Andrea Montgomery's Blog: Andrea Montgomery's Blog, page 6

Sailing to Nostalgia in South Devon

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As the little boat gently navigated the receding waters of the Avon alongside the Bantham coast in South Devon, it carried me into nostalgia, that unattainable distant land where precious memories meld with profound sadness for a time that will never return.

When I was growing up, our family annually holidayed in Devon and Cornwall where I spent long, hot days playing pirates in sand dunes with my brothe...

The Problem With Writing A Historic Novel

For the past few months my latest work-in-progress, writing a historic novel, has been on the back burner while we settled into our new home and made a welcome return to the world of hiking and dining. This week, with a lull in both those projects, I decided to return to my writing.

Having been away from it for so long, I began by reading all the preparatory text I’ve written so far. I had completely for...

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

I’ve heard it said that Gal Gadot’s 2017 Wonder Woman is an amazing role model for women. I disagree. To me, although she competes in a man’s world, and on physical strength which represents such a male-dominated arena, she still conforms to the male standard of what a woman should look like. And besides – she’s a fantasy character.

On the other hand, meet Elizabeth Zott.

Elizabeth is tall and angular wi...

La Palma’s New Volcano

It was the first time we had returned to the Canary Islands since the 2021 eruption and we were keen to see La Palma’s new volcano for ourselves.

Walking into the town of Las Manchas, at first everything looked just the way I remembered it when we last visited in 2019, except the petrol station was closed and deserted; I had never seen the petrol station shut before, not even on Sundays.

As we rounded t...

The Fortitude of Snowdrops

G entle white pearls shining amongst the long grass beneath the trees, and softly bowing heads rippling across the banks that line the narrow paths. These little augers of spring, rise bravely from the frozen earth to declare their victory over the forces of winter.

There are few sights more apt to lift spirits than drifts of snowdrops gathering in valleys like fallen white blossom swept into piles by th...

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr

A nthony Doerr’s writing makes me want to give up any pretence at being a writer and find something else to do with my life.

I’ve read many excellent books since returning to the UK and immersing myself in the magical world of paperbacks, and I’m immensely grateful to all those authors whose words have brought me such joy and transported me to different worlds through multiple eras.

And none more so tha...

The Village Lunch Club

In a previous life, when Jack and I used to be regulars at The Crown in Great Moor, Stockport, the then-landlord, Peter, used to call time at the end of the night with:

“Can I have your glasses please, ladies, gents and…” (looking at us) “…shareholders!”

The Lunch Club

Two weeks ago, Jack and I moved to a small Somerset village and quickly signed up for some of the regular community activities, includi...

Community Living Is Not For Everyone

Last week was The Big Move.

After what felt like an eternity spent booking things, cancelling things, and packing things, we finally moved into our own home, the first house we’ve owned in almost 6 years. And we’ve already had a visit from the village communications hub (aka Mandy), and two of our neighbours; we’ve signed up for the village lunch club – first lunch of the year is on Thursday; and we’re g...

The Things I’ll Miss

Falling asleep to the rhythmic hoot of the owl in the apple tree, and waking to the sound of hooves as Nimrod, Raffles and Maeve escape their stable to canter the high meadow outside the bedroom window.

Coming home on freezing days and feeling the wall of warmth that rushes to embrace my cold face as I enter the kitchen where the Rayburn softly purrs.

...

The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris

The Sweetness of Water is one of those novels that you simply cannot put down even though you’re in danger of missing the next England World Cup game or burning the dinner.

Set in the American South at the tail end of the American Civil War, this Booker Prize Winner 2021 shines a light on what it must have felt like for a small-town community suddenly cast into a new world for which it is neither equippe...