Fancy a Spring Break?

How about a week or a few days in beautiful unspoiled North Pembrokeshire in a unique house which is completely private and not overlooked by, or attached to, any neighbours?
I'm renting my house out as a holiday let while I'm living away and it's at half price (£300 per week or £50 per night) for anyone who wants it if you come via my blog or website. Go to http://www.lynnehackles.com/ and email me via the link.

Can you spare 2p?

My friend, Lamin, runs a charity to help children in the Gambia - www.fsfgambia.org He tells me that 2p is what it costs to feed one child one school meal a day.
Lamin went to school there but now lives in Worcester. He wants other children to have the opportunities he has had so he began his Fresh Start Foundation. His latest newsletter had a section on school meals. I'll quote -

'FSF's first school meal appeal has been a success with all children at Kwinella Lower Basic School guaranteed a meal until the end of the summer term. As a result of the appeal the school has seen an increase in its enrollment figures which means more children learning and less working on the streets. Now FSF want to feed more children. We are appealing for support to feed 770 hungry bellies and the funds will be allocated between 3 schools and 1 nursery. Schools and nurseries charge 2p as a contribution for a school meal. However, for some families living in abject poverty this amount is simply too much to pay. As a result some children go the whole day without food.'

What's 2p to us? Could you tip all your tuppences out of your wallet/purse into a jar and collect them for FSF? Could you ask your family to do the same?
If you've got this far perhaps you'd like to direct readers of your blog to this one. Perhaps blogland could help Lamin feed his 770 children.

Lift Up Thine Eyes

This is a view from the window of our new place in Malvern. Between those trees and those hills is Great Malvern with its shops, cafes, theatre, cinema and people.

We moved in, in a little way, last Wednesday. The move proper is this weekend so I have to decided what to take and what to leave here as we'll be returning one week each month so that Lord Hackles can see to his reflexology clients. (Yes, he got a title too.)

As well as moving I have my regular columns to write, got to finish a proofing/copy-editing job, have an article consisting of half a dozen interviews to write up and now I've heard that the proofs of the second edition of Writing From Life should be arriving today - and could I check them please and return them before April 12th?

It's going to be all go but I know now that if I feel lethargic I need only look at the hills and the magic of them fills me. It always has.

When I was a little girl, living in Kidderminster, my Grandad would lift me up to look over the garden wall and there in the distance were the Malverns. I vowed to live there when I grew up and, eventually, I did for many happy years. Then circumstances meant a move to rural Wales and I've done eight years of exile here. Now I am going home.

Malvern's motto is 'Lift up thine eyes unto the hills'.

Maybe it was the mookaite

A few weeks ago this piece of mookaite called to me from hundreds of crystals in a shop. Since then I've held it every day and keep it on my desk. I've also been using lots of positive thought. The reason is I'm a townie and living in the country is simply not for me. The house is still for sale and nothing's happening so the LSO came up with the idea of renting a place in Malvern. That was Friday. Saturday we checked the internet and booked to see six places. Monday we went to Malvern. Tuesday we looked at a few places and the third agent we met took us to something we hadn't considered. We fell in love, signed up and we get the keys next week.

The plan is to divide our time between (now Lady Hackles is about to speak. If you don't know about the title see previous post) our town house and our country house. The LSO, as a reflexologist, has lots of clients here. I can work anywhere if writing non-fiction. To write short stories I need a constant supply of ideas and I don't get them here. I need people to watch and to listen to.

In order to finance this move we are going to sell Win, our American motorhome. Details will be appearing soon on my website so if you know anyone who is looking for a 2 berth, rare breed, left-hand drive recreational vehicle with many extras please steer them in this direction.