Friday 31 December 2010

Writers in the 2011 New Year's Honour List...

Literature hasn't featured much in the Queen's New Year's Honours List published today.

Congratulations go to:-

Historian and Author Lady Antonia Fraser CBE who has been created a Dame. She is the widow of  playwright Harold Pinter and wrote a memoir about their life together, Must Yo Go?: My Life with Harold Pinter, published earlier this year and serialised on Radio 4.

Professor Susheila Nasta, founder and Editor of Wasafiri-a literary magazine for contemporary international literature- has received an MBE for Services to Black and Asian Literature.

A fellow member of Nottingham Writers' Club, Ron Booth received an MBE for Services to the Community in Nottinghamshire. Alongside his many voluntary activities, a number of his books have raised funds for charities he has been involved with. He also helped launch a project to get a memorial to the twenty VC holders in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.

If you know someone who you think deserves to be awarded an honour you can find details of how to nominate them here.

I hope you have a fulfilling and successful 2011.

Happy New Year.

Tuesday 28 December 2010

A Few Winter Photos...

Here are a couple of photos from my recent trip to Yorkshire. These were taken on Monday (27th) after a lovely dinner at Nont Sarah's (just on the right edge of the first photo) then we drove a short way to one of the parking areas on the Marsden Moor Heritage Trail-Buckstones. I took a quick snap of the ridge line despite my hair being blown all over my face and my fingers turning icy without my gloves on...

From Nont's there are spectacular views over to Scammonden Water and Halifax in the far distance, which can actually be seen from the restaurant's dining area. It's 1155 feet above sea level so you'll realise how cold it was up there with all the snow around. In fact while we were eating our lunch there was a light snow flurry.

Considering how far away from the sea the building is, it does actually have some nautical connections. The maple wood panelling that surrounds the front of the bar area came from a stateroom on the trans-Atlantic liner, Mauritania after it was scrapped.

This place has provided lots of memories for me as I first went there with my (then) boyfriend (now my husband).

road,pub sign,snow,hotel,moors,slush
                                                                           Looking toward the Moors...

No matter the time, distant past or present, you wouldn't want to travel across these moors in bad weather.

I was grateful I could go back to a warm hotel room eventually.

snow,moors,ice,grassland,Winter,hillside
Snow Everywhere...