I spent part of the weekend before last observing other people’s reactions to country churches they weren’t familiar with:
On the Saturday, many visitors from beyond our parish attended the Hawkesbury Upton Literature Festival‘s autumn event at St Mary the Virgin, Hawkesbury – my local parish church.
Photo of the interior of St Mary’s Hawkesbury during the Lit Fest by Peter Salenieks
On Sunday, at St Andrew’s Leighterton, I attended the last of five concerts in the inaugural Badminton Benefice Festival of Music. Each concert in the series was held at a different church within the Benefice, of which my home church is a part. (A benefice is a group of parishes under the charge of one vicar.)
Guest singer Andrew Hopwood’s outfit was the perfect match for the gorgeous pastel shades of the fresco behind the altar and the fresh flowers on display (Photo by Debbie Young)
When, as a child, I used to play with my grandma’s button box, I admired each button like a tiny work of art.
Born in 1900, Grandma grew up fastening her button-boots with buttonhooks. As a young woman, she embraced flapper styles. The contents of her tin gave a miniature history of twentieth-century fashion.
My mum (91) still has her own button box from when she used to make clothes for her children. Her 21st birthday present was a hand-cranked Singer sewing machine, on which I later learned to sew.
My mum’s button box
My grandma and my mum used old toffee and biscuit tins as button boxes. But my buttons live in a smart Cath Kidston tin, labelled The Book of Buttons.
My daughter uses a tartan shortbread tin to house hers.
The contents of every button box are unique. Plunging your hand in is like a lucky dip. You never know which tiny treasure you’ll pull out, nor its provenance.
Whose duffle coat did this toggle once fasten?
Which child fiddled with this little blue one on their school cardigan during a tedious lesson?
What kind of party dress did this diamante disc once adorn?
Last century, every home had a button box. These days, with fewer people making their own clothes, it’s an endangered species. Yet it’s easy to keep the tradition alive. You can buy interesting vintage buttons in any charity shop or thrift store. If you’re lucky, you’ll find something similar to the fancy fastener at the heart of the mystery in my new novel, Death at the Village Christmas Fair.
When Wendy chooses a bear-shaped button from her daughter Alice’s Cotswold Curiosity Shop and sews it onto a hand-knitted scarf, it soon becomes a vital clue in the hunt for a ruthless killer.
If you look at his tail end, you’ll see a hole that allows him to be sewn onto the scarf.
The unusual scene of the crime is a Santa Run, in which hundreds of fun-runners race dressed as Father Christmas. What’s so special about Wendy’s little wooden bear? You’ll have to read my novel to find out!
Do you have a button box in your home? What’s your most unusual button? Which is your favourite, and why?
Death at the Village Christmas Fairis now available in ebook, paperback, hardback and audiobook. The third in the Cotswold Curiosity Shop cosy mystery series, it may also be read as a standalone novel.
All three books in the series so far can be read as stand-alone novels, but it’s best to read them in order
Thanks to Sarah Chave for the photo. We didn’t let rain stop play!
I’m just recovering after a very wet and windy Hawkesbury Show, where our Hawkesbury Upton Literature Festival tent nearly blew away. I’m sure we had the most windswept spot on the showground – the wind seemed to be coming from all directions at once! However, I had great fun with fellow authors Lucienne Boyce, Sarah Siân Chave, Frances Evesham and Jack (Jackie) Chandler. All except Jackie will be speaking at the next Festival event on Saturday 27th September – and the only reason Jackie’s not coming is that she lives in Germany, otherwise she’d be there like a shot! Thanks to Sarah for the attached photo of us on the stand, dressed for the weather!
I’d just about dried out and warmed up in time to give a short talk at the traditional annual Songs of Praise service held in the Show Marquee next morning (thankfully in sunshine by Sunday morning!) At our Songs of Praise service, six local residents are invited to choose their favourite hymns and tell us why they’ve chosen them. It’s always fascinating to learn more about well-known hymns and heartwarming to learn about the personal connections for the speakers. For this service, I spoke about the power of music to unite communities and bring people to faith.
As a Lay Worship Leader, I occasionally give short talks at services. Lay Worship Leaders aren’t licensed to preach – instead we just talk about something timely or relevant for each service. I thinking of saving them up to turn them into a small book, similar to my collected columns for the Tetbury Advertiser and Hawkesbury Parish News. Let me know if that’s something you’d like to read.
A fascinating personal response to the Hafren, aka the River Severn, with something for everyone.
Following the course of the river from its source just outside Aberystwyth, Sarah Chave’s narrative Includes Welsh mythology and Welsh and English social history, as well as geography and natural history, environmentalism, and family history.
Overall it is a thoughtful, philosophical work, acknowledging and mourning the impact of industrialization and climate change, but also an effective cry for positive action going forward. While nostalgic for what we have lost, it is ultimately constructive, as evidenced by the following quote:
Pastoralism can provoke feelings of nostalgia, a yearning for an unchanging utopian idyll, but it can, instead, be a approached in a different way – as a challenge to care for and protect the wider natural world.
The author cites and embraces Rupert Reed’s argument in favour of “thrutopias” to “encourage us to live our dreams in the present where we can, change things where we cannot, and strive together towards building a more caring world for all”.
Illustrated with a route map of the river to give the reader their bearings, and gentle black and white drawings by Rachel Elinor Collis, the book also boasts an evocative, slightly dream-like cover illustration by Andy Ward. All in all it’s a slick and beautiful package, published by the University of Wales’ imprint, Calon Books, which gives it the stamp of authority.
A great gift for anyone who loves any part of the Hafren/Severn, whether Welsh or English – there’s something in there to satisfy all kinds of readers.
I downloaded this short story onto my Kindle after having a fun conversationon my Facebook author page about who we name our characters after. She named her central character Carrie after her grandmother. I’ve never yet named one of mine after my beloved grandmothers, Lily and Peggy, but I’m going to think about doing that now.
All at Sea is a gentle tale of a very English day out at the seaside – an outing that sounds as if it should be simple and fun, but in Flora McGowan’s hands, turns into a thoughtful, poignant, memorable and melancholy tale of love, loss and responsibility. I won’t say more for fear of spoiling the plot.
In today’s new blog post, I’m sharing my latest column for the Tetbury Advertiser, plus a sneak preview of my new novel, Death at the Christmas Village Fair, which launches on 16th August, and reviews of recent holiday reads.
Tidying the mug shelf in my walk-in larder, I’m mourning the fact that only my favourite mugs ever get broken. I’m down to a single bone-china Cath Kidston, surrounded by numerous unwanted chunky ones. Similarly, I only ever seem to lose my best earrings.
Of course, that’s because they’re the ones I use the most. I must face facts and stop blaming the Borrowers – those tiny folk that live behind the wainscotting, stealing our things while we’re not looking, according to children’s author Mary Norton. Even so, I’m convinced some live in my house.
If you haven’t read “The Borrowers” by Mary Norton, you’re in for a treat
Anyone who has ever worked for their living or played team sport will probably have been told at some point: “There is no I in team.” Writing my first murder mystery play, The Importance of Being Murdered, caused a variation on that theme pop into my head: “There’s no I in theatre”.
Even before the first rehearsal, I recognised the importance of script editors in fine-tuning my original words. Thank you, Fiona Webb and Kirsty Stephen, for applying your wisdom and experience of live theatre to polish my play. Continue reading “Why There’s No I in Theatre”→
Day 185 of my Duolingo Latin streak, and the little green owl, Duo, mascot of this popular language learning app, has just emailed me to say he sees a 186-day streak in my future.
He’s right. The concept of the streak plays a huge part in Duolingo’s success. Once you get going, you dare not miss a day of practice for fear of cutting your streak short, although if you practise a lot, you’ll earn a Streak Freeze allowing you to take a very occasional day off. The longer the streak, the harder it is to lapse, especially when Duo is constantly stalking you with reminders.
If the green owl graphic wasn’t so cute, he’d seem positively sinister.
This is the second time I’ve built up a long Duolingo Latin Streak. Over the years, I’ve spent so many hours with Duo that I’ve completed the Latin course several times over. However, it’s far from comprehensive. I know I’d learn much more if I spent the same amount of time studying the Cambridge Latin Course. I first came across this course at secondary school, and the course book is currently Amazon’s bestseller in Latin. Even so, I can’t seem to escape Duo’s clutches.
I was astonished to find my old school Latin textbook is currently a bestseller on Amazon – bestseller n the Latin category, anyway!
We all know that apps are designed to be addictive, applying streak mechanisms to keep you hooked. The concept of the streak was around long before the invention of the app. Inevitably at my age, my earliest experience of the grip of the streak is analogue: the yellow attendance card for Scripture Union club at primary school. The A6 card was ruled into neat squares, and each time we attended the after-school club, the kindly Mr Linton stamped a little star into the next blank square. A row of stars earned the cardholder a bookmark, a full card a book. Gaining stars was a powerful motivator for attendance, as was Mr Linton’s obvious pleasure at our progress.
Perhaps I should apply the same psychology to housework, never high on my list of priorities.
I need my own Duolingo as my personal cheerleader for housework
I could easily make up a Scripture Union style card and reward myself with a stamp for every completed task. But it wouldn’t feel as fulfilling without the personal endorsement of dear old Mr Linton or Duolingo’s winsome little green owl.
As Mr Linton retired to Norfolk when I was 11, I can’t look to him for help now. Clearly I need my own version of Duo. So, if you come across a small plump green owl with domineering tendencies in need of a good home, please send him my way.
In Other News
No sooner is my latest book done than I’m writing the next!
Death at the Old Curiosity Shop was launched last month and has been very well received, with a 4.4* average on Amazon and over 120 reviews and ratings so far. This book is the start in a brand new series, initially planned as a trilogy, set around Alice Carroll, the new proprietor of a derelict bric-a-brac shop in the Cotswold village of Little Pride. I had such fun creating the new setting and characters that as soon as that book was in production, I set to work on the sequel. Death at the Village Chess Club will be launched on 3rd March 2025, and is already available to preorder. I’ll share the cover here as soon as I can.
Just some of the kind reviews of my latest book so far
In the meantime, I’m getting in festive mood as I organise the next Hawkesbury Upton Village Literature Festival event – the now traditional Christmas Special. This will include readings of classic favourite Christmas poetry and prose, as well as readings and talks by local authors. Three of the guest speakers will be sharing stories written for this occasion. The Festival is very honoured! For more information and to book tickets, visit the HULF website at www.hulitfest.com, or book your tickets online via Eventbrite here. Advance booking is essential to make sure we’ve got enough refreshments and chairs to go around!
