There’s a familiar sight outside the window of my writing room: blurred by heavy rainfall, beyond the rooftops of red brick houses, trees are blowing in a blustery wind. While searching for inspiration for tomorrow evening’s open mic, I thought of May’s challenging weather, and came up with my reading: The Story of the North Wind. It’s actually an extract from my novel, The Warder (Blood Gift Chronicles 2). In the book, Suni is a storyteller, among other things, and The Story of the North Wind is a story she tells. It is a fable from the land of Shendi, the setting for my books, and with nature being the theme for tomorrow evening’s open mic, the fable fits in well.
Meanwhile, these persistent grey days leave me longing for colour, and while waiting for the sun to arrive, I look back wistfully at the few days of sunshine we’ve been treated to so far this year.
One afternoon trip in April, to Powderham Castle, brought an unexpected splash of colour, despite the looming big skies. Edged by marshland leading down to the river Exe estuary, it’s a place we’ve visited many times, not least because it lies along our favourite cycle route. That afternoon we wandered off the beaten track, away from herds of grazing deer and flocking Canada geese, beyond the castle grounds with its fields of spring bulbs and flowering magnolias, down a tree-lined lane, where we finally discovered a secret garden, filled with willows and giant blooming rhododendrons. I love these reminders that there’s always more to explore, even in places we think we know.
Back home, and after a weekend of planting before the rains came, I’m grateful for colour in our own garden.
But for now, back to work, and The Story of the North Wind…
Happy Reading!
