Nothing like a warm June evening for a walk along the beach after the visitors have gone. I never cease to wonder at the cleansing power of the six-hourly rhythm of the tide to refresh all. Further landslips arising from the winter’s storms will add to this rock pile soon, creating more coves as the coastline is resculpted before our eyes.

After much hard work, often in grim wet conditions, the new wall of local stone with its subtle hues of honey, greys and blues, is now finished.  The winter’s rain has resulted in an abundance of glorious roses like the prolific pink carpet roses which have already grown into the space, boisterously spilling over to reach for the new shingle path.

And there is much more; June’s first blooms include my favourite carmine red climbing rose, a laid-back apricot rose shrub rose, and a muddle of barbie pink and white roses that hug the oversized and now misshapen Buxus ‘ball’.

And delicate self-seeded poppies just grow in any old place.

Over in the west end garden, the new veggie planters have been filled with compost and seeds. The first crop of chard, beets, radishes, and courgettes is ready. Next will come the beans, lettuces, spinach, carrots, spuds and outdoor tomatoes. And next month, we will sow the onion, parsnip and pepper seeds. Having finished the marathon read of Middlemarch, cultivating veggies is now my obsession.

The long miserable winter’s blasting storms are a distant memory as we now have so much to enjoy. All that rain is now invested in the flourishing greens and self-seeded plants that line the lower garden path and the steps down to the house.

I promise to do some book work next month! Come back in four weeks to check progress on gang warfare at Angie’s – a block buster in the vein of the Godfather.

March winds! Storm force, constantly barrelling in and dumping biblical amounts of rain soaking everything and everyone. There is no place to hide, you just need to get indoors. Fast.

I was planting the new honeysuckles and poppies in the sun when I noticed the signs of the storm coming. It starts with a stiff cold breeze, then the sky darkens and you see the white caps picking up on the water. That’s when you drop everything and run.

It takes moments to go from rough waters in the bay to broiling, highly energised sea that is unforgiving as it throws everything at you.

All that salt-blasting and water is very corrosive but some plants love the stuff. The rosemary waterfalls and hellebores in the front terraces guzzle it up.

We are still repairing last season’s storm damage and building new terraces over in the garden’s west end. Despite the inclement weather, Jason and Lazlo have been converting rather unpromising sand, cement and stone into beautiful walls, new paths and steps.

While watching the storm from indoors, a strange bird flew by…..

Come back next time to see the spring planting, and get news of my next book about gang warfare at a big teaching hospital.

Rain, loads of it, every day, soaking wet everywhere. Howling high winds, rolling sea mists and icy wild water, constantly. But on Chinese New Year Day, the sun came out for us.

Despite the weather, the spring garden is firing up: hellebores, daffodils and primroses:

And for Chinese New Year, the camellias came early giving a lovely pop of brilliant red.

Nian nian kuai le!  and welcome to the year of the dragon.

A break in the storms barrelling in off the ocean gives clear skies as the sun goes down resulting in freezing cold nights. Ships’ lights start to appear on the horizon as they wait to come into port in the next bay and as it gets darker, the night sky show begins. A zillion stars shine like a spray of diamonds in the inky black sky. It is worth braving the intense cold to go out and watch the display.

The days are icy cold too making it hard to work outdoors so reading is the order for most days. But out on the water, some hardy souls swim and canoe.

Despite the wintery temperatures, there are the first signs of spring: daffodils with a pop of pink from a sole primrose. The heathers have survived and are trying while the agapanthuses down in the secret garden look very healthy despite the constant salt blasting and the frost.

The storm damage repairs are ongoing, but take a look at these new steps and pathway to the upper terraces. That golden stone exudes warmth in the watery sunshine.

My next book on medical politics and research fraud is coming along and I have been on a screenplay writer’s course to prepare for the movie work of LOUISA’S LAMENT.
Jump into patoakleypublishing.london to get a copy and let me know what you think about who should play which of the four women’s roles in the story.

And come back next time for a burst of spring and more news of the new book.

Season’s Greetings Kind People

It has been a busy year with the launch of my book LOUISA’S LAMENT in the spring. A Big Thank You to all who have purchased a copy and contributed to the fundraisers. We made enough money in the first six months to donate £7,000.00 to this year’s charity, Birkbeck College’s Student Support Fund.

I attended the College’s 200^th Anniversary Dinner at Mansion House recently where Princess Anne, who is the Chancellor of London University, gave the oration. The history of Birkbeck supporting working people is legend and you can see a clip made by the College and a pic of Princess Anne cutting the College’s birthday cake on my publishing website – jump into patoakleypublishing.london and click the ‘news’ tab.

Have a Happy New Year with lots of Tunnock’s and I’ll update you on the new book at the end of January.

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!

Time for one last look at the garden’s autumnal colours before the winter comes.

Season’s Greetings to all and many thanks for the book sales and donations which will be given to charity next week.

… 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.  

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.

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 19^th 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.

You can book your meeting, including local history clubs, on our website: patoakleypublishing.london

Come back next time for more news of autumn’s arrival and the new book which is now in preparation.