THE British pub is a world-class institution, beaten only by the Greek taverna which has longer hours with full food and drink menu. And most British pubs offer real ales although too many struggle to keep it well. There is nothing more dispiriting than reaching for a well-earned pint to find yourself looking at a [...]
IT took a while to realise just how special the scene in front of me was. A Yeoman Warder of the Tower of London stood on a green mound rising from a sea of red poppies. Flanked by a Guards bugler, he read out the names of two great uncles. In the thickening darkness, red [...]
Authors left a trail of clues at the world’s biggest crime writing festival. JK Rowling hinted she would write more than seven Cormoran Strike novels. The Harry Potter creator, dressed in a suit and tie as a nod to her pen name Robert Galbraith, told a one-off, sell-out audience of 1,000 fans that her third [...]
I don’t listen to enough music these days. There never seems to be the time. But I used to. It's a bit of a blur which is a pity as there was a lot of good stuff, Zeppelin at Ally Pally, Deep Purple at the Finsbury Park Rainbow, Jethro Tull in Hammersmith. Then there was [...]
I have just had the adrenalin tsunami of my first TV interview. Major stage fright beforehand, giddy, panting, feet numb. Can’t remember much of what I said although I’m told I talked about Danny Lancaster, Rock Hard, Gibraltar, travel writing and a few other bits and bobs. I don’t recall smiling at any stage and [...]
Enjoyed an excellent, thought-proving day at Verulam Writers’ Circle conference at Herts Uni yesterday. A great bunch of people and a lively and positive atmosphere although some faces queuing to pitch a publisher looked a little pale and shiny. The panels of authors and publishers faced some penetrating questions and told some laugh-aloud anecdotes, one [...]
Tomorrow is the second anniversary of the publication of my first Danny Lancaster crime thriller. The Wreck Of The Margherita appeared on March 25, 2012, and has been followed by Death Squad, Rough Diamond and Rock Hard. In that time Danny has developed a dedicated following of enthusiastic fans and I am truly grateful to [...]
Britain’s military are understandably cheesed off by drastic cuts imposed by government. Our forces cannot take industrial action. Yet an artillery shell escaped a firing range in Wiltshire, passing near villages before landing by a railway line. Then HMS Argyll fired a torpedo in Plymouth dockyard. It flew 200 yards through the air, slamming into [...]
I am developing a phobia about letting tradesmen into the house. Last week the painter didn’t get much on our front windows but did manage to paint the concrete forecourt, carpet, wooden floor, my leather jacket, even my car. We have a long history of dodgy workmen. One who fitted a kitchen water heater knocked [...]
Not everyone who enjoys a pint of real ale is a morbidly obese loner with eccentric facial hair. I spent a very pleasant couple of hours sniffing and sipping halves at CAMRA's Sussex Beer Festival last week. True, quite a few fellow imbibers would benefit from a diet plan and a good barber. But the [...]