20th Century
The Spratly Islands Incident, 1983
With Hong Kong being in the news it has brought back a memorable incident at the beginning of my working life as a radio news reporter in the former British colony. It’s April 1983. I’d [more…]
Mystery
Fiction
Némésis – Part 7
Ash Shaddadi, the Syrian Governorate of Al Hasakha, December 2017 When Major Halward woke up the following morning there was frost on his sleeping bag. It was still dark while he pulled on his boots, [more…]
Fiction
Némésis – Part 6
Ash Shaddadi, the Syrian Governorate of Al Hasakha, December 2017 They crossed the Kahbur River about five kilometres south of Ash Shaddadi at 08:45 the next morning. Ripley had picked up on the mood of [more…]
Fiction
Némésis Part 5
Northern Iraq and the Syrian Governorate of Al Hasakha, December 2017 Ripley lay in the tarpaulin hammock, underneath an overhead poncho they had used to keep the sun out of her eyes. They were sensitive [more…]
Literature
A hell of a commute
This is a tale of what was once my daily commute for a few months during the 70s. Admittedly, not one of the Mogadishu Express to Kings Cross or the hell of the M25 car [more…]
Arts
Dreams And Nightmares
I think dreams and nightmares are endlessly fascinating. I have lots of them for some reason, I always have, ranging from the ridiculous to the down right scary. They’re one of sleep’s great mysteries, but [more…]
Authoritarianism
From Draft to Bookshop – A Journey
Almost two years ago this weekend my wife and I, rather nervously, drove into a small Devon village on our way to visit a family that I had only met through Going Postal but who [more…]
Fiction
Joe Malone, Part Twenty
“Is that the letter?” Lady Vanessa asked him. She had been very quiet. But suddenly sat forwards and peered at the envelope. To Sir Marmon-Herrington Bixby esq. Which was normal enough. Though the word, WANKPUPPET [more…]
Fiction
Joe Malone, Part Nineteen
Sir Alan agreed with Mandelson. “Marmon has a file full of metaphorical green ink letters. All sorts of evil wished upon him.” “I didn’t see any such file in his home,” I told them. “That’s [more…]