I phoned Artis from the petrol station on the edge of town as he had instructed.
“Ah – good. You made it. I’ll send someone to collect you.”
Alexi was leaning against the hire car, a Toyota Landcruiser that we had rented at vast expense from the airport the previous evening. He was smoking a cigarette and [...]

Continue reading 'Ancient History' »

Cheryl Grimple walked back to the Lamb & Flag feeling rather elated.
She had hoped that Delphine Delacroix – as she had been named the last time they met – might just remember her, but she hadn’t been expecting the warmth of welcome that she had received.
It had been as though the woman had been dying [...]

Continue reading 'Night of the Radish – Part IV' »

Well boil my bunions in syrup if the Vendée isn’t going to feature large in the 98th Tour de France.
This festival of pharmaceuticals*  will kick off (or push off, or whatever one does to start a cycle race) on July 2nd 2011 from Le Passage du Gois. Le Gois is a causeway that joins the [...]

Continue reading 'Thundering Gherkins: Tour de France 2011' »

Firstly thank you for all the concerned enquiries as to our well being – they are very much appreciated. We are unscathed.
I’m not going to dwell on the damage last Saturday night’s storm caused us. Whatever mess we are left to clear up is nothing compared to what the residents on the coast of the [...]

Continue reading 'Aftermath' »

A little while ago, you may recall, I attempted to fry myself alive by sticking a metal screw driver up against a live power supply that I thought was disconnected.
This is not a sport anyone wins prizes for.
Having survived that, I comforted myself that we at least had a power supply to this winter’s project [...]

Continue reading 'A Confused Phase' »

Notwithstanding the frost and freezing fog to which we awoke this morning, and even disregarding the warmth and sunshine that we had yesterday (which saw the solar panels running at a very credible 40°C) I am in my own mind convinced that the seasons have turned.
Spring is arriving in the Vendée.
The source of this precipitous [...]

Continue reading 'The Evidence is Irrefutable' »

I’ve got round to writing down the third bit. As before, the whole story can be read on the “Night of the Radish” page via the menu.
In his office in his castle on a stormy West Coast of Ireland, Padrig O’Hooligan smiled to himself. It was not a particularly nice smile, but then Padrig O’Hooligan [...]

Continue reading 'Night of the Radish – Part III' »

I’ve never been quite able to fathom my fascination with Claude François.

Frankly, his style of music is completely out of step with a musical taste shaped by the likes of John Peel and Annie Nightingale. Notwithstanding, I find I can listen Claude pretty much ad infinitum.
Possibly my view is influenced by a film called “Podium” [...]

Continue reading 'Me and Cloclo' »

I don’t want anyone to think that I’m stretching the look-at-me-I’ve-been-to-Scotland thing a bit far, but I did gain a little inspiration while I was there.
I have for some time now been producing homemade sausages. These are worth the effort involved in chopping, mincing, soaking and stuffing because the product is far superior to that [...]

Continue reading 'The Caledonian Sizzler' »

Here it is, the second part of the rubbish I am assembling from  random thoughts inside my head. The title has been changed and will hopefully gell with the plot once I have finally sorted out what that is. I may be new to this, but even I know a story has to have a [...]

Continue reading 'Night of the Radish' »