I will begin by saying Spain has, from what I have seen, got it a lot worse than the UK. Rain, of course. In these British Isles and Northern Ireland, we haven't had a day this year when it has not rained. And that is some going for somewhere known for its wateriness! Sogginess abounds.…

Here we are in February and already it feels lighter! Although in the south west of England it is still wet. But at least the floods of last week have somewhat dissapited. However, there is a warning for potentially more flooding. Still there are those elsewhere in the world who are no doubt facing grimmer…

All Cried Out, a fine song by Alison Moyet or as she was previously known, Alf, half of Yazoo (Yaz in North America). So, yes, not so much All Cried Out as all rained out. I think it may not have rained today, here in the corner of Somersetshire where I reside, close to the…

We are edging toward the middle of this most hated of months - I am sure it does have its supporters but i am not one of them! However, an upside to this first month of the year is Seville oranges. And that means marmalade! The glorious scent and colour brightening up what has thus…

Today is, as i write this, 5th January or in other words, Twelfth Night aka the last day of Christmas, which makes tomorrow Epiphany - the day the three kings turned up at the stable in Bethlehem with their gifts. 

If Advent is the lead up to Christmas then the Twelve Days of Christmas, counted from…

...but hey, February is on the looming horizon. January is like one of those tall walls on an army obstacle course (or whatever they are actually called!) something we have to get over. 

There are things to look forward to in January's bleakness; Seville oranges! Let's hear it for Seville Orange Marmalde and yes, it deserves…

Today is a Monday - in some parts of the world it is yet to be Monday and in others, well, yesterday was Monday, just not my Monday. It's all relative and POV determinative: it happened, it didn't happen; wait, it may just happen but no, missed it! Anyhow, however you look at it, the…

This is much ado about nought. I have remedied some slippage on the front page of this site - a bit of mis-alignment that crept in from somewhere. I have also added a couple of low-key text animations. They are apropos nothing. Just the result of idleness.

I am still battling with ama-bezos-zon with regard to…

Here we are in winter...except with all the rain, it is rather soggy. Although yesterday (Wednesday) was, to coin a phrase, bitterly cold - but mostly it has felt as if someone fell asleep on the weather handle and inadvertanly nudged or knocked the setting back to autumn but with a rain boost. Turbo rain…

Gosh, almost a month away from here. The year begins its turn and a slide into depression starts. I can deal with the depression, it's just the coming out of it I struggle with...

In more unexciting news that no one asked for; my cat fell ill and I thought she was on her last legs,…

Here we are back on GMT, having consigned BST to a small cupboard somewhere until it gets dusted off again in March 2026. Assuming we make it that far...

Just as Tatooine was the back-end of the Empire, so we are now at the back-end of the year. Disappointments of the year: the West in general…

The year is slipping away, there is an alien artifact speeding through our solar system; my cat has seasonal affective disorder, I'm tired and at then end of this month, or just before, the UK will move from British Summer Time back to GMT. From thence, there will be gloom and darkness and candlelight. All…

And so it came to pass... (needs to be read in 1950's Hollywood Biblical-epic-type voice-over) or perhaps in olde worlde Shakespearean English, mate; Forsooth what idea doth beckon upon yonder horizon?

Have I mentioned this before? Who can tell (insert shrug). To complete my duo of Victorian-set novels (Carpetbagger and Wretched) I have decided to add…

Ah, the joys of being indie.

Having successfully revised the cover art for The Wretched - too dark and cover text too close to the edge, I decided to use amazon to run off a second proof copy. The proof arrived today. Ugh... The cover is fine, yay! However, amazon's physical sizing is just frustrating. Frankly…

This will possibly be the final(ish) word on The Wretched.

Let us take a look at the buildings featured in The Wretched. First, Dartmoor Prison from whence Fistie Fitzpatrick escapes.

The prison was originally built to house prisoners captured during the Napoleonic wars and later used to house domestic convicts. In 2024 the prison was 'tempoarily' closed…