What a spring this has been. Covid 19 locked down the world. We are still locked down here in England though I do enjoy lots of walks in a medieval wood close to us. We also enjoy walking along the Oxford Canal towpath using various starting points. The weather was gorgeous during May and the first few days of June. Now we are experiencing much cooler weather.
Canal walk by Lower Heyford
wonderful tranquility
I am approaching the tunnel.
Usually by June, like swallows in autumn, we migrate. In our case we set off for our house in Greece. Normally we would come back every six weeks for a short visit home. In November we would close up the Greek House for winter and drive on a road trip adventure home through Europe. We are still here in Oxfordshire of course. I have enjoyed working in the garden. First the first time in years, it really has looked gorgeous. I am thoroughly appreciating this outdoor space when I know so many people are not so fortunate. We have had friends over socially distanced, of course, for drinks during the warm weather. We set out on a picnic with our daughter last week into the medieval wood. Our little grandson loved exploring the tracks with his check it out stick. Small things we previously took for granted have become incredibly precious.
The Picnic
exploring the wood in true Swallows and Amazon and Famous Five style
The Silken Rose was published by Headline Accent on 3rd April as an e book. The paperback publication is on 23rd July. Meantime Headline has reproduced The Woman in the Shadows as Mistress Cromwell. It is a very successful novel and an ideal companion to Wolf Hall I say with pride. The reviews for both books are stunning.
Purchase from amazon https://tinyurl.com/s98nq3t
I have started a newsletter.
When you sign up to it on my website home page drop down you receive a free story about Thomas Cromwell called The Tudor Boy. Please consider signing up to it as it will pop into your in box every few months with books on my book shelf, recipes, gorgeous pictures and lots of reading ideas. I have a new face book author page Carol McGrath Author where I post something of interest each day. Importantly my amazon page has been updated. I would love people to follow me there more than anywhere else because it helps my books get promotions I am told. Reviews do as well.
In addition to sorting social media out, I am editing The Damask Rose for publication next spring. I have begun to write The Stone Rose about Isabella of France and am also half way through writing Tudor Sex and Sexuality which is amazing fun. In addition, I am signing a contract to write a non fiction about King Harold’s daughter Princess Gytha who married into the Kyiv Princely family to be titled The Last English Princess. Gytha was an ancestress to our own royal family. I wrote about her in fiction in The Betrothed Sister.
I don’t know when we shall get to Greece, though we are in the process of purchasing the house that we previously rented. The world is slowly opening to travel but I suspect it may be some months yet. I hope you are safe wherever you are and positive.
A Beautiful Place to just ‘BE’
