Cakes, Culture & Creative Journeys

Well… where has the time gone.

Firstly, I owe you an apology — it’s been a little while since my last blog back in June. Life has a way of gathering momentum, and before you realise it, the weeks have slipped quietly by. I may not have been tapping away at the laptop, but we’ve certainly not been idle. Most of our time has been spent in the garden, slowly shaping it into a place of peaceful rest and tranquillity. Over the past couple of months the flowers have blossomed beautifully, each one adding its own character to the space. The garden has become a little haven, attracting butterflies, bees and all sorts of wildlife who seem just as eager as we are to enjoy the calm. During these hot weeks, the patio has become our dining area — a place to linger over meals, listen to the soft hum of summer evenings, and gaze into the night sky. More than once we’ve paused mid‑conversation to listen to the tawny owl calling from the trees.

Emily has also been busy baking scrumptious cakes, and what began as a hobby for personal enjoyment is steadily becoming a little side business under the name

The Flour Pot Bakery. It’s been lovely watching her creativity grow — experimenting with flavours, perfecting recipes, sharing and selling her bakes. I may be biased, but I’m certainly not exaggerating when I say they’re some of the most delicious cakes I’ve tasted. If you’d like to follow her journey, I’m sure she’d really appreciate a follow on Instagram to see what she’s dreaming up next.

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There’s also been some other exciting news, which you may already seen through Facebook. I was delighted to receive an email confirming that I’ve been accpeted as one of Wrexham’s City of Culture 2029 Bid Ambassadors. It was one of those moments that makes you pause and smile, not just because of the honour itself, but because of what it represents. Wrexham adopted me from my London roots, and over the years I’ve written about the city through my poetry and helped showcase its cultural scene through the annual Wrexham Carnival of Words. Wrexham isn’t just the place I live; it’s where my heart belongs. It’s a city with warmth and a deep creative pulse. To play even a small part in helping tell our story feels incredibly meaningful.

I’m also excited to get back out and meet people again. On Sunday 7th September, I’ll be at the Llangollen Fringe Festival running a Monostich Poetry Workshop. If you’ve never come across monostich poetry before, don’t worry — we’ll explore just how much can be said in a single line. There’s a beautiful challenge in distilling a thought, an emotion, or an image into just a handful of words. It’s amazing how a single line can open endless possibilities, spark imagination and mean something completely different to every person who reads it.

Then, on Friday 26th September, I’ll be celebrating the launch of Lone Lines & Quiet Echoes with Sabrina Poets in Bewdley. It promises to be an exciting evening filled with conversation, creativity and connection. I’m looking forward to meeting fellow poets, chatting with readers and hopefully catching up with some familiar faces. There’s something special about book launches — they’re a celebration not just of the writing itself, but of the community that gathers around it. If you’re able to come along, I’d love to see you there.

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Speaking of Lone Lines & Quiet Echoes… I finally have the news I’ve been waiting to share. After what feels like forever, the book has now been approved for global distribution. I won’t lie — the journey has been much longer than I expected. There were moments when the process felt painfully slow, and I wondered when, or even if, everything would fall into place. Publishing can be a strange mixture of excitement and patience, and sometimes the waiting feels heavier than the writing itself. So hearing that it’s now approved was a huge moment. I’m incredibly proud and relieved — proud of the work, relieved that the long stretch of uncertainty has finally eased.

The book is now making its way through the distribution process and will gradually begin appearing at retailers’ shops or at least in their warehouses to order.

While I wait for that to unfold, copies are still available if you’d like one. You can pick one up from The Bookworm in Wrexham, order through my website, or buy directly via Lulu.com. Every copy means more than you might realise — each one is a small vote of confidence, a reminder that the words I write matter to someone.

As always, thank you for sticking with me. Whether you’ve bought a book, come to an event, shared a post or simply read these blogs, your support means more than I can ever properly express. Every bit of encouragement keeps me writing, creating and believing in what I do. It’s easy to feel lost in the noise of the world, but your kindness and enthusiasm have a way of bringing me back to centre.

Here’s to an exciting September, new adventures, and hopefully seeing some of you very soon.