Freda Lightfoot's Blog, page 9

Inspiration for the story For All Our Tomorrows

Why did the Yanks come?
The river valley and creeks of Fowey were well defended, as they provided a relatively secure place to hide munitions which the enemy would more likely expect to find in Plymouth, surely never thinking to look in this secret, wooded hideaway.



The docks, from where the ammunition was shipped and the china clay dispatched, were guarded around the clock, with nobody

Inspiration for the Polly books

The idea for the Polly books came from the story of Great Aunt Hannah who, back in the thirties in order to survive through difficult times, sold off all the furniture save for an earthenware bread bin and their bed. The bread bin thereafter held their food, and acted as a table or stool. With the money and her husband bought second hand carpets from auctions and better class homes, which Aunt

Living in Two Countries as a Writer

I live on the edge of a quiet, typically Spanish white village high in the mountains of Almeria in South-East Spain. We already knew the area as we had a holiday home there for a few years. Then we bought an olive grove and built a house in it. The best advantage I have found from living in Spain is an improvement in my health. Since I suffered badly from arthritis in the UK I was in much less

The Amber Keeper - Readers Book Club Questions

The Amber Keeper 
After her mother’s suicide, Abbie Myers returns home to the Lake District with her young child—and no wedding ring. Estranged from her turbulent family for many years, Abbie is heartbroken when she hears that they blame her for this tragedy.

Determined to uncover her mother’s past, Abbie approaches her beloved grandmother, Millie, in search of answers. The old woman reveals

Birds in our Spanish garden

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I thought you might like to know a little more about the
kind of birds we have here in Spain.







The Black Redstart male looks a little like a wagtail with a
black chest and face. The female is grey but both have a flash of red under
their tails. Their call is a distinctive tseep tseep tseep followed by tak
tak tak.  They're very fond of

Canaries Cruise

We enjoyed a wonderful cruise around the Canaries over Christmas. I did put some of the photos up on Facebook, but thought I'd put a few on my blog too, as they are so lovely. We began with a visit to  Cadiz in Spain, then on to Lanzarote, Gran Canaria and Tenerife, finishing with a visit to Lisbon.


Lanzarote




Our first call was at the Columbus Museum, which was fascinating, giving wonderful

The Magical Attributes of Amber

Amber lifts the heart, delights the eye, and excites our imagination. We think of amber as a precious stone but unlike most jewels it is not a mineral. Like pearls, diamonds and jet, amber is of organic origin, coming from the petrified resin of ancient forests. The Baltic region produces the best amber as this is from the prehistoric Pinites succinifer tree, which is at least 50 million years

Life as a Governess in Russia

Russian Imperial Royal Family


Hiring a British governess was quite fashionable among Russian aristocracy during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. They loved English style and wished their sons to turn into little Lord Fauntleroys. Being able to speak English was considered to be a necessary social accomplishment. French too was fashionable among the upper classes so employing

A Traditional Russian Christmas

Religious celebrations of any kind, including Christmas, were frowned upon by the Soviet State, and largely banned following the October Revolution of 1917. Fortunately this policy was changed in 1935, although the Festive season became a more secular celebration held in the New Year. Nowadays, Christmas in Russia is normally held on the 7 January, although many Russians celebrate it more

Life in a Russian Prison

St Peter's Gate


The Fortress of Saints Peter and Paul is an important landmark in St Petersburg, and definitely worth a visit. One of the first structures to be built in St Petersburg instead of being used to defend the city, it’s history is far more sinister. It quickly became one of the most feared prisons in the Russian Empire, the building also housing the headquarters of the secret