Cars, eh?!

I've come to think that the modern motor car is just too darned sophisticated. My Ford B-Max is a good car, and a max step up from my trusty old Honda Jazz - which I loved. But it seems that it's got many times more things that can go wrong. It's the same with Steve. Having driven old Fords for twenty years - and been able to service and repair them himself - he's now got an S-Max. He had to face the fact that his last car just didn't have the safety features - including the safer build - that modern roads demand.

So it came as something of an annoyance and disappointment when his S-Max developed an electrical fault which finally totally disabled the vehicle. It's been with the repairer for getting on for four weeks, waiting for the Engine Control Unit to be tested/repaired/re-tested.

My B-Max lost steering assist one morning. To cut a long story short, it turned out to be a failing battery, and didn't have to go in for repair. Though it almost came to spending £50 ("No sir, £49.99") on an "assessment".

Cars, eh? I can't help thinking what a good thing it would be for the planet and its population if we didn't have them.

But since I do have one, I drove us out to Milton Keynes the other day. Having been to the Whipsnade Tree Cathedral, we found out that there is one such in glorious MK (which is very nice to travel through by boat!)

It's very different from the Whipsnade one. It's more formal, more architectural, being based on Norwich Cathedral, with a west front, nave, choir, transept, alter, cloister, chapels, chapter house and so on, laid out to match the real building. This photo from the Parks Trust gives you the full effect.

The day after this, I published my novel on Kindle. It was a couple of months overdue, but it was worth it - well, I think it was! I'm really quite excited about it. It's my first published novel. (I still have two unfinished ones.)

As I write in the Foreword,

This is my first published novel. Having already published two travelogues – which are, of necessity, factual – I really wanted to move into the world of my imagination, and I had a great deal of fun writing it. Out of the Dawn is a fiction told against a background of narrowboats and canals. But they’re not what it’s all about. It’s about two people and a dog who choose to live on a boat. Well, the people do. The dog had no choice in the matter. I’ll leave it to you to decide whether or not he thought it was a good choice. They could have stayed in their jobs, with their flat and cars, and a cello and a tuba. They could have travelled the world, and their story would have been very different from this. But they chose a narrowboat, and canal life changes things. It changes people, too. And dogs.

 As with my other books, this one's available from Amazon for Kindle Readers or any other device (with the Kindle app). It costs less than a pint! (£2.50) You can read the first 10% (I think it is) before buying it here. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

(17th February - To latecomers to this post, I have had to unpublish the book temporarily while some issues are being sorted out. I apologise for this, and expect to be able to re-publish soon.)

Out and about

While returning to Kantara is still only a vague plan (that is, we'll do it some time, dependent upon circumstances) I fill my time with as much leisure as possible whilst avoiding any kind of work like I'd avoid a rabid Dobermann.

The only work I've done - and thoroughly enjoyed - since my last post was helping to complete the Incredible Edible project we almost finished last week. After which there was an hour's tidying-up to do at their first, much smaller site. The loft cries out for more attention, but I ignore it. It can wait until next winter.

There was also work being done by someone else that required my presence and attention, viz. the installation of thermostatic radiator valves. What a difference they make! Why did we not get them decades ago?

Despite the snow and ice, which hasn't been particularly bad here, we drove out to Dunstable Downs a couple of days ago. Even though it's only a short journey away, it's a place we haven't visited for many years. The wind gnawed at our faces, so we didn't stay out for long. Much more tempting was the café, the cappuccino and the jacket potatoes with cheesy beans, and the glass wall gave us fabulous views while we enjoyed those.

A few days before that, we'd visited a couple of places even closer to us than Dunstable. We'd never been to either before, and we knew that the full enjoyment of both of them depended upon it being summer. And it's not. But in both cases it was a matter of giving them a reccy to determine if we wanted to go back when everything's in full leaf and flower. We do, and we shall.

First of all the Whipsnade Tree Cathedral.

This lovely mini-park was created as a memorial.

Born in 1898, Edmund Blyth served in the infantry in World War I and suffered the loss of dear friends Arthur Bailey and John Bennett, who died in the March retreat of 1918. He wanted to create a lasting legacy for his comrades-in-arms who were no longer with him. From 1930-1939, with the help of just one man, Albert Bransom (1872-1940), Mr Blyth began planting.

Next came the Stockwood Discovery Centre.

Not only did we discover lovely gardens that'll look even better in the other three seasons, but also a fabulous collection of ancient horse-drawn carriages.

And a few early motor-vehicles, too.

Notice the Roses and Castles on the side of this travellers' lorry.

I can't finish this post without mentioning the official launch today of the new line-up of Said the Maiden with Minnie Birch. The response in social media is phenomenal! Enjoy!

As the official Facebook release says,

If you don't already know our new maiden, Minnie Birch go check out her Facebook page or her SoundCloud https://minniebirch.bandcamp.com  She's an incredible and much-admired singer/songwriter from Hertfordshire, a dear friend of ours, and also a member of The Company of Players.

We're really looking forward to seeing them onstage in the autumn!

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Notice to my book readers! There's an update to "Chapter 6 – Miscellany" on the Addendum Blog for "Hints and Tips for life with your feet under water". https://amzn.to/2zsct8L