The Accident
Linwood Barclay is one of my favourite writers of fiction and each of his novels that I’ve read has been better than the last. The Accident continues that trend.
Barclay’s stock-in-trade is small-town America, the secrets behind the facade of respectability and the seemingly harmless vices that can lead his cast of characters down paths that are unforeseen.
N is for Newlands, Neptune and Nobel
| Can I complete the whole of Round 9 of ABC Wednesday based on our four week stay in South Africa in February? Click on the photos to enlarge. |
One of the things I promised myself before we arrived in Cape Town was to watch a cricket match at Newlands, the test match venue that was a short drive from where we were staying.
It is said to be one of the most beautiful cricket grounds, standing as it does in the shadow of Table Mountain and Devil’s Peak, but as you can see from the photo, we didn’t pick the right day to appreciate it.
Clocking Off
I haven’t been in the best of moods for a few days. I started with the sniffles and sneezing of a cold on Friday and by yesterday I was feeling particularly sorry for myself.
I think it may have had something to do with the weather. A cold always feels that much worse when it is raining and the wind is blowing.
Mappa Monday Challenge
You’ve probably heard the joke about the army sergeant-major who sets his squaddies the challenge of measuring the height of the flagpole.
After much scratching of heads, one soldier solves the problem by getting an axe and chopping down the pole. His mates then measure it as it lies on the ground.
Down and Out Down Under
I didn’t write about the Rugby World Cup yesterday because there are at least two periodic readers from the North Wales area and I’m not one to intrude on private grief.
Not that I wasn’t supporting Wales as they took on France. I wouldn’t say that I became Welsh for the day, but I had hoped that the Red Dragons would prevail if only so we could be treated to another frantic week of taffymania in the media.
In Print
I don’t like to blow my own trumpet, well no more than once or twice a day anyhow, but I thought this was worth noting. I had my first photo published in our local paper today, along with a few other contributors to their Flickr group.
It’s a shot of Our Lady and the Apostles RC Church in Shaw Heath, Stockport that I happened to be passing after dropping off my daughter at work. The sun was bright and in the right place and I do prefer photographic subjects that stay still.
Footypedia
brunskill (n.) — arcane ability of eastern European football fans to set fire to concrete.
Above is an entry from Footypedia, a little gem of a book that I only discovered this week, even though it was first published in 2008.
It takes as its premise that there are people, things and actions in sport that are undefined by a single word and sets about rectifying that omission.
M is for Mostert’s Mill, Montagu and Monarch
| Can I complete the whole of Round 9 of ABC Wednesday based on our four week stay in South Africa in February? Click on the photos to enlarge. |
Mostert’s Mill is one of the landmarks of Cape Town, sitting alongside the busy De Waal Drive and within a few minutes walk from where we were staying.
The mill was built around 1796 at the Welgelegen Farm, owned by Gysbert van Renen, and was named after his son-in-law, Sybrand Mostert, after Van Renen’s death.
It ceased operation in 1873, but stayed in the Mostert family until 1889 and was finally sold to Cecil Rhodes in 1891.
Read the rest of ‘M is for Mostert’s Mill, Montagu and Monarch’
Currie Sauce
I’m no fan of Strictly Come Dancing, but Mrs P is so it’s one of those tv programmes I watch from time to time. Personally, I find it a bit depressing because it is a sure sign that winter is well and truly on the way.
I mention this because the first to leave the show this weekend was Edwina Currie, former politician, semi-professional Scouser and the only person to have considered John Major exciting enough to have an affair with him.
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