{"id":3083,"date":"2022-01-03T16:59:31","date_gmt":"2022-01-03T14:59:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/?p=3083"},"modified":"2022-04-06T16:12:00","modified_gmt":"2022-04-06T14:12:00","slug":"shrinking-worlds-and-small-pleasures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/?p=3083","title":{"rendered":"Shrinking worlds and small pleasures"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/56636A40-6219-40C9-8844-ACECE67FFAF9.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/56636A40-6219-40C9-8844-ACECE67FFAF9-1024x576.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3086\" width=\"508\" height=\"285\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/56636A40-6219-40C9-8844-ACECE67FFAF9-1024x576.jpeg 1024w, http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/56636A40-6219-40C9-8844-ACECE67FFAF9-300x169.jpeg 300w, http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/56636A40-6219-40C9-8844-ACECE67FFAF9-768x432.jpeg 768w, http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/56636A40-6219-40C9-8844-ACECE67FFAF9.jpeg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 508px) 100vw, 508px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Hi everyone,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hope you\u2019ve had a great Christmas and a wonderful New Year. Happy 2022!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It seems traditional to look back at highlights of the year&nbsp;just&nbsp;gone and I\u2019ve sometimes summed up books I\u2019ve read, things I\u2019ve done. Except, I can\u2019t honestly&nbsp;remember all that much! 2020 bled into 2021 and continued in much the same way. Restrictions, lockdowns, nagging worry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, as I began to write, memories&nbsp;of more positive things&nbsp;began to trickle through.&nbsp;Mostly, I\u2019ve enjoyed my home, garden and the dogs. Small pleasures in a shrinking world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The year kicked off in style with the publication of&nbsp;<em>Janey Trelawney\u2019s Year of Surprising Triumphs.<\/em>This book about a muddy-loving snowdrop gardener who dances under trees and her sexy accountant had been lying dormant while I concentrated on other projects. When I eventually got down to writing it, it fell onto the page and Janey is one of my&nbsp;favourite&nbsp;creations.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-amazon wp-block-embed-amazon\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Janey Trelawney&#039;s Year of Surprising Triumphs: Calamity Jane meets every romcom movie you&#039;ve ever loved...\" type=\"text\/html\" width=\"600\" height=\"550\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen style=\"max-width:100%\" src=\"https:\/\/read.amazon.co.uk\/kp\/card?preview=inline&#038;linkCode=kpd&#038;ref_=k4w_oembed_rSm7mxEurSifGa&#038;asin=1913719138&#038;tag=kpembed-20\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ve a happy memory of meeting&nbsp;friends for lunch when we were first \u2018released\u2019 and&nbsp;eating&nbsp;in a beer garden in April. It was&nbsp;so good to be&nbsp;OutOut!&nbsp;Although&nbsp;sunny and warm,&nbsp;a&nbsp;stiff breeze made eating gourmet fish finger sandwiches tricky.&nbsp;Seem to recall the dogs reaping&nbsp;the benefit of a flying lettuce leaf.&nbsp;We were determined to stick it out though; there was no alternative&nbsp;as,&nbsp;at that time,&nbsp;we&nbsp;were banned from meeting&nbsp;inside! I also met up with a&nbsp;couple of writing groups and sat in the sun eating cake. It felt so good to be meeting up in real life&nbsp;and not on Zoom. I was less&nbsp;enamoured&nbsp;of a train journey where none of the other passengers wore masks and resented feeling unsafe during such a \u2018normal\u2019 activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/3763DD96-7F67-4724-85C6-AF4B045F684A-scaled.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/3763DD96-7F67-4724-85C6-AF4B045F684A-768x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3087\" width=\"283\" height=\"378\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/3763DD96-7F67-4724-85C6-AF4B045F684A-768x1024.jpeg 768w, http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/3763DD96-7F67-4724-85C6-AF4B045F684A-225x300.jpeg 225w, http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/3763DD96-7F67-4724-85C6-AF4B045F684A-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/3763DD96-7F67-4724-85C6-AF4B045F684A-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/3763DD96-7F67-4724-85C6-AF4B045F684A-scaled.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 283px) 100vw, 283px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Mostly though, as you\u2019ll know if you follow the blog, I\u2019ve been stuck in front of a computer screen writing, editing, revising. 2021 was the year of writer\u2019s block and starting new projects, only for them to be interrupted or for me to lose heart. In December,&nbsp;full of Christmas spirit (mostly Baileys) and surrounded by the soft flickering light from the tree, I began a Christmas book, having never written one before. Not sure going back to it in bone-cold January will have quite the same appeal!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/D8C88DCA-45A8-4908-A5D2-AC79E91231E3-scaled.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/D8C88DCA-45A8-4908-A5D2-AC79E91231E3-768x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3088\" width=\"276\" height=\"368\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/D8C88DCA-45A8-4908-A5D2-AC79E91231E3-768x1024.jpeg 768w, http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/D8C88DCA-45A8-4908-A5D2-AC79E91231E3-225x300.jpeg 225w, http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/D8C88DCA-45A8-4908-A5D2-AC79E91231E3-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/D8C88DCA-45A8-4908-A5D2-AC79E91231E3-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w, http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/D8C88DCA-45A8-4908-A5D2-AC79E91231E3-scaled.jpeg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 276px) 100vw, 276px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ve watched a lot of TV.&nbsp;<em>Emily in Paris<\/em>&nbsp;sucked me in and was perfect escapism. I also loved the Turin-based&nbsp;<em>Guida<\/em><em>&nbsp;<\/em><em>Astrologica<\/em><em>&nbsp;per&nbsp;<\/em><em>Cuori<\/em><em>&nbsp;<\/em><em>Infranti<\/em><em>.<\/em>&nbsp;I wanted glamorous European cities, caf\u00e9 culture and hot men! On a different level, I adored&nbsp;<em>The Dig,<\/em>&nbsp;the film about the Sutton&nbsp;Hoo&nbsp;excavation. Sublimely acted, it was poignant,&nbsp;and nostalgic for an England which probably never existed.&nbsp;<em>Detectorists&nbsp;<\/em>mined a similar theme. Warm, funny, gentle &#8211; just the thing to soothe the soul. I came to it late and caught up on&nbsp;iPlayer. Twice! The new&nbsp;Worzel&nbsp;Gummidge grabbed me too. Also written by Mackenzie Crook, who has a genius touch for the eccentric, niche and rural. Whatever he turns his hand to feels like a celebration of all things folkloric and English. Saucy Nancy is&nbsp;definitely my&nbsp;new hero! I&nbsp;came across&nbsp;Worzel&nbsp;while waiting for&nbsp;<em>Strictly<\/em>&nbsp;to start. What a year for&nbsp;<em>Strictly Come Dancing!<\/em>&nbsp;I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever cried as much during a final. If we thought we needed it in 2020, we really did last year. I loved the partnership between AJ and Kai and, like the rest of the nation, fell in love with Rose.&nbsp;Looking back, lots of things I watched, funnily enough, featured actor and musician Johnny Flynn, over whom I will gloss. Just expect a tousle-headed blonde guitarist to appear in a Georgia Hill book&nbsp;soon! What can I say? I get inspiration from many sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m going to mention Jo Whiley here. Her evening radio&nbsp;programme&nbsp;on Radio 2 not only introduced me to great new music,&nbsp;her gentle warmth&nbsp;has&nbsp;also&nbsp;got me through some early evening writing sessions. Check out the exquisite Aurora.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"AURORA - Exist For Love\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7YDkrJaiCrw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Thanks, too, to Elaine Paige and her Sunday afternoon show. Musical theatre is a passion which I don\u2019t get much chance to indulge in these days. I can\u2019t sing but nothing stops me belting out&nbsp;<em>On My Own&nbsp;<\/em>or&nbsp;<em>Hello Dolly<\/em>&nbsp;to an audience which consists of two dogs, one of whom slinks away in disgust.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a time when most of our worlds have shrunk to hearth and home my book of the year is perfectly apt. It\u2019s actually just perfect. Please read Clare Chambers\u2019&nbsp;<em>Small Pleasures.<\/em>&nbsp;Clare excels in observing the minutiae of suburban life.&nbsp;<em>Learning to Swim<\/em>&nbsp;is one of my all-time&nbsp;favourite&nbsp;books and I was incredibly excited to hear Clare was writing fiction again.&nbsp;<em>Small Pleasures<\/em>&nbsp;is&nbsp;the story of a woman escaping her pleasant but dull existence when she\u2019s sent to interview a woman who claims she gave birth as a virgin. It\u2019s a book which is full of joy &#8211; and small pleasures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/3DDF9FDF-213A-40D0-8B16-1507ADBF6551.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"327\" height=\"500\" src=\"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/3DDF9FDF-213A-40D0-8B16-1507ADBF6551.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3089\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/3DDF9FDF-213A-40D0-8B16-1507ADBF6551.jpeg 327w, http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/3DDF9FDF-213A-40D0-8B16-1507ADBF6551-196x300.jpeg 196w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 327px) 100vw, 327px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Speaking of books (and, as much as I\u2019d like to bracket myself with Clare Chambers, I cannot claim such genius) 2022 is dawning with some great writing news; I&nbsp;will&nbsp;have three new books out (well, long novellas) with the first coming in February. Watch this space. I\u2019m hoping I\u2019ll be able to share the title and utterly gorgeous cover with you all soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whatever you have planned for 2022, I hope the new year&nbsp;will treat you kindly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Love,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Georgia x<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hi everyone, Hope you\u2019ve had a great Christmas and a wonderful New Year. Happy 2022! It seems traditional to look back at highlights of the year&nbsp;just&nbsp;gone and I\u2019ve sometimes summed up books I\u2019ve read, things I\u2019ve done. Except, I can\u2019t honestly&nbsp;remember all that much! 2020 bled into 2021 and continued in much the same way. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3086,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[833,159,831,93,516,832,379,150],"class_list":["post-3083","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-aurora","tag-clare-chambers","tag-detectorists","tag-georgia-hill","tag-happy-new-year","tag-jo-whiley","tag-new-release","tag-strictly-come-dancing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3083","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3083"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3083\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3311,"href":"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3083\/revisions\/3311"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3086"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3083"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3083"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3083"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}