Footvote, by Peter F. Hamilton: #BookReview.

On 11/12/2021 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Fiction, opinion, politics, Reading, Review

This sci-fi short takes a wormhole as its escape route from the reality of the UK of the early 21st century. A time of confused politics and general unrest, it may well have been the first real step on the road we now follow, but that’s for a different written piece. The story is written …

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#PictureOfTheDay: 11/Dec/21

On 11/12/202104/12/2021 By stuartakenIn Creative Writer, Nature, Photography6 Comments

Some of my pictures appear in the Gallery. More pictures, to decorate your home, use for calendars, greetings cards, jigsaws, or anything else you fancy in print or online, appear here.

#PictureOfTheDay: 10/Dec/21

On 10/12/202104/12/2021 By stuartakenIn Creative Writer, Nature, Photography4 Comments

A small selection of my pictures appears in the Gallery. A growing selection of more pictures, to decorate your home, use for jigsaws, calendars, greetings cards, or anything else you fancy in print or online, appear here.

#PictureOfTheDay: 09/Dec/21

On 09/12/202104/12/2021 By stuartakenIn Creative Writer, Nature, Photography5 Comments

The Lost Villages of England, by Maurice Beresford: #BookReview.

On 09/12/2021 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, opinion, Reading, Review2 Comments

This is history, obviously. I generally enjoy reading about the past, learning about life long before I was born. Unfortunately, this book, a scholarly work, was just a little too dry for my tastes. For those seeking the statistics, fine details that are available, and the names of those involved in the various landgrabs that …

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#PictureOfTheDay: 08/Dec/21

On 08/12/202104/12/2021 By stuartakenIn Creative Writer, Nature, Photography4 Comments

Short Stories; Do You Read Them?

On 03/12/2021 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Fiction, Literature, Reading27 Comments

I suppose we should first decide what constitutes a short story. Roughly, because these things tend to be a matter of opinion rather than fact, a short story is a work of fiction with a word count somewhere between 1,000 and 10,000. So, do you read them? It’s clear lots of readers do. I belong …

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Celebrating 1000+ Miles Walked

On 02/12/202102/12/2021 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Nature, Photography23 Comments

January 2021 On 1st January this year, my wife, Valerie, and I joined a challenge set by Country Walking Magazine to walk 1,000 miles in 2021. Most of our walks have been in the Forest of Dean starting from our front door. Just occasionally we’ve been able to venture further afield, visiting the Isle of …

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Looking For an Absorbing #Read?

On 01/12/2021 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, Fiction, Reading6 Comments

You want adventure, peril, romance, conflict, survival, love, threat, humour, hate, teamwork, isolation and hope of rescue? You’ll find all that, and more, in ‘An Excess Of…’ where three discordant men and three very different women find themselves stranded on a desert island after their ship sinks. Will they survive? Will they ever return to …

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#PictureOfTheDay and #writingprompt: 30/Nov/21

On 30/11/202108/11/2021 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Nature, Photography3 Comments

Pictures to inspire words and images. Perhaps a poem, painting, story, play, novel, drawing, memoire, essay, sculpture, or a new photograph? Up to you. Or just enjoy the pictures. My images are untitled to avoid direction. But, if you want it, the title, not always helpful, is here. Using the prompt? Post a link to …

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#PictureOfTheDay and #writingprompt: 29/Nov/21

On 29/11/202108/11/2021 By stuartakenIn Author, Creative Writer, Nature, Photography7 Comments

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Parky, by Michael Parkinson: #BookReview.

On 28/11/2021 By stuartakenIn Author, Book, Creative Writer, opinion, Reading, Review2 Comments

400 pagesTelevision/Performer Biographies Subtitled ‘My Autobiography’, this illustrated account of the life of the TV journalist, Radio and TV presenter, and occasional Quizmaster, reads as though the man is speaking to you. A Yorkshireman (my own home county) through and through, Parky relates his life through events, family, the multitude of personalities he’s met and …

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