• Living Between the Lines

    Tell it how it is…

    You may conclude from that title, that I refer to the current pandemic, well, in part I do but there is a wider aspect to this statement – more of a question really. Do you always tell it how it is? Or, are you one of the people who tries to dress up the truth a little to make someone feel better when needed? Some are good at it, others not so good … but I expect we all, occasionally, do not tell it quite how it is. It wasn’t the current health crisis that brought this question to mind, although no one can deny that governments rarely tell it…

  • Ready Money Cove
    Living Between the Lines

    It makes you laugh…

    We love to laugh. Sometimes, humour comes from the most unexpected places. For instance, those overheard conversations between fractious couples in supermarkets, could be us, or the innocent comments of children and of course, the snippets gleaned when passing someone in the street that can make one giggle out loud. It was the latter type which had me giggling today. We had had a particularly delightful walk, despite the steady drizzle and the wind that whipped our faces. We strolled through the town, stopping for a browse in FatFace and then a mandatory coffee in the Coffee shop before walking up to the newly refurbished Fowey Harbour Hotel, where we…

  • Living Between the Lines

    How very dare you…

    The silver-haired lady, strode with a purposeful air across the hotel lounge. “My daughter’s parking the car – I want to find somewhere to sit and then we will want some tea,” she instructed a uniformed member of the staff who was manning the bar. The young man nodded at her politely. We three, Dave, our friend Lisa and I, had been sitting quietly on a pair of comfy sofas either side of a coffee table, by one of the great windows. We had been enjoying the view of the rugged cliffs and rolling waves of North Devon. It was certainly blowing a gale outside – quite unseasonal apparently, but…

  • Living Between the Lines

    Where did November go?

    Well, really, where did November go? One minute I am watching my niece get married, on my birthday (the 1st of the month) and the next I am staring Christmas in the face. The last few weeks have been a blur and it gets no better as December moves in. The annual NaNoWriMo was barely attainable this year. Though I did manage to reach the target of 50,000 words – I do not feel a worthy winner since the first ten thousand had already been written. Still, as a personal goal, it was good. Next year I promise to give it my all. Could this little chap have had anything…

  • Living Between the Lines

    Rain, rain go away…

    So runs the nursery rhyme. This month’s storms, bringing with them the misery of floods and ruined homes in many parts of Britain, seem never-ending. We spent last week in Cornwall as it happens, where some of the worst weather was being experienced. The coastal towns saw waves crashing over harbour walls and flooding the streets. Tides were reaching record levels and the railway line at Dawlish in Devon has been left hanging in mid-air. There was something quite surreal about seeing that rail wavering in the wind, the ballast beneath completely washed away. Now we hear there could be snow — oh joy. Not all is bleak though. Our…

  • Living Between the Lines

    Fitting out, Sailors, Tea Ladies and Euphamisms

    A Bank holiday weekend, in gorgeous Fowey, was full of surprises. We arrived expecting rain but were met with blue skies and sunshine. It may not have been the weather for lazing on the beach but it was pleasant and warm in sheltered parts. We had arrived towards evening and my husband had booked a meal at the local sailing club for our party of three. He had also issued an invitation to a friend who was delighted to accept. Thus, we wandered down at the appointed time. Our friend, who lives in Fowey, was already there. “Did you know it was a Fitting Out dinner?” she asked us with…

  • Living Between the Lines

    Sweeping away the Cobwebs

    ‘tis a wonderous thing, writing. I am now, perhaps, three fifths of the way towards the completion of my latest novel. This is the novel written entirely in November under the strict, “no edit” instructions of NaNoWriMo. December arrived in a flurry of festivities, the New Year with more of the same (including the unfortunate incident with the sausage). There was barely time to sit back and ponder the niceties of sentence structure or plot continuity and no time at all to contemplate denouement. So, with unfinished chapters and unanswered questions, ringing in my ears, I put the novel to one side and concentrated on family and friends. A break…