Cathie Dunn writes...

Dark Deceit has come a long way since its inception. The initial story began in south Wales, at Taffs Well train station, to be precise, in the autumn of 2003. As I waited for the train to Cardiff, the outline of a story set in medieval England and Normandy first struck me. Scribbling frantically into my notepad throughout many such waits, the story developed nicely. Of course it helped that I spent my weekends in the company of a well-travelled re-enactment group. Clad in a handmade (not by me, I must admit) shift and dress, leather shoes and belt, a pouch hanging from it, and hair covered by a plain wimple, I enjoyed explaining historical points to visitors. Learning to be an archer - easy peasy for a Sagittarian like me - and watching the others cook (yumm, roast pork!), bake (griddle cakes, anyone?), doing needlework (I'm useless!) and making braces (necessary for an archer) brought with it a sense of an experience of a different life. People really used to live like ...

Last weekend we paid a long-overdue visit to our best friends in South Wales. They had just bought a new house and spent two months redecorating, so we just had to go have a nosy. The house is lovely, spacious, in a quiet dead-end lane with friendly neighbours. It was fab to see our friends so well settled so quickly. Of course we had to squeeze in a few things to do. We arrived on Thursday and enjoyed a recce of the house, some bubbly to celebrate and a yummy fish dinner (ginger, anyone?). Altogether a leisurely, relaxed time catching up. Friday we took to our feet and walked across the valley up the hill on the other side, passing a private plot with chickens and ducks, all filthy from mud-drenched ground after the recent rains. The chickens were so curious, within a couple of minutes they'd gathered inside the fence staring at us intruders. Then the hike up the hill began, with regular stops for snaps. We were looking for a pub our friends remembered from years ago but, traipsin...