

WRITING

I’m pleased to report that I have at last made a start my new WIP. I decided to take a break over the summer. I stepped back from writing, and it was great to have some protected time. We went away (Norfolk and Devon) and I read a lot. At the same time I began to jot down my thoughts in relation to a new story. As always, everything came in fragments, some of which didn’t fit but I scribbled them down anyway – you never know, it just might come in handy. Eventually, a plot started to take shape and I began writing last weekend. My last three books have featured a coastal backdrop. The towns involved inspired by both Devon and Cornwall. The perfect place to base a fictitious community. This time I am moving inland, but there will still be water as a lake will form a central part of the new neighbourhood. I’ll be chatting more about this in next month’s update.

AND FINALLY, READING…

A busy month for reading. Four big favourites here – The Cottage at Whisper Lake set in Australia, New Dreams at Polkerran Point set in Cornwall, Absolutely and Forever set in 1950 and 60’s Britain and Under a Gilded Sky set in nineteenth century America. They’re all very different and definitely a departure from my usual choices, but all four turned out to be very special reads.

I’m currently reading actor Richard Armitage’s debut novel Geneva, a thriller which is proving quite addictive. I’ll be back again at the end of the month with more news. Until then, have a good October…

AUGUST UPDATE…

August had the potential to save summer. To inject some sunshine into those last thirty one days before September arrived. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. Okay, there were moments of warm sunshine. Days when the beach beckoned, or eating in the garden was possible. But somehow the rain just kept coming back, bringing with it gloomy grey skies. I’ve always seen the August Bank Holiday weekend as the gateway to autumn. Having said that, both September and October can often surprise us with unexpected sunshine and unseasonably warm days. So, who knows, maybe this year, an Indian summer awaits us. We can only hope!

AUGUST READS

August has been a quiet month for reading. I’m still working on the outline for my new book, which I plan to begin writing at the end of September. I think that probably cut the number of reads. All in all, it proved to be a month of quality rather than quantity, with Kate Ryder’s Echoes on a Cornish River definitely coming out on top as my favourite read.

September starts with a holiday. Our long awaited trip to Italy. This was booked in February, which seemed ages ago, but suddenly, here it is, less than a fortnight away. We are returning to Desenzano on Lake Garda. It’s my first trip abroad since 2018 and the fated ankle break while staying in Menorca. It was followed shortly after by Covid, which curtailed our ability to take holidays, even in the UK. It will be our fourth trip to the lake and second to Desenzano (where we stayed in 2016) . Italy is one of my favourite holiday destinations. I love everything about the country – the weather, the food, the people…and, of course, the history. I’m so looking forward to this trip, which will be followed by our Ruby Wedding Anniversary in October. And then, we’ll be thinking about Christmas…

Well, that’s all for now. I’ll be back at the end of September. In the meantime, wherever you are, enjoy the coming Bank Holiday.

Jo

We’re having a heatwave? I don’t think so…

So here we are again, the end of yet another month. Seven down, five to go. This year has been a strange one. We’ve had only a handful of lunches on our back patio and as for the seating on the decking? Well, the covers have yet to come off. As I sit here, there’s rain against the window once more. I’m hoping that August will restore my faith in the weather and bring some of that much missed summer sunshine back to the UK.

July was a quiet month with not much to report. I’m still working on my new writing project, but don’t plan to begin until we’re back from Italy later in September. Desenzano, on Lake Garda, where we will be staying, actually features in A Cornish Affair, which was published back in 2019. It definitely ticked all the boxes when I was looking for somewhere for my two star crossed lovers to meet and resolve their differences.

I’m planning to write a piece on my writing blog about using real places in my fiction. I have done this many times in the books I’ve published and on one occasion, when I needed a heroine to walk around Verona, I used Google Map. I had actually visited the city, but my memory, coupled with photos I’d taken at the time, weren’t really sharp enough to make the scene convincing. I’ll be posting on FB and ‘X’ as it is called now (not sure I can get used to this strange new name, but that’s another story) later this month.

MY READING MONTH

And finally…

From the covers below you would be forgiven for thinking I’ve been locked away in a room for the last 31 days and done nothing but read. Not so, but it’s my biggest monthly reading challenge so far this year. Some books, depending on the story, I’m able to finish in a couple of days; others take a bit more time. All of these were great reads, but there were three which I felt really stood out – two crime and one coming of age novel set in the States.

• The Nail Salon by Natalie Tambini.

• Before We Were Innocent by Ella Berman.

• The Crying Cave Killings by Wes Markin.

Check out my Goodreads account to see my reviews

Well that’s all for this month, I’ll be back at the end of August.

Best wishes, Jo

June Update

A little late this month as I spent the last week of June in South Devon. An amazing break, catching up with family and ex-neighbours plus having two friends stay over with us in our apartment.

When visiting South Devon we usually stay in either Dartmouth, Kingsbridge or Salcombe. This year it was the turn of Kingsbridge, where we last stayed in 2017 just before the pandemic put us into lockdown. Post Covid there have been changes in the town. Some retailers have gone, while new ones have arrived. Thankfully the Mangetout Deli is still open and thriving. It was one of the first places we dropped into to purchase items. We have also enjoyed meals at The Crabshell Inn, which is only a few moments walk from our apartment. This year, however, we were shocked to find how much prices had shot up there, so opted to eat elsewhere instead. It’s a great place, right on the water’s edge but I couldn’t believe how expensive it had become.

We had a great week, meeting up with OH’s cousin, and having lunch with ex-neighbours who have moved to Ivybridge. We also had friends join us for a two night stopover. The weather held, hot and cloudless over the first weekend changing to sunny intervals accompanied by a strong wind for the rest of the week (check out the cloud formations as Beesands where we stopped for a coffee at The Cricket Inn on our way to Dartmouth on Thursday).

VIEW FROM OUR APARTMENT

COMPLIMENTARY PROSECCO ON ARRIVAL

OUR WOOLLY FRIENDS ACROSS THE ESTUARY

KINGSBRIDGE

THE CRICKET INN AT BEESANDS

HEAVY CLOUDS AT BEESANDS

BEESANDS LOOKING UP THE COAST TOWARDS DARTMOUTH

We walked a lot, checked out some new eateries and generally relaxed. The view from our apartment window was amazing. A view of the estuary with fields of sheep opposite. South Devon is one of my happy places and Dartmouth has, like Fowey, proved inspirational when creating Kingswater, the fictitious estuary town in my Cornish trilogy.

As at the end of all holidays, we were sad to leave, but now it’s all about where to choose for 2024 – Salcombe or Dartmouth? My money is on Dartmouth. Post Covid we found it swamped with tourists, but now holidays abroad are back, it’s much less crowded. It’s a great place to watch not only people but activity on the water as well. Relaxing and restful, I can’t wait to return.

READING

During June, I managed to read and review five books. It means I have now hit my Goodreads Reading Challenge target for the year. I would like to give a special mention to Sheryl Browne – yet another edge of the seat read with My Husband’s House. I also enjoyed Luisa A Jones’ The Gilded Cage, while Isabel Ashdown’s Homecoming and Nikki Smith’s The Beach Party both received five big stars from me – both highly recommended.

So that’s it for June. Back with you at the end of July.