Jacqueline P Vincent

Because the weather so far this month has been mild, we’ve been able to get outside and continue building my She-Shed.

Even though the trend, since lockdown, has encouraged those who have to work from home, to erect a timber room in the garden, mine was in the planning stage long before anyone thought of the trend. And it’s not built of timber or comes on the back of a lorry flat-packed.

My She-Shed is stone, and when I say stone I mean walls between seventy centimetres to one metre thick, and packed with dirt. Originally, it was part of the house and had fallen into a ruinous state. In fact, when we bought our house, we didn’t know it existed. The area was so overgrown. After clearing stones, dirt and weeds from the inside, we decided the twenty-five square metre space would make a great writing room or, as is the trend, my She-Shed.

The materials, stone, are recycled from other ruins in the garden. As we rebuild the outsides with large flat-faced stones, the centre of the wall is backfilled with small stones, affectionately known as uglies, and cement. There is a concrete floor, which, because the cement lorry couldn’t get into our driveway, we had to lay by hand. After barrowing, up a ramp, five cubic metres of concrete, I’m a dab hand at pushing and tipping.

Also, we will recycle old windows, the front door, the stone steps, and the beams. Unfortunately, we will have to pay for a new roof, but it will be Galician slate in the traditional style.

Writing

Writing wise this past month has also been hectic. Abigail Thorne and I are revising our first joint project, a sweet romance, Finding Finn. That’s been fun and games, melding two different styles of writing and keeping the manuscript consistent. I’ll blog again with more information soon.

The Longing, after its launch, has done very nicely with favourable reviews. And along with building my She-Shed, my current writing work in progress, A Forgotten Legacy, is in the exciting first draft research stage. An historical WW2 family saga series, revolving around two women, decades apart taking the same journey. Again watch this space.

I must go. The cement mixer, John, is calling and needs a hand.