Jun 21, 2024 | Featured Photos, Updates
Mrs C and I went to a family gathering up in Hull recently, and of course, I took a few snaps to share.
Hull is one of those places that is much maligned, but it has a lot to offer.
There’s an old saying, “From Hell, Hull, and Halifax, may the Good Lord deliver us.” A quick search reveals that this dates from the 17th century and may have originated as a thieves’ litany: a type of prayer or incantation used by thieves as they parted ways. It’s easy to see why thieves wanted to avoid hell, but you may not know that Hull had a notorious jail, although it would’ve been spelled gaol, and Halifax had a gibbet, which was an early type of guillotine.
Once a fantastically busy and important port, Hull has some fine buildings. I don’t know enough of the city’s history to comment on where that wealth came from, but these days Hull is a mixture of ancient and modern. It was awarded the city of culture status a while back, and I believe that entails some investment. Certainly the old part of the city is very nice, with waterside bars and cafes and independent shops selling vintage clothing and the like.
I hope you find some interest in the photos.
A theatre, and in the foreground, Queen Victoria looking down from on high.
A lightship.
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Jun 6, 2024 | Featured Photos, Updates
We took a trip to Exeter to stroll along the quay the other day, and I was impressed how this area has been brought to life with cafes and shops and bars. It almost feels like being on the Med.
The Exeter Quay features in a couple of my books, so that may be of interest. In Accomplice to Murder, Dan runs along the quay and also talks to a certain policeman, and in Lawful Duty, characters visit a nightclub and a cafe. The cafe is shown below, although I did fictionalise it. There is a nightclub, but I invented one for the book.
I hope you like the photos.
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May 21, 2024 | Featured Photos, Updates
As spring prepares to give way to summer, the Devon lanes are lush with fresh growth and teeming with life.
Farmers aren’t allowed to cut back the hedgerows once the season for wild birds to nest begins, and the result is glorious. All that foliage restricts your vision as you approach a corner, so it pays to be extra cautious when you’re bowling along, whether you’re proceeding under your own power or driven by a machine (or a horse). There’s a stable near the village, so we often encounter riders, and more than once I’ve seen a horse stop to graze from the hedgerow even though its rider may have other ideas. I suppose all that delicious greenery is too hard to pass up.
I also have yet another run to report – The Great West Run, a half marathon in Exeter. I really enjoyed the day, despite a sudden downpour that had all of us soaked to the skin. Thankfully, modern sportswear dries in next to no time, and I finished the run in sunshine.
I hope you enjoy the photos. The landscapes were all taken near our village in the Teign Valley.
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May 15, 2024 | Featured Photos, Updates
I recently went to Plymouth to take part in the half-marathon, and we decided to make a weekend of it. Plymouth isn’t far away from home, but it’s very different. Much as I like living in the countryside, it’s fun to experience the buzz of a big city every so often.
Below are a few photos from our trip. The race started and finished at Plymouth Ho, and we went up to have a look the night before.
There are photos featuring the war memorial, which is rather grand, a view over the city, and some of the relatively new statue outside the theatre, which I believe is of Ariel from The Tempest. I’m not sure I was quite so fleet of foot, but although I didn’t race around the world, I did complete the race.
The pictures aren’t my best, and some look a little wonky to my eye, but I hope you enjoy them.
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May 10, 2024 | Featured Photos, Updates
I know I keep saying how lucky I am to live in the midst of the glorious Devonshire countryside, but I never tire of the landscape.
Since I’ve started running, I’ve experienced the lanes in a different way, and though many of them are narrow and slightly hairy when a vehicle needs to squeeze past, I don’t encounter a lot of traffic.
Most drivers are kind and will slow down or stop until I can get safely out of the way – they get a thank you and a wave and a smile and a thumbs up. The few who don’t show any consideration get nothing, but let’s not dwell on them.
Here are a few photos I’ve taken while out for a run recently, all from the Teign Valley area in which the Devonshire Mysteries are set. I hope you like them.
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Apr 30, 2024 | Featured Photos, Updates
Another trip to Teignmouth on the Devon coast. An unseasonably stormy day, but it can be fun to watch the waves crashing against the sea wall. Not so great if you have to put to sea in the lifeboat, I imagine, but for a landlubber like me, the sound of the waves makes an excellent accompaniment to a stroll.
Afterwards, we retired to a cafe for a mug of tea, and later on we discovered there was a play on in the arts centre, so we decided to make a day of it and stay for the performance. It was called The Haunting, and though it was very entertaining, most of us in the audience were rather nonplussed at the ending.
Ah well, the play’s the thing.
I hope you find the photos interesting. First. here’s a snap of me at the local Park Run on the Parke estate in Bovey, just to prove that I really do these things.
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