Raining in My Writing Shed

Sometimes, you just have to love the rain :)

  

Monknash and Nashpoint Lighthouse

I paid a visit to Monknash today. The path down from the village to the Jurassic coastline was billed as a beautiful secret walk on the internet, but the route was moderately busy in the Saturday sunshine. Along the track, which dips down from the Honesty Box car park (£3 at the time of my visit), I passed the ruins of Monknash Mill, and I spent a little time there to take the following photographs and make an audio recording of the trickling stream there:

 

It was on down to the beach then, where I discovered a rather lengthy strength of coastline, backed with a huge length of crumbling cliff that is apparently rich in ammonite and other fossils.

Monknash Beach

Monknash Beach is a stunning and picturesque beach but with only limited stretches of sand, so I didn't find any seaglass to add to my growing collection. The beach is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and forms part of Glamorgan Heritage Coast.

My next audio recording from the day was captured in the beer-garden of a reportedly haunted pub, whilst recovering from the sweltering climb back up from the coast. The Plough ad Harrow was built in 1383 and originally formed part of the grange of a local monastery. At one point the building was used by the monks to store the bodies of drowned sailors recovered from the beaches below. Some of the timber from the numerous shipwrecks associated with this neck of coastline were used to form the beams in the later restructuring of the inn.

 

My final stop off for the day before heading home was this gem of a lighthouse at Nash Point:

Nash Point Lighhouse

Nash Point Lighthouse Fog Horn

I will have to head back down to the lighthouse at some point in the future to do an audio field recording of the fog horn in action... :)

Berserk! A Tale of Vikings, Death Metal and Werewolves

Writing With My Eldest & Quietest Cat

Berserk! Half Way Through Chapter Seven

Story-boarding Chapter Seven

World Dracula Day

Me (or my shadow) Overlooking Whibty Abbey's Graveyard

It's #WorldDraculaDay today, so I thought this was a good opportunity to share some of my photographs of Whitby Abbey and its cliff edge graveyard. This Gothic location features strongly in Bram Stoker's Dracula and is certainly up there as one of the most atmospheric places I have visited in the UK.

Berserk! Chapter Six Done 'n' Dusted

Tree Bumblebees in My Garden

For the past couple of years, I have had a tree bumblebee nest in the roof of my garden shed. They are friendly little creatures and did not bother me once when I stuck my audio recorder right in their tiny bumblebee faces. Best to use headphones as you can then hear the bees fly through your head :)

 

My Writing Shed

I did a bit of sorting and tidying in my writing shed today. Hoping to get it operational by the start of Summer :)

Writing Chapter Six

Out in the garden, writing Chapter Six.

Story-boarding Chapter Six

Thankfully, my writer's block cleared last night. I am not too sure if the plot details of Chapter Six came during a dream or whether I worked it out in that strange hinterland of thought that can occur when awakening from one dream and slipping back into another. Anyway, the plot outline for Chapter Six is sorted and I just now need to write it. In the meantime, here is my #IWishICouldDraw storyboard for the chapter:

Enjoying the Sunshine

No writing today. Just going to enjoy the sunshine :)

Berserk! Story-boarding Chapter Six

Writer's Block

Nearly 13k words into my new novel and I am stuck :o/

Gardening Can Be Magickal

Gardening can be just as creative an activity as novel-writing. Magickal worlds can be shaped in flowers and stones as well as ink and paper.

The Purrrrfect Company For Writing

Researching Wolfsbane

My New Writing Desk :)

I have always wanted one of these, ever since I was little - an Edwardian writing bureau. And now I finally possess one. And here it is, in situ, in the writing shed I have been working on creating in my garden since last Summer:

My new Edwardian writing bureau

The writing bureau with writing top lowered

Cubby holes and shelves on the writing desk

Pen draw

My 'special' writing pen, from my childhood days

An old 1970's ornament, now occupying one of the cubby holes

I found the writing bureau on ebay last night and put in an offer, which the seller was more than happy to accept. Luckily, the desk was located just down the road from me and I picked it up this morning. I am feeling very happy this morning with my new purchase and am more enthusiastic about continuing the conversion of my old shed now. I can hardly wait to settle myself at the desk, pen in hand and write as the rain hits the windows and the tin roof. It should be very atmospheric...

P.S. I will do a brief audio recording in the shed the next time it rains heavily to try and share the ambience of the place a little :)

Berserk! Chapter Five

The group are starting to get freaked out in the isolated woodland. No human has walked this land for a thousand years and the dark gods and spirits continue to linger here...