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It's been a lovely weekend and I've spent time on the river, and in the garden, but the heat has rather sapped my energy now and the forecast of much higher temperatures in the coming days is a little concerning regarding my productivity levels.

Fortunately my main activity this week will be final preparations for the Felixstowe Book Festival so I'll be reading and thinking about my questions for the authors I'll be speaking to over the weekend.

It's always fantastic weather for the festival, which is now in its 14th year, though this time I might be seeking out a shady corner or paddling in the sea to cool down after each conversation.

This summer I've found that I've been waking with the birds at about 4.30am. It's when the sun is shining but it's cool and quiet, before the day has really begun. It's a glorious time when my thoughts are clear, my mind is uncluttered and I'm full of ideas, drive and determination!  

Getting up so early does mean, though, that by early afternoon, I'm flagging, and the Mediterranean siesta seems a very good idea.  

Perhaps if this weather becomes the norm we might find time and space to have a period of quiet and stillness, to pause, recharge, restore and regroup - possibly with a good book!

Thank you for reading. 

I've had to go to London twice in the past fortnight and was finally able to pay a long overdue visit to the Poetry Pharmacy on Oxford Street. 

It's situated on the upper floor of the Lush store - fortunately I didn't find that intrusive in terms of sight, sound or smell and was able to enjoy an oasis of calm and joy as I browsed the shelves of books and gifts, all with a poetic theme.

The Poetry Pharmacy is known particularly for its bottles of 'pills' - each capsule inside is filled with a line of poetry - and you choose the remedy you need - general 'painkiller', 'sleeping pills', or something to counter indecision, gain a boost of confidence, or overcome writer's block. And many more.

The poetry collections are also grouped into themes - comfort, joy, wild remedy. And there are also beautifully presented bars of chocolate, pencils, bags, cards and bookmarks, all with inspirational lines of poetry. And there's a cafe there, too. It really is a haven from the bustling streets below. 

Returning home, I've been receptive to the opportunities to enjoy poetry again. Preparing for my interview with the novelist Helen Bain for the Felixstowe Book Festival, I have been dipping into the poetry of Syliva Plath and Ted Hughes around the time featured in Helen's book 'Daffodil Days', which imagines their life after buying a cottage in Devon.

And yesterday, I stopped at the glorious Thorington Theatre on the way up the A12 to the Slaughter in Southwold festival (where I attended a talk by crime writer, and TV 'Traitor', Harriet Tyce. She was excellent - very interesting and entertaining. She is also speaking at Felixstowe in a couple of weeks).

At Thorington, among the creaking trees and birdsong, I listened to Rory Kinnear read an essay by Maurice Maeterlinck, interspersed with poems by WB Yeats. It was an unusual piece of programming, but attracted a capacity audience, held spellbound throughout, testament to the mesmerising delivery by Kinnear. I'm not inclined to seek out more Maeterlinck, but am certainly eager to read more Yeats.

It's been a welcome reset to explore poetry again, enjoying the precision and brevity, the power of its images and ideas. And I've put Poetry in Aldeburgh in my diary for November. Will you be there?

Thank you for reading. 

Have you seen all the coverage for 'the wedding' this week? It's been hard to miss, and if we didn't know Dua Lipa and Callum Turner before, we're in no doubt who they are now (just in case, as I understand it, she's a global pop star and he's an actor tipped to be the next James Bond). 

Though the coverage has been rather excessive in my social media feed and the newspaper coverage, it's been lovely to see their happiness and good looks, their glamour and style, and her beautiful Schiaparelli wedding suit (not much chance of getting a ticket to the V&A's Schiapareli exhibition now).

But there's also a rather amazing story about how they met. After being introduced by Ruth Rogers at the River Cafe, they found they both loved books and were, in fact, reading the same novel - 'Trust' by Hernan Diaz. What's more, they had both reached the same point in the book - so they were 'on the same page'. 

What wonderful, fairy tale, romcom, synchronicity! And a great opportunity for the media to highlight Dua Lipa's book club, part of her Service95 'global lifestyle, arts and culture platform' which she founded in 2021. 

I was rather overwhelmed by all the information contained on the site so haven't explored very far, but I have dipped into her podcast and have found her to be an intelligent, thoughtful and accomplished interviewer. She attracts some very impressive guests including authors Claire Keegan, Margaret Atwood, Malorie Blackman, Percival Everett and many more, all reflecting her eclectic and discerning taste in literature.

It will be interesting to see what she chooses to read next - though it looks like she has her wedding party in Palermo to occupy her for the moment.

Thank you for reading. 

I'm still riding on a high from the event with Sophie Raworth last weekend - though I can't believe it's only a week ago.

I've had some lovely comments from people saying how much they enjoyed it and were delighted that Sophie was as warm and friendly as she comes across on television. Her writing is similarly as engaging and inspiring, so I hope everyone will enjoy reading 'Running on Air'.

There was no need for Sophie to read a passage from her book at the event. She could draw on all her memories and anecdotes in our conversation and it was nicer, on this occasion, to have her spontaneity in speech rather than reading. 

But I've been to a couple of author events recently where authors have been asked to share something of their writing and, instead of reading from the pages of their books, they've recited lengthy passages. 

This last week I went to see Melissa Harrison talk about her new novel 'The Given World' where she spoke from one of the chapters and earlier in the month I heard Ashley Hickson-Lovence deliver a number of passages from his book 'About to Fall Apart' all from memory.

Is this a new trend? i think both of these authors have been reciting their earlier books, so perhaps not. And perhaps it won't be too widespread, as it's quite a skill and risks being another pressure to bear on authors already out of their comfort zone, plucked from their solitary desk to a theatre audience.*

It's impressive though, isn't it? These days we don't even have to remember a phone number and facts and figures are all available with a few clicks on a screen. But being able to recall verses of poetry or passages of prose, drawing on meaningful quotes or words of wisdom, all still has its place, doesn't it? Not only does it keep our brains active and agile, but having these words ingrained in us, to be recalled almost instinctively is a powerful tool which builds resilience, confidence and perspective. 

Thank you for reading. 

The excitement had been building in Woodbridge, and throughout Suffolk, for our visit from Sophie Raworth to The Riverside this weekend. And she didn't disappoint! What's more the sun shone and, with the start of the Bank Holiday, the town had a carnival atmosphere. 

Sophie was spending the weekend with friends nearby so had driven up from London earlier in the afternoon. She seemed relaxed and happy, and delighted in seeing her name 'in lights' on the hoarding outside the cinema. She took plenty of pictures inside and out, revelling in the history of this beautiful independent cinema.

On stage, she told us something about her week, reporting from the Chelsea Flower Show, before explaining how she discovered the joy of running in her 40s, and now relishes taken on some extraordinary challenges.

She shared photos from her family album and from her most astonishing achievement in distance running - completing the 150 mile Marathon des Sables across the Sahara Desert - with lots of funny and astounding stories along the way.

And it was fascinating to hear how she has approached some of the big interviews in her career in the same way that she prepares for a marathon run.

Her passion for her sport was infectious and she's keen to encourage us all to put on our running shoes so that we might also experience the confidence, strength and resilience it has brought her.

It was a fabulous evening. Sophie is a very fluent, engaging and entertaining speaker and hugely inspiring. And she had time for everyone in a very long queue at the end of the evening. Everyone, it seemed, had a story to tell Sophie about their running dreams and ambitions.

But no one was in a hurry to leave as we all enjoyed soaking up an evening of warm friendship, sunny spirits and buoyant positivity. It was a real tonic!

If you weren't able to join us, Sophie's book will also do the trick! Get your copy of 'Running on Air' here and you can take a look at some of the pictures from the evening here.

Thank you for reading.