I took five days away from writing and went to a lovely Guest House in Aldborough, six miles south of Hornsea on the East Yorkshire coast. Apart from our first morning there, when it rained, we had lovely weather. Because of the rain that morning we made use of it by going to the Maritime Museum and Ferens Art Gallery in Hull. Visiting that Museum revived memories of the days when I was researching my book, HARPOONED, the Story of Whaling published in 1980 by Conway Maritime Press. At that time the Museum was only small and in a different location, moving later into its present location in the centre of Hull and developing into the magnificent Museum that exists today.
I spent some time in and around Hornsea, enjoying the bracing sea air, the countryside, two interesting village churches and absorbing the atmosphere of the area, always of use to a writer, just as that interest in whaling led to the birth of Jessica Blair. (Even though as a writer I take time off, it is never far from my thoughts)
