The storm season has arrived. High winds churn the water, the drenching rain is constant and rolling sea mists obscure the view. Best to stay indoors on such days; but for the hardy, it is time to surf!
And we had a visitor on the balcony not seen much down here by the sea.
A Pheasant!
Time for one last look at the garden’s autumnal colours before the winter comes.
Season’s Greetingsto all and many thanks for the book sales and donations which will be given to charity next week.
Merry Christmas…
… and please come back next month to hear about the Big Donation and plans for next year.
From my room with a view, time to enjoy the last of the warm sunny days before the clocks turn back and the storm season gets going.
The low sun plays tricks on the water turning it from hues of blue to sparkling silver and sombre grey. Walking along the water’s edge, you can feel the chill in the air as the sea breeze stings your face.
The garden, in contrast, is full of autumnal russet sedums and skimia, and fading hydrangeas and roses.
It will all be gone soon as we start the annual clearance to get the garden ready for winter. Then it will be time for reading and writing. I am working on a new novel for publication next spring hopefully. In the meantime, I will be giving talks at book clubs and gatherings of friends who want to know more about LOUISA’S LAMENT and the pioneering women of Guy’s Hospital whose lives were crushed in 1880 because they challenged the traditional orthodoxy.
You can order a copy from patoakleypublishing.London where you can also book a talk for your gathering of friends.
Come back next time for more news of the charitable donation arising from the first six month’s sales.
Our fleeting summer is over. There is the last of the rock pooling to be done while we still have some warmth before the storm season begins with ‘Agnes’ about to barrel in from the ocean.
At low tide, while it is still calm, there is much life in amongst the rocks. You can see why this was a wreckers’ beach in days gone by. Those jagged rocks are lethal when covered at high tide as they wait to hull any boat that comes in too close.
Back in the garden, there is a last hurrah with a blast of pink to echo the ‘Barbie’ vibe we have had over the summer.
And I’ve been to another book club meeting to launch LOUISA’S LAMENT.
The lovely residents of Austin Heath near Warwick hosted an evening’s discussion about the dispute and the role of the press; the plotters and their motives; and the plight of educated women in the late 19th century as they sought to better themselves.
In addition to the individual purchases, I received a generous contribution to the charity we are supporting with the book’s sales. Thankyou Austin Heath residents for your kind generosity.
The summer is over before it began. We have had a few sunny days but it is very autumnal despite it being August. Storms Antoni and Betty have already been and we have not had the Harvest Festival yet. Time to take pleasure in small things like these glorious reds hips from the Rosa Ragusa. They are very abundant this year and they remind me of a favourite cough syrup when I was a child-Rose Hip Syrup.
The summer’s rain has been very good for the plants which are overflowing their banks – just look at the terraces going down to the house, especially the blue-tipped white agapanthuses poking out of the rosemary waterfalls and the healthy buxuses.
Down in the secret garden and along the stone river facing the sea, the last of the blue agapanthuses and the abelia are still on show. And the self-seeded apple tree is full of fruit.
There is more! The chardonnay grape vines have for the first time ever produced some grapes, and the lovely brass bird tap has been restored to its original glory.
Come back next time for more news of autumn’s arrival and another book club meeting in Warwick.
Blue Is The Colour… No burning heat this month, only the tranquil blues of the sea, the hydrangeas, the sea lavender and the agapanthuses.
It has been unusually cool this month so many of the aggies are still in bud promising much, and a white variety has appeared from who knows where.
The advantage of having daily rain is a flourishing south-facing bank where the pinks and greens compete with the blues for your attention. No drought or dried up garden here!
And some book news – had a lovely lunch meeting with the ladies of the Norfolk Club in Norwich where the art work that was commissioned for LOUISA’S LAMENT from the local artist June Schneider was on display. I think you will agree that she has done a good job in depicting the scenes that were in my mind’s eye as I wrote the story.
At the Lunch Club we talked about the illustrations showing Louisa’s progression from being a hard working nurse at Guy’s hospital to being embroiled in a nasty medical dispute, to her persecution and its consequences. More details on patoakleypublishing.london where you can buy a copy of the book – all proceeds for charity, and copies of the illustrations.
Come back next month for more news of the next book club meeting in Warwick and my efforts to get listed on the Public Library System.
June means one thing: roses, roses and more roses. All that winter and spring rain went into making this luxurious rose garden. The distinctive fragrance of Rosa Ragusa fills the air in the summer evening’s warmth. And the best bit is they will keep going until late autumn when they will turn to bright red hips.
There are colours for every palate: muted yellows, soft pinks and whites; and deep crimson.
The house and garden room are in danger of being swamped by their vigorous growth.
Self-seeded erigerons (aster family) and sisyrinchiums (iris family) fill every space along the lower garden’s stone river and a few delicate poppies have popped up too.
Judging by the number of budding shrubs, the agapanthuses have survived the winter.
Come back next time to see their display, and to hear more of the sales of LOUISA’S LAMENT and progress with my next book – a story of corruption and sociopaths…
The warmth and returning light of Spring are so welcome after such a harsh winter. All that pounding rain has resulted in a tapestry of vivid greens which form the backdrop to an abundance of buds and new life. First up, there is an old favourite that has popped up in the terraces – the arum, or peace, lilies. They are so elegant and statuesque having risen miraculously from the mush they were over the winter.
A muddle of clematises over in the exposed west garden have burst into life from bare stems that only a few weeks ago looked dead. And the nearby wisteria is getting going to join the mess.
The old apple tree down on the stone river has lost a few branches but what remains has sprung into life to complement the lane’s clematis. And the old stalwart buxus balls and cascading rosemary waterfalls are bowling along as ever.
It is warm enough to sit out in the lower garden where the agapanthuses are getting ready for their summer show. But for now, it’s time for some reading.
Have you got your copy of LOUISA’S LAMENT?
Jump into patoakleypublishing.london for news of the book and to order a copy. Also on Amazon. All proceeds for charity.
It’s been all go this month with my first book gig sponsored by the Liaison Group at HFMA’s charity golf meeting. Liaison kindly bought copies for everyone and more, kicking off the book’s launch. The early morning players are good to go:
Next up, it’s the Phoenix (USA) Book Club online and there are more gigs over the coming months to drive sales – all proceeds are for charity. Jump into patoakleypublishing.london for more details and to purchase a copy; also available on Amazon.
Spring has arrived in my seaside garden with much promised in the budding agapanthuses and clematises.
You can’t keep a good tulip down, even when they have been buried under the rubble:
But the lavender on Lavender Hill has gone- a victim of the harsh winter. No worries, more resilient planting is going in soon:
Meanwhile, the medieval chapel out on the peninsula keeps watch over the bay.
Come back next month for more book news and my garden’s progress into a promised warm spring.
Exciting news – Louisa’s Lament is in stock. And copies of the illustrations by the artist June Schneider are available too. Jump into patoakleypublishing.london for more details and to order copies; book also available on Amazon.
Down by the sea, it has been wild. Storm after storm have been barrelling in so there are different lights in the same hour as the sun fights the cloud density for more room.
All that rain has led to luxuriant growth.
The row of pink hellebores and giant snowdrops with a pop of yellow primrose, and the delicate camellias, tell you Spring has arrived with a blast.
Please order a book and enjoy the read. We will be working in the garden over Easter repairing storm damage and I will be starting work on my new book based on the blog of a few years ago – the shenanigans going on at St Angela’s Hospital.
Have a Happy Easter and come back next month for more news of the Spring garden and my first book launch gig.
We have had bright clear days this month but looks can be deceptive. It has been very cold walking by the sea, and quiet, except for the rhythm of the rolling waves. But it does feel like the winter storm season has passed.
The month has been unusually dry but the salt and drought-resistant shrubs in the terraces have toughed it out and they live on, including a sheltered daffodil.
Hellebores, with their intense green leathery leaves, give a pop of pink to signal their recovery from a brutal winter. And, for good measure, the heather has come back to give a carpet of pink along the stone river garden. All welcome signs of the coming spring.
What news of my book LOUISA’S LAMENT ? The manuscript has been signed off and it is now ‘in production’ and when it gets out of there, it will be ready for you in our online shop at patoakleypublishing.london. Many thanks for the early orders and here is another taster until next month:
June 16, 1880, mid-morning. A mob of over two hundred medical students had formed a gauntlet in the passage that led from Guy’s north quad to the south. The angry young men seethed with hate as they shouted invectives against the reformers. The sight of her archenemy at the end of the colonnade struck fear into the heart of Matron Burt.
Come back next time for more news of the book and the arrival of spring in the seaside garden.
