The Skirrid

Taken this afternoon.

View of the Skirrid.

From one of my favourite parking places a few days ago.

Not the way to treat your fans.

Some of you may have seen my post about the beautiful woman I noticed in a Utube video. This turned out to be the French actress  Mylene Demangeot. I discovered she has a website and that this has a contact feature, and so I thought I would send her my compliments. This I did, but it appears the messages do not go to Ms Demangeot, but come back to the sender's own inbox. This displays a not very pleasant side of stardom. I therefore withdraw my compliments.

Now available as an e-book and also as a paperback - The Investigators

http://tinyurl.com/ok66yvg

 

My books are now available as paperbacks.

The Curse

http://tinyurl.com/mj6yrab

 

Cursed Slaughtered Hunted

http://tinyurl.com/k425ux3 

Blood Island

http://tinyurl.com/meq8tp4

Dark Harbour

http://tinyurl.com/nsrd2w3 

Pelican – Escape of Die

http://tinyurl.com/mc6poat

 

Corners of Wales and Monmouthshire

http://tinyurl.com/kltpewj

 

From the summit of Snowdon.

From Snowdon summit.

From the summit of Snowdon.

From Snowdon summit.

From Barry Yacht Club.

From the Barry Yacht Club on Saturday.

At Devil's Bridge.

Devil's Bridge.

At Llangorse Lake.

Llangorse lake.

Capri.

Capri.1999.

Capri.

Capri 1999.

The journey round that cliffside road in a bus driven by a crazy Italian bus driver was a pretty hair-raising experience.

My part of the world.

At my favourite parking place a few days ago.

Earl's Court London

I was in London on Saturday doing some research for The Investigators.

This is Nevern Square, Earls Court.

Some important scenes are going to be set here.

(I believe there is a very nice one-bedroom flat for sale here at about £500K.)

My part of the world.

From one of my favourite parking spots a few days ago.

(The Sugar Loaf and the Skirrid are just visible to the left.)

LLantony Priory.

                                                       At Llanthony a few days ago.

My part of the world.

                                            From my first country drive of the year.

Coming Soon

London. The Thames.

    Looking up The Thames - I am going to use this photo to create the cover of my next novel.

Portsmouth. The Victory.

The Victory - at Portsmouth.

How to make beautiful mashed potato...

I now think I can make this as well as it is possible to do so; certainly to my taste, and so I thought I'd pass on my method to readers.


1. Fill a saucepan with water to about mid level.
2. Peel the potatoes and cut them up into chunks about one and one half inches square.
3.Ensure the water covers the potato chunks.
4.Add a small amount of salt. (I use Maldon sea salt flakes, which taste wonderful.) 
5.Turn up the heat and boil the potato chunks until it is possible easily to break them up with a fork.
6.Leaving the ring or burner on half setting, drain the water off through a colander, return the drained potato chunks to the saucepan and, with the saucepan half on the ring or burner to keep the contents heated, break up the potato chunks completely with the fork.
7.Add salt to tatse. My preference is for a little more salt rather than a little less.This adds some "bite" to the mash. (But don't overdo it.)
8.Add several small chunks of butter, and mix this into the broken up potatoes with the fork. Since these are heated, the butter will, of course, melt. (Important Note One: Don't add too much butter, otherwise the mash will become greasy. Important Note Two: Always add the butter before the milk.)
9.Add some milk. Once again, underdo this rather than overdo it.
10.Work the mixture togther with the fork until it is completely smooth.
11.The end result should be fluffy, cotton-wool like mash, with a lovely bit of "bite".