You may have noticed yesterday that I mentioned I had been commissioned to write an article about the Woodmancote pub for a newspaper. Well, this happens to be a new chapter in my life and one I am extremely excited about!
One of my earliest memories is going to the library with my mother, my mum was an avid reader and would borrow several books a week. From a very young age I was allowed to choose books from the children's section and by the time I started infant school my reading was quite advanced.
I have spent a lifetime devouring books, as my mother used to say: 'A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.'
I was eight years old when I first read Anne Frank's diary and realised that not every little girl lived like myself with freedom, innocence and liberty. I learnt more about the history of China and the cruelty of communism through Jung Chang's words than I ever did whilst studying for my history O level. To kill a mockingbird had a profound affect on me, as did George Orwell's nineteen eighty-four. Reading forces you to think, so many people are absorbed in their own daily routines that they have nothing to think or speak about other than banalities.
To understand what I am thinking I have always kept diaries, I carry a notebook with me at all times, I document things that capture my imagination, a phrase, a quote, a statistic, for no other purpose than my own enjoyment. Anne Frank said 'I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn.'
When I was approached by a friend to co write a food blog my writing took on a whole new meaning. Suddenly my words were out there in the ethers and people were communicating with me from across the globe. This gave me the courage to start my own blog and I took comfort from the wise words of Virginia Woolf: 'Communication is health; communication is truth; communication is happiness. To share is our duty; to go down boldly and bring light to those hidden thoughts which are most diseased; to conceal nothing; to pretend nothing; if we are ignorant to say so; if we love our friends to let them know it.'
And so, I have poodled along writing Donna's pink kitchen (which due to my nature has often gone off on a tangent) and happily have gained a loyal following, (thank you.)
A friend of mine who reads this blog regularly recommended me to an editor of a local newspaper. Fate is a funny thing, this editor was in the process of starting a new publication, he liked my writing and asked me if I would like to review a local pub/restaurant, I deliberated............for a nanosecond! This was all my Christmases come at once, going to a restaurant, eating great food, critiquing (move over Kate Spicer) and getting to write about it!!!!!!
Martin Shelley was previously the editor of The Em's newspaper, a paper local to the people of Emsworth and Westbourne. Due to a conflict in interests between himself and other contributers, Martin felt the time was right to offer the people of Emsworth and Westbourne a level playing field of information. In terms of national publications we have a wide choice, I for one never stick to one newspaper as I don't want to be biased. Local papers can often fall into the trap of having parochial attitudes if the contributers are a closed shop and no one dare tread on their toes.
Mahatma Gandhi said: 'I am a lover of my own liberty and so would do nothing to restrict yours.' I hope that the people of Emsworth and Westbourne will embrace Martin's publication and do not prove to be like many people who do not really want others to have freedom of speech, they just want others to be given the freedom to say what they want to hear.
Having successfully contributed to Shorelines I am looking forward to a long and happy career as its food writer (amongst other things.)
And finally, I have never been able to work out my comments section at the bottom of this page. So many of you have emailed me to say you cannot comment.....well, thanks to another friend, it has finally been sorted and you should ALL be able to comment! I look forward to hearing from you xxxxxxx
'I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it.'
- Voltaire
Love Donna xxxxxxx
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