Today, I want to share a gallery with you. When I was in London briefly in February, we stayed in Drury Lane, and as we only had a day and two evenings there, we stayed around the Covent Garden area. While there, I attempted to take some photos of places mentioned in the Clearwater, Larkspur and Delamere mysteries, and so, what I have today are some of them, with notes to explain what they are.
Before you venture into the gallery, though, you might like to know I have, this morning, completed work on ‘Acts of Faith’ and will be sending it to the layout team later today. They are going to do their best to have it back to me in time for me to send up to Amazon on Wednesday – but they are busy, and I may yet find issues with uploading (rare, but not unknown). All being well, you’ll be able to start on it next week. So, here’s the gallery in no particular order.
Bow Street Magistrates Court and police station. This appears in several books, but Fallen Splendour in particular, when Silas is arrested. I think it is now some kind of hotel or restaurant, and there is/was a police museum there too.The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. This is the setting for the grand finale of ‘Unspeakable Acts.’Neil having lunch at La Garrick, not, sadly, the Garrick Club which you can see through the window. Archer, Lord Clearwater, is a member of this club.Charing Cross railways station features in several of the books.This is beneath Charing Cross station. The row of arches used to house the entrance to the famous Heaven nightclub, but also, still houses the entrance to what was the Charing Cross Music Hall, as visited by Jack Merrit and Max Pascoe where they interview Marie Lloyd in ‘Follow the Van.’A bust of WS Gilbert on the Embankment, near the Savoy Theatre.The Embankment looking downstream.A plaque on the side of the Savoy Theatre, the venue for the climax of ‘Speaking in Silence.’The cobbles of Covent Garden that Silas, Micky-Nick, Fecker and other homeless lads would have walked back in the 1880s.The Palace Theatre, Cambridge Circus. Now home to a Harry Potter play, Clearwater and others including Jasper Blackwood, attended the opening performance of ‘Ivanhoe’, by Sir Arthur Sullivan in 1891.A Penhaligon’s shop in Covent Garden. Archer and Silas both wear Penhaligon’s, and when I was there, I was very tempted to buy the perfume they wear, Hamam Bouquet, but the only size they had was too big for my carry-on luggage, and the price too big for my pocket. I went for a smaller bottle of Halfeti instead.This isn’t London. In fact, it is the proposed interior of a block of flats in Folkestone. However, it is/was the auditorium of the theatre I worked in back in the late 1970s, The Lease Pavilion Theatre. The gallery and arches are the same, and form a classic music hall style setup, as often described in my stories.
Hello! I am making this my last blog of the year so that I can take a whole two weeks off. Obviously, I want to take the opportunity to thank everyone who reads these pages, and my printed or otherwise pages, and to everyone who connects via my FB page. Mostly, here’s a big thank you to everyone who leaves positive reviews and who shares my links and titles. Thanks to you, I’ve had the best year ever, and I am very happy about that.
Now, let’s start the random photos of the year…
Things I’ve done this year, 01: had some new banners made.
I just went to my shelves and checked what I’d published this year. Turns out, it’s been a five-book year; Follow the Van, Where There’s a Will, A Case of Make Believe, Grave Developments, and Bobby – a Life Worth Living. Mind you, I’d been working on Bobby off and on for about twenty years, so… Still, that brings the total of titles up to 45, though I don’t write because I want to reach a magic number of books or anything.
Last winter. View from home.
I was just wondering what I could mention as other things I’ve done this year… If we can count New Year’s Eve last year (because it went on into the first day of this year), then 2024, for me, brought: Watching the Greek National opera perform Sondheim’s ‘Into the Woods’ (in Greek), a few days in Athens, missing the Nutcracker because of being ill, spending time with my godson building model cars and things from kits, hanging out a lot with visitors, a couple of trips to Rhodes for bits and pieces, mainly for health checkups because it’s so easy and cheap to see a specialist you may as well, having my mum and nephew come to visit for two weeks, our niece for a few days, doing some walking but not enough, trying to sort out my RSI, a lot of resting away from typing (boo), and not very much else of note, really. As you’ll see, this last post of 2024 carries several photos taken throughout the year, mostly of scenery when I have been out and about on the island.
Havings said that, this was in Rhodes last March.
What about next year? Plans?
The husband getting his arty shots in the Old Town of Rhodes.
Well, assuming all remains as well as it can be in the world, our plan is to stay where we are, only moving house if/when this one gets sold. We currently have no plans to go anywhere next year, and I intend to write at least three more books. Hopefully more, but it will depend on the shoulder, back, neck, elbow, and arm situation and how many hours I can do at the computer without again becoming a cripple. So, I’ll keep on writing. On which note, I have just had an idea for the next book, so I want to go and write that down before I forget it. I’ll leave you with more photos, and wish you a happy and peaceful Christmas and New Year, and, once again, thank you for reading!
And now, a load more photos taken through 2024…
We repainted the courtyard.Another day over in Rhodes.Neil had bad vertigo in March, so we went to an ENT specialist, where he had a full examination which I watched from the Doc’s office.Found this in my folder and thought of Sir Easterby Cresswell.Boys’ nights with the godsons, always hilarious.Walking…One of the near-finished model kits (Harry’s work).The courtyard in summer.If you’ve ever wondered what my characters mean when talking aboujt making a few bob, or half a crown…Early morning walks.Traffic jams.Explored the wilder parts of the island with H.Some more new banners.Tourist watching.Family walks.Some homework for you.Getting ready for Christmas.
Don’t worry, I am not going to give away any spoilers. Today, I’ve put up images of some of the ‘props’ featured in the next Larkspur Mystery. These are very general, so don’t take the images as the actual locations or props, because if I did that, I would be giving away the answers to clues the Clearwater crew must solve on their treasure hunt. When I say props, I mean all manner of things that are used in the story, and I include locations in that—but not the places you will see below.
I find visual aids such as photos help me imagine my locations, many of which I have never been to, and some of which don’t exist. Larkspur Hall, for example, is modelled on a few stately homes and not just one. So, here are a few images that have inspired locations or ‘things’ in the next book (and one or two for part two of the story, The Larkspur Legacy, which will be the next book). This is purely to whet your appetite. If you want to know how the writing is coming along, check the Wednesday WIP blog.
It starts with a compass. (Btw, Neil bought me one just like this for our wedding anniversary last Thursday.)
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