It has been a difficult twenty four hours. The start of NaNoWriMo didn’t go to plan and I have precisely zero words to my name. It is hard to say exactly what went wrong, but my dear friend Clare suggested that sometimes the build up to these things can result in this sort of false start. Something similar happened during Camp NaNoWriMo earlier in the year. Last night and this morning I found myself staring out at the world and wondering just what I was supposed to be doing with a whole set of overwhelming emotions that seemed to have blown in in the wake of St Jude’s storm.

This afternoon then, with writing not possible, I embarked upon housework. I managed by the mundane acts of baking something for supper and setting out the ingredients for a cake, to bring myself back to some sort of sanity. I had been praying all day for peace again and so logging on to see that a candle had been lit for me at St Winifred‘s Well in Flintshire, North Wales, felt like a blessing in so many ways.

My friend Callum is visiting Holywell to commemorate the death of Frederick Rolfe, also known as Baron Corvo, whose centenary is at this time. A frankly peculiar character, Rolfe was a writer and artist who spent part of his life living at Holywell where he produced banners for the church there. Some weeks ago Callum was kind enough to send me a copy of a biography of Rolfe along with one of his books, Hadrian the Seventh, after a little contest he held on his blog . In return I have been asked to write a review – good or bad! – of Rolfe’s writing. Seeing as I have yet to read the somewhat daunting tome of a book, I felt that mentioning it here might appease Callum for a little while! He is well known as the authority on Rolfe and can answer your every question on him and many other niche literary topics so do pop on by his page.

It was doubly lovely to have prayers said for me at St Winifride’s Well, as tomorrow it is her feast day. I have been looking for a patron saint for this blog and feel that she is more than appropriate. I am glad then to add a page for St Winifred – Santes Gwenfrewi – which you can check out on the left or here – and to ask for her prayers in keeping me at peace and always sticking to my principals. Sancte Winefrida, Ora Pro Nobis.