Tag Archives: fens

Digging the Vegetable Garden: One of My Favourite Jobs of the Year

Posted on February 11, 2020 by Francis Pryor

I know there’s a big danger about droning on and on about a wet season, but whenever I meet other gardeners that’s all we ever want to do. And it seems to make us all feel just a little less … Continue reading →

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Norman’s Pond

Posted on July 5, 2019 by Francis Pryor

First some sensational news: my new book, The Fens is going to be the BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week from July 8th-12th!!! This will involve 15-minute readings (not by me), which are broadcast twice daily, most often in … Continue reading →

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I have it in my hands, my latest book: The FENS!

Posted on June 14, 2019 by Francis Pryor

Writing a work of non-fiction has one event that is never quite the same if you write fiction: it’s that moment when you rip open an envelope from your publisher to reveal your latest book. And there it is, in … Continue reading →

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Walking on Water

Posted on February 15, 2019 by Francis Pryor

It all began about three weeks ago when yellow signs appeared warning about a road closure. Then men in red overalls appeared on the bridge that crosses the big dyke near our farm. The following weekend the bridge closed and … Continue reading →

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Why the Fens Aren’t Flat and Boring

Posted on November 19, 2015 by Francis Pryor

I hate our boring preconceptions about places. London isn’t rich, crowded and stuck-up, any more than Liverpool is gritty and down-to-earth. They’re just places where people live, love and wish-away their lives. Reality is what we all want to be … Continue reading →

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Alan Cadbury’s Abbey: Crowland

Posted on February 8, 2015 by Francis Pryor

The Fens are open, flat and full of myths. One persistent myth is that Fenland is all the same; that there is no regional distinctiveness or identity. Outsiders cannot get beyond the straight roads, the even straighter dykes and the … Continue reading →

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Death Comes to the Fens for a Second Time…

Posted on January 10, 2015 by Francis Pryor

Dear reader, if you haven’t guessed from the title of this blog post, I have finished writing the second Alan Cadbury mystery. I’ve learned a great deal about fiction-writing over the past year and this time the process of producing … Continue reading →

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More Words on the Weirdness of the Season

Posted on February 11, 2014 by Francis Pryor

At last I now understand why politicians have invented Quangos (Quasi-autonomous non-governmental  organizations). It is of course to avoid blame. More to the point it’s to avoid having to make long-term decisions. So you tie the Quangos’ hands with stupid … Continue reading →

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