Birthday Blog.

It is exactly a year since friends persuaded me to set up a Blog. At the time I had no definite theme to follow or special interest to write about, so I simply called it a notebook and that's what it has become. Whenever something attracts my attention I jot it down on the Blog and I've had so much pleasure and simple fun from doing this.
Occasionally somebody leaves a comment and I imagined these were the only people who looked at it until the day I discovered how to check "traffic" which shows the times and places when it is being viewed.
To my amazement my Blog has been viewed 1900 times in this country, 468 in the USA and 437 in Russia as well as in 15 other countries in the world as far afield as Japan, Belarus and the Ukraine; India, Canada and Sweden. Thank you to all of you!  I wish I knew who you were, but please keep visiting my Blog.
I think of you whenever I make an entry.

Wear Valley Writers Have a New Home

Bishop Auckland Town Hall.

In 1993 Wear Valley Writers moved from the branch library at Woodhouse Close to the main library at Bishop Auckland Town Hall.  Their leader was Wendy Robertson, local author and teacher.

The group met as the library closed for the day; the atmosphere was bright and cheerful and of course very conducive to writing as our tables were surrounded by shelves full of novels that we hoped to emulate.

Town Hall Library

Over the years some of us have achieved this and our books have been launched at ceremonies hosted by the friendly and supportive Town Hall staff where, for a long time, Gillian Wales was manager. Wine was both provided and served on every occasion.

However, in 2013 the Recession hit the country and the libraries were obliged to make a charge for their rooms. As Wear Valley Writers is now a smaller, self-help group we were not able to meet those charges.

Sadly we said goodbye to the Town Hall library and its wonderful staff and looked elsewhere for a suitable place to meet. 

Our New Home.

We found one in the most unlikely of places – Asda Store, in Bishop Auckland offered us free use of its Community Room every Wednesday evening.  Walk through the store; past the Fish Counter and through a green door in the corner and discover a world of offices, staircases and a canteen.

Our room is on the ground floor with an enormous oval table and comfortable blue chairs.  Of course we miss the splendour of the Town Hall library, but we are most grateful to Asda for making us welcome.

Our writing and our friendship continue to flourish.