WILDLIFE ESCAPE
Helen Carey, 60, is a novelist. She lives near Newport in Pembrokeshire with her husband Marc.
My HoMe We moved here from london 14 years ago to help care for my mum, who is living with alzheimer’s. it’s a small stone farmhouse and had a lean-to conservatory on the back that we knocked down to create a modern extension with views over the sea. on a clear day we can see across to ireland and the Wicklow Mountains. We have six acres of land that we manage as an organic wildlife haven; there are rare grasses and wild flowers, badgers, polecats and weasels. it’s wonderful. My work i’ve worked as a chalet girl, waitress, travel agent, oil trader and been in the army. i’m now an author and i’ve just published Victory Girls (Headline), the sixth book in a series based during World War two. i’ve always loved writing but i also enjoy researching interesting details to put in novels.
My CoMMute i write in the sitting room, on an old table that i inherited from a distant uncle that’s big enough to spread out all my papers. i’ll take a break to walk our elderly lurcher, Maisie.
My favourite PlaCe the house is tucked under a small mountain called Carningli (Mount of angels), and i love to walk the steep climb to the top and look at the view before me. sometimes i’ll see dolphins in the bay.
BeSt tHiNg aBout liviNg Here
there are lots of people working in the area but the pace of life feels leisurely. i don’t miss the frantic panic of london. tHe dowNSide the weather. two years ago, it rained for 90 days straight; it can get really squelchy. My CoMMuNity We were worried that we might not be accepted but we’ve got a big gang of friends here. We met our closest friends when our dogs started playing together on the beach.
wHat i do iN My dowNtiMe Newport is a tiny town but it’s full of cafés, restaurants and galleries. We benefit from the arts Council’s rural schemes, so we get live theatre beamed into the cinema, plus visiting dance, theatre and music events. i think we have a more varied cultural life than we did in london because we engage with what’s on more. >>
“On a clear day i can see the outline of the irish mountains”