My maths was so bad my mother sent me to after school lessons. The tutor managed
to bump me up an exam grade. I might have done better if I hadn’t spent half the time staring at the Aubrey Beardsley prints on his wall.
They were strangely compelling and, fascinated, I took out books from the library and immersed my 16-year-old self in Beardsley’s bizarre eroticism.
He was a bad influence on me. I love words but still struggle with numbers. If I’d paid more attention in the extra lessons I wouldn’t be spending uncertain minutes recounting a palm full of small change.
A Beardsley exhibition opens at Tate Britain next week. I hope to visit – https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/exhibition/aubrey-beardsley
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Megabucks music megastars fill the tabloids but you can find really good music in your local pub. I caught In Recovery in North London at the weekend. This hugely diverse two-handed band – Mick Hutchings on guitar and vocalist David Duckmanton – do covers from the 60s to now, AC/DC to Adele.
Shows my age but David reminds me of a young Ian Gillan. Catch ’em if you can – https://www.facebook.com/InRecovery2/
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The Met Office is buying a new weather supercomputer even more super than their current one. Still doesn’t explain why what I see out of my window rarely resembles the TV forecasts.
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They grow up so fast. Toddler Grandson received his first Valentine’s card. He’s nearly two.
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As if you need reminding, this is what readers say about my Danny Lancaster crime thriller series the…
The Wreck Of The Margherita: ‘If you like Child/McNab, you will absolutely enjoy this’
Death Squad: ‘Action aplenty… Great stuff, packed with thrills and spills’
Rough Diamond: ‘A helter-skelter story of emotion and loyalty’
Rock Hard: ‘An explosion of wit, humour, sex and violence’
Gargoyle Pixie Dog: ‘Clever and intricate story-telling, Bill Todd never fails to please’
Godlefe’s Cuckoo: ‘Unlikely hero, baddies, lust, unorthodox DI, writing was a joy’
Last Orders: ‘Absolutely loved this tale of the wonderful yet thoroughly annoying Danny Lancaster’
Yes, it’s a series but they’re all standalone so dive in wherever you fancy.
The ebook of Danny1 is FREE and the others are currently just 99p/99c each. Grab ’em while you can here… www.billtodd.co.uk
©BILLTODD