Life as a Didsbury Copywriter

You never know what's on your doorstep, do you? I've lived by Didsbury Park for two years, but for the first 18 months or so I was agency-based.

Now I'm a fully freelance Didsbury copywriter, I'm discovering local businesses I never knew existed.

It's been great chatting with more and more local businesspeople on Twitter - even if they don't need my services now, there's always hope for the future. And it's not all about finding work, either.

Finding Nutmeg

Last year, our mulled-wine-making took a huge leap forwards when Aldi got whole nutmegs in stock. This year, we ran out - and, of course, they don't have them in stock any more.

But it's OK, because this is Didsbury. It took about ten minutes to find a grocer with nutmeg in stock - not the ground stuff, the whole stuff - and I got loads of it for a couple of quid. Mulled wine aplenty, coming up!

If you want to mull some wine of your own, make sure you've got a fruity red wine. Add some nutmeg - we tend to use half of one, smashed into a couple of large pieces.

Add cinnamon (we use ground, but sticks would probably be better), a couple of cloves and some sugar if you like it sweet. Heat until nearly boiling, then serve in mugs, with a dash of dark rum if you've got it.

Mulled wine is a rewarding and very personal experience, so give it a go and tweak the recipe until you find something that works for you!

Finding the Didsbury Park Geocache

If you walked through Didsbury Park this weekend just before sunset, you may have spotted me and my flatmate disappearing into the bushes.

We weren't doing anything dodgy - there's a geocache¹ in there.

It's on the north side of Didsbury Park, at the end of some logs in the bushes. And it's pretty well hidden - don't expect a massive tupperware container in a carrier bag.

We were without pen and paper, so we didn't sign the log book, but it's amazing to think there's a geocache within about 15 feet of our flat, as the crow flies.

The Lifestyle of a Didsbury Copywriter

What does any of this have to do with my role as a Didsbury copywriter? Well, I like to think that everything in life is connected.

It was a fairly arbitrary decision, when I first became freelance, to try and work with as many local businesses as possible.

Much of my ongoing work is based in the East Midlands, but I've done a little work for various South Manchester businesses, and it's always been a rewarding partnership.

The more I discover about the area in which I live (and, for those first 18 months, a punishing workload kept me from really exploring as I might have liked!), the more capable I become of really putting it across in writing.

I think Didsbury has a reputation of being a bit snobbish, from the outside, but it's really not. It's village living on the edge of the big city, the best of both worlds, and its business community reflects that.

So, if you're a local business looking for a bit of pro-Didsbury copywriting, let me know; I'd love to work with you.