One of my t-shirt designs has been chosen by Zazzle With Pizazz. See it here:  http://zazzlewithpizazz.blogspot.com/2011/01/liverpool.html#comment-form

One of my photographs has been used by The Wirral Globe.   It would have been polite to ask my permission first. Source:  http://www.wirralglobe.co.uk/news/8794988.Hilbre_Island_to_be_without_a_custodian_as_council_struggles_to_find_lone_ranger/

"Galileo Galilei...supported Copernicus’ view that the Earth orbited the Sun, a “heliocentric” theory which the Church declared contrary to Scripture...  Giordano Bruno not only supported the heliocentric view, he also claimed there are multiple worlds beyond Earth, each orbiting their own sun....  The idea of aliens and multiple worlds is not new for the Church.... The Vatican even sponsored an astrobiology workshop in 2009. "Philosophers have been grappling with the implications of alien life for hundreds of years, if not longer. But until aliens are found, says (Vatican astronomer Brother Guy) Consolmagno, these issues will remain in the realm of science fiction instead of religion or science.   “I think that’s a very important role that science fiction has to play, because at this point we’re just playing with ideas,” says Consolmagno. “We’re just exploring the space where the ideas could be. We don’t know – we don’t have the answers. That’s why it’s so much fun!” Sou

Chester was lovely yesterday - new jeans for Richard, new summer tops for me.  And as we paused at the Café Rouge, we had the unexpected pleasure of watching Ed Alleyne-Johnson playing his electric violin. When we'd finished our drinks, we strolled over to say hi.  We bought a copy of his latest CD, Argpeggio , which I'm playing right now as I prepare to finish writing another scene in Fabian . The video below will introduce viewers both to Ed's music and to Chester itself, which is easily one of my favourite places.

I'm just back from walking my dogs.  The pond in Gilroy Nature Reserve is almost free of ice now, and the trees were full of green finches, blue tits and sparrows.  The few remaining dry leaves rattled with the chilly breeze passing over them.  A heron took to the air, leaving its perch seen here in this photo.  More photos of Gilroy Nature Reserve:  http://hubpages.com/hub/Gilroy-Nature-Park

Closing my copy of Carlos Ruiz Zafon's The Angel's Game , I was left wondering exactly what had happened at the end.  While I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel and greatly admired the fluid, descriptive prose, I was left feeling as if I'd overlooked some vital details which would explain the final threads of the plot.  If the main character's alibi couldn't be verified, why did the police officer help him to escape legal custody?  Who was Andreas Corelli; a scoundrel, an angel or a figment of David's (the main character) imagination?  Why was David drawn into the 'game' anyway?  Did Andreas really bestow immortality upon David, or was this some mad illusion caused by the brain tumour which Andreas had supposedly cured?  David, after all, was described latterly as wearing the angel pin on his lapel, just as Andreas had, and letters allegedly from Andreas were shown to have been written in David's hand. This aside, it was a highly pleasurable r