Sometimes you just need butterflies by Kate Hardy

It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster summer in our house. The high points are our son graduating (definitely tears of joy, that day) and a ballet workshop where we did a bit of Swan Lake (adult ballet classes for beginners are utterly fabulous). The low point was my husband’s mum passing away (although it was a happy release, it’s still very sad and the funeral is later this week). And the weird bit in the middle is waiting for our daughter’s exam results, which will hopefully let her go off to her chosen university and spread her wings. There are also job applications, driving lessons, deadlines, and…

… Yeah. Sometimes you just need to take a few moments out to breathe.

So this weekend we went in search of butterflies. Apparently this summer is the summer of the Painted Lady butterfly in the UK (this happens about every 10 years), so we went to Wheatfen Nature Reserve on Saturday (home of the rare swallowtail butterfly, except we went between broods so missed the swallowtails completely!) and to the best-preserved Iron Age hillfort in my part of the world. Both places were gorgeous, and this is what we found: (LTR a peacock, a red admiral, a speckled wood and a chalk hill blue)

 

 

The hillfort itself? Actually it was really impressive – a little bit smaller than Maiden Castle in Dorset, but still amazing. It was full of wild flowers, and I’ve never seen so many butterflies. Walking round a place that has barely changed in centuries was wonderful.

 

So where’s your favourite place to escape? And do you have a favourite butterfly?

Kate Hardy’s latest release, A Nurse and a Pup to Heal Him, is set in Norfolk and stars a gorgeous therapy dog 🙂

 

 

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Bit of a milestone by Kate Hardy

So my last few blog posts have been about my run for cancer research. I kind of hope you’d like to hear the last one in that – I did it! Sunday May 12. It was hot, some of the route was on a camber (so I walked that bit – otherwise there would have been a trip and a wrecked ankle), and I hate running outside. (I hate running, full stop. But outside is much worse than the gym.) 10k – or six miles – is a very, very long way. But, clad in my T-shirt and hat and tutu (!), and with my tech sorted out so I actually had music (I could NOT have done it without that), I did it. Took me 89 minutes (I have short legs so I’m slow), but I did it. And I raised £1325, so a massive thank you to everyone who sponsored me. But the big takehome? I was listening to Coldplay’s Up&Up as I crossed the finishing line, in fact to the very last words of the song. And they were very, very appropriate: NEVER GIVE UP.

So even if something feels like a challenge (and, as I’m not a runner, a 10k run was a huge challenge for me), don’t give up. Believe in yourself and keep trying.

As well as that, I’ve been busy with other things – learning ballet! I’ve rather fallen in love with ballet, and my local theatre sent me an email after Swan Lake asking me if I wanted to join their adult beginners’ class. Absolutely! I’m not sure if it’s the gorgeous music, or the fact I have to concentrate on the teacher’s instructions, but after class I feel totally chilled out. (And then there’s the obligatory coffee and scone with my classmates afterwards…)

I’ve also been working hard, and I’ve reached another writing milestone this month with the publication of my my 85th M&B! A Nurse and a Pup to Heal Him does what it says on the tin 😉 It’s about a GP, a nurse and her PAT (pets as therapy) dog, and it’s set in my part of the world; and, although the dog on the cover is gorgoeous, the dog between the covers owes more to this one… 😉

 

 

 

And this picture was taken at the weekend in ‘Great Crowmell’ (aka Wells-next-the-Sea, my mash-up Norfolk seaside village). This is very much our happy place – the beach stretches for miles. The sky looks a bit dramatic, but it was actually a gorgeous afternoon and very warm.

Where’s your happy place?

Running and techy stuff by Kate Hardy

In my last post, I talked about the challenge I’ve set myself this year: running the 10k Race for Life on May 12th to raise money for cancer research. Race day is only six weeks away – and it’s definitely a challenge still! I’m come to terms with the fact I won’t be able to run the whole thing from start to finish. But what I can do is intervals: so that’s a couple of minutes running and a minute fast walking. I’m going for endurance now and adding 5 minutes to each session until I hit 10k.

This is me, this morning, at the gym: red-faced and sweaty after clocking up an hour on the treadmill. And here are my Fitbit stats – because, being me, I have techy stuff to support me.

 

 

The first thing the Fitbit – I love it because I can see how I perform during a workout and where I need to tweak things (in my normal training, to make it harder, but here it’s to see where I’m flagging and what I can do to get myself over the humps and keep going). I know money is tight, but if you’d like to sponsor me 50p or even the price of a cup of coffee, all donations are really welcome and the link is here. (But some rah-rah cheering would be equally appreciated!)

The other thing is something called a Compilot – it basically streams my phone to my hearing aids (because my hearing is so poor that I can’t use headphones like normal people do). You have to wear it round your neck for it to stream the signal, so I needed to find a way of attaching it to my running shirt. I was going to make a little padded bag and use safety pins, but I thought I’d check the running shops first to see if anyone had something that proper runners use to keep their keys in etc. What I found is a ‘running buddy’ which works with magnets. Utterly brilliant. You can get bigger ones which would fit a phone as well, but this is just the right size to clip onto my neckline. It’s wonderful to be able to hear music again. I’m putting my playlist together and basically what works for me is short songs with a strong beat (about 125 beats per minute) that I can ‘sing’ along to. What works for me is a mix of Wham’s Freedom, Def Leppard’s ‘Pour Some Sugar On Me’ and Bryan Adams’ ‘Summer of 69’ – all suggestions welcome!

Kate’s latest book is Finding Mr Right in Florence – if you like art, you’ve ever enjoyed the TV programme ‘Fake or Fortune’ or you just love Florence, this book has your name on it…!

Setting up a challenge by Kate Hardy

This is the year I’ve set myself a challenge. One that I have a sneaking suspicion might actually be a little bit much for me, but I’m still going to try. Wait for it. Wait for it… I’m going to run the 10km Race for Life (for Cancer Research) in May.

Now, I’m not a runner. Give me a three-hour dance aerobics class or HIIT session, and I’d do it happily. But the idea of having to run for about 75 minutes… Um. That’s hard. I’ve never done that before. When I did the 5k, six years ago, it was half walk, half jog.

But it’s for a really good cause. Someone I love very much is going through chemo at the moment, and although I offered to shave my hair in solidarity she banned me from doing that 🙂 So this was my alternative solution: raising money for cancer research by doing something I am really, really not good at. To be honest, I’m terrified that I’m going to fall flat on my face and hurt myself. Especially as I already have a dodgy knee and a frozen shoulder.

So the next step was seeing a physiotherapist. (Knee fixed and has the green light for my training plan of couch to 5K, then add three minutes to every run after that until I hit 10k. Shoulder is going to take a bit longer.)

It would be lovely to be able to listen to music while I run. (I train at the gym, on the treadmill, when I’d much rather be bouncing about with a step and dumb-bells and a skipping rope.) But I can’t use headphones – without my hearing aids, I’d need my phone on full volume, which would obviously do more damage. I am however going to see the local deaf association’s assistance clinic this week, because they might be able to set me up with a gizmo that works with my phone and streams the music to my hearing aids. That would be immensely cool and I have my fingers crossed.

So. Challenge there. Mountain to conquer. And if anyone would like to sponsor me even 50p (because I know money is tight), or just wish me luck, I’d really appreciate it. My fundraising page is here (opens in a new page) and if anyone has great ideas for good music to run to, I’m all ears!

Kate’s latest book is Heart Surgeon Prince… HUSBAND!

Luciano Bianchi is a top heart surgeon—but as a future king he’s expected to rule, not operate! To convince his family that saving lives is where his heart lies, he proposes a temporary convenient marriage to his new colleague, workaholic cardiologist Kelly Phillips. Of course there’s no risk of either of them falling in love—until their whirlwind ‘romance’ starts to feel tantalisingly real!

The dark days of December and the art of self-care by Kate Hardy

December’s a bit of a tough month for me. I know it’s the one where everyone’s looking forward to Christmas, and it’s all glitter and tinsel and lovely stuff… But it’s also the month where I lost both my parents. My dad’s anniversary is today (where have the last eight years gone?) and my mum’s is just before Christmas. So this is the month where I find it hard to be my usual disgustingly happy, exuberant self. I want to celebrate my lovely memories rather than brood (both my parents would be absolutely furious with me), but there’s this big dark cloud that just seems to hang over me.

I know I’m not the only one who struggles at this time of year. For me it’s about getting through the days between now and Christmas and making myself smile, even when I don’t feel like it. Which means taking care of myself properly (aka cramming every moment so I don’t have to think). My tips for self-care:

• Move – it stimulates endorphins. It doesn’t matter if it’s a dog-walk, dancing yourself silly, hitting the gym, swimming – whatever you enjoy. Just move. You’ll feel better.
• Get outside – again, it doesn’t matter if you’re sitting in a pretty spot having a coffee, or going for a walk: just get some sunlight. (Ironic, as it’s tipping down with rain here as I write this – but it’s one of the reasons why I go out with the dog just before dawn, so I get the pretty bits of the sky. This is our favourite spot at the beginning/end of the walk, where we catch the early sun reflected in the water. How lucky are we to have this on our doorstep?)
• 
• Connect – tell someone you love them. Think about what you appreciate about the people in your life and tell them – in person, by text/email/a daft notecard. Arrange to meet up with a family member or friend for lunch/coffee/theatre.
• Do something you enjoy – for me, that’s a trip to the theatre or a gig, watching a film, or playing the guitar or piano (not to a high standard, but I don’t do it for other people – I do it for me), or a museum or pottering around old churches. Or, at this time of year, Christmas lights. (This is Somerset House from last weekend – I didn’t go skating, but I’d gone to London to see an exhibition at the British Library and also Antony & Cleopatra with my best friend, and we took a walk round the South Bank after the performance.)
• 
• Nourish – make sure you’re eating well. When you’re miserable, it’s tempting to stuff your face with something sugary, but it’s going to make you crash. (And this is why I’ve recently rejoined WeightWatchers – very impressed by their new attitude, and it’s making me rethink my choices so I enjoy what I eat and I don’t have to feel deprived.)
• Create – if drawing or painting makes you feel happy, do it! (I can’t draw a straight line with a ruler, so my ‘create’ is pottering about in the kitchen, creating something nice.)

I think the key here is being as kind to yourself as you are to other people. May December be kind to you – and be kind to yourselves.

Kate’s latest book, A Diamond in the Snow, is a True Love rather than a Medical – but if you like Christmas decorations and lights, you like stately homes and ballrooms and all things Regency – oh, and dogs, then this has your name on it…

Taking the Waters by Kate Hardy

 

Back in the nineteenth century, people used to go to a spa town and ‘take the waters’ to cure themselves of anything from skin complaints to leprosy…

And this weekend I fulfilled a long-time wish to go and see the Roman spa and baths at Bath. (If you’ve read Unlocking the Italian Doc’s Heart, my last Medical, you might have noticed the reference to the Roman Baths in London  – this is a continuation!)

The hot springs in Bath bubble up into three springs at the rate of 1.17 million litres a day, at a temperature of 46 degrees C.

In Celtic times the goddess Sulis was worshipped there (hence the town’s Roman name, Aquae Sulis) and then in Roman times the bath complex was built in about 60AD and Minerva was worshipped. There are remnants of a temple here as well as the bath house, changing rooms and saunas; and a really stunning survival is the lead curse tablets. Citizens who were unhappy about something would write it down on a lead tablet, roll it up or fold it into an ‘envelope’, and throw it into the spring to let the goddess deal with it. One of the curse tablets is written in Celtic – it’s the ONLY known piece of Celtic writing. Anywhere. In the world. (It’s untranslatable, but I was very excited about it.)

Piccies: the Great Bath.

The head of Minerva.

Curse tablets (one Roman, one folded over, one Celtic – you might be able to make out the diagonal downstroke of the letter L). Plus Roman remains and a middle-aged medical author…

 

Originally people bathed in the waters for a cure (anything from skin ailments to leprosy), and from the 17th century people drank it. You can actually try the waters here in a little paper cone. As a Medical author, I knew my duty was clear. As an English graduate, I knew Dickens had mentioned the waters in The Pickwick Papers – Sam says, ‘I thought they’d a wery [sic] strong flavour of warm flat irons.’

I was expecting it to be vile (because the biggest component of the 43 minerals is sulphate), but I wasn’t expecting it to be warm (despite what I said about the temperature above!). And, actually, it wasn’t that bad. ‘Interesting’ is probably the right word. It didn’t restore me on a very hot day (that was the iced coffee I had later!). But it was interesting…

Kate’s latest book, Carrying the Single Dad’s Baby, is out later in August. If you like Notting Hill, astronomy and cute children, this one’s for you 🙂

The joy of research by Kate Hardy

I think my favourite part of writing a book is the research. The book I’m finishing writing right now is a cardiac book, and learning about the cutting edge treatment has been so interesting; my mum was a specialist cardiac nurse, so this one kind of feels special (and I brainstormed it in the British Library with lovely Annie O’Neil, so that was an extra bonus).

My next book is going to be set partly in Florence – so you can guess where we ended up 🙂 There were certain iconic places I wanted to visit (and I have to confess to becoming addicted to ‘Medici: Masters of Florence’ on Netflix since coming home – we’re dying for the next season to come out). And one of them was a certain art gallery. My research team balked at the idea of going to a modern art gallery; but this is Florence, so ‘modern’ actually means ‘1750 onwards’, which is his favourite sort of art. (I’ve tried to appreciate modern art, but…) So we enjoyed the Pitti Palace, the Uffizi and the Accademia; we also enjoyed visiting a number of palaces and churches, but my two big highlights of the trip were climbing inside the Duomo and visiting the library at San Lorenzo. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

 

And we had a bonus at the end – we were flying from Pisa airport. We were pretty sure that tickets to climb the leaning tower would be like the Duomo, i.e. you need to book days in advance, but I was in the queue to buy a ticket for the cathedral when I discovered we could visit the tower in 20 minutes’ time. That has to be one of the weirdest experiences of my life – you can really feel the ‘lean’ of the tower, and as you climb the spiral staircase you straighten up and then lean in the opposite direction. The steps are worn in a spiral rather than in a straight line! And I was very glad of the safety railing at the top 🙂

What’s been your strangest experience when visiting somewhere?

Kate’s latest is Unlocking the Italian Doc’s Heart (set partly in Verona and written there last year!), out in UK/Aus shops now and online at the usual places 🙂 For more information, see her website.