Sunlight On My Kitchen Wall This Morning

In Search Of Glow Worms..

My wife and I went looking for glow worms the other night. I remember seeing them just a short walk from my house when I was growing up, on some disused land at the bottom of a graig. Sightings of them enchanted me and they were definitely the most magical things I had ever witnessed out in the real world. I do have to admit to being bitterly disappointed when I inspected the glowing critters more closely, however, and discovered them to be rather butt-ugly beetles rather than some kind of supernatural fae creature! 

It has been well over 40 years now since I last saw a glow worm, and my wife has never seen one. And so, finally, after some research on where they are most likely to be seen, we headed out for a late evening walk. 

Our chosen hunting ground was a beach about a half hour's drive from our home and we arrived just as the sun was dipping over the horizon. Parking up near the beach, we walked along the tide-line towards the Nature Reserve. 

Despite the gloom, I snagged this lovely piece
of seaglass from the sands of Oxwich Bay

Evening Primrose and Sea Holly decorated the Dunes that fringed the grasslands Nature Reserve and the sound of crickets that surrounded us made me wish I had brought my audio recorder along with us.

Evening Primrose

Sea Holly

Oxwich Bay at dusk

We waited until darkness settled upon the land before making our way back towards the car, checking for the greenish luminescence of glow works along the route. Alas, there were none to be spotted that night.

Sunset over Oxwich Nature Reserve

Still, we had a very enjoyable walk and the ambience of the night was incredible. I couldn't help but feel a little jealous, however, of the occupants of this holiday home, who had set up camp here for the night:

Camping beneath the stars

Still, both my wife and I had work the following morning, so, with the time now rapidly approaching 11.00p.m., we headed off home for the night.

Boilio

Continuing work on the second draft of Berserk!

Cracking On With Draft 2 of Berserk!

I Love Trees

Sheringham 1940's Weekend 2018

Spending a day exploring a few Norfolk beaches in Norfolk last year, we ended up at Sheringham, where we all suddenly felt like we had slipped through a Goodnight Sweetheart time portal into the war years of the 1940's. It was quite an eerie sensation, I can tell you. 

As it transpired, there was no need to panic as all we had really done was to visit Sheringham during its annual 1940's Weekend.

It was a surreal afternoon/evening but the experience was amazing and afforded a fantastic opportunity to photograph something just that little bit different.

 

And big kudos to Sheringham for having the biggest sense of community spirit I have ever encountered. Cheers for a truly remarkable day. 

Getting Back In The Viking Mood

Starting work on the second draft of Berserker! means I am well and truly back in the Viking mood :)

Sheringham

The above photo was taken in Sheringham in Norfolk last year. My afternoon there was a bizarre experience, as I will explain in my next post...

Berserk! Starting Work On Draft 2

With the bulk of the writing for The Verry Volk sorted and all of the photography for the book completed, it's time for me to get stuck into the second draft of Berserk! I printed out a hard copy of the first draft last night, so now it is time for me plough into those words  and hopefully harvest something pretty damned good from them...

Penclawdd

A couple of images taken from my childhood village:

Me In The Sunshine

I love this picture of yours truly. The picture was taken on Cefn Bryn, which is known as the backbone of Gower - the setting of my next book, The Verry Volk.I will be using this image in my 'About the Author' section of the book.

Toadstool Promo For The Verry Volk

Bliss

Taking a break 😎

A Smile In The Sky

Although most of my creative writing is set amongst woodland habitats, my favourite environment by far is the coastline.  (I have, in fact, written one novella that is based on the sea and that particular book, Lore, was the most enjoyable of my books to write.) I find a real spiritual need to be near the sea and would find myself unhappy if I had to live more than a moderate walk's distance from a beach. There is something uniquely invigorating, both physically and mentally, about the sight of a vast seascape, the sound of roaring waves and the scent of salt laden. I find my senses expand when at the seaside and my thoughts broaden creatively. Visiting a beach lifts the spirit and can reset a mood that is starting to dip.

And so it was this evening when, despite the physical tiredness of having just completed a full day's work, I felt the call of the and headed down to the nearby coast for a picnic with my wife.

The sun was still shining and warm when we arrived a little after 7p.m., the breeze just a gentle stirring of air, and we found ourselves a lovely quiet little spot on the clifftop overlooking the sea. The birds sang excitedly abound us and the sound of the rolling waves. some fair distance beneath us, was gentle and edifying. I was looking forward to sitting back, taking in the surroundings and generally mellowing out as I watched the sea hopefully for a rare sighting of a dolphin or two. 

Not quite as tasty as it looks. Expected a lot more fizz despite its warning

A nice spot to sit and chill and watch the setting sun

But, just as I lowered myself to the ground to settle for the next hour or so, I noticed something in the sky I had never seen before in my fifty-three years of life - an upside down rainbow! From that moment, the coast became a background ambience to the spectacle in the sky above us.

A circumzenithal arc

This upside down rainbow, a smile in the sky, was quite startling to the eye, especially as I was not even aware of the existence of such thing. The technical name for them, I discovered after a quick Google search, are
Circumzenithal arcs and they are formed by the presence ice crystals in the clouds. They are especially prevalent when Sundogs are also on display, as indeed they were this evening 😊

Sundogs framing the setting sun

It was a beautiful evening, spent in the best of company, nourishment for the soul. And, already, I can feel the call of the sea stirring in blood again...

Betty Church Woods

Here is another photograph from my upcoming book on the local faery folklore in my neck of the woods. This is a photo of Betty Church woods (named after the woman who made her home amongst the trees here). The woods were in deep shade when a shaft of evening sunshine suddenly hit this tree and turned the scene into something rather magical :)

Betty Church Woods

Cwm Ivy

This is one of Gower's quietest spots - Cwm Ivy. Here, a man out walking the marshland fringe, happened upon a group of dancing Verry Volk beneath the large outcrop of limestone rock. The Fae were none too pleased when the man, enchanted by their sweet music, joined them in their merriment...