Do you know the secret of happiness?
When Dr Anthony Clare, psychiatrist, was asked for his tips on happiness, he came up with seven, which I heard on the radio today, listed in the following way: have a passion (mine is writing of course), be part of something bigger than yourself, accept change, avoid introspection, live in the moment, audit your happiness, and act happy. Very good advice, don’t you agree?
Regarding resolutions for 2022, I plan to publish my 12th Mills Sanderson mystery, reduce my use of food...
Rievaulx Abbey and Rosedale mines
Rievaulx was one of the first Cistercian abbeys to be founded in England in around 1130. In the 12th century there was a community of 650 monks under its most famous abbot, Aelred. The monastery was dissolved by Henry VIII in 1538 and fell into disrepair, becoming a ruins until it was saved for the public in 1917. The ruins are on a much more magnificent scale than those at Jervaulx Abbey in the Dales, which was also one of the great Cistercian abbeys of Yorkshire founded in...
Looking down Swaledale you can see Fremington Edge in the distance
Welcome to Yorkshire is featuring my Walkshire walk from Langthwaite to Reeeth via Fremington Edge on Friday 15th October. Readers of 'Stone Tomb' will recognise the area where a walker went missing on his way to the pub. If you pop into the Red Lion you may meet the landlady who Nina questioned about his disappearance! There are spectacular views from Fremington Edge before descending into Reeth for a well-deserved pint or pot of tea. Reeth is not too far from Mills...
According to the Met Office, autumn began on 1st September.
John Keats’ poem ‘To Autumn’ describes the season beautifully; it has been misty here in Swaledale and there is an abundance of mellow fruitfulness: blackberries, sloes, elderberries and rose hips that seem plumper than usual this year. It is the month when the new school year begins and I am clearing my own desk, ready to start on the next novel; plotting has begun already but the serious writing will be done during the autumn and winter when I am not distracted by...
School’s out and holiday cottages are filling up
It’s the beginning of the school holidays and suddenly the villages in Swaledale are full of visitors. Some are day trippers travelling from the North-east, West Yorkshire and further afield to enjoy the countryside. They are the fair-weather visitors, possibly staying long enough for an early pub meal but disappearing before the light fades. Some campers disappear when the rain falls for more than a few hours but families in holiday cottages or bed and breakfast accommodation...