The view from my hinterland cottage. Self imposed writing holiday. Hope I don't spend too much time looking out the window!

I have the 'end of holiday/back to work' blues. What is your best remedy to fix it?

Me coming back from a bookshop after saying I was only going there to browse

Did you manage not to smile at this? True joy.

There are two trees in a lonely field, They breathe a smell to me; A dreary thought their dark boughs yield, All waving solemnly. ~ Emily Brontë

At a conference trying to concentrate on the keynote... And the nosy neighbours insist on climbing the tree outside your window!

What a week... I got the job as Assistant Principal at my school AND I got an out of the blue ms request from the head publisher of one of the Big 5.

hiræth 💚

Why do people say 'distracted by books' like it's a bad thing???

Happy Birthday to my protagonist Agrippina, who was born 2008 years ago today. Mother of Nero, sister of Caligula, wife of Claudius and great-grand-daughter of Augustus. Much maligned by history. Her tale is coming!

This morning's beautiful sunrise

Obscure Word of the Day: Scripturient Definition: Having a strong urge to write. This grand Scripturient paper-spiller, This endless, needless margin filler... (Anthony Woods, Athenae Oxoniensis, 1691)

Another new find from Pompeii is a collection of small terracottas connected with the religion of the goddess Cybele. Here I explore what the rooster is doing in the group (clue: it's got something to do with Cybele's self-castrated priests).shorturl.at/lryJN

Traditionally Published authors (no offence to other forms of publishing) how many novels did you write before you were trad. published? #writersoftwitter #writerscommunity

"No tree becomes rooted and sturdy unless many a wind assails it. For by its very tossing it tightens its grip and plants its roots more securely; the fragile trees are those that have grown in a sunny valley." ~ Seneca

Love that my ancestral 'home town' had such strong Roman connections, not to mention a rich 'Germanic' tradition.

The yew at Muckross is one of the best examples of its kind in Ireland and is said to be as old as the abbey itself. One theory is that the courtyard and cloisters may even have built around the already mature yew which would make the tree over 600 years old.

If we are to believe the ancient sources, Roman women were either promiscuous or domestic goddeses. The real lives of women were much more diverse. To celebrate #InternationalWomensDay here are some of the lesser-known and interesting women from ancient Pompeii. #IWD