The world from my window

A Happy New Year to you all! Here's hoping that 2020 is peaceful, healthy, everything you hope for and full of blue sky bunting. After twelve happy years, I've decided to give up this blog. I wanted to say a big thanks for all your support. The World from my Window has opened many doors (and indeed windows) for me during that time, including an appearance on Channel 5's  The Gadget Show , and a weekly writing slot on the world's oldest weekly magazine for women, The People's Friend . I love sharing my stories with readers of my Maddie's World column and the People's Friend team are a joy to work with. Long may that continue! Through this blog, I've had a loyal host of followers from all over the globe, including particular champions in those dozen years. It's a huge boost and very humbling. Thank you. Since I was a young child, writing has been my thing. I started this blog during a creative writing course with The Open University in 2...

Once upon a time I had a dream. I was seven years old and wanted to be a zookeeper.  It was Johnny Morris's fault. I loved Animal Magic . By the age of eight, I had a guinea pig. I soon learned that mucking it out was a real labour of love. And I didn't love it very much. I did love writing, though. I wrote a mini-novel with illustrations. Like most children of that age and of that era, I was very animal-centric, particularly as I was born and raised on a farm. My book was about a cat called Tom and a dog called Blackie and how the pair of them foiled a kidnapping plot. I've still got it somewhere. When I find it, I'll show you. So in my ninth year, I decided if I wanted to be a writer when I grew up, the best thing I could do was become a journalist. I'd seen a film on television and loved the fast pace and the wisecracks. I loved this remake, too, of The Front Page . My journalistic career wasn't quite like the movies, apart fr...

I stood at the side of the stage. A woman in a gown a bit like mine and a very cheery face whispered: 'Don't worry, you'll be fine.' And then my name was read out, there was applause and I walked out across to the pro-vice chancellor of The Open University. He congratulated me as he shook my hand. 'Was it an enjoyable experience?' he said. 'Fantastic,' I said. 'What next?' 'I think I'm going to cry.' 'Ah, best not,' he said, as he squeezed my shoulder and sent me on my way. There, in the audience, was my sister, my brother-in-law, my parents, my friend Pelly and Number One Son. And there in the aisle to greet me, camera in hand, was Mr Grigg. 'I'm so proud of you,' he said. 'Well done.' And that nearly set me off again. The audience fanned themselves with the OU programme, which gave details of the honorary degrees being conferred this year. Among the recipients are physicist, tel...