nicolawriting.bsky.social
Nature. Writer. Reader. Rural.
Guardian Country Diary, BBC Countryfile, RSPB.
Award Winning On Gallows Down. Wild Service.
Climate Fic Prize Judge.
North Wessex Downs.
https://linktr.ee/nicolachesterwriting
1,269 posts
2,088 followers
828 following
Regular Contributor
Active Commenter
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Thank you Carla …
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Me too Raine!
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It was Jo it was! Soooo lovely to see you last week, in your hoopoe glory!
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Oh wow! Huge congratulations Kerri! Always such a lovely, lovely welcome there - & cohort! Hurrah!
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Always a good day at The Merl!
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So it was an extraordinary day of warmth & connection, exploring the archives, recognising buried & half-remembered things. Words are a power: stories, poems & song, the vessels that hold us. As Dan Turner says ‘That the act of writing is a charm’ & David Morley,
‘And of the true Lees .. no word.’
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It turns out that her family lived on our same road. And not only that, that I’ve written about them, one in particular (a cousin) in my forthcoming book Ghosts of the Farm, not knowing they were Romanies at all. The book that keeps presenting hauntings, & friendly ghosts… 6/7
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The warm, lovely woman beside me turned out to have had Romany family in West Berkshire, where I live. ‘A tiny scattered village under the downs, with a funny name’ she said. ‘Go on?’ said I.
‘Inkpen.’
So, that’s my village.
Goosebumps.
We swooped names & places in common, commons too 5/7
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We gathered to listen to @joclement.co.uk & Dan Turner read from these poetry collections & a woman sitting beside me, that I hadn’t yet met, squeezed my hand as we were both moved. Here is one of Dan’s poems … 4/7
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Thanks to @rainegeoghegan.bsky.social, I wrote about my experience in this beautiful book KIN by @salmonpoetry.bsky.social Things I recognise as part of that purlieu, that diaspora; whispered winds of words themselves, too often packed away. And at the weekend, new revelations, goosebumps .. 3/7
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Connecting with my own English Gypsy heritage has been a lifelong background hum, that I can sometimes barely hear; or swells to a choir, as it has recently, thanks to poets & writers such as @joclement.co.uk @rainegeoghegan.bsky.social @louisedoughty.bsky.social @profdavidmorley.bsky.social 2/7
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Thanks Ollie! Lovely to see you today & a fantastic day at The Merl - still processing lots of wonderful emotions & astonishing connections!
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Gah!
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Day after my 16th birthday!
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All quiet here too - cautiously envious!
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It showed Will! So much joy in it!
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Oh! My, no! Thank you so much - you are such a source of inspiration x
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Oh this was such a beautiful, beautiful moment Will! Gorgeously done!
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Wow that’s big!
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Can’t wait for you to read it! Eeek!
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There will be Iain!
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All the time! Ha! Mind you, in many ways, new book is something of that! x
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Oh yes!
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Thank you Diana!
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Ha! Me too!
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So many photos we keep on our phones .. she’s away at Uni at the moment, poised to graduate & I’m so proud of her & miss her! It’s been a rural, tenanted, counter-culture kind of upbringing…
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Woohoo! X
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It really was! Such a lovely photo - huge congratulations Nic! X
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Ha!
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Aren't they just! It's been a very special home indeed ..
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xx
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Ooh, must check this out, thank you!
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Absolutely! Well said ... x