Month: Feb 2024

Oddities Observed On Outings #2: Who Put Holes in that Rock?

On By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Nature, opinion, Photography, question9 Comments

This is the second in a proposed series on peculiarities I’ve encountered when walking. I originally intended these posts to appear only on Medium, but that’s a platform where most readers subscribe with a small annual fee for the opportunity to read from a vast collection of posts covering an enormous range of interests. It …

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#ScenicSaturday 24th February 2024:

On By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Nature, opinion, Photography14 Comments

This continuing series depicts our beautiful world, encouraging viewers to share them and help save our unique home from human carelessness and indifference.Today’s photo depicts a stretch of the beautiful River Wye, which forms a boundary along part of its length between England and Wales. Taken from the English side, it shows a local brook …

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The Owl Service, by Alan Garner: #BookReview.

On By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Fiction, opinion, Reading, Review1 Comment

I have no memory of acquiring this book, which is considered a children’s classic. I wonder if the mystery of its origin in my home was a factor in keeping me reading it since I found it hard work.Generally, I need to empathise with at least one character in a book to give it any …

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#ScenicSaturday 17th February 2024:

On By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Nature, opinion, Photography14 Comments

This continuing series depicts our beautiful world, encouraging viewers to share them and help save our unique home from human carelessness and indifference. Today’s photo shows sunlight fanning through the faint February mist in a place we look on as our ‘magical’ forest in the Forest of Dean. The spruce and pines here form such …

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Oddities Observed On Outings #1

On By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, opinion, Photography5 Comments

I posted a piece about this on Medium, a platform used by multiple writers. Addendum, posted today, 27th February 2024: Having had some feedback, it seems sensible for me to post any future pieces I place on Medium to this site as well. Different audience with different links. And not everyone wants to pay to …

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#ScenicSaturday 10th February 2024:

On By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Nature, opinion, Photography7 Comments

This continuing series depicts our beautiful world, encouraging viewers to share them and help save our unique home from human carelessness and indifference. Today’s photo is from a favourite walk in the Forest of Dean. The shot was taken at the top of a steep rise, with a further, less steep climb to follow. The …

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Spirits of the Ghan, by Judy Nunn: #BookReview.

On By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Fiction, Literature, opinion, Reading, Review2 Comments

I love it when a new book comes my way by a serendipitous route. This one was a present from my daughter’s mother-in-law, with us for a short while over the Xmas period. She’d finished it so handed it to me rather than take it back on that long flight to Tasmania. It’s an absorbing …

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#ScenicSaturday 3rd February 2024:

On By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Nature, opinion, Photography14 Comments

This continuing series depicts our beautiful world, encouraging viewers to share them and help save our unique home from human carelessness and indifference.Today’s photo is from the Forest of Dean. Tall trees convey a sense of wonder, a feeling of permanence, peace, and tranquillity. We wonder what they might tell us if only we could …

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