When in Abbotsbury...

Guess where I was yesterday? 
Yes, I was in Abbotsbury, of course, to do some novel-related research! 
I have been blogging about Abbotsbury since falling in love with the village, the area and Dorset in general 10 years ago (10 years in September this year!).
And 4 and a half years ago, we took the plunge and moved to Dorset (sadly, not to the Abbotsbury area as it was way over our house budget!). 
The first draft of The Right Place, my third novel, inspired by the lyrics of the song The Wind by PJ Harvey and by the landscape and history of the area, is still in progress (so many things have happened since I started working on it!) and far from being finished, but my new publishing schedule gives me a publishing date of 2023 (I cannot be more precise as it will depend on how much work I can get done on the novel over the next year or so). 
Often, I get stuck. For example, at the moment, I just cannot decide where to put the entrance of the smuggler's tunnel that will lead my characters to the subterranean chamber underneath St Catherine's chapel! So a little trip to Abbotsbury to have another look at the house where my main character lives helped a bit! 

1 Grove Lane is Kat's house in the novel

Last month, I completed a scene in which Kat and Cathy encounter this handsome chap below (white horse) and some kind of magical connection happens...  I was glad when he reappeared in the field yesterday! 

Abbey Farm Flowers have taken over this building and have turned it into a really gorgeous explosion of colour! You can pick your own flowers... 

Now to the sea...

It is such a privilege to live on this coast! This is on our doorstep...  

What, you say, no pictures of St Catherine's Chapel? 
I have posted so many over the years... I'm keeping it for my next visit (good excuse to go back...). It's on the way to Bridport and West Bay (where we have our unit at The Customs House), and so it's easy for us to stop off and spend some time in this unique place. 
In the book, a very special event happens at the top of Chapel Hill on 25th November, and of course, I will need to visit many times this autumn as my book is set mainly at that time! 
I have four weeks to do as much work as possible on The Right Place and I hope I can make some good progress this summer...