*Photo: Jane with Jenny in March 2020 credit Camilo Queipo The original article was published in the Isle of Thanet News on Tuesday 23rd March 2021
Farewell 2020 and thanks for the unexpected blessings
First published in the Isle of Thanet News of Friday 31st December 2020 So farewell 2020 – the year that kept on giving – as you
Liars in public life, loo roll scrum and cutting back Christmas
*Photo: Covid – Lockdown 2 First published in the Isle of Thanet News of Friday 6th November 2020 SO here we go again! Lockdown Number Two has
I wish the camera would lie…
*Photo: Jane being camera shy First published in the Isle of Thanet News of Friday 23rd October 2020 In my time as an author, journalist and guest-appearer
Time to divide and conquer
*Photo: Dividing the nation to battle Covid First published in the Isle of Thanet News of Friday 2nd October 2020 JANE’S PLAN TO TACKLE COVID With Covid
A tongue-lashing from the ice-cream man…
*Photo: The cat is now called Hannibal First published in the Isle of Thanet News of Friday 18th September 2020 Jane resumes her Lockdown Diary – Is
You can hum Britannia while you clear the table
*Photo: Stick to the music for Last Night of the Proms First published in the Isle of Thanet News of Friday 28th August 2020 Boris Johnson thinks
Should we be learning the job by degrees?
*Photo: All Jane wants is a plumber First published in the Isle of Thanet News of Friday 21st August 2020 I still dream about my A-levels.
This Gull knows which side her bread is buttered…
First published in the Isle of Thanet News of Friday 14th August 2020 And you thought it was only M**ST*N that caused outrage. I have recently
What’s wrong with the Bank of Mum and Dad?
First published in the Isle of Thanet News of Friday 7th August 2020 I know it might seem odd to wax lyrical about a financial institution
Time to cycle to the chip shop?
*Photo: Takeaways, calories and watching your weight First published in the Isle of Thanet News of Friday 31st July 2020 As anyone still trying valiantly to
One year in office for Boris, a bit of free parking and that menthol cigarettes ban
*Photo: Parking charges – photo by Chris Constantine First published in the Isle of Thanet News of Friday 24th July 2020 So BORIS has been in Downing
One Glass was Never Enough when I worked the bar at Harpers…
*Photo: A trip down memory lane to Harpers Wine Bar First published in the Isle of Thanet News of Friday 17th July 2020 After the furore last
I can’t wait to fly from Manston again
In the meantime, an apprentice, please? First published in the Isle of Thanet News of Friday 10th July 2020 Hark! Is that the sound of pens –
Haircuts, graffiti and hoping people manage a sensibly-distanced beverage
*Photo: Still no hairdresser’s appointment for Jane First published in the Isle of Thanet News of Friday 3rd July 2020 SO TOMORROW – coined by the actor
‘Lockdown’ and the great divide
*Photo: A divide between the morning bike riders and those seeking solace in cake… First published in the Isle of Thanet News of Friday 26th June 2020
Statues, U-turns, and the need for a siren-wailing app
*Photo: Jane’s sarong becomes a mask… First published in the Isle of Thanet News of Friday 19th June 2020 Jane Wenham-Jones in week whatever of the dissolving
Lockdown lowdown – Bursting the bubble….
First published in the Isle of Thanet News of Friday 12th June 2020 Lockdown Diary Number 397 Jane Wenham-Jones loses track of how long it’s been now…
Time to stick my thumbs in my mouth and shout AaRGGHH
*Photo: My facelift on FaceTime First published in the Isle of Thanet News of Friday 5th June 2020 Week 10 of Jane Wenham-Jones’ Lockdown Saturday Housework Day
Churchill’s not here to fight them on the beaches
*Photo: Jane puts her feet up after a week of WhatsApp, trippers and hotel slippers… Week 9 of Jane Wenham-Jones’ Lockdown First published in the Isle
Life’s a gas when you pinch your husband’s Zimmer
Week Eight of Jane’s Life in Lockdown First published in the Isle of Thanet News of Friday 22nd May 2020 Monday Hark! The Today programme has a
A Wet Nose (and Foot) doesn’t dampen Chippy Dinner Delight
In week seven of her lockdown diaries, Jane struggles to stay alert… First published in the Isle of Thanet News of Friday 15th May 2020 Saturday It
Will my window-cleaner be oven-ready?
*Photo of the Book launch via Zoom on May 7th 2020 ~ with, from the left:Top row: Janie Millman, Jane Wenham-Jones, Katie FfordeMiddle row: Jo
Circuit training and out-of-date bacon
Jane Wenham-Jones on another week of Lockdown… First published in the Isle of Thanet News of Friday 1st May 2020 Saturday Today I should have been at
The Cat’s Distancing Skills Still Need Work…
Lockdown Lowdown Diary ~ Week 4 First published in the Isle of Thanet News Friday 24th April 2020 Sunday Friends send pictures of their “virtual
I could now get work as an extra in Peaky Blinders
Lockdown Lowdown Diary ~ Week 3 (First published in The Isle of Thanet News Friday 17th April) As lockdown continues, Jane remains in isolation with
Still in Lockdown
Lockdown Lowdown Diary ~ Week 2 My second column Lockdown column for the Isle of Thanet News appeared on (Good Friday) 10th April… Saturday We
Lockdown Lowdown Diary
My husband – more than two decades my senior – is now of an age, with health conditions that have put him on the list
The Big Five-O live and kicking – and set in Broadstairs!
It’s here! My sixth novel, The Big Five O, is now live and kicking on kindle and in e book (the paperback’s in September) and I am
Absolutely Fabulous line-up for BroadstairsLit in 2019
Here at BroadstairsLit, we are excited to announce our 2019 programme of events – featuring a dazzling array of personalities from comediennes to men of the
Christmas Survival Tips – tried and tested
Dreading the rellies? Christmas can be a minefield when today’s modern – often blended – families are suddenly brought together. But you can survive them
Very thrilled by this lovely review. Thank you Emma! x
Very thrilled by Emma’s review: I’ve known Jane Wenham-Jones for years. A real life-enhancer, usually sporting rainbow-coloured hair, Jane writes novels, short stories and columns,
Free for a limited time!
Yes! One Glass is Never Enough (published by Accent Press Ltd) is FREE for a limited time. Clicking on the cover will take you to the
The book’s out and I’d forgotten what it’s like…
I don’t mean the plot – though God knows I started writing it so long ago and it went through so many edits, that is
Jane’s Facebook author page!
Click on the picture to go to Facebook.
Jane’s latest novel… coming soon!
So exciting… Jane’s new novel is going to be published on 15th June. ‘Fresh, funny and wise’ – Katie Fforde Tess has downsized to a
Write around the Isle – turnips, thrillers and special guests
Sir Tony comes to town for BroadstairsLit There were turnips on display when Baldrick fans packed The Pavilion on 10th March to welcome Sir Tony Robinson
Write Around The Isle and BroadstairsLit
Literary gatherings have been popping up left, right and centre – I go to quite a few of them myself – and there are now
Didn’t I have a lov-er-ly time…
Another to add to my list of fab festivals I have worked for. Had a great time at the Buckingham Literary Festival last weekend, interviewing three
The Archers come to town…
So fab to host the Archers event last Friday at the Pavilion in Broadstairs with ace scriptwriter Keri Davies, the gorgeous Annabelle Dowler (Kirsty Miller),
Rum de tum ti tum de dum….. Calling all Archers fans!
Looking forward to this very much. Are you an Archers fan? Do you fancy a day trip to Broadstairs? Tickets from here . Would be brilliant
Jane and Mike go forth: The Italian Job
‘No. 1 – The Italian job’ courtesy of the www.theisleofthanetnews.com They’re back! Popular Thanet columnists Jane Wenham-Jones and Mike Pearce reunite for a lunch date which
Colin Dexter – it was great to meet you too
Time to say goodbye to another luminary of the book world and to fondly recall the day in 2009 when I met Colin Dexter at the
Happy Valentine’s Day!
This first appeared in Woman’s Weekly Fiction in 2010. Can’t say much has changed…. 🙂 Happy Valentine’s Day! You might think that someone who has
Jane remembers 2016
At midnight on 31st December I was travelling by car through the bottom of Broadstairs. In Ramsgate, minutes earlier, they’d been spilling out of pubs,
Just Jane: tribute to Carole Blake
In the absence of a Gazette column to post this week, I thought I’d share a Woman’s Weekly piece I wrote back in 2013. In
Plain Jane 281016: A fond farewell from Jane and Mike
Proud to see that in the final copy of the Isle of Thanet Gazette I appear in, I have made it onto the letters’ page
Plain Jane 211016: Who’s responsible for the idiotic 50mph Thanet Way limit?
Since writing this I have been told (by a usually-reliable source) that the Thanet Way is built on London clay and is “undulating”. So, if
Plain Jane 071016: No selling to someone’s mate who then makes a DIY killing
This might not be desperately interesting to those living outside Thanet but council sell-offs could affect wherever you are too. Especially if you’re ever unlucky
Plain Jane 230916: High heels are hardly well-suited for work
WELL DONE the TUC for voting to prohibit employers from forcing women to wear high heels at work. Heels may look terrific but in my
Plain Jane 160916: Corbyn comes to Ramsgate.
As I reach for my hard hat and flak jacket, here is my latest Gazette column… Whoever first said you only regret the things you
Plain Jane 190816: Council organises ‘how to wear scarves’ class
Poor old Northamptonshire County Council has come under fire for putting on a course entitled How to Tie a Scarf. The three-hour session – a
Plain Jane 290716: Expect gleeful Tories at ‘re-elect Corbyn’ meeting
Don’t ever let it be said there’s nothing to do in Thanet. For those wishing to be entertained, the excitement kicks off this evening (Friday
blackbird squeaking at the break of dawn
And now for something entirely non-brexit! In a welcome distraction, I’ve been feeding this little chap, who seems to have fallen out of his nest
Plain Jane 150716: Brexit is going well…..
It’s going well so far, isn’t it? As I write, the big property funds have been forced to suspend trading, we’ve lost our triple-A credit
Plain Jane 010716: After the Vote
I woke up on Saturday morning feeling strangely unwell. I mentally ran through what I’d eaten the night before and counted up the glasses of
Plain Jane 170616: How we vote on Thursday will probably come down to instinct
So it’s finally here. After all the weeks of posturing, scare-mongering, claims and counter claims, the referendum is finally upon us. Come Thursday we can
Plain Jane 030616: Debt, water and the sugar tax
My latest Plain Jane column. The version that came out in print – and online – was mysteriously lacking my last sentence. Is it that dreadful
Plain Jane 200516: Eggs, Donald Trump, and the church on Google
I recently had the pleasure and privilege of interviewing Fay Weldon. The Grande Dame of contemporary women’s fiction-with-an-edge – with whom I spent an hour
Plain Jane 100516: I might give Channel Tunnel another chance
Friday Quiz Time and your starter for ten. Who knows what auspicious and momentous event took place on May 6th? Yes, well done, you at
Plain Jane 220416: I might give Wetherspoon another chance
Celebratory times! Manchester City make the last four in the Champions League, the Queen – longest serving British Monarch – hits 90 (Happy Birthday Your
Plain Jane 080416: Marrying a rock – not as mad as it sound
So Margate’s most famous daughter has married a rock. This is not the fond description of a nice solid chap, one who can be reliably
EASTER: Plain Jane brings your reasons to be cheerful – including beer and chocolate
In these difficult and joyless times of conflict, health scares, national obesity and George Osborne, may I take the rare opportunity to look on the bright
Plain Jane 110316: We don’t want a new town
“We’re almost there–” proclaims the latest shrink-wrapped brochure from Stone Hill Park, above a photo of children hopping, somewhat bizarrely, in sacks, through fields of
Plain Jane 260216: Should we, shouldn’t we? EU decide
So the referendum on membership of the EU is set for June 23 and we can now look forward to wall-to-wall media coverage of the
Plain Jane 290116: Election gaffe
Channel Four’s Michael Crick started it, the Electoral Commission is looking into it and now, according to Mr Crick’s blog, one Michael Barnbrook from Ramsgate,
Plain Jane 150116: Wine, sugar and health improvements
FAR be it from me to agree with Nigel Farage (unless he’s talking about Manston airport) but I can’t help feeling a certain sympathy with
Plain Jane 010116: And so 2015 is over
So 2015 is nearly over and I am struck by the people around me expressing gratitude. An “annus horribilis” as one beleaguered friend put it,
Plain Jane 041215: Manston, driving and, well, Manston again
I confess I have lost the plot when it comes to Manston. Much as I continue to grieve for the heady days of KLM and flights
Plain Jane 201115: Its vs it’s
Who knew? Our sewage systems are positively awash with precious metals. Analysts at Thames Water have discovered that when we wash our hands or clean
Plain Jane 231015: The power of reviewers
Intriguing news from giant online seller Amazon, who are planning to sue 1,100 “fake” reviewers in a bid to claim damages for their “manipulation and
Plain Jane 091015: Rehabilitation not squalor for those in prison
Oh Lord, I agree with Michael Gove. Prisons do need reforming and should not be, as Nick Hardwick, Chief Inspector of Prisons puts it, “places
Plain Jane 250915: A trip down memory lane
In a spirit of better late than never, we are posting this anyway even though half of it is now past its sell-by date. But
Plain Jane 310815: Watch where you walk
SO THERE went summer. I know it goes more quickly as you age and grow grumpy but this one really has sped past at an
Champagne de Romance at Chez Castillon
It is always a joy to be at Chez Castillon. Next course up – could it be for you? – Write and Sell Short Stories. Write
Plain Jane 140815 – Bra-vellous project
If we live in a small world then Thanet is microscopic. Hold forth in the pub about the bloke from the garage and it will
Plain Jane 310715: Time for a brew
DEPRESSED by pub closures and the rise of alcopops? Good news is at hand. Sales of the cheap-booze-and-coloured-sugar drinks favoured by overgrown children are falling.
Plain Jane 170715: I can be as judgemental as the next person
My esteemed colleague, Mike don’t-get-me-started Pearce, has been on one of his jaunts. I don’t ask for details – they invariably involve pinball machines, model
Plain Jane 030715: Mike and Jane – Thrills at Dreamland
I didn’t see the rides at the opening of Dreamland. The wait was too long, the speeches too protracted and when the ribbon had finally
Plain Jane 190615: Eating your way through hotel breakfasts
SO FAR this year, what with speaking and interviewing and literary festivals and running off to bang my head against a different wall, I have
Plain Jane 050615: It’s tough to get a job if you don’t speak nonsense lingo
I HAVE been self-employed now for nigh-on 30 years and have long suspected this has rendered me utterly un-hireable to anyone in the usual (some
Breaking News… 100 Ways is on YouTube!
100 Ways is now on YouTube! Click on the ‘play button’ below to view this video… https://youtu.be/Y7ULrErd7gY If you liked it and / or have some…
Plain Jane 220515 – A chilly reception
OH DEAR! It seems I haven’t got off to the best possible start with our new Kipper council. Let’s hope I don’t require a new
The one that enraged a Kipper….
This was my Isle of Thanet Gazette column, published 8/05/2015 that gave rise to the following on this week’s letter page. As I said on
Plain Jane 100415: Plain Jane meets the Tories and Manston Airport Independent Party
I interview the Tory hopefuls by adopting police tactics. Sir Roger Gale has been in politics for half a century and the MP for Thanet
Plain Jane 030415: Plain Jane meets the Labour and United Thanet candidates
Continuing our series in which Jane Wenham-Jones meets the candidates, this week: Labour… THERE is a framed cartoon by Giles on my writing-room wall that
Plain Jane 270315: Meet the candidates for the Green Party
Continuing our series in which Jane Wenham-Jones meets the candidates, this week: the Greens… I was initially invited to visit the Green candidate for Thanet
Plain Jane meets the Liberal Democrats
I AM looking forward to meeting South Thanet’s Russ Timpson for two reasons. Firstly, the man has a sense of humour (not always a given
Plain Jane 130315: Meet the Candidates
A friend of mine once sat next to Nigel Farage on a plane. “He was very charismatic,” she said, clearly charmed even though her politics
Plain Jane 270215: Meet the Ukippers
“What a place to live!” wrote a friend from the Cotswolds, who’d been watching, aghast, the documentary Meet the Ukippers, aired last Sunday. I was at
Plain Jane 130215: Wearing bubble wrap and buying champagne
FRIDAY 13th. Time to don the bubble wrap and protective headgear, avoid ladders, leave plenty of time to catch the train, and for the chaps,
Plain Jane 310115: Saving the NHS is down to US
WITH under 100 days to go until the general election, the big issue, pundits tell us, will be the future of the NHS. It will
Plain Jane 160115: A look back at 2014
WELL, how’s yours been so far? My New Year greetings come late, after spending the opening hours of 2015 horizontal and groaning, in the clutches
Plain Jane 191214: The season to be jolly… and moany
OUR columnists Jane Wenham-Jones and Mike Pearce don’t need a certain supermarket to remind them that Christmas is for sharing. Every year, she gets out
Plain Jane 121214: Make a list
I DON’T know whether they teach this in journalism school – I am entirely self-taught (also known as untrained ) – but it is a
Plain Jane 281114 – 3D pregnancy scanning
I THINK I know this area pretty well, but from time to time I am surprised to discover somewhere in Thanet I had no idea
Plain Jane 191114: Every Lidl helps
MALE friends won’t believe me, but I don’t much like shopping. Not for me “a day out” at Bluewater, or an afternoon “just looking” at
Plain Jane 311014: Why prescribing Viagra to all men over 50 could save NHS
Plain Jane 311014: Why prescribing Viagra to all men over 50 could save NHS GREAT discoveries, it seems, arise from a split second of blinding
Lost the Plot? Jane Wenham-Jones’ writing tips for Woman writing competition
Originally posted on Morgen 'with an E' Bailey:
So you’ve started your novel with great enthusiasm. You’ve finished the first few chapters and don’t know…
Jane Wenham-Jones 