Prime Minister Liz Truss
Today Liz Truss takes over as prime minister from Boris Johnson. I know that William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley was chief advisor to Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign. He was twice Secretary of State and Lord High Treasurer. Francis Walsingham was her spymaster,...
Hearts of Oak
We’ve been working with oak today, English oak from our local sawmill, Vastern Timber. We’re replacing the rotten pieces of our garden swing. The original wood isn’t oak, so it may look a little odd, but hopefully it will be more durable. Of course English oak gets me...
Armadas and the Royal Navy
I recently posted about armadas, and reviewed One Hundred Days in Readers Club. I am four chapters into Senlac by Julian De La Motte. I am really starting to get drawn into it now. Initially the mix of Saxon, Norman, and Viking names make it a struggle to know who’s...
Interview
I was recently interviewed about Called to Account, the fourth book in the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures, due to be published on 8th November. 1. What motivated you to write your book, to force you from taking an idea or experience and turning it into this book? ...
Armadas
I’ve written about my ancestor Sir Anthony Standen’s role in defeating the Spanish Armada. Memorial plaques at the Kingswear ferry ramp reminded me of other armadas. Agatha Christie’s home Greenway was headquarters for the US coastguard and their role in the Normandy...
Changed Course
I saw a tree trunk today, that appeared to have changed course during it’s growth. About a third of the way up, it had veered off at 45 degrees, straightened up again, carried on, veered back at 45 degrees, then continued on its original course. There seemed to be no...
Music, Incense, and the Camino
The Dartmouth Royal Regatta has finished, and what a party it’s been. It wasn’t all yacht racing. We’ve also had beer barrel rolling races, and races carrying trays of glasses of beer. The scoring system took account of both speed, and how much beer remained in the...
Dartmouth and the Spanish Armada
We’re in Dartmouth for the Royal Regatta. We took a stroll down to Dartmouth Castle today, to get a view of the racing. It was an overcast day, with the cloud base obscuring the trees on the valley side. we did see some racing, but the visibility wasn’t great. A...
Why do I write?
I want to probe beyond I write because I enjoy it. I’ve enjoyed a rewarding career in engineering. The “motto” of the Institution of Civil Engineers is “directing the great forces of nature for the betterment of mankind.” Well, I hope I’ve done my fair bit of that....
Prime Minister Liz Truss
Today Liz Truss takes over as prime minister from Boris Johnson. I know that William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley was chief advisor to Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign. He was twice Secretary of State and Lord High Treasurer. Francis Walsingham was her spymaster,...
Hearts of Oak
We’ve been working with oak today, English oak from our local sawmill, Vastern Timber. We’re replacing the rotten pieces of our garden swing. The original wood isn’t oak, so it may look a little odd, but hopefully it will be more durable. Of course English oak gets me...
Armadas and the Royal Navy
I recently posted about armadas, and reviewed One Hundred Days in Readers Club. I am four chapters into Senlac by Julian De La Motte. I am really starting to get drawn into it now. Initially the mix of Saxon, Norman, and Viking names make it a struggle to know who’s...
Interview
I was recently interviewed about Called to Account, the fourth book in the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures, due to be published on 8th November. 1. What motivated you to write your book, to force you from taking an idea or experience and turning it into this book? ...
Armadas
I’ve written about my ancestor Sir Anthony Standen’s role in defeating the Spanish Armada. Memorial plaques at the Kingswear ferry ramp reminded me of other armadas. Agatha Christie’s home Greenway was headquarters for the US coastguard and their role in the Normandy...
Changed Course
I saw a tree trunk today, that appeared to have changed course during it’s growth. About a third of the way up, it had veered off at 45 degrees, straightened up again, carried on, veered back at 45 degrees, then continued on its original course. There seemed to be no...
Music, Incense, and the Camino
The Dartmouth Royal Regatta has finished, and what a party it’s been. It wasn’t all yacht racing. We’ve also had beer barrel rolling races, and races carrying trays of glasses of beer. The scoring system took account of both speed, and how much beer remained in the...
Dartmouth and the Spanish Armada
We’re in Dartmouth for the Royal Regatta. We took a stroll down to Dartmouth Castle today, to get a view of the racing. It was an overcast day, with the cloud base obscuring the trees on the valley side. we did see some racing, but the visibility wasn’t great. A...
Why do I write?
I want to probe beyond I write because I enjoy it. I’ve enjoyed a rewarding career in engineering. The “motto” of the Institution of Civil Engineers is “directing the great forces of nature for the betterment of mankind.” Well, I hope I’ve done my fair bit of that....