Out of the corner of your eye, you spot movement in the treetop, you raise your binoculars and… it's gone! At times, bird-watching can be a series of near misses; but then there are golden moments when you manage to focus in on that barn owl or yellow wagtail and it takes your breath away.

At book club last night we discussed Tracy Chevalier's ‘Burning Bright’. It's a historical novel about William Blake, described by Brittanica as an English engraver, artist, poet and visionary. He’s most well-known for his poem, ‘Tyger, tyger burning bright’ hence the novel’s title.

The word scriptorium rolls off the tongue rather deliciously. It refers to a ‘writing room,’ especially in a monastery or abbey where monks used to copy manuscripts. The word derives from the Latin, ‘scribere’ to write, from which we also have ‘scribe.’

David and I are currently watching series 4 of ‘The Chosen’, streaming free on watch.thechosen.tv. It’s invigorating to watch Jesus speaking truth to power.

The unmistakable call of the cuckoo is an integral part of the British spring soundscape and I love to hear it. Despite my best efforts, I have never seen a cuckoo. But I live in hope.

I belong to a book club at my local library. If you love reading, have you ever wondered about joining a book club? I prevaricated for a long time, unsure about: the pressure of reading one book per month; reading books I hadn’t selected; the cost of purchasing the books.

Recently I’ve been repeatedly saying and writing the word ‘twelfth,’ as ‘The Twelfth Cross’ is the title of my novel, coming out on July 6th. It’s an unusual word – 4 consonants in a row, which occurs rarely in English.

Prayer plays a significant role in my novel, The Twelfth Cross (released July 6th.) I’m keen to see readers’ reactions to this, as I’m not marketing it as a Christian book. The historical setting is a help, as faith is a ‘given’ in the medieval period. But in my experience, many people are more open to the idea of prayer than to the idea of God.

We’ve hit on a great wildlife-watching spot for our working holiday in the Fen country this week. On our doorstep are ducks, moorhens, coots, partridge, pheasants and geese galore with goslings trotting around amongst noisy, fretful parents.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz comes to cinemas this month. Watching the trailer on social media has prompted me to find my copy and start reading it. I was given it a year or two back and it’s been languishing in the ever-growing ‘to read’ pile? Do you have one of those?

This week David and I are on a working holiday revisiting the locations of the Eleanor crosses in the Midlands. I’m making contacts for author events for The Twelfth Cross (coming soon) and also shooting footage to help promote the book.

Do you remember the 1991 film, Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves, starring Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman?

Last Friday, David and I were astonished and thrilled to see an otter on our local river, the Roding. It swam upstream a little way and then clambered up the bank and disappeared into the undergrowth.

David and I have been gripped by seasons 1-3 of ‘The Chosen,’ the first multi-series drama about the life of Jesus and his first followers. Created and directed by Dallas Jenkins, it’s the largest crowdfunded project in TV history.

I carried my cuppa into the dining room. Huh? Didn’t I just bring my laptop down and put it on the table? Apparently not. I headed back upstairs to my spare room cum office. No laptop. What?! Up another flight of stairs to the bedroom for one of those ‘just in case’ looks. Not there either. I felt discombobulated.

This Lent I’ve been reading ‘Our Radiant Redeemer’ by Tim Chester, which I wholeheartedly recommend. It focuses on the Transfiguration of Christ, when 3 of his disciples had the privilege of seeing Jesus’ divine glory.

I'm fascinated by trees - organisms whose lifespan in some species can exceed a millennium. I love their astounding diversity, from the minute Dwarf Willow to the towering Coast Redwoods like ‘Hyperion’ in the US, which at over 115m is higher than the dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral.

Is it just me, or do you sometimes feel both inspired by and envious of someone you admire? Author friend, C.F Dunn’s memorable strapline, ‘History, Mystery, Suspense,’ recently had me turning a distasteful shade of green, while whooping ‘Go Claire!’

Serendipity has long been one of my favourite words and researching its origin has felt like falling down Alice’s rabbit hole, each discovery only leading to another, even more bizarre.

What better prayer can we pray for someone than that they become rooted in God's love? Yet this is not the climax of Paul's aspirational prayer in Ephesians 3,

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3: 17-19