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Writenow

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first registered 27.09.10

last online 729 days ago

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about me

I have been writing and self publishing small books since 2005, mostly on Bristol history. I have a masters degree in creative writing but at heart I suppose I am a scientist, which makes me a really good researcher and critic. I like things that have a purpose, like flowers that smell nice, dogs big enough to not trip over, cats that are not herdable and music that I can get lost in.

I am fascinated by 18th century England and how the modern world was made. I began writing about buildings, which took me into family history, then colonialism, and pretty much wherever I sense a good story. I love the fact that my stories inspire people to tell me theirs, so I am not just recording, but helping to make history.


I have at last completed my book on a family of architects/clockmaker/showman, the little world they created, and the world they played an important part in. It is called 'The Big World of Mr Bridges' Microcosm'. Like the giant clock, the book is a strange mixture of information and entertainment. It is funny, strange, and all true. It contains a Saxon poem about 70 strong sweaty men pumping an organ, and it may inspire you to invent a crane necked perch. Or not. But you have been warned.

I can be contacted on 07792543490

favourite books

The Bridge over the Drina, by Ivo Andric
Cannery Row byJohn Steinbeck
Number9dream by David Mitchell
The Mango Tree by Ronald McKie
Monkey Grip by Helen Garner
Waterland by Graeme Swift
If on a Winter's Night a Traveller by Italo Calvino
The Leopard by Giuseppe de Lampedusa
The Royal Game/Letter from an Unknown Woman by Stefan Zweig
Yodelling and Fishing by Jeronomy Fortescue-Ponsett
Roads to Santiago by Cees Nooteboom

Books by me (available through my website or via Amazon)
- Stride, Shuffle or Crawl: A Glastonbury Walk
- A Green Thumbprint on a Smudge of a City : A Walking Guide to Castle Park, Bristol
- Dead Cats in Conduits: Bristol's Drinking Water
- Fine Ships & Gallant Sailors: The Sydney-Emden Battle, 1914
- Tthe Lost Village of Dumbleton by Jeronomy Fortescue-Ponsett
- Cheltenham Gyratory: A Nice Walk
- Bath Gyratory - 3 Bridges Walk
- Bath Gyratory - Stone & Spa Walk
- Bombs & Byrgesses - A History of Castle Park, Bristol
- Bristol Gyratory Quirky Circuit Walk
- Losing El Dorado: Scots in Latin America
- Victoria Park, the Peoples' Park
- From Cat to Cathedral, Bristol's Religious Heritage
- Eyebrows On Fire: Bristol and Abolition
- The Bristol Slavery & Abolition Trail
- Death and the Bridge: The Georgian Rebuildinig of Bristol Bridge
- Walking History: 13 Fascinating Walks in Central Bristol

my websites

http://www.barbdrummond.co.uk     http://barbdrummondbooks.weebly.com

HarperCollins is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

my books

The Big World of Mr Bridges' M....

Barb Drummond

This is about a clockmaker who was also a showman and pioneering educator. It is crazy, fascinating and true, although it reads more like fiction.


A man. A clock. A world that shook the world.

This is about a carpenter who made a clock in 18th century England. But it is also about his family, his travels, and how the world changed in his lifetime. He was a showman, an architect, but most of all he was excited about the world about him and spent his life inspiring others. The clock spent 40 years on the road, in Britain and North America, so was seen by and inspired thousands of people to become inventors, artists, or to see the world in a different light. The world he lived in was unbelievably tough, but it was also an age when most of the rules we take for granted had not been invented so those with talent and drive achieved incredible things. Like Henry and his clock, this book is full of wonder, and excitement, and will inspire and amaze. It is also a reminder that the past is closer than we think.

Pictures of the clock as it was and the piece that survives but not on display in the British Museum are on my site www.barbdrummondbooks.weebly.com

The book has just been published on kindle

 

Snap, Move On

Barb Drummond

This is a mixed selection of incidents from my life, mostly true and in chronological order. Some names have been changed to protect the bemused.


This rambling selection of anecdotes was removed from authonomy to help my big project shoot to the top of the pile. But I have found that task too arduous, so am uploading them again as they are getting frustrated confined to my flashdrive, and I am worried they might start fighting amongst themselves.

So, if they appeal, feel free to read them, take them for a walk in the park, let them run around and chase metaphors, or frolic with similies. None have been known to bite, but I make no claims for their entertainment or other value. They are as true as I can recall them, though perhaps some of them should have been abandoned at birth. Or perhaps deleted for their own good and for mine a long time ago.

 

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latest

kristylove wrote 79 days ago

Hello, my name is miss Kristy i saw your profile and have interest i....

Software wrote 199 days ago

Hello Barb, Hope you are well. Maybe you would like to try out my ....

frank147 wrote 528 days ago

Hi...how are you doing?

ndayery wrote 557 days ago

(rafica_4ndaye@yahoo.com) My name is rafica i saw your profile toda....

ndaye wrote 591 days ago

(rafica_4ndaye@yahoo.com) My name is rafica i saw your profile toda....

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my comments

latest

I wrote 774 days ago

I half expected this to be yet another cliche riddled YA pieces, but am delighted to find it to be something subtly, but thoroughly original. The opening is a superb scene setter, then you give us the slow building story. Definitely not a book I would usually read, so another welcome discovery on th... view book

I wrote 774 days ago

Your editing and new chapters continue to produce a deceptively warm, engaging account. Well done and look forward to reading more. view book

I wrote 780 days ago

Richard, I am so glad I discovered this. what an original, intriguing read. Which means that you may have trouble finding a market for it, as it covers so many genres or perhaps you have just invented a new one. A few smal quibbles. In chapter 1 I have no idea what a tilde is, and don't theink you ... view book

I wrote 790 days ago

the basic story here is sound, and mostly well written but there is a real problem with style and timing. The opening needs to grip the reader and provide a hook to make them want to read on. Your opening is a bit flabby, thre is a lot of detail, much of it is not really necessary. eg the tramp's ov... view book

I wrote 791 days ago

This is a deceptively engaging memoir, at times funny, at others, disturbing. A few minor quibbles: for non australian readers, I think a bit more description would be useful, and I have no real idea how big the town is, so a bit more description would be useful. My obsessin with bridges means I wou... view book

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