Catching up...

Malvern on the Rosie

We returned to Malvern today for their Autumn veg show.  It's a long drive (just over 2 hours) but I spent it reading about Malvern's connection with the authors J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewsis and their drinking haunt there, The Unicorn. We did plan to visit there after the show but ran out of time. Hopefully, we will get a chance for a literary pint on our next visit. Did you know, btw, that there is more than a rumour that it was the gas-lit street lamps, which still operate to this day, gave the inspiration C.S. Lewis needed for his book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The gossip goes that the author watched the snow falling as he and Dickens left The Unicorn late one evening.  "Wouldn't it make a beautiful opening scene for a story," he remarked seeing how wonderous the snow looked in the gaslight. And so it did.

Old Rosie had a hand in limiting for pic-taking at the show. The particularly strong cider lightened our moods even when the gales and rain eventually arrived.

And so there a not many photos to share of the event. And, as my, daughter remarked when seeing them, they are more than a little on the creepy side, loll

Don't ask!

Plans Update

I am not really enjoying working on my Gower Beaches. It has been a bit of a grind, to be honest. I think the reason is because I haven't needed to go out and take photographs for it as I already had the imagery needed for the book in my portfolio. I do need one trip out in Gower though as  I lost a lot of my stored files in the housefire earlier in the year and havent got photograpgs of the caves down Fall Bay. We are holding out on heading down for the moment as Mrs E is hoping that there will be another northern lights display in the next couple of weeks so we might be able to put two projects to bed in one outing.  Whatever happens, the Explore Gower Guide to Gower Beaches will be available from Amazon on November 1, 2024.

After that, I will be spending November working on my next horror novel, Familiar. I hope to get a full first draft of the book completed by Christmas.

My research on familiar folklore continues...

2025 should be a quieter year for my writing. Famiar should be out sometime in the first half of the year, and my only other blook planned for next year is Issue 2 of my Avalon guidebook series exploring the town of Glastonbury. 

Other than that, the only other publication I have planned for next year is another Guy N Smith zine. This one will see me more in the role of editor, designer and publisher, however, as this issue will feature the creative work of  varied creatives who fans of GNS. At the time of writing this, this new GNS zine has the promise of being something very special...
 

Sunset

Another cracking sunset tonight:

Gower Beaches Progressing

Continuing work (just) on my Gower Beaches guide.

Jonathon Chilling

Chilled seagull sat atop the office roof, chilling as he takes in the view.

Postscript. I later found out he, along with his mother, were waiting to be thrown biscuits from a nearby window. A regular occurance apparently lol.

Street Sunset

Summer has made a brief return today. And whilst I missed most of it as I earned my crust of breath at the office, the sun kept a final delight for me this evening :)

Pop Funkos 2024

I have added just three new Pops to my collection this year. These will feature in this year's usual Haloween foto project, which is now entering its sixth year.

I posted a picture of the first two Pops I bought in 2024 here, and this one, fresh from the shelves of Funko Europe, arrived at my door yesterday:

Being a big fan of the classic Twilight Zone, it was a no-brainer that I would bring this little character into my home. He really is the perfect Pop!

Three Twilight Zone figures were recently released, but I only purchased The Narrator. The other two relate to a single TZ episode called Nightmare at 20000 Feet and feature a cut-away section of a plane seat, with a poor likeness of William Shatner sitting watching a gremlin sabotaging the wing engine. The third Pop is of the gremin itself, which, again, I'm not overly fond of.

Anyway, the Tall Man from Phantasm, the new re-moulding of Nosferatu and Rod Serling will be the three Halloween Pops I'll be photographing next month.

Looking back at my previous Pop pics, I've decided to take another shot of the Wendigo Pop from the TV series Hannibal. This more than creepy character deserves a better photo than the one I captured last year. 

Gower Beaches | Day 61/100

Day 61/100. I'm cutting this project fine. Listening to #seashanties whilst working on my guide to the #Gower shoreline

Look at those whisers!

Heading Home

I do enjoy my down time to catch up on things before heading home.

A Proper Sunday

Stormy Reading

Whilst the  South Wales thunder raged in the skies overhead and the rain belted down, I read this grim short story by Guy N Smith.

Back on the Island

I am determined not to finish this game until I am 100% happy with my island.

Reading

Catching up on some reading before heading home.

Guy N Smith - The Knighton Vampires

I really should have read this book before this past weekend. But its fascinating to read a story set in a place you have literally just read... I've just got to persuade little fudjcake to let me get back into reading again.