21st November 2021

 We are on high ground here, near the Lickey Hills, so snow is still piled up outside the door. Hasn’t reached Maine levels but at my time of life I’m loathe to struggle out and risk slipping on the ice. A few weeks ago I suffered a bad dental experience as well as a suspected damaged spleen and was feeling sorry for myself. So, I started what I told myself I wouldn’t do: write my 13th book. It’s a way of taking yourself away from the physical present, allowing writers to not only inhabit a dreamlike world, explore another time and exotic countries, but also to tackle issues which need highlighting in today’s world.  So, laptop at the ready, using ancient touch-typing skills learned a hundred years ago, I explored a topic and places I haven’t written about before. What spurred me on was watching a documentary on TV. Sometimes in life, there’s a previously-unexplored situation, involving people who are relatively unknown but who have performed miracles. Time they were acknowledged.  So, let the snow fall.  I’m busy…