Writing advice and inspiring places
Even on a dark, rainy day, Glastonbury Abbey is impressive. This vast building was once one of the richest monasteries in England. Now it's mostly ruined. Glastonbury is a place synonymous with myth and legend, so it's perhaps not surprising that the abbey has a few stories in its past. The first story lies in... Continue Reading →
To say Tyntesfield is Gothic is an understatement. This place is Goth-ick. It's so Gothic it'd make Goths go green with envy - under their pale makeup obviously. Fans of the BBCs' "Sherlock" should recognise Tyntesfield from the episode "The Abominable Bride" a (sort of) homage to the original Victorian setting of Arthur Conan-Doyles' detective... Continue Reading →
Writers love writing and want to do it all the time, right? Well, sort of. Sometimes the words will flow out of you like a waterfall, and at other times you'd rather do anything else but write. It doesn't mean you don't like what you're working on, but writing is mentally tough. It may be... Continue Reading →
High on a hill in Lisbon, lies a remarkable graveyard. Its tombs are lined up in streets, an echo of a town - or maybe its ghost. It was built in 1833 after a cholera outbreak. You can reach the cemetary by walking, or by riding tram 28 to it's last stop in Prazeres thereby... Continue Reading →
Put anything you create out into the great wild world and you'll be guaranteed to get some criticism back. If you're lucky it will be of the useful "constructive" variety, but it's likely some of it won't be. No-one's writing is ever universally liked or without the potential to offend. But even though it comes... Continue Reading →
I have a bit of a thing for interior decorating. I'm not that good at it, but I'll happily spend hours reading magazines and scanning Pinterest, wishing I had the skill (and money) to create something impressive in my own house. And being an avid reader, my interest in decor dovetails neatly into the storage and... Continue Reading →
For the past couple of months, I've been "off" social media. It started as a give-something-up-for-Lent thing and thus far, it's continuing. I've been trying this for a few reasons, but primarily to curb my procrastinating and reduce my anxiety. The results have been interesting - and not what you might expect. When I say off I... Continue Reading →
There was a moment as we walked through the magical gardens of this park that my other half said he was sure he'd been here before, not in person, but in a dream. I knew exactly what he meant. The Quinta da Regaleria is one of a number of outlandish buildings and parks located near... Continue Reading →
You may not expect the oldest bookstore in the world to be found in Portugal. But in the Chiado Livraria Bertrand in Lisbon has a Guinness World Records certificate to prove it. The original shop opened in 1732 and has stayed open ever since, albeit moving around the city. The current shop opened in 1773,... Continue Reading →
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