south of France

New Year... New Novel

A happy New Year to you all! We’ve just recovered from a ‘cold snap’ here in Ireland, which is unusual in these days of global warming. My county got away lightly with only a minor dusting of snow, followed by ice for about five days, but many parts of the south were covered in a thick blanket of snow. In Cork and Tipperary, people were stuck in their homes, some without electricity or internet. A group of enterprising teenagers in County Cork, bored without their wi-fi, built a snow igloo of impressive proportions and they ended up on the national television news. It makes a change to see such creativity being highlighted.

The inspiration of trees

This is the avenue that inspired the one at Glanesfort in my novel The Neglected Garden. It always looks its best in autumn before the winter winds blow all the leaves away. I often walk the dogs down here and enjoy the colours changing throughout the seasons.