The world from my window

We're back in Greece now after a few weeks in England where we caught up with family, friends, Dorset and a book signing or two.   After a bit of a party in Lush Places, no sooner had we disrobed from our Poseidon and Medusa chitons (the Greek forerunner of the Roman toga), with a trail of wigs, rubber snakes and seaweed in our wake, then it was up in an aeroplane and a turbulent landing at Athens before a six-hour wait for a plane to Corfu. Back in Agios Magikades, one of dear friends had put in a few welcoming touches to the house.   Freshly picked clementines and Christmas decorations. Lovely. We had a coffee with our neighbour who showed us his new fire and then settled down to a roaring log fire and The Lincoln Lawyer, an American film on television with Greek subtitles. This morning, the sun takes its time to climb up over the mountain. There is a chill in the air and a strip of mist poised at the bottom of the valley. The sound of dogs barking rico...

This past year in Corfu, I've had the time and discipline to get on with various writing projects which have been languishing around for far too long. And those characters who have lain abandoned like the toys in Toy Story , with bits of things missing, back story only sketched, motivation and desires just outlined, have at last taken on a life of their own. Earlier this year, I was able to bring out my novella, A Year in Lush Places , a light-hearted, affectionate look at English country life based on an election year's worth of blogging from Dorset. Sales are going well and the reviews on Amazon have been lovely, thank you. And now there's  A Town Like This , a comic romp inspired by my early days as a local newspaper in small towns in Devon and Dorset. Likened by one reviewer to Porterhouse Blue in places, the novel is being launched alongside two other debuts by West Dorset writers. You can read more about that on The Bridport Press website , where you...