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I’ve just been for a bike ride. Wow, you’re so jealous, aren’t you? Go on admit it. I really know how to live, don’t I?
But, what’s so exciting about this particular ride that I had to grab my laptop and blog as soon as I ran through the front door?
Well, I have a numb bum for a start. And believe me when I tell you I could write a thousand words minimum on that, and the need for a more spongy saddle alone. Don’t worry, though. I’ll spare you the image (if it’s not too late). It’s not my bum I’m writing about today.
So, what could I have possibly seen which would prompt me to write this post?
As writers, we know ideas can pop up from anywhere. We look for them in newspaper headlines, photographs, idle chatter listened in on while standing in the cinema queue. Ideas are everywhere. We just need to keep an eye (or ear) out for them.
And I found a massive one right on my own doorstep? I’m not talking about autobiographies either. I’m talking about good old fashioned fiction, with good old fashioned settings.
I live in a little village. It’s a good village, if you’re into weird crap or, er, happen to be a writer. The village is situated on the historically creepy lay-lines, has ghost sightings in nearly every house, has a disused Abbey where the last burning of a witch was supposed to have taken place, and my son was christened in a gatehouse turned cattle shed turned chapel which was once owned by Henry VIII. I mean, I have my fare share of history and story ideas.
Rivenhall Airfield
Today, though, I stumbled upon a World War Two airfield not a mile from my house.
How the hell could I have missed that! I mean, I’ve lived here for over eight years and an airfield, complete with runway, control tower and satellite dish isn’t exactly small and camouflaged with overgrown grass. And even if the grass could grow fifty feet tall, nothing could disguise hanger No.6 from view. It’s gigantic. My son shouted ‘hello’ inside, and it’ll probably still be echoing the vibrations until midnight tonight.
Hanger No.6
Needless to say, my mind went into overdrive. Little out houses buried in among overgrown trees and bushes looked like somewhere Jason Vorhees from Friday the 13th would hide out. I was in imagination heaven.
If I’d were still a kid, I would have spent every hour there with my friends, building camps and living in a world where the Bogeyman and his friends were hunting us down and we had to fight for survival. Now, as an adult, I can just sit back and write about it. 🙂
So, where do you live? What’s on your doorstep? Have you discovered something you never knew was there? Is your home town steeped in history?
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Donna Collins' Blog 
WOW… now you’ve inspired me
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Good! Get writing 😀
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I love it when this happens and it seems like no matter how long you live somewhere, there’s always a place you’ve never seen or heard of before. We often take trips down sideroads we’ve never driven or seek out one of those “I think it’s about half a mile past the old burned out barn, across the creek and down a ways – if you get to the bridge, you’ve gone too far” places. Sometimes it’s a bust but other times we discover wonderful bits of history.
Wonderful post.
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Oh, side roads off the beaten track are the best. You never know what or who you may meet! Thanks for the comment xx
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I want to visit!
Going back to look at your pics to get inspired. 🙂
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Okay, so many of you want to visit. I’ll have to pack you all in, and some of you may have to top and tail, but you are all invited to stay over 😀
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For some reason your airfield reminded me of the one in Hopscotch where Walter Matthau sends his remote controlled plane up for Ned Beatty’s CIA agents to destroy. Fun stuff.
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The sad thing is, there is a quarry nearby and they have applied to the council to dig up the land. It could all disappear.
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Your village sounds fantastic. Now I’m itching to see this landing field. Not fair..lol.
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It was pretty cool. Personally, I’m waiting to see a ghost 😀
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We live right near where a group of suffragettes were imprisoned and beaten in the 1920s for staging a protest along the president’s parade route. The prison/workhouse has since closed and has been turned into an arts center/museum.
There’s also an old Nike missle silo (missles removed, I assume!) nearby. Thanks for your cool post, Donna!
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How cool does that sound! I want to visit!!!!
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We left the city six years ago to live in rural Indiana on 30 acres of rocks and trees, a place with a lot of Native American history. A few years ago a farmer stopped and regaled us with his memories, stories and told us about the history. That was a fun day. One of the coolest things he told us is that one of the state university’s came and mapped out a huge underground river which flows through our acreage. When I walk the paths I think about that river. It doesn’t scare me, it kind of feels empowering. I also wonder what else is down there. A whole world beneath my feet.
Have fun exploring! What fun to discover the air strip with your son.
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Thanks Kate. Personally, I think the 30 acres of rural Indiana sounds totally awesome!
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What a cool village you live in. I live in a small, new town in a state that has little recorded history. Only a couple hundred years or so. So my stories at my doorstep are in the future in my mind, in my post-apocalyptic novel.
I love your voice, Donna. Thanks for another great blog.
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Piper, when you come to the UK, you will be staying with me!
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[…] Sometimes the best things, and stories, are right under our nose. Check out what Donna Newton found on a bike ride close to home. What Ideas Are On Your Doorstep? « Donna Newton’s Blog […]
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