Gill Buchanan's Blog

Apparently this question is going to be answered today on International Women’s Day. Do we not already know the answer?

Erna Solberg, the Norwegian Prime Minister since 2013, said on Radio 4’s Women’s Hour recently:

‘We have a way to go before we have gender balance in this world.’

We all know that women have had to fight for basic rights in the past; to vote and to have equal status and pay.

But today:

Only a quarter of Boris’s cabinet is female (Blair had a third female representation)Less than 24% of the Conservative MPs are women – and given the culture of parliament and the family-unfriendly hours MPs work I am not surprised.There were more women active in political life in the late 70s and early 80s than there are todayGender inequality has been heightened by the COVID 19 pandemic with far more women losing their jobs than men.There have been more cases of violence against women during the pandemicThe theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is: #ChooseToChallenge

I am very impressed by Erna Solberg and her view on the world. She said that politics is about people’s everyday lives and this is why it is so important to have representation of women in parliament.

In Norway women get 59 weeks of maternity leave at 80% of their pay. Child care is far better catered for. Erna says, it’s about having a career and having a family at the same time and being able to make it work.

The Scandinavian countries as a whole are ahead of the curve on how they treat women and we should be learning from their excellent example.

The drama in women’s lives reflected in fictional drama

I started watching Borgen over the weekend (OK I’m late to this) and I can see the parallels with what has happened in Norway.

In the first episode, Birgitte Nyborg is leader of her party and fighting an election and we see the final debate aired on television. We know that there will be a coalition government but which of the leaders will become Prime Minister.

Before the debate her male adviser tells her to wear ‘that black suit which is slimming.’ He also tells her he has some information about the current PM’s wife which will ruin him. She tells him NOT to use it.

We see Brigitte struggling into the suit at home – it is far too tight. Her husband suggests she wears a blue dress which she likes and is comfortable. She agrees and put the dress on. When it comes to her two minute closing speech she says:

‘Right now in the wings my spin doctor is vigorously crossing himself because I am not reading my prepared speech.

He’s also upset that I am not wearing an outfit we agreed on but the fact is, it no longer fits me because I’ve put on too much weight.’

At this point the producer demands a full frontal shot of the dress that Birgitte is wearing. When would this ever happen to a man?

She goes on to give an inspiring speech which is very well received by her audience. I won’t give away any more spoilers.

The point is that women are treated very differently to men.

We hear today, on International Women’s Day, the views of the media on the Harry and Meghan’s interview with Oprah Winfrey.

They are quick to criticize Meghan for exposing what life has been like for her marrying into the British Royal Family. I have a lot of sympathy for her and think that she is very brave to confront this outdated institution.

Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson were both victims of ill treatment and suffered as a result.

Meghan was in her late 30s when she met Harry and had led a successful independent life up to that point. So when she was confronted with the restrictions of palace life, she reneged against it. She also claims she was subject to racial abuse and I am inclined to believe her.

I have long thought that the Crown is an outdated institution that needs radical reform. This interview highlights this point.

Erna Solberg, Meghan Markle and Birgitte Nyborg (fictional character, I know,) are all inspirational women. Go girls!

#ChooseToChallenge

#IWD2021

This post is written to acknowledge International Women’s Day 2021 and the role of women in the world. The  theme is  #choosetochallenge.  Co-ordinated by Attract Readers, https://www.attractreaders.com

The post Why Celebrate International Women’s Day? appeared first on Gill Buchanan, Author.

Ups and downs – plenty of drama – laughter and sadness.

Here we are in our third lockdown in the UK and just about a year into this pandemic. A time to reflect and look back at how we have survived lockdown so far. Have you flourished as a writer in lockdown and gushed with creativity? Or is lockdown sending us quietly mad and giving us writer’s block?

For me, as a writer in lockdown, it has been a roller coaster of emotions and overall, I find confinement claustrophobic and slightly crazy making. Not sure why I said slightly, there? I have realised that I am a libertarian who loves to float free as a bird. I also love social contact – girly get togethers – visiting new places – country pubs – cafes; all the things we CANNOT do.

As a writer I work from a home office (smallest bedroom) overlooking my garden and a river which is not a bad view. So being a writer in lockdown in my own home doesn’t physically stop me writing. It just sends me doolally so that mentally it has been a strain. It is almost like your creative flow is restricted because you are physically confined.

I completed my novel, The Long Marriage, early last summer and worked with my editor, Catriona Robb, to knock it into shape. This bit was structured and it was good to work with Catriona even if our conversations were in the edit margin of my novel.

Then came the publication bit which kept me busy and focussed. But by October I was floundering around, disillusioned with life and lacking direction.  

(Detour alert: Someone on Woman’s Hour was saying use AND, not BUT, as it is more positive. It won’t work here AND I’ll bear this pearl of wisdom in mind.)

So here I am, a duck with no water. Then Lockdown 3 came along.Arrgh…. Eeeeekkk…. Surely not again!

It was about this time that I came across a Mindfulness group that meets in the Abbey gardens at Bury St Edmunds in Summer (and mainly on Zoom at this time) once a week and decided to give it a go. There is a meditation, a chance to say what we are grateful for and a discussion on the theme for the week which might be acceptance or forgiveness. I found this really helpful and started a daily meditation at home. I use the Calm app.

Then one day I was sat at my desk wondering which direction to take, what to get stuck into and decided to write down my values.

I wrote:

Being creativeSaving the planet – back to nature – out with plasticValuing our farmers and what they produceOrganic food – good for the planet and good for our healthIt was then I had a light bulb moment. Ka-ching.

I would start a new writing project – I am happiest when being creative – and it would be about a farming family. It will cover the issues of using pesticides, developing more natural, organic ways of farming – all of this is of great interest to me.

Well, dear reader, my world changed. I had a wonderful reason to get out of bed in the morning. Quickly realising that I didn’t know that much about farming, (despite being an avid Archers fan!) I immersed myself into the world of Farming Today on Radio 4, Farmers Weekly on the internet and all things farming. One morning I managed to find a YouTube video of a farm where they produce eggs. It showed the whole process from the chickens laying through to the eggs being packed in trays. I was ridiculously happy!

The culmination of my research has to be my visit to Fen Farm Dairy at milking time. I was fascinated to see that when the cows are milked the milk travels through pipes, is cooled to fridge temperature and then stored in a tank which feeds a tap in a self-service shop (think shed) from which customers can fill a container with milk to take home. Which, of course, I did. What does it taste like? Delicious milk!

I am now 5,000 words in to my next novel which has the working title: Wanda’s Tree. While I am really pushing myself with this tale, I am loving every minute. For more on how I galvanised myself into writing this Novel read my January Newsletter.

I am still looking forward to the freedoms afforded to us all by ‘normal’ and (not but):

with Spring in the air and the sun is shining the writer’s life is good

Read my January Newsletter to find out how this text: Save The Cat Writes a Novel helped me craft my current storyline.

The post How does a writer survive lockdown? appeared first on Gill Buchanan, Author.

January – arguably the longest month of the year – is done.

So, I’m very pleased that I managed to buckle down to producing my next novel.

Firstly, using the text: Save The Cat Writes a Novel, I designed my 15 beat storyline. (Huge thanks to Kate of katefranciswrites ) for recommending this gem.

Boy was it hard in parts. Creating my main character, my hero and giving the poor woman oodles of flaws felt quite cruel but it had to be done!

15 Beats

Then came the 15 beats and what struck me here was that things are bad, then disaster strikes, then things might seem to be going well but they are not, then things get really bad and so on. It is quite an exhausting process with a lot of surely nots? exclaimed as I start the next beat. But, dear reader, I have to report it was well worth it in the end as I am sure I have the makings of a fabulous story. Just got to write it now!
But no! This is a story about a farming family and guess what: I don’t know anything about farming.

Hee hee, I hear you laugh.

Moo

Hence, I’m glued to the internet, Google, YouTube and Farmers Weekly becomes my bestest friend. I’m listening to Farming Today on Radio 4. I’m going slightly gah gah but carry on regardless. Then I discover Fen Farm Dairy – what a wonderful outfit – in fact I have already enjoyed their Bungay Raw Butter and Skyr Icelandic style yoghurt – delicious! – and have a Zoom session with Jonny who tells me all about Dairy farming. Brilliant stuff! I shall be visiting the farm at milking time – what a hoot – so more about that later.

Sunshine – good for the soul

We were blessed with nearly our full quota of sunshine with 44.7 hours, apparently this is 95% of the average for January. So, wrapped up and with a thermal layer, the odd walk was greatly appreciated and lifted the spirits.

Community Spirit – warms your heart

You might be interested to know, I have discovered the coldest place in the world: The Bildeston Food Bank. I’m not sure why we’ve got a freezer. I was getting together a food parcel the other day, wishing I had thermal gloves on, and when I left and walked outside, it was like walking into a sauna!

But seriously, although the actual bank is cold, the people involved and the work we are doing couldn’t be any more warm hearted. I am so pleased to be part of this wonderful organisation and to be able to help families who are struggling through this pandemic.

The community spirit shown during this crisis is amazing. Whilst the government blunders its way through it, awarding contracts to its mates, the people volunteer and take action to make lives a little bit better.

Overall, I consider my January to be a success and given everything we are having to put up with that’s quite an achievement.

The post January: 15 beats and a New Story has begun appeared first on Gill Buchanan, Author.

From my Down to Earth Blog

The BBC aired a programme recently: Horizon – Feast to save the planet. They got 5 celebs to choose from a menu and totted up the carbon footprint of everything they ate. It was really interesting to see the marked differences in the foods they chose.

Generally, plant-based foods grown locally were the stars in terms of a very low carbon footprint and a beef steak topped the leader board by a long way.

Brits on average produce a carbon footprint is 5.17kg CO2e every day as a result of the food that we eat – and this needs to shrink to 4.09kg CO2e by 2030.

On the programme they showed how a 10 oz steak (locally sourced i.e. not imported) has a value of 8.5kg of CO2e. That’s your daily allowance blown!

But there are some simple (not too painful) things we can all do to reduce our carbon footprint:Don’t overfill your kettle – this costs UK households £68 million a year in energy bills.Avoid plastic packaging which not only pollute the planet but create carbon emissions when they are produced. Try taking your own containers out when you are shopping and finding alternatives to clingfilm.Cut down on red meat – just swapping one red meat meal for a vegetarian dinner every week would have a significant impact on the UK’s carbon footprint.Buy ugly fruit and veg – now sold in supermarkets, and we will avoid millions of tonnes of veg going to waste despite the carbon footprint they make.Shop local – when in season – asparagus grown in the UK is in our shops in early Summer and this asparagus has a very low footprint – but when flown in from Peru is has a much higher footprint.Don’t throw away food – we throw away 7.1 million tonnes of food every year, and almost 70% of that waste (5 million tonnes) is perfectly good food that could’ve been eaten! This food waste is associated with 19 million tonnes of CO2, so eating your leftovers can cut carbon and your food costs.Eat organic – organic produce contains more vitamins, minerals and antioxidants – which are linked to various health benefits – than non-organic fruit and veg, but their carbon footprint is also much smaller.

Not too painful? And if we all do it it really will make a difference. Reducing our greenhouse emissions means that the pace of global warming will slow and make the planet a better place.

The post The Carbon Footprint of Food appeared first on Gill Buchanan, Author.

I had some fresh sardine fillets in the freezer and decided it was time to cook them. Something healthy after the excesses of Christmas. I looked up some recipes for ideas and ended up making my own recipe. It was like I was doing the invention test on Masterchef! Anyway, I am pleased to report that the results were yummy! The Grey concurred.

So here’s the recipe if you’d like to try it.







Serves 2

Pretty quick to make

Ingredients



Sardine fillets1 Onine1 Clove GarlicMushroom 4 or 5White wine – a generous glugChicken stock or Veggie if that’s your persuasionLemon juice from one lemonTomatoes – 4 smallSultanas – a handfulDill (dried or fresh)Parsley (dried or fresh)



Method

Get some good colour on the onion by frying on medium heat in oil and butter for quite a while. I usually put the lid on the pan but keep an eye.

Add the garlic and mushrooms and keep going until they are cooked.

Add the white wine and cook off the alcohol

Add the stock and lemon juice

Add the tomatoes, sultanas, dill and parsley and leave to simmer on a lowish heat.

Cook the pasta as per packet instructions. Ladle a spoon full of pasta water into the sauce before draining the pasta. Pour the drained pasta into the sauce.

Meanwhile…

Get a frying pan on a medium to high heat and add a bit of oil and knob of butter. (The oil stops the butter burning)

Add sardine fillets skin side down and cook for 4 minutes or until the skin has browned. Flip over and cook for a further minute or a little longer if not cooked through.

Serve up the pasta and sauce and add the sardines on top. Yum.

Alternatively use a tin of sardines and just add the sardines to the pasta sauce to warm through.

The post Me being inventive with Sardines appeared first on Gill Buchanan, Author.

This story of the healing power of nature, of ancient woodland and rewilding is one that gladdens my heart. So much so that these are elements that are helping to shape my next novel.

Down in Bodmin Moor, Cornwall (Poldark Country) is a 14th century farmhouse, Cabilla Manor owned by Robin Hanbury-Tenison’s family. His son, Merlin, took over the farm in recent years with the intention of turning it into a healing centre.

Merlin is creating a healing centre at the farm and also rewilding the landscape with grazing Angora goats, red deer and wild boar.

They have also reintroduced two beavers and I just love the names they have given them: Sigourney Beaver and Jean-Claude Van Damme. Beavers are very clever animals capable of changing a landscape for the better.

Robin caught Covid-19 early on in the pandemic and at the age of 84 his life was held in the balance for many weeks. When he began to recover, he was wheeled into the hospital garden and he is now convinced that this helped him to get back to full strength.

The post Healing Nature appeared first on Gill Buchanan, Author.

For the first time in the UK, there are more women aged 60 to 64 in work than not, according to the Office for National Statistics.

In fact there has been an increase of 51% since 2010.

I know that there were changes to the state pension age for women in 2010 but is that the only reason?

I can’t see myself ever retiring

I’ve just had to work out how old I am. Is that a sign of old age? Anyway I’m 56 but have a birthday coming soon. But it’s just a number. Who cares? It’s all about your everyday experience. Perhaps I’m not old enough, but I have no desire to retire anyway.

I love my work – writing women’s fiction. It gives me a sense of purpose. A reason to get out of bed in the morning. Creating empathetic characters and deciding their destiny is great fun and then there’s the sense of achievement when you have a the finished paperback in your hand.

Do women have to retire because their husband has?

In The Long Marriage, Roger is made redundant at the age of 60. He’s a Marketing Director and the nature of this industry has changed enormously with the advent of the internet and social media. He finds he is too near retirement age to get a similar job. Ellie, his wife, meanwhile, retired a couple of years ago but found she needed more of a reason to get out of bed in the morning. So she took a job with an estate agency showing people round homes for sale. It turns out that’s she’s good at it, and she is offered a full time agent role. Should she take it, leaving her husband floundering at home? Should she stay part time or even give up altogether and accept that they are starting a new life together as retirees.

What’s your view on retirement?

What would you do in Ellie’s position? What’s your view on working on into your sixties and beyond? Work until you drop or opt for a life of looking after grandchildren and cruises. (Other holidays and activities are available.)

I would love to hear from you. What’s your view on this?

The post Women 60+ not giving up! appeared first on Gill Buchanan, Author.

August was a surprisingly lovely month for me. Visiting my mother in Seaford – the first time we had come face to face since before lockdown – was a lot of fun and it was so great to take her out to enjoy the fresh air.

She lives in a lovely part of Sussex and my favourite place, that I always make a point of visiting, is the beautiful village of Alfriston which sits in the Cuckmere Valley.

My best loved shop is Objet Trouvé, where you can find all sorts of brilliant and unusual things: usually of no practical value but guaranteed to be a talking point. And, this time, I discovered a new shop that has opened which I now love equally. I think we need a drum roll: Home Spun Botanics.

Unusual and Enchanting Plants

Her unique offering is hand-made moss balls from which plants grow. I bought a Maidenhair Vine or Muehlenbeckia which is a delightful addition to my kitchen windowsill. I have to keep it there so I notice it everyday and make sure it doesn’t dry out as it is a thirsty little plant. It also likes gentle sunlight for a few hours each day – much like myself.

My mum was so taken with it that we went back to get another one for her. The owner didn’t have one in her little shop but promised to deliver the little darling to my mother’s door the following week. (This is good news because Mum finds the roads a bit too narrow in Alfriston so she’s not keen on driving there.) Mum now has her vine and has very wisely called it Beckie.

Family visit

Back in Suffolk we had a visit from Tony’s daughter and his two grandchildren which all went splendidly. They stayed in an Airbnb in a nearby village which apparently didn’t live up to its country cottage billing but instead was more seventies build on an estate. The evening meal each day was a chance for a glass of wine and to put the world to rights which I think we achieved admirably. The highlight was perhaps the day we had a meal at The Weeping Willow where we had the raspberry room all to ourselves (very pink but never mind); visited Tony’s brother, Derek and wife, Jenny, who furnished us with tasty ice-creams and afternoon tea; then a walk in the grounds of Ickworth with their dog Ruby who delighted us time and time again as she hurriedly retrieved a ball from the river and returned it to her owner, getting Derek pretty wet in the process.

Another first since lockdown: we went to the cinema

Abbeygate, in Bury St Edmunds is a very special cinema and our favourite by far. They have got admirable social distancing measures in place so we felt safe throughout. We saw the film Hope Gap with Bill Nighy and Annette Benning and it was truly excellent – thoroughly enjoyed by both The Grey and moi. It was made even better because it was filmed in Seaford very close to where my mother lives and so an area we know very well. There where lots of oohs and ahs going on in row E.

All in all, some fine moments and happy memories. Who’d have thought?

The post August Newsletter appeared first on Gill Buchanan, Author.

Reflections of a Writer

July – the month we were set free from our homes



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On 4th July – our release date – I floated dreamily through Bury St Edmunds going into shops, socially distancing myself from other libertarians. Many people smiled at me and I smiled back. We had a shared understanding of what we were feeling. Free.

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It was legal to go shopping other than for food. We were able to go to a café for the first time in months and dear reader, probably the most significant change for me, the toilets were open!

I had a panini and a coffee (in a paper bag and paper cup which were disposed of before I left) at Costa on Abbeygate. As soon as I left the table, it was sprayed with bleach and cleaned for the next customer.

There were reminders of Covid every step of your way, but still you could appreciate the simple pleasures in life. I bought a rustic plant pot in Quest, a book in Waterstones and something for dinner in M&S.

There was caution everywhere but this just provided reassurance rather than alarm. Numbers were restricted in shops and hand sanitiser was everywhere together with reminder signs every step of your way. But still we were free.

Back in the Office

Back at home in my office I was busy working with my editor, Catriona Robb. The process was quite intense and hard work but very rewarding. The manuscript went to-and-fro between us and the dialogue was all in the margin of the script. There was a real sense of achievement as my story, The Long Marriage, became as good as it could be.

I also had a Zoom session with the lovely Ute Wieczorek-King and Jean Wolfe who helped me to develop a plethora of ideas for the launch of my novel in August. One of the things we talked about was sharing the themes of the novel: early retirement vs carry on working; divorce in later life and how generally women cope better with change at this time.  

Hair cut!

Definitely another highlight for me was having my hair cut. Just before lock down I had the misfortune of having a dodgy cut making me look like a throw-back to the nineties and trying to look like Princess Di! My post lock down hair cut was a joy with my preferred hairdresser coming to my home. So much better.

The world began to open up. We started to see family and friends face to face in the garden and relied less on Zoom which was very refreshing. I could go to the dentist; I could see my physio. The lengths they have to go to, to ensure everyone is safe, must be exhausting to carry out. All I could see of the dentist was her eyes behind a vizor.

We still can’t hug or even touch but just this little bit of normal has been much appreciated by me.  

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On Sunday morning I had a very rude awakening! I was listening, bleary eyed to my go-to radio station, Times Radio, when the female presenter airily commented that over 50s were going to have to shield. I suspect she was under 50 and not bothered about who she upset.

But believe me I was suddenly wide awake and angry!

This government have got a lot wrong but I’ve refrained from criticising them because this pandemic is an unprecedented situation and presents very difficult challenges. But when I heard this ageist announcement, I was ready to write to Boris!

To decide that all over fifties are more likely to get and spread the virus is ridiculous. I am a very fit and healthy over fifty and I eat a diet which strongly supports my immune system. I have not had so much as a cold for over a year.

I totally understand that if you have underlying conditions or feel vulnerable in any way you may choose to shield. It is up to individuals to take responsibility for themselves and make sensible decisions.

I’m fed up with the nanny state telling me what to do!

The over fifties form a significant part of our population and many are working and spending money supporting the economy. This is probably why the government have done a U-turn on this ageist policy but they shouldn’t be so clumsy as to come out with it in the first place.

Get a grip, Boris!

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The post Over fifties to self-isolate – huh! appeared first on Gill Buchanan, Author.