Autumn is here…

And the leaves are falling all over the place, usually faster than I can sweep them up. The morning air has that cold bite to it, and the mist is mist now and not sea fog, so it clears quickly, which I definitely appreciate. It’s coat weather when you go out first thing in the morning, and then you come back again with it folded over your arm, which feels amazing given that we’re now halfway through October.

So what have I been doing? Mainly, I’ve been working on next October’s Amy, which is set mainly around the old water mill at Swansmere that’s being brought back to life along with the water meadows. Imagine an area with a clear trout stream, with pools so you can catch brown trout all year round, with the bank being restored. There’ll be seats so that you can sit and enjoy the peace while you watch the river flowing past on its way down to the sea, and willow structures in the meadow that’s a flood plain, so it’s being managed for wildlife and leisure. Obviously, of course, being Swansmere, there’s history and trouble, but I’m really enjoying the conservation side of the research because it lets me bring forward a minor character and one that’s strayed into the Amy Hammond series from Lucy Williams. Remember Phoebe Green? She came across as a bit of a wimp then, but she’s getting her chance now and the beginnings of a happy ending, which maybe I should call a happy beginning. All going well, it’ll be out this time next year so you can tell me what you think then.

I’m hoping to finish the first draft this weekend, and then it’ll be back to editing and sorting out. I’m now tackling the kitchen where both children worked while they were home educated because there wasn’t a school that worked for autistic but very bright youngsters, but there was a lot of bullying. Now they’re almost through their Open University degrees, so I’m getting it back as a lovely dining kitchen once we’ve sorted out everything that’s accumulated. Right now, it reminds me of Swansmere’s attics, with lots of everyday stuff that should probably have been thrown out years ago and the occasional treasure.

Whatever you do this weekend, I hope you have fun and I’ll see you on Tuesday. Till then, here’s autumn in the park with the photogenic cormorants as opposed to the ones who see me coming and dive on principle!