The world from my window

I'm up bright and early on Dorset's highest hill, looking out across the vale to a hazy coast, at around about twenty past seven. This is a 'no filter' photo from my phone. It's wonderful up here this morning, with no-one else about. On the top of the world, looking down on creation. It's Lady Day today, and also my only brother's birthday. Two important events in my family's calendar over the years: the latter because he is the Golden Child, the only male in a gaggle of females, and the former because it's the traditional day for farm tenancies to change. As children, we were brought up on a county council smallholding in Somerset, so Lady Day has always been part of my inner make up. It's the first of the four traditional English quarter days (the others being Midsummer, Michaelmas and Christmas Day). It's called Lady Day because it marks the Feast of the Annunciation, which celebrates the Angel Gabriel's announcement to the ...

I've been rather tardy of late and haven't blogged for several weeks. My apologies - things have been pretty busy in Maddie's World, with a new weekly column of that name just about to be launched in The People's Friend magazine (hoorah!), which I'll be posting regularly on this blog once it's published, and other close encounters of the writing kind. I'll be bringing you updates from Lush Places and the wider world as soon as I can.  In the meantime, here's a link to The Lady Shed , a writing project I'm working on with two friends. Each week, one of us writes about a subject which grabs us. Every four weeks we all write about the same thing. The latest posts are all about the National Health Service. This Friday, I'll be in the shed on my own, talking about sibling rivalry, as it's my brother's birthday tomorrow - Lady Day, ha, ha. The only boy in a family of girls, he is known as Golden Balls by Mr Grigg. I've never quite g...