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This month I've felt rather disorientated, being consistently about a week out when it comes to remembering the date. It's just as well that I'm ahead of my deadlines or I could have been in trouble.

On the plus side, it means I don't have much longer to wait for the INK Festival which kicks off on Thursday and runs until Sunday with dozens of new short plays to see, and lots of talks, events and workshops to sign up for. If you've never been, I highly recommend it and you can see all the details here and my article in 'Suffolk' magazine here.

Of course Easter is late this year. Though never being a fixed date in the calendar, it is an immovable focal point in the Christian year, and a time for hope and joy, new birth and redemption. All things we need in abundance now more than ever. 

I hope this weekend is proving restorative and rejuvenating for you, whatever you're doing, whoever you're with. And that you might have found a moment to enjoy a good book.

A community in America found a creative way to get together with books this week.

The Serendipity Bookshop in Michigan was moving premises, to a new location just a short walk away. Instead of engaging a removal firm to pack and move their stock of almost 10,000 books, the owners asked the town's residents to come along to help. They rose to the challenge in great numbers and formed two lines along the street and passed each book hand by hand in a human chain.

It took two hours, much quicker than any removal firm, the owners claimed. What's more, it opened up discussions about the books as they were handed on, with recommendations flying!

Of course I couldn't help but ponder the logistics and wondered what state the books were in when they'd been handled by so many in their short foray outside the bookshop. But it proved a fun activity and a great visual for tv and newspaper coverage, as well as instilling a powerful sense of ownership in the local residents for their local bookshop. You can take a look here.

Thank you for reading, and Happy Easter!

The longer days filled with the warm, bright sunshine have certainly lifted my spirits over the past week but, though I've gained in energy and a more positive outlook on work commitments, I've used the extra time and light to sit outside or walk by the river. My 'to do' list hasn't really been broached. 

Through my reading this week ('Time Anxiety' by Chris Guillebeau, see below) I've given myself permission to change my perspective, though. Instead of being ruled by tasks that never seem to diminish and therefore bring little sense of achievement or fulfilment, and in fact heighten tension and pressure, I've reevaluated.

There are thousands of books which promise to teach us skills to better manage our time but Guillebeau urges us to engage fully in our chosen activity without worrying about productivity or deadlines. He tells us to decide what is enough for today, or for the project, and to focus on that without being distracted. He suggests that we pursue time-expansive hobbies such as crafts, baking, gardening. And we should emulate the work patterns of famous writers and artists like Dickens and Picasso who pursued hours of concentrated work but then stepped away completely through long walks. 

Watching the coverage of the Boat Race this afternoon, learning about the young people who have dedicated themselves to competing in this extraordinary event, I was once again in awe of their achievement. For months, and years for some of them, they have pursued a simple but gruelling routine of sleep, row, study, row, sleep. And look what satisfaction it has brought them through building lifelong friendships, working as a team and a community, and realising their potential, physically, mentally and emotionally.

I don't plan to engage in elite sport but I'm going to try and keep my 'to do' list in check, at least this coming week.

Thank you for reading.

It's difficult to process all that's going on in the world today, isn't it? So it's good to find ways in which we can recharge, refresh and regroup.

We'll all have different routes to stepping away from the trials and worries of everyday life - spending time on the river, running, gardening, knitting, or reading, perhaps (if you pick the right book). 

This week I have been working on an article where I've been speaking to three women who escape the commitments and concerns of daily life through their campervans. 

One of these women told me how, having a very challenging job, her vintage VW van was her way of reconnecting and finding her self again.

Her joy and passion for her campervan, and the companionship and support she received from the community she had discovered as a result of owning it, was uplifting and quite infectious.

Though I don't plan to buy one yet, I have often thought how nice it would be to have a campervan as a base for a festival, a little home from home. 

Of course most events I attend these days are book and literature festivals and there's not usually a lot of camping involved in those. And we don't have to travel far either - we've got quite a few to choose from in Suffolk now. So, if you're ready, here are a few dates for your diary...

In a couple of weeks it's the INK Festival of short plays. In May, in addition to historian Alison Weir visiting us in Woodbridge, Suffolk Libraries is holding its DiscoveReads festival in Ipswich. In June we have Slaughter in Southwold, First Light in Lowestoft and the Felixstowe Book Festival (tickets went on sale this weekend). But we also have the new Leiston Book Festival on 20 September and the recently launched Ipswich Book Festival and Bury St Edmunds Literature Festival both in October. It's quite a list. Perhaps I need a campervan to tour them all.

Thank you for reading.

We may have lost an hour's sleep but we've gained longer days, lighter evenings and hope for more sunshine and warmth to come. Spring is here!

It's such a lovely time of year, isn't it? And we're enjoying glorious weather at the moment. Certainly makes me feel more positive and energetic, so I'm getting lots of jobs done and making plans for the coming weeks and months too. 

This evening I'm busy at The Riverside marking the release of the new book by David Wright and hearing all that he wants to share with us about bread and baking.

And tickets are selling well for historian Alison Weir who's coming to speak to us in a few weeks' time about her novel on Cardinal Wolsey. 

I think our ticket price is always good value but if you're keen for a bargain, reserve your seat for Alison Weir now as the Early Bird offer closes on Tuesday!

For other author talks, you might like to go to Ipswich on Friday to hear presenter and writer Zeb Soanes talk about his children's books for Suffolk Book League. Details here.

And it's only a few weeks until the INK Festival takes place in Halesworth, on 24-27 April. Celebrating new writing with brilliantly produced short plays, it's always an incredible occasion and you can read all about it in my article for Suffolk magazine here.

But in Woodbridge tomorrow we have our monthly book group meeting and we're back to our usual venue after a brief interlude. Do let me know if you're coming along. I hope to see you there!

Thank you for reading.

It's been a busy week this week. I've had lots of deadlines and meetings, but I'm pleased to say that I satisfied all my commitments so today I've been able to take things a little slower. I even sat outside with a book in the sunshine at one point (in between the showers).

I hope you have a good week ahead? 

We have our first author event of the year at The Riverside next Sunday evening, with baker David Wright, so I'm getting everything in place for that.

His book 'Breaking Bread' was released on Thursday and he's currently travelling from Scotland to Cornwall visiting bookshops and bakeries along the way, spreading the word, culminating in his homecoming event in Woodbridge. 

You can read more about his hopes for the book in my article for the East Anglian Daily Times, but do come along to meet him if you can. David has so much to say about food and farming, bread and baking, business and family. We are set for a stimulating and entertaining evening!

And, as we're reaching the end of the month, here's a reminder that it's our book group discussion a week tomorrow on Monday 31st March. If you're hoping to come along to share your comments about 'Hard by a Great Forest' do let me know.  

Thank you for reading.