Sue Reed

Hello Wendy, what a coincidence! I was only thinking about you today, after another reader sent me a photo of Molly on holiday! Hope you're keeping well.

View from the bedroom window, gargoyle on guard.

It's St Swithin's Day so you know what they say!

No plans to venture out in the rain for me - think I've broken my toe and have the manuscript for book two to get ready to send to my agent before the end of the week.
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#stswithinsday

A cool breeze and damp air this morning here in Northumberland. Perfect hosta growing conditions, helped too by the slug-eating hedgehog spotted trundling down the path last night. 🦔
Have a good week, everyone

Our roses have struggled this year, but today, on the first anniversary of Mum's death, the yellow rose she bought me has come into bloom.

Wrestling Rhubarb On complicated grief

It's the anniversary of my mum's death this week - a whole year has gone by, and it's complicated!
I've written about it in my latest post, Wrestling Rhubarb:
open.substack.com/pub/suereed/...

Thinking of my mum who died this time last year as I pick the rhubarb. Mum loved a dish of rhubarb, preferably with some rice pudding on the side.

Yeah, from @emmadarwinwriter.bsky.social who I'm now also going to follow

Hi! Have found you after a recommendation on Substack - I write RIPE over there. Unapologetic midlifing, trauma badassery, gardening as witchcraft, vanlife joyrides & neurospicy chaos.
Author of 1 book .... so far....The Rewilding of Molly McFlynn.

Happy Summer Solstice everyone 🌞
Come on in! We're gathering herbs & edible flowers to make Solstice Salt today.
open.substack.com/pub/suereed/...
#summersolstice

Starting a slow travel series, Wrinklies On The Road over in my online magazine. We take a trip down memory lane in this first article, and travel to Spain & Portugal in a converted Dodge truck, me pregnant and with a toddler in tow.
Link in bio or inboxes for subscribers
#travelblog

Ah, thank you! Lovely to be back.

Welcome to RIPE.

You can look forward to writing about post-trauma badassery, unapologetic ageing, gardening as witchcraft, menopausal resurrection, van life joyrides, better late than never publication, and neurospicy chaos.

open.substack.com/pub/suereed/...

#ripe #midlife #menopause

The Felling of Northumberland at Sycamore Gap Don't tell us it was just a tree.

I wrote this on 1 October 2023 just after the felling of the tree that I could see from the hillside here and to which we walked on countless occasions

The two men who were charged with its felling have today been found guilty.

#sycamoregap

open.substack.com/pub/suereed/...

Oh, marvellous, Linda thanks you. Grabbing a marker pen and adding these to the pile.
Would love to have you join us! 💚💪🌳

I'm very excited to be coming to the end of the first draft of the second book in the Molly McFlynn series, but I need your help!

What might you write on a placard if you were going to a protest to save an important tree from being felled?

Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash
#protest #trees

Solitude, Silence & Synchronicity. On the fear and benefits of being alone and still.

On the anniversary of the publication of John Keats' poem, 'O Solitude!' read about my recent trip to Samye Ling Tibetan Monastery and the fears & benefits of being silent and solo.
open.substack.com/pub/suereed/...

Sunday Storytime continues at 3pm today over on Substack.
We're up to Chapter Seven, The Girl.

Make way for the lilac! Blooming marvellous 💜

Love it when a reviewer totally gets why I wrote the book!
#BookSky

Over on my blog I'm talking about returning to hard core exercise at 63, of the euphoria felt and the need it fulfills, along with some of the trials and tribulations of past attempts at group exercise.
Have a read then pop back and share your stories.
#raveon
open.substack.com/pub/suereed/...

When you hear from a local high school that they'd like to book you for an author talk and they finish the email with this:

“We loved The Rewilding of Molly McFlynn and one of our Learning and Teaching Assistants successfully used it with a student who was having issues with her friendship group.”

You're welcome 🤗 it was a fantastic workshop

Love this photo sent by Vanessa, one of my followers. It shows many of the elements from my story, placed on a piece of recycled knitwear from my days as The Woolly Pedlar.

I love how loyal folk have been, no matter what hats I've been wearing.

Have you read The Rewilding of Molly McFlynn? Set in the wilds of Northumberland during Spring, it tells of one girl's journey to find her authentic self intertwined with the true story of Ann Watson & the Newcastle Witch Trials
Available wherever you get your books or signed copies from me #BookSky

Treated myself to a day of nature journalling with pen and paint with Hexham based artist Steve Pardue in Allendale as part of the Highlights Rural Touring Scheme.

A morning of calm, reflection and good company.

@highlightsrural.bsky.social

Ah, I see! Yes, I really enjoyed writing her. She's a bit of me, a lot of my own Nan and a dollop of fiction.

And you'd be so welcome. It's coconut cake, if that's okay?

Aha, then I think you'll enjoyed meeting Nan in The Rewilding of Molly McFlynn then too.

We have triplets! Three baby leverets, discovered while Tim was planting potatoes, nestled against the stone wall of the greenhouse.

The mother hare can be seen in our wild garden early in the morning and late in the evening, as she comes to care for her young. Feeling so very blessed.
#wildlife

Happy to hear you honeymooned in Hexham!
Yes, I was honoured to write this piece for the project, but am writing so much more about the loss of this iconic tree in the sequel to The Rewilding of Molly McFlynn.