The world from my window

  After last nights's launch of The Bridport Press, I'm steering you towards a post I've just written for their  website . Normal service to be resumed as soon as possible. That's about it. Love Maddie x

This past year in Corfu, I've had the time and discipline to get on with various writing projects which have been languishing around for far too long. And those characters who have lain abandoned like the toys in Toy Story , with bits of things missing, back story only sketched, motivation and desires just outlined, have at last taken on a life of their own. Earlier this year, I was able to bring out my novella, A Year in Lush Places , a light-hearted, affectionate look at English country life based on an election year's worth of blogging from Dorset. Sales are going well and the reviews on Amazon have been lovely, thank you. And now there's  A Town Like This , a comic romp inspired by my early days as a local newspaper in small towns in Devon and Dorset. Likened by one reviewer to Porterhouse Blue in places, the novel is being launched alongside two other debuts by West Dorset writers. You can read more about that on The Bridport Press website , where you...

There are a number of things you shouldn't do when you're angry. Writing a resignation letter is one of them. I once knew someone who did that in a fit of pique. They wrote it, seemingly with their own bile, posted it, immediately regretted it and had to camp out on their employer's doorstep in the hope they might be able to prise the letter from the postman's hands over the next few days. It didn't work and they were out of a job. Blogging or tweeting in anger is not to be recommended either. That's why I've waited several days to post this. At the weekend, Mr Grigg and I drove up to Bristol for the south west heat of the Great British Care Awards. We had nominated my autistic stepson's carer, a 24-year-old with the calmest, most respectful attitude you could ever come across, as a carer of the year. He and we were chuffed when he was shortlisted. This young man is a diamond, he really is. He didn't win but he shared in his colleague...

That's about it. Love Maddie x

Back in the Shire - for a while at least - we get quickly back into the swing of things. A  night out at a local village hall where the smart money was on pink fluffy pigs. Mad really. Only in Dorset. And in the final race, our table of twelve turned to Nobby Odd Job. He had been winning all night. We needed a hot tip. 'Perky Rasher,' he said. 'Put your money on Perky Rasher.' So we did. Dear old Perky came in at a cracking pace and outperformed his rivals by a curly tail and a trotter. And then Nobby won a prize on the raffle. There were snorts all round as Nobby (now known as Perky Rasher) brought back his prize of a pink and fluffy wind-up pig and sent it shuffling and snuffling along the table. And lots of money raised for Movember . That's about it. Love Maddie x

Hey, blog reader from Boise, Idaho! Are you a real person, a cyber stalker, a spammer or a computer programme that's got stuck? According to my Feedjit  live traffic feed, you've visited this blog I don't know how many times, over and over again. I want to know who you are. A publisher maybe, a film director (please, oh, please) or an American lady who just likes reading about English and Greek village life? I asked on Twitter and someone suggested you might be the Morning DJ at WOLD. Go on, tell me who you are. I'm intrigued. That's about it. Love Maddie x

I've just wrapped up two copies of A Year in Lush Places to send off to the winners of the Smitten by Britain competition. One's heading to Houston, Texas. I do hope the winner sends me a picture of herself reading the book wearing a Dallas -style cowboy hat or at the helm of the space centre and about to launch a rocket. The other, unbelievably, is in the same county as me - Dorset - but at the eastern end. Right where those Turberville tombs lie in the church and inspired Thomas Hardy to write Tess . Maybe the local winner will oblige by sending me a Dorset-themed picture of herself, A Year in Lush Places and a sheep. Or maybe not. That's about it. Love Maddie x

We've only been home in Dorset a week and my feet haven't touched the ground. There's been the surprise party, a midweek grouse or two, a book club meeting, a village fete meeting, a big band spectacular, afternoon tea and a re-run of the harvest supper video, trips into Bridport, Beaminster and Sherborne - three lovely Dorset towns - and a meeting of The Bridport Press to discuss an exciting new venture. There have been haircuts and dental appointments, a car to service and a falling out with and then a falling back in with a village stalwart when she and I realised we were talking at crossed purposes. There has been freelance work to do, two business meetings and an outrageous, laugh-a-minute Sunday lunch with two old friends. There have been family and friends to catch up with, children to hug and animals to stroke. There have been waves and smiles and kisses. There has been a fantastic local reaction to   A Year in Lush Places , the novella based on the Dorse...