A Free Short Story: Bri.

This short story was published as a prize winner (placed 2nd) in a UK writing magazine, Writers Forum, that’s since ceased publication. It’s from October 2002. Some readers may find this story disturbing. I hope so, it was written to disturb. BRI Bri laughed as the cartoon mouse hacked the cat into a thousand bloody slices. …

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#ScenicSaturday 25th May 2024:

This continuing series of posts depicts our beautiful world, encouraging viewers to share them and help save our unique home from human carelessness and indifference.Today’s photo shows a narrow footpath snaking along the contour of a hillside in Dorset. The gorse is in full bloom, and prickly as ever! But the sky is blue, and …

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A Short Story For You.

The Gate A short story, first published as a prize-winner in Northern Short Stories Vol 5. in 1994. This was when I published under my given name, before I discovered, via Google, that there were umpteen writers using that name. I created my pen name a little later.But enough about that. Here's the short story …

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#ScenicSaturday18th May 2024:

This continuing series of posts depicts our beautiful world, encouraging viewers to share them and help save our unique home from human carelessness and indifference.Today’s photo shows the sea and sky just after sundown on the Greek island of Skiathos. I found a sense of tranquillity and peace here at that moment. No one else …

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A Short Visit to Wiltshire: #4 Stonehenge.

This short series of posts, relating to places of interest in the English County of Wiltshire, is intended to help visitors know what to expect. I’m not presenting any details of history, etc., simply describing as well as I can, with the aid of photographs, how to get there and what you might see. There …

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How Goes the WIP, 14th May?

To update you, I last posted about the WIP on 29th April. The word count was then 77,854. Subsequently, the Lawn Bowls season began. I don’t play, but my darling wife’s a keen team member of her local club and, as she doesn’t drive, I’m her taxi for the games. It can be a little …

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#ScenicSaturday 4th May 2024

Tintagel Castle This continuing series of posts depicts our beautiful world, encouraging viewers to share them and help save our unique home from human carelessness and indifference.Today’s photo was taken last May in Cornwall when we were celebrating my 75th birthday. We stayed in the well-known village of Tintagel and this shot is from a …

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How Goes the WIP, 29th April?

Just to update you, I last posted about the WIP on 7th April. At that time, the word count was at 62,531, it has now reached 77,854, following a short break away from home and the computer. In the meantime, I’ve also produced a few short pieces on Oddities Observed and on places visited on …

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#ScenicSaturday 27th April 2024: 

This continuing series of posts depicts our beautiful world, encouraging viewers to share them and help save our unique home from human carelessness and indifference.Today’s photo depicts the village of Burnsall in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales. This area in the north of England is a National Park and is considered by many to be the …

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#ScenicSaturday 20th April 2024:

This continuing series of posts depicts our beautiful world, encouraging viewers to share them and help save our unique home from human carelessness and indifference.Today’s photo of a willow tree on the banks of the River Wye was taken some years ago on a visit to Tintern, a small village in Wales, where an ancient …

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The Golden Age of Roman Britain, by Guy de la Bédoyère: #BookReview.

Much more archaeology has been done since this book was published in 1999, and that will inevitably render some of the observations here less certain, but the bulk of the text is clearly based on sound academic research. One thing I must question, however, is the title. It’s either favouring the wealthy landowners or perhaps …

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How Goes the WIP, 7th April?

Just to update you, I last posted about the WIP on 25th March, here. At that time, the word count was 42,025. I’m now at 62,531, and still enjoying the creative process. The characters are mostly behaving themselves and, so far, I’m not having to allow for too many retrospective changes when I get to …

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#ScenicSaturday 30th March 2024:

Rhodes and the Sunlit Mediterranean. This continuing series of posts depicts our beautiful world, encouraging viewers to share them and help save our unique home from human carelessness and indifference.Today’s photo shows a landlubber’s view of a rough bay on the Greek Island of Rhodes. It’s from October 2017, and I hope it’ll warm the …

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The Fabled Coast, by Sophia Kingshill & Jennifer Westwood: #BookReview.

Subtitled ‘Legends & Traditions from Around the Shores of Britain and Ireland’ the 510 pages of this weighty tome reveal the origins of many a dark tale and some amusing stories.The place of superstition in forming and embellishing folk tales and traditions is illustrated in this well researched book. It is fascinating how many tales …

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Change Everything, by Natalie Bennett: #BookReview.

Subtitled ‘How we can rethink, repair and rebuild society’ this book deals comprehensively with issues and problems of our current political systems. It is essentially written about the situation in the UK but has a pretty universal application.I’d like to have all our current, and potential, politicians made to sit down and read this manual …

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