On discovering the upper recruitment age for the British Armed Forces is 39, I feel a flash of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). I’ve missed that boat–or tank, or fighter jet–by a couple of decades. The same goes for the police force. Although there’s no age limit for joining up, they expect you to retire by 60.
I don’t know why this irks me. Despite my father having served in the Royal Navy, I never wanted to join any of the Forces. Even as a child, I knew I wanted to be when I grew up: a writer.
Tick! My sixteenth novel, Death at the Village Christmas Fair, will be published on 16th August.
Next up: novel #16, the third in my Cotswold Curiosity Shop series
Although I came to writing by a roundabout route, via journalism, PR and charity work, I got there in the end. I know in my heart I’ll never want to do anything else. Nor will I ever retire. I’ll be writing until I drop.
In this month’s Hawkesbury Parish News, I’m celebrating the wealth of talent resident in our Cotswold village, and in particular artist James Nickells and his Global Portrait Project.
What is it that makes the residents of Hawkesbury so talented? Is there a secret ingredient in the local water that sparks creativity and talent?
Or perhaps there’s something about the parish that encourages those with special gifts and skills to move here. The general acceptance of exception and difference in our community is one of the many things that makes it a special place to raise our children and for individuals to thrive.
