Day nine of the ‘advent calendar’ focusing on some of the historical/genealogical sources that I used in the writing of Barefoot on the Cobbles.

Many of the characters in Barefoot in the Cobbles living in the countryside or earn their living from the sea. The impact of the weather was immense. I was determined to reflect the actual weather conditions of the time. Fortunately, thanks to the Met Office, monthly weather reports are online for the period between January 1884 and December 1993. Thus, they were available for the time in which the novel is set. The rainfall, temperature, wind and hours of sunshine are all mentioned and there are indications of regional variations. If I describe heatwaves, stormy weather or heavy rain, then these conditions really did prevail in the west country at the time.

More information about Barefoot on the Cobbles can be found here. Copies are available at various events and at all my presentations. You can order from Blue Poppy Publishing or directly from me. Kindle editions are available for those in the UK, USA, Australasia and Canada.