Despite being in my mid 70s by then, I still hope to be producing short pieces of fiction and non-fiction, and publishing novels whilst enjoying a lifestyle of new opportunities and learning. I would like to think that I’m only working for myself then, but I enjoy the part time job I have now. I…

This isn’t about one book in particular, but several. Over the years, foresighted writers have sought out old railwaymen – those who were employed before the Beeching cuts of the 1960s, and put their testimonies in an extremely readable form. Spoken through the eyes of the men themselves, you find yourself with them in their…

My father was a sailing boat enthusiast, and two of his boats, a dinghy and a small yacht, were named after his mother, my grandmother. Sadly, she died before he came to own these boats, and I never met her, but we had a wonderful time sailing on the south coast, and beyond on the…

We have possibly had too much of the above in the last couple of months, but when it comes to writing fiction I can’t think of anything more dramatic than this wild aspect of weather except thunder and lightning. It represents conflict, the need to fight against the elements as well as other aspects –…

The local Post Office manager is one of the most confident people I know. She is also my boss, and I have found her to be approachable and fair when I have done something wrong (I am comparatively new to my job and only work part-time) and is quick to praise when things go well.…

If money was no object then I would spend a weekend in London’s Oxford and Regent’s Streets at Christmas after dark when there are glittering lights crossing them, and all the shops had stunning window displays. Not only would I buy presents, but a new winter coat and boots from Selfridges for example, and visit…

I wasn’t a great achiever as a child. I got some things, but usually after going back again and again to get skills like the cycling proficiency certificate, which I managed to fail three times before passing. Ballet was another weak point, but I was not allowed to take the exams, so that was more…

That’s the advice I would give my teenage self. I wasted a lot of time doing just what I wanted to do rather than knuckling down to learn, and therefore I ended up leaving my comprehensive school with a few mediocre CSEs (as they were known in those days). I was a late developer. I…

There are those who don’t want monarchy in the UK because they are seen as being too privileged and too costly, but so’s having a president, and there would be the political nonsense and bias that goes with democracy. I’m not a royalist in the full sense of the world. I have never travelled to…