Posted in Events, Family, Personal life, Writing

September – Not an End, but a Beginning

Posted on by Debbie Young

In my column for the September issue of the Hawkesbury Parish News, I’ve been sharing my take on the end of the summer holidays and the start of the new  school year.

Photo of panda-themed float called Pandamonium
Our entry for the carnival a few years ago (although every Hawkesbury Show Day it’s pandemonium in our house)

They Think It’s All Over

How old do you have to be before you stop thinking in academic years? Even when my daughter has finished her education, I’m sure I’ll still be treating September as the chance for new beginnings – a time to start learning new skills and mastering different subjects.

Not that I intend ever to take another academic exam. My ambition applies to a completely different kind of accomplishment: entering exhibits for the Hawkesbury Horticultural Show.  The start of September means I have a whole year ahead to create a worthy winner in any category, whether handicraft, domestic, or horticultural.

Photo of two bags
Two bags made from recycled plastic carrier bags – one of which earned my aunt the trophy for best usable object made from recycled materials

I’ve been fortunate enough to win prizes in many different classes over the years, some due more to luck (e.g. the odd shaped vegetable) than skill (third prize for crochet – go, me!) But every Show Day, as I admire the astonishing array of exhibits in the marquee, I’m always inspired to take up a new hobby so that the following year I might compete in a different class.

So if you’ve been mourning the fact that Hawkesbury Show is over till next August, think again. There’s never been a better time than September to start preparing your entries for next year’s Show, while your inspiration is fresh and time is on your side.

Happy New Show Year, folks!

Trophy showing engraved names of Debbie's father and aunt
And just to prove time really is on your side – my dad won this cup last year at the age of 83 and my aunt this year at the age of 80

 

Cover of All Part of the CharmIf you’d like to read more short thoughts like this one, you might enjoy All Part of the Charm, which brings together in book form six years’ worth of my columns for the Hawkesbury Parish News, plus a set of essays on my first impressions of village life when I first moved here over 25 years ago. 

Available to order from all good bookshops (just quote ISBN 978-1911223023) or from the usual online retailers.

Coming soon: my debut novel which takes place
around a village show like Hawkesbury’s:
Best Murder in Show

Author:

English author of warm, witty cosy mystery novels including the popular Sophie Sayers Village Mysteries and the Gemma Lamb/St Bride's School series. Novels published by Boldwood Books, all other books by Hawkesbury Press. Represented by Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agents. Founder and director of the Hawkesbury Upton Literature Festival. Course tutor for Jericho Writers. UK Ambassador for the Alliance of Independent Authors. Lives and writes in her Victorian cottage in the heart of the beautiful Cotswold countryside.

2 thoughts on “September – Not an End, but a Beginning”

Leave a Reply