Encounter on the Platform - A Short Story

A small moment, waiting for a train, in the cold at Bedminster Station today sparked this story. 

Small stories are everywhere... 

 

  

Encounter on the Platform 

I love these crisp, still, winter mornings… leaving the house in the dark, not so much.

    As I make my way across the platform to claim a seat in the shelter, there’s only a scattering of people at this quiet, suburban station at such an ungodly hour. 

    Just as my spot on the bench warms up, I’m forced to shuffle over and make room for one more. A small woman, she’s dressed head to toe in black, hooded by a chunky knitted hat, face pallid in the blue light of approaching dawn.

    She sits close, so close we share the same pocket of icy air. She reaches down into her ample handbag. I expect her to take out a phone - all the other commuters are in their e-bubbles - instead, she takes out a small, battered, hardback book. Curious, I peer over her shoulder. The typeface cramped on the tissue paper thin pages. 

    Psalms.

    Her lips flutter as she absorbs and silently recites the words. She raises her eyes ahead to the tree-line, my gaze follows. 

    A watercolour wash of pink seeps up the trunks. 

    She drops the book into her bag, an urgency in the motion. Next, she takes out a small tube of what looks like hand cream. I notice the number 50 shouting from the label. 

    She squirts a liberal dollop of the cream into her hand and fiercely rubs it onto her cheeks, along her neck, and over her hands, coating every inch of her exposed flesh.

    The rails rattle and whirr, lights slowly swell on the horizon. Phones are stowed, seats abandoned, what seemed like a sparse gathering of passengers, morphs into a thick snake along the yellow line.

    The lady in black gets up and lifts her bag. It’s only then I notice she’s dropped the bookmark from her New Testament. I bend down to pick it up.

    “Excuse me?”

    She turns, our eyes connect.

    “You dropped this!”

    I hold out the bookmark, blink twice, not sure I’ve read the logo on the bookmark correctly: ‘Nosferatu Anonymous’.

    She thanks me with a nod, a soft smile drawing her lips away from startlingly serrated teeth.

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2016 Wasn't So Bad - 40 (ish) Achievements

The Earth has orbited the sun 40 times since I joined the celestial party.


Around this time last year, I set myself a challenge - a mini 'bucket list' of sorts. I listed 40 things to do before I was 40.

I wrote about it HERE: 40 Things to Do Before I Reach 40

I had to think of things that were realistic and achievable without breaking the bank.

Here's how I did:

As you can see, I only managed 11 of them. However...

There were a few that I crossed off in the year for various reasons:

• Skiing and White Water Rafting - we had 2 holidays in the year and neither gave us the opportunity to ski or go rafting.

• Tie a message to a balloon and let it go, also,  let go of a floating lantern - I didn't want to create unnecessary litter. 

• Wear coloured contact lenses for the day - several people told me horror stories about people who had caused permanent eye damage from using these.

In the summer, it became apparent that I wasn't going to complete the 40 challenges, so instead, I started recording the awesome things I did:

my #BuckListWin's!

Travelled First Class. Okay, so it was only from Bristol to Taunton by train, but I've never done it before!

Swimming in the Black Sea. A holiday to Bulgaria, the weather was scorching and we spent the weekend at Golden Sands.

The Blue Lagoon, Iceland. This one had been on my bucket list for a long time.

Rowing the Kennet and Avon Canal. A gorgeous sunny afternoon, midweek, we both took the day off work and went rowing.

See The Northern Lights. Also on our holiday to Iceland, this was a fantastic experience, again, it's been on my bucket list for ages!

 

A screen free day. Our few days in Bulgaria - no phone, no TV, no internet, no computer. Bliss.

Speed boat along the Thames. A family day trip in the summer.

Jeep Safari in Iceland. A day of exploring the tundra, seeing geysers, waterfalls, and glaciers.

A pro- photoshoot. I now have a collection of great business images, thanks to the expertise of Lidia at Visuable, that I use for all my marketing.

A styling session. I may not have lost the weight, but thanks to a styling session with Gosia Scarrott of GS Styling, I can now dress for my shape. At least I look like I've lost weight!

I'm still self-employed. I may not have met my income goals with the business, but I have managed to be in profit from day one and haven't had to concede defeat and divide my time by working for someone else.

Completed a Speaking Circuit. I took my 'Storytelling for business' talk to Women Mean Business networking groups across the South West and made the decision to join the formal networking club in 2017

Finished the Sheridan and Blake Series. A trilogy that turned into a quadrilogy, finishing my first series of books is a significant milestone in my career as a writer and means I can now move on to other writing projects with pride. I compiled all four into a bumper 4 in 1 eBook Boxset


 
Published a 'Blogging for Business' book, which is proving to be a great 'gateway product' and 'premium business card' into further consultancy work.

 

Watched NYE fireworks from the rooftop of an eight-storey building.

Made lots of new friends and found my tribe. I realised this when the people who came to my Gabriel's Game book launch party and to my New Years' Eve 40th Birthday party were a completely different bunch of people to a year ago.

So, all in all, it may not have been 40 things, but 2016 wasn't all bad...

What did you achieve in 2016?



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Ideas for a Thrifty Christmas

It's that time of year again - where Capitalism has a collective orgasm - as we lose all sense of control and vomit Christmas all over everything in an explosion of commercial excess!

I'm being a little facetious, of course (but just a little...)

It's so easy to get carried away at this time of year. Everything is shiny! How can you resist?

Everyone is either telling you to spend, spend, spend - or save, save, save.

I'm on the saving side!

There are plenty of great lifestyle bloggers talking about how to have a successful, yet thrifty Christmas - I'm calling it 'Thriftmas'

#Thriftmas


I don't have children and have a relatively small family, therefore, a not unwieldy list of presents to provide.

Let the social convention commence - How much to spend on who? What's appropriate as you predict how generous, or stingy, each recipient is likely to be?

Let's just ignore all that nonsense and create gifts that are personal, heartfelt, tailored to the receiver and don't break the bank, instead!


I love having an excuse to get my craft on and make things at this time of year!

I had a homemade Christmas last year and blogged about it: All I Want For Christmas, 2015

Here are a few quick things you can do to have a crafty and thrifty Christmas... 


Quick Thrift Tips

Gift tags: Cut up last year's Christmas cards to use as gift tags. It's pathetically simple, cut out an image or word, some larger cards with lots of small images can even become several tags. Hole punch a corner and thread through scraps of ribbon.

Ribbon: Keep the ribbon scraps cut from clothing, off cuts from other projects and from presents you've received. I also take the tiny bits of ribbon off crackers once they've been pulled. Keep ribbon scraps collected throughout the year in a box (I have a drawer of them) and use them for gift tags, wrapping etc.

Wrapping paper: We waste so much wrapping paper. I saw a report online saying in the UK alone there is enough wrapping paper wasted at Christmas to stretch to the moon!

Get into thrifty habits and start saving any gift wrap you can reuse. Save any tissue paper or other large sheets of paper used to wrap purchases you've made throughout the year.

Pages from magazines and newspapers, even brown paper can be dressed with ribbon to make lovely gift wrap.

Wrap any household gifts in a tea towel so the wrapping also becomes part of the gift. Scraps of fabric can also make lovely gift wrap.

Fabrics: When I have an item of clothing that is irrevocably stained or damaged (therefore unsuitable for charity), I cut it into fabric squares that can be used for other projects. Some basic sewing skills can turn these scraps into patchwork projects, cushion covers etc. for gifts. Or, if you are giving a gift to a crafty friend, trim the scraps into fat quarters with pinking shears, iron flat, fold nicely and wrap with ribbon to give as a gift. My sister, Artist Chloe Birnie, always loves getting little fabric stacks as a gift!


Hampers: I made hampers last year and will do some again this year.

They're so simple (and inexpensive) to put together and look expensive and impressive.

As an example, last year I made an 'Indian Cuisine themed hamper' for my mum and dad. I bought a cheap balti dish then sat some sachets of Indian spices, a bag of Bombay mix, mini cans of coconut milk and a jar of homemade Mango chutney in it, padded out with shredded tissue paper, wrapped it in cellophane, secured it with ribbon and added a nice printed tag. It looked great and cost me less than a fiver!

Made from brown paper and doilies

Save baskets and nice boxes throughout the year and repurpose them for hampers. Or, make your own!

I'm making baskets again this year by weaving strips of brown paper or magazines together. Here's a handy how-to Pin.

Ideas: I have a secret Pinterest board of ideas for gifts that I fill throughout the year so when it comes to the run up to Christmas I have no shortage of inspiration.



What are you doing to save  money and create lovely, memorable gifts this Christmas?

My Favourite Writing Haunts in Bristol

Writing can be a lonely process.

In many ways, it's necessary, to enclose ourselves in our little writer's bubble and keep the world at bay, but when you live in such a fantastic city as I do - Bristol UK - there are so many great places to hang out and so much inspiration to be had outside of the four walls of my house!

Any creative and cosmopolitan city worth its salt has a buzzing cafe culture, and Bristol is no exception. Proud and stubborn supporters of our rich tapestry of independent businesses and cultural diversity, there are always new coffee shops, cafe's, bars and eateries popping up in this foodie city.

Being a writer is a perfect excuse to sample the many delights Bristol has to offer.

I pack up my notebooks and pens, my neat little Acer laptop, and love to venture out and explore.

When seeking out a space to work in, I usually end up in a coffee shop.

I'll give any place a try and here's the evidence...

My wallet of shame...

These are the coffee shop loyalty cards my wallet is bulging with:

I touched on my hunt for the ideal space to work in on a blog last year:

Coffee Shops: Office of Playground

With so much to choose from in Bristol, it's important to have a strategy, or at the very least, some criteria.

And just to be scientific about it, I created scoring criteria to measure different venues against.

I've scored independent places higher and chains lower, as I want to support local businesses - I'd rather my money went to the people that work for it, instead of shareholders and faceless corporations.

I've also scored child-friendly places lower. Sorry - I have nothing against children, but it's hard to work with children screaming and running around. There are enough places in the city for all of us, and for working, meeting poeple and writing, I favour places that don't double as a schoolyard!

I've marked the highest scoring, and my favourite places:

There are many more places than this, some I've tried, some are still on the list. This is just a snapshot!

One thing that did surprise me from the scores was the variance between Boston Tea Party's.

The one on Whiteladies Road scored the lowest: I scored them lower for environment, (it's dark, cramped, noisy and busy), low on Value For Money (the food and drink are expensive and although good, the portions aren't generous). The one on Park Street similarly, although the staff there are really friendly and attentive and seem to enjoy their work, so they scored higher. My favourite of the three is the one by Stokes Croft. They have a lovely outside area at the front and being a more studenty part of town, there are rarely children in there. It's narrow and twisty so the tables tend to be for two (ideal for working at), larger tables tend to attract crowds of noisy people and families.

My all time favourite snack when working is from BTP: 'Crunchy peanut butter on sourdough toast'.


Of all the coffee shops on this list, the ones that stand out, and that I spend most time in are:

Bakesmiths on Whiteladies Road

Book editing in Bakesmiths

They are a bakery and coffee shop, and the range of baked goods made on site is fantastic, and good value. I often get little free samples and they'll happily keep topping up my teapot with hot water. The staff are really friendly (they recognise me now!) The only drawbacks are it can get very busy and noisy in there and with all the big windows it can get really hot in the summer and pretty chilly in the winter.

Cafe Du Jour on Park Street
It's less busy and child-friendly than the one on Whiteladies Road, it tends to be frequented by office workers so there is never any issue with holding meetings or working on a laptop in there. The staff are really friendly too (they recognise me now!). Sometimes the coffee is a bit hit and miss, but the tea is always a winner and they are happy to top my pot up with hot water. The food selection is limited but excellent (although sometimes the cakes have been sat in the open for a while and can be a little dry).

Crazy Fox
One of the few independent coffee shops in Broadmead (most are chains). The coffee can be a bit hit and miss and it gets busy, especially at lunchtimes, the service can be slow (but at least they bring food to your table). I sometimes feel like I'm outstaying my welcome in there but its central location makes it a great place to meet people from outside the city, as often visitors don't know parts of the city other than the Broadmead and Cabot Circus main shopping districts.

The music is also great in here, it's as if they've hacked my favourite GooglePlay playslists!

Watching the world go by in Dom's

Dom's Coffee House
This place is new to Bristol and I met the owner, Louis, at an event in the summer when he was still working on the refurbishment of the building. Since then I've watched its progress with keen interest. The coffee is exceptionally good, staff are lovely, the big upstairs lounge is inaccessible for pushchairs and dotted with plug points to encourage people to work there. It's rarely busy and is easy to direct people to as it's right on the central promenade by the Hippodrome.



And on a sunny day, the best place is...

Bridgstow Bar and Kitchen

Pretending I live in Nice at the Brigstow

On the waterfront, with views out to the SS Great Britain, it's off the beaten track enough to be relatively quiet (except at weekends). The whole front opens out and with chilled beats gently throbbing through the speakers and seafood to die for, it feels very continental.


Some other noteworthy things about places on the list...

The Arnolfini shop is a highlight (it's often better than the exhibitions!) - I could spend hours in there looking at the gorgeous books.

At The Well have bite-sized cakes for when you want a sugar hit but don't want a sugar hangover!

Bristol Coffee House do the best Pastel de Nata (Portuguese custard tarts) in Bristol.

Cafe Amore has the feel of a brown cafe in Amsterdam (without the smell of pot!). The food is great value too, ideal for lunch.

Cafe Kino is vegan and veggie (I'm not) - their veggie sausage rolls are amazing (dare I say it, better than a meat one!).

Hennesey's is bursting with literary quirkiness, really sweet little place, my favourite cafe in Bedminster.

Although I wouldn't actively choose a Starbucks, at Christmas I love their seasonal coffees - 'Egg Nog Latte' is just warm creamy loveliness, it's like a hug in a mug!

The Bristolian is rather conveniently located at the bottom of my brother's street and our hangout of choice. Their breakfasts are phenomenal, generous and delicious!

The Playground has playground stuff in it - I love the swing seats!

I always bump into people I know in the Watershed, and famous people randomly turn up there. I met Natalie Bennett (at the time, Leader for the Green Party) in there and had a long chat with her about sustainable small business and we've chatted on Twitter since. I also ended up in the middle of a Roni Size pop-up DJ set in there! With free WifFi, it's the go-to workplace for luvvies and media-types.

Where do you like to write?




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Rediscovering Sheridan and Blake - Falling in Love Again

The initial spark, that lit the tinder, that started a flame in my imagination, then caught and became the inferno that is The Sheridan And Blake Adventure Series was a 'what if?' moment...

That moment struck during a visit to the Varna Archaeological Museum where I saw a collection of finds unearthed accidentally in the 1970's by a construction crew. The artefacts were a cache of gold and grave offerings that, when carbon dated in 2004, turned out to be oldest worked gold in the world. Archaeological excavations of the site revealed a  Chalcolithic Age (commonly known as Copper Age) necropolis, a necropolis that changed our view of that transition from humans using stone tools to developing complex societies.

The 'what if' was:

"What if something ancient and powerful was unearthed by archaeologists? What would men do to get their hands on that ancient power? Who would they kill, and who would die to protect it?"

That became the premise for the series of books.

My protagonist is a female, Bristol based archaeologist, Dr Sasha Blake and the hero is an agent, Tom Sheridan, who works for a covert organisation that repatriates stolen antiquities from the black market, The Agency.

Together they embark on an international mission to find the Bronze Box, four rings that act as the keys to the box, and an ancient manuscript - its instruction manual.
  

It took four years to research, develop, plan and write the first book, The Bronze Box. I finally published it in 2013. The rest of the books were already in my head, I always knew it would be a series of books, the complex web of intrigue and conspiracy I weave into the books needs four books to unravel! It was just a case of making a plan, having a routine and sticking to it so I could write and publish the rest of the series over the course of the next three years.

To culminate this seven-year project, I'm about to publish a 4 in 1 bumper eBook Boxset. All four Sheridan and Blake books in one eBook. Instead of buying 4 separate books, you'll be able to buy the whole lot in one book and binge-read it. 

This is what it will look like:

The book includes:

• The Bronze Box
• Solomon's Secrets
• Gabriels Game - Part 1, The White Queen
• Gabriels Game - Part 2, The Black Knight

• As well as more about me, my journey and inspiration for the books in an author summary.

Adding all the books together into one book this week, I'm going through the stories again, making small changes to ensure consistency in formatting etc. and naturally, I can't help but tweak bits of it too!

I've been immersing myself in the world of Sheridan and Blake and enjoying the experience all over again. Falling in love once more with my characters and their story!

I've also come across more spine-tingling quotes. Here's a few:

The Bumper eBook Box Set is coming soon...


I hosted a webinar recently 'Meet the Author' - here's the recording. In it I share more about my journey into writing, my process and inspiration. Packed with insights for curious readers and tips for budding writers:






 

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