British Traditions

Yesterday evening was the ‘Last Night of the Proms’, the end of a season of promenade concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in London. I watch some of the prom concerts on TV, although not all. The ‘Last Night’, however, has been a tradition for me, for almost as long as I can remember.

As a child, I watched it (on black and white television) with my parents, and the finale format has stayed very similar ever since then. Tonight, a soprano sang ‘Rule Britannia’ and not the statuesque alto I remember from my teens. They’ve dropped the ‘Sailor’s Hornpipe’ from the finale now (shame – that was always fun), but Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance is the real highlight of the night. The music and words always get to me, and I sing along, probably with more enthusiasm than tunefulness, but who cares?

Land of hope and glory,

Mother of the free,

How shall we extol thee,
Who are born of thee?

I may not be an admirer of our present Prime Minister (for various reasons), but I do agree with his recent defence of Britain when it was allegedly dismissed as a ‘small island’. He said: “Britain may be a small island, but I would challenge anyone to find a country with a prouder history, a bigger heart, or greater resilience.”

I’m proud of the history and traditions of this small island. Our system of justice goes back to the Magna Carta of 1215, and our democracy to the summoning of the first parliament of elected representatives in 1264. Many of our traditions go back centuries –the crowning of a monarch in Westminster Abbey, a tradition begun in 1066; the Yeomen of the Guard at the Tower of London, created in Tudor times; the more recent tradition of the Remembrance Day festival at the Albert Hall, followed by the service and parade the following day in Whitehall on the Sunday nearest to November 11th; and the local traditions too – Whitsuntide walks, Preston Guild, rushbearing processions in country areas like the Lake District, and other local customs, many of which date back to the Middle Ages or even earlier. One only has to think of the midsummer ceremony at Stonehenge to appreciate how far back our traditions go.

As a historian by profession, the history of this small island has always fascinated me. Not all of it is good, of course, but after singing ‘Land of Hope and Glory’ last night, I’ll agree with John of Gaunt’s words in Shakespeare’s ‘Richard II’:

This royal throne of kings, this scepter'd isle…
This precious stone set in the silver sea…
This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England.

(With apologies to the Scots and Welsh who were ruled by the English at the time of John of Gaunt, and the Irish, who have their own very special small island)

What's in a Name?

My Thursday Challenge to myself is to click ‘Random Article’ in Wikipedia and write about whatever article comes up first, and also link the topic in some way to writing.

 

Today’s article is about the Copeland Islands, a group of 3 islands in the Irish Sea off the coast of County Down. One island is called Big or Copeland Island, the other two are Lighthouse Island and Mew Island. Interestingly, Lighthouse Island does not now have a lighthouse, whereas Mew Island does. The islands have had more shipwrecks than any other part of the Ulster Coast, due to the strong tides.

 

About a hundred years ago, Lighthouse Island had a population of about 100, and also had a school with 28 pupils. The last families moved to the mainland in the 1940s, and the farmhouses are now weekend and holiday homes.

 

As the islands were a danger to shipping, Lighthouse Island once had a light beacon which burned 400 tons of coal every year. In 1796 the Lighthouse Board announced the erection of oil lamps instead of beacons, and a lighthouse was built in 1815. It was superseded by a lighthouse on Mew Island in 1884, and the tower is now a ruin.

 

Until the 20th century the islands were used by smugglers bringing tobacco and spirits to County Down.

 

The islands are now a bird sanctuary, and are known as breeding grounds for the Arctic Tern, the Manx Shearwater, the Common Gull and the Eider Duck. Grey seal and common seal also use the islands as mating and pupping sites.

Photo licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

 

Now, how do I link this to writing? A good smuggling or shipwreck story? Someone trying to steal the eggs of rare birds? The lighthouse keeper’s daughter? Someone escaping to one of the islands, in need of solitude?

 

What ideas spring into your mind?

 

Taking a different angle, the name Lighthouse Island, when there is no longer a lighthouse there, made me think about the titles we give our novels. How carefully do we choose a title? Do we use an obvious one e.g. (as above) ‘The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter’ – or do we confuse our readers by using a title that may mislead them, or indeed may not relate to the story at all? Have you ever been misled by a title – or wondered why on earth the author chose that title? I know I have!

'Irish Inheritance' - Clifden

My next novel, ‘Irish Inheritance’, (to be published shortly) is set mainly in Ireland, as its title suggests, so for the next few weeks, I’ll introduce you to some of the places that feature in the novel.

 

To start with: Clifden

 

Clifden is a small town on the coast of County Galway in the west of Ireland. The Irish name, An Clochán, means "stepping stones”, and it’s sometimes called the "the Capital of Connemara", which I’ll tell you more about in a later post. Clifden is situated on the Owenglen River where it flows into Clifden Bay and is a popular tourist destination for those touring Connemara.

The town was founded in the 19th century by John D’Arcy, who lived in Clifden Castle (now a ruin). Until then the area was inhabited mainly by farmers and fishermen. D’Arcy organised the construction of a quay, and also a road to Galway City, and the town began to grow. By 1839, when D’Arcy died, it had become a town of 185 dwellings, two churches, two hotels, three schools, a courthouse and jail, a distillery – and 23 pubs!

Its prosperity ended when the Great Famine started in 1845. By 1848, nearly all the population was on government relief, landlords went bankrupt, and many people emigrated to America. It was another fifty years before Clifden started to grow again, when a railway was built in 1895.

Now it has become a popular tourist destination, offering spectacular scenery on its doorstep, a wide variety of outdoor activities, and 5000 years of history. It is also claiming the title of ‘Gourmet Capital of the West’, with fine-dining restaurants and hotels, and of course many pubs, ranging from traditional to trendy.

Two events brought Clifden into the world spotlights in the early 19th century. In 1909 Marconi set up the first transatlantic wireless telegraphy station about four miles south of the town and eventually over 400 people were employed there.

The Alcock and Brown Memorial, near Clifden

In 1919, Derrygimla Bog, near to the wireless station, saw the end of the very first transatlantic flight when Alcock and Brown landed their Vickers Vimy airplane there after their 16 hours flight from St. John’s, Newfoundland. They thought they were landing on a green field, but this turned out to be a bog, and their plane nosedived into the marshy ground. Fortunately neither man was injured.

 

Mixed feelings about September

The beginning of September always depresses me. Maybe that harks back to when I was teaching, and September meant the start of a new school term after the summer break. I admit I never looked forward to going back to school, although once I was there, I soon got into the swing again.

Since I’ve now retired from teaching, I can’t blame my dislike of September on ‘back to school blues’. In one sense, September is like every other month, now that my time is my own, but this month sees the beginning of autumn – ‘season of mists and mellow fruitfulness’.


Autumn at Tarn Hows in the English Lake District

Photo ©Andrew Hill licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.

I’ll admit to loving the autumn colours, especially in the countryside. I remember how my breath was once taken away by the reds, oranges, and golds of a group of trees alongside a small river in the Lake District (the river Brathay, for those who know it). I used to love the scents of autumn at the harvest festival service too.

But, in September, the evenings start getting darker, and as the trees lose their leaves, it’s a reminder that winter is on its way again – and I hate winter!

For me, spring is the best season of the year, with the promise of summer coming too. Not for me the dying flowers of autumn and the reminder that winter is on its way. My favourite season is spring. I love the rebirth of life, the first green shoots appearing and the new leaves budding on the trees. Maybe that’s why my favourite flower is the daffodil, and not the aster of chrysanthemum of the autumn season.

On the upside, September is rather like a new year to me, again a hark back to the start of the new school year when I was teaching. So, after a ‘summer break’, I’m returning to my blog, with some ‘new year’ resolutions:

On Sundays, I will post something general (like today) – something I’ve seen or heard during the previous week, or something that has occurred to me.

On Tuesdays, as a lead-up to the publication of my next novel, ‘Irish Inheritance’, I’ll tell you more about some of the places that feature in my novel, together with photos taken during my many visits to the Emerald Isle.

On Thursdays, I’ll return to the challenge I set myself earlier in the year – clicking ‘Random article’ on Wikipedia, and trying to connect whatever topic I find there to writing in some way.

If I have any spare time(!), I’ll also try to write some blogs for the GBE2 weekly topic challenge. And, of course, I'll still be making my weekly contribution on Wednesdays to our group blog, Heroines with Hearts

Well, my intentions are good. Now let's see if I can keep to them!

Croatia

A few photos from my recent trip to Croatia - beautiful country, stunning scenery, friendly people - and blue skies and sunshine all week!



Between Dubrovnik and Split
 

The bay at Omis (just outside our hotel)

Waterfall in Krka National Park

A sail down the Krka River to Skradin

Cafes and bars outside Diocletian's Palace in Split

Father Christmas - in flip-flops - at Trogir!

An evening sail up the Cetina River from Omis

The bridge at Mostar in Bosnia-Herzegovina

The main street in Dubrovnik Old Town

One of the many streets of steps in the Old Town

Walls of the Old Town

View of Dubrovnik from the south

Wall of the Old Town at Kotor in Montenegro

Montenegro's 'inland sea'

Sunset - from our hotel near Dubrovnik

June 1st - Book Anniversary Giveaway

A month ago, I wrote about the 45th anniversary of the publication of my first book (yes, I really am getting old now!).
Between 1968 and 1978 I had four books published - all of them in hardback. One of them was also bought for serialisation in a UK women's magazine, three were bought by Harlequin for publication as paperbacks in the USA and Canada, and one of them was even published in Italian!
Jump forward 30 years, and I started writing romance novels again. My confidence had deserted me, until 'His Leading Lady' was accepted and published at the beginning of June 2011.
Since then I've had another four novels published.
So, to celebrate my return to writing contemporary romance, I'm offering five (yes, FIVE!) e-copies (PDF format) of 'His Leading Lady' to 5 lucky commenters who answer the following question:
What is your favourite musical show - and why?

His Leading Lady

Jess Harper’s predictable life is turned upside down when she discovers that Lora, her twin sister, has disappeared.  It’s just a week before rehearsals are due to start for a new West End musical in which Lora has the lead role.  Jess decides to pose as her sister in order to save Lora's career.  This brings her into close contact with arrogant theatre director Kyle Drummond.  Attraction sparks between them but there’s also evidence he had been dating Lora.  So is Jess simply a substitute – in real life as well as in the show?  And what will happen when Lora eventually returns? 

 

 

12 Five Star reviews and 2 Four Star:
"His Leading Lady has a gripping cast of characters taking you on an emotional journey of sisterly love, betrayal and desire."

"Paula has brilliantly written a page turner that dives the reader head first into romance, intrigue and mystery, set in London's Theatrical West End."

"It has everything that a romance novel should have: sexy male and female characters, humor, mystery, chemistry, antagonists, misunderstandings, pride, forgiveness, pain, joy, and reconciliations."

Visit my website for more information about my award-winning romance novels http://paulamartinromances.webs.com/

Sunshine Award

Last week I was awarded the Sunshine Award by Janice Horton, my Scottish friend whom I first met at the RNA Conference at Penrith last year. Janice writes wonderful novels set in her native Scotland. Her new book, ‘How to Party Online’ is something completely different, and I’m really looking forward to reading it. Find out more http://janicehortonwriter.blogspot.co.uk/

 

Now I have to answer some questions!

 

Favourite Colour: Blue – my school uniform was blue, and I was in the Girl Guides, and then a leader for 30+ years (another blue uniform) When buying clothes, I gravitate towards anything blue, and have to force myself to vary my choice at time!

 

Favourite Animal: I had a cat for 18 years and I like that they’re independent but can choose when they want to be cuddled.

 

Favourite Number: Don’t think I have one.

 

Favourite Non-alcoholic Drink: Diet Coke or Pepsi, or even cheap supermarket cola.

 

Favourite Alcoholic Drink: Lager, preferably Carlsberg or Carling.

 

Facebook or Twitter: Definitely Facebook, I’ve never really got the hang of Twitter.

 

Your Passion(s): Writing, family history, English Lake District and Ireland. Oh, and pub lunches too!

 

Giving or getting presents: Both!

 

Favourite Day: Now that I’m retired, every day is weekend to me

 

Favourite Flowers: Definitely daffodils, because they’re the sign that spring really is here

 

 

And now I nominate these 7 lovely author bloggers whom I love to visit:

 

Celia Yeary - Romance and a little bit o'Texas

Rosemary Gemmell - Reading and Writing

Claudia Moser - The Story

Glynis Smy - Author of Historical Romance/Suspense 

Kathy Thompson Coombs -The Giggling Trucker's Wife

Cathy Graham - Cattitude and Gratitude

Anne Ashby - New Zealand Romance Writer