Work

Writers

Writers of various sorts submitted diaries to us.

• We bought this cottage in 1971 when we were both teaching at the Polytechnic in Birmingham and always intended to retire here, which we did in the early 1980s. I was fortunate enough to be able to take early retirement and have since pursued a number of mostly unpaid mini-careers - in the Women's Institute, on the Central Region OFWAT Customer Service Committee, editing and writing. I still do a lot of writing - local and family history and in the field of children's literature, but life has now slipped into a pleasant domestic routine, with a little socialising and with short breaks away from home . . . I am a lark so am often up before 7 a.m. as I was today. I often write but today I had a bath and then took a cup of tea back to bed and read until 9 a.m. when I got up. I am currently reading or rereading Judith Kerr's A SMALL PERSON FAR AWAY, which is about to be published in a new omnibus edition, 'Out of the Hitler Time', of which I've just received a review copy. By chance I had a query about this trilogy from a friend last week and have been dealing with it - I do get enquiries from all over the country, probably about 20 a year.

The expedition ship

• Settled down to letter-writing at noon, then typed a batch of poems to send to literary magazine. Postman arrived at 11.45 but did not bring much exciting mail today; more adverts than personal mail. Still waiting to hear from publisher . . . 10.30 p.m. Decided to go to bed early tonight and read a few more chapters of the new biography of the war poet, Wilfred Owen, which I have to review for the Wilfred Owen Association based in Shrewsbury.

• I work away from home - as an expedition historian on a small expedition ship - for 6 months of the year. For the remaining 6 months I work as a writer and lecturer from home in Machynlleth. On 24th September 2002 I was sailing from Greece to Croatia, with fine views between Corfu and Albania in the narrow strait. I gave a presentation on the Balkans conflict.