MY MOTHER’S DIARIES
September and October 1950: Autumn Turning
Harvest’s end, a child leaving for school and autumn settling over Hiltonbury Farm, recorded by Margaret “Bebe” Vining and retold by her son, Andy.
By Andy Vining
Blog
Using Autumn In Your Writing
Image Credits: Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos. AI images avoided.
I’m never sorry to welcome September back. It’s a lovely month and I’ve always loved the changing colours of the leaves. Okay the darker evenings are a downside but then again does that give more time for reading and/or writing? I would hope so. Of course, following the heatwave this year, the cooler autumn temperatures are also welcome.
But I thought I’d look at using autumn in our writing for this post and hope you find it useful. It’s always a delight, incidentally, to create pictures via Book Brush for my Chandler’s Ford Today posts but I had a wealth of wonderful images to choose from for this so hope you enjoy these too.
Out and About in Salisbury
Image Credits:-
Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos. AI images avoided. Screenshots were taken by me, Allison Symes, as were photos of Salisbury. Book cover shots are from Chapeltown Books.
I’m delighted to say I’ll be taking a lovely trip on our local train service to the fair city of Salisbury on Saturday 5th September 2026. It’s a great run from Chandler’s Ford, and a direct one, and you see some wonderful scenery but why am I going?
If you’re thinking along the lines of she’s not just doing this for the fun of it, you’re spot on.
September Gardening Tips from Wellie
Looking back through the September gardening tips I’ve written over the years, I think this year our gardens are likely to be looking rather different. After such a hot, dry summer, many lawns will have turned brown and borders may be looking tired. The good news is that, with some autumn rain, most lawns should begin to recover and green up surprisingly quickly.
Resist the temptation to apply an autumn lawn feed until the grass has started to grow again. Feeding a dormant, drought-stressed lawn won’t do it any favours, so it may be better to wait until October if the dry weather continues.
Take some time to observe how your garden has coped with this summer’s conditions. Which plants have thrived despite the heat, and which have struggled? This can be invaluable information when planning future planting. If you’re looking to add new plants this autumn, consider choosing varieties that are more tolerant of hotter, drier conditions, helping to make your garden more resilient as our climate continues to change. [Read more…] about September Gardening Tips from Wellie
The Joy of Responding to and Setting Writing Exercises
Image Credits: Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos. AI images avoided.
Writing exercises are a major part of my writing life. There are several reasons for this.
What I produce as a result of the writing exercise is more work I can polish up and eventually submit somewhere. I’ve had work published thanks to doing this.
Exercises got me used to the idea of being a “proper writer” as I was responding to a prompt set by someone else. They’re excellent workouts for the brain. They’re also good practice for writing to competitions with a set theme.
Most exercises I’ve been set are at events, day trips, online ones, or The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick. These are a natural part of the writing life and the whole idea is to get you writing more than you would have done alone and to tackle themes you might not have thought of trying.
[Read more…] about The Joy of Responding to and Setting Writing Exercises
Andy Vining’s Podcast: My Mother’s Diaries 1948 – 1976: Episode 17 — July and August 1950
Andy Vining shares his mother’s diaries in his podcast. You can listen to these stories on Spotify.
MY MOTHER’S DIARIES
July and August 1950: Harvest, Cowpens and a Summer of Rain
Two eventful summer months at Hiltonbury Farm, recorded by Margaret “Bebe” Vining and retold by her son, Andy.
By Andy Vining
New cowpens promised modern farming, but relentless rain threatened the harvest. Around both ran the busy life of the Vining family: school journeys, birthdays, shows, visitors, preserving fruit and making the most of every dry hour.
Swanwick 2026 and Book Launch for Seeing The Other Side
Image Credits:-
One image created in Book Brush using images taken by me, Allison Symes and from Chapeltown Books and The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick. AI images avoided. Many thanks to The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick and to Gemma Owen-Kendall for the pictures of my book launch for Seeing The Other Side. Other images of Swanwick were taken by me, Allison Symes. Many thanks to Babs Trevitt for taking the image of me reading at the Open Prose Mic Night. Also many thanks to Liz Pacey for the photo of the members of the Association of Christian Writers who were at Swanwick.
It will come as no surprise to regular readers of Chandler’s Ford Today I (a) went to The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick and (b) had a fabulous time there. Having said that, this year’s school was especially meaningful for me. Why?
[Read more…] about Swanwick 2026 and Book Launch for Seeing The Other Side
Andy Vining’s Podcast: My Mother’s Diaries 1948 – 1976: Episode 16 — May and June 1950
Andy Vining shares his mother’s diaries in his podcast. You can listen to these stories on Spotify.
MY MOTHER’S DIARIES
May and June 1950: Curtains, Cowslips and Haymaking
Two months at Hiltonbury Farm, recorded by Margaret “Bebe” Vining and retold by her son, Andy.
By Andy Vining
Writing Events and How to Make the Most of Them
Image Credits:-
Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos. AI images avoided. Images from The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick were taken by me, Allison Symes. Many thanks to the school for kind permission to use the poster photo for my launch there.
I’ve just come back from a wonderful few days at The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick. I hope to report more on that next week, including details on how my book launch there for Seeing The Other Side went. But it was the thought of the launch which led to the idea for this post.
Writing events didn’t come into my creative life at all to begin with. The thought of going to any terrified me but as it became clearer to me, writing wasn’t going to just be a hobby, I knew I needed to network, to learn more about the industry and so on. So that meant writing events would need to be something I got used to.
[Read more…] about Writing Events and How to Make the Most of Them
Author Interview – Val Penny – Murder in Gilmerton
Image Credits:-
Many thanks to Val Penny and Lynsey Adams (Reading Between the Lines Vlog) for supplying author photos, fabulous shots of Edinburgh, and book cover shots. Other images created in Book Brush using their images or Pixabay ones. AI images avoided.
It is with great pleasure I welcome back Val Penny, Scottish crime writer, to Chandler’s Ford Today. This interview is part of a blog tour organised by Lynsey Adams of Reading Between The Lines Vlog.
A lot has happened since I last chatted to Val, not least of which is her change of publisher to Joffe Books. They are reissuing Val’s back catalogue and Murder in Gilmerton is one of those books to be reissued.
[Read more…] about Author Interview – Val Penny – Murder in Gilmerton
Andy Vining’s Podcast: My Mother’s Diaries 1948 – 1976: Episode 15 — March and April 1950
Andy Vining shares his mother’s diaries in his new podcast. Listen to these beautiful stories on Spotify.
Andy Vining’s parents were John and Peggy (later known as Be Be).
March & April 1950 — Spring Returning at Hiltonbury [Read more…] about Andy Vining’s Podcast: My Mother’s Diaries 1948 – 1976: Episode 15 — March and April 1950
August Gardening Tips from Wellie
Deadhead regularly to keep roses, dahlias, cosmos and other summer flowers blooming into autumn. Water deeply, not little and often. Early morning or evening watering helps reduce evaporation, especially for pots and hanging baskets.
Trim lavender after flowering, cutting back the flower stems but avoiding old woody growth. Vegetables to sow now for autumn and winter, spring cabbage, spinach, rocket, lettuce and hardy herbs for later harvests. Plant new strawberry runners now to establish strong plants for next year’s crop. Feed tomatoes weekly with a high-potash fertiliser and remove side shoots from cordon varieties. Collect seeds from your favourite flowers to grow next year or share with friends.
Keep on top of weeds before they have a chance to set seed. Leave some flowers standing to provide nectar for bees, butterflies and other pollinators through late summer. Plan ahead. August is a good time to think about where you could plant spring bulbs and autumn shrubs when the weather cools.
Reworking Stories
Image Credits: Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay images. AI shots avoided.
Reworking stories is something I do all of the time given I don’t think anyone has ever written the perfect first draft in one go. I know I don’t!
I love the much missed Sir Terry Pratchett’s view “the first draft is just you telling yourself the story”. Spot on and the second draft is where you get rid of all of the things you realise you don’t need. Then comes the next draft and so on. Eventually, you end up with a finely honed piece of work which is ready to submit somewhere.
Andy Vining’s Podcast: My Mother’s Diaries 1948 – 1976: Episode 14 — January and February 1950
Andy Vining shares his mother’s diaries in his new podcast. Listen to these beautiful stories on Spotify.
Andy Vining’s parents were John and Peggy (later known as Be Be).
A New Decade Begins at Hiltonbury Farm
January and February 1950
The year 1950 began quietly at Hiltonbury Farm. There were no great celebrations to mark the arrival of a new decade, just illness, winter weather and the familiar work of keeping a busy family farm running. [Read more…] about Andy Vining’s Podcast: My Mother’s Diaries 1948 – 1976: Episode 14 — January and February 1950
Summer Reading
Image Credits: Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay images. AI images avoided.
What would you consider to be the perfect book for a summer read? I know I’d want something on the lighter side of fiction, though my overall preference heads that way anyway, but there is something apt, I think, for a light book to match a light mood. Summer usually encourages a light mood, I find. If nothing else, a good summer read can distract from the hayfever…!
So straight away I’m heading towards the funnier side of fiction so at some point I’m likely to dip into the wonderful works of P.G. Wodehouse, Jane Austen, and Terry Pratchett. Now there’s a fabulous trio of authors for you.
Andy Vining’s Podcast: My Mother’s Diaries 1948 – 1976: Episode 13 — November and December 1949
Andy Vining shares his mother’s diaries in his new podcast. Listen to these beautiful stories on Spotify.
Andy Vining’s parents were John and Peggy (later known as Be Be).
November 1949
Fires Lit for Winter
Welcome to Episode 13 of My Mother’s Diaries.
Each episode I open the pages of my mother’s diaries, written day by day on our family farm in Hampshire in the late 1940s.
Through her words we step back into a world of farming, family, village life… and the small everyday moments that quietly made up a life.
This is November and Dec 1949.
November arrived with the evenings growing darker and the air noticeably colder. [Read more…] about Andy Vining’s Podcast: My Mother’s Diaries 1948 – 1976: Episode 13 — November and December 1949
Update – Local Author News – Allison Symes – Seeing The Other Side – Publication News
Image Credits:-
Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay images or photos provided by Bridge House Publishing/Chapeltown Books. Some images directly from the publishers. A huge thank you to The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick for sending the the poster which will advertise my book launch at this year’s school and for permission to use that poster here. Screenshots were taken by me, Allison Symes. Many thanks to Adrian Symes for filming a certain marketing video. AI images avoided.
This post is an update for the one I wrote a few weeks ago. I’m thrilled to say my Seeing The Other Side has now been published by Chapeltown Books (as at 16th July 2026). I’m very happy with how the book looks and now have my stock with me. I’m now in the happy position of starting to organise events to celebrate my new third flash fiction collection. More details as and when.
Marketing and Writing
Image Credits:-
Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay images. Many thanks to Penny Blackburn for the image of me taking part in a previous Open Prose Mic Night at The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick. Screenshots were taken by me, Allison Symes. AI images avoided.
Marketing and writing are strange bedfellows for most writers. Most writers (including me) much prefer to be writing than carrying out any marketing, yet we need to accept the latter is part of our overall writing life. How else will people know about our writing?
I now know my Seeing The Other Side is coming out on 16th July 2026 so over the next few months I’ll be engaged with marketing. I am hoping to have a blog tour for my third collection plus I will be launching the book at The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick in August. I also hope to arrange other in person signings and to have events on Zoom.
What I Look For In A Writing Guide
Image Credits:-
Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos. Screenshots were taken by me, Allison Symes. AI images avoided.
Over the years, I’ve collected a number of excellent books on the craft of writing. I still refer to many of them. The ones I tend not to refer to much are those where I thought I might go down a particular path in writing but have not gone on to do so. I’m loathe to ditch these books, simply because I know how writing journeys can change and it’s not impossible I might come back to these things later.
July Gardening Tips from Wellie
July is the month to really enjoy your garden, and to make a note of what might need splitting or moving in the Autumn. If tall perennials are flopping a bit, put some stakes around them to help them and tie in and train any new growth on climbing plants. Give your beds, pots and baskets a feed which will help them to stay looking lush and healthy for longer.
