Sunday, April 26, 2026

The hand of death

This is a rather murky crime novel by Margaret Yorke. It details the antics of a depraved man who seeks to escape his dreary existence selling antiques seeking sex, however soon it is rape and murder he has committed and he wants to get into the pants of the schoolgirl who works at his shop...

The story is interesting in being told largely through the points of view of the criminal and the victims (including the poor innocent bloke who is the police's suspect). The female characters are very well written, the male characters - including the criminal - are a bit one dimensional.

It isn't a bad book, certainly reads well. However, the plot is a bit basic.

Friday, April 24, 2026

More for the shrubbery

I have added two more plants to the shrubbery, they are an Ilex Jenny and a Heuchera Buttered Rum, the latter does indeed look like it is butter rum coloured. The shrubbery is now fully stocked again, one of the existing plants is hanging on by it's withered twigs, though it is now surrounded by new plants so will hopefully benefit from the extra nutrients and watering.


Thursday, April 23, 2026

A trip to Barnt Green and Alvechurch stations

Last Friday, i headed down to Barnt Green station to update my photography there, later moving on to Alvechurch. Both stations will be in my book on Hereford & Worcestershire railway stations. Unfortunately, i did have a fall at Barnt Green and hurt my knee. So, that did ruin the day a bit, though all objectives were achieved. Because of my injury, i then had a blank Saturday, which was quite novel though pretty boring!

You can see my photos here.


Monday, April 20, 2026

Payoff

"Payoff" by Hartley Howard is an unsubtle tale of a hard boiled private investigator who sweats a lot and takes a lot of taxis. 

The story is fairly enjoyable, if not that unique. The story never quite manages to reach top gear but a creditable fourth perhaps. There is a good mix of crime and spy drama.

The main problem with the story though is the predictability. It isn't a bad read and will certainly pass the time of day but you probably won't want to ever read it again.

Friday, April 17, 2026

Churches of Warwickshire (9) : St. John the Baptist, Henley-in-Arden

The church of St. John the Baptist in Henley-in-Arden was built in the mid-1400s replacing an earlier church built just over one hundred years previously.

The church is located next to the High Street and the Guildhall and indeed is connected to the latter. The church is largely the same as built on the exterior though the interior has seen a number of changes and updates especially in recent times.

The church is in the English Gothic perpendicular style. The style being dominated by straight vertical lines and having a "single defining motif, applied with an unerring visual logic" [1].





[1] John Cannon, Medieval Church Architecture (Shire, 2017) p. 61

Wednesday, April 15, 2026

A trip to Hartlebury

At the weekend i headed down to Hartlebury, which is between Kidderminster and Droitwich Spa in Worcestershire. Hartlebury will of course be included in my fourth book, which is on the railway stations of Hereford & Worcestershire. I really need to get going with the book so over the next few weeks i probably need to prioritise updating my imagery at various stations in the two counties.

Hartlebury is a nice village which i have been to before, very hilly though so that gave my legs a good workout! You can see my photos here.