Stop the world ...

Perhaps you know that feeling - when you'd like the world to slow down just a little so that you could jump off and catch up with yourself. So much going on at present and no time to deal with it all, to do things properly ....

The Canal Laureate, Jo Bell

Swindon Festival of Poetry and the Cheltenham Literature Festival clash every year, which is a real shame when both have excellent events that you'd love to go to. Last Friday I spent a great morning at the lovely Lower Shaw Farm in Swindon at a workshop with Jo Bell, their poet in residence this year. Jo was an archaeologist before she took to poetry and canals, living on a narrowboat on the English waterways, and she writes brilliantly (and often very humorously) about both of her existences. If you haven't come across her latest publication, "Kith" (Nine Arches Press), do get hold of a copy - there are some fantastic poems in there.

Within hours of the workshop I was back in Cheltenham and at the Festival here to listen to Pat Barker, in conversation with Antony Beevor. I have always loved her WW1 Regeneration Trilogy, and recently read "Noonday", her latest novel that follows on from "Life Class" and "Toby's Room" to take WW1 characters through to the 1940s London Blitz - an excellent read. Then on Saturday I was able to hear another of my favourite authors, Kate Atkinson, talking about her most recent novels and also about the craft of writing, which I found fascinating.

But now it's back down to work, to the more challenging prospect of writing myself rather than listening to others talking about their writing!