Stuff and Nonsense

Just before I got married, 35 years ago, I was at my bride-to-be's house, pre-Christmas, in a rather nice village between Burton upon Trent (my hometown) and Lichfield.  Some Christmas Cards were pushed through the door and I went to collect them.  A few minutes later, there was an insistent ringing of the doorbell and I found a rather grand lady standing on the doorstep.  "Mea culpa!" She said, in a dramatic tone, one hand pressed against her chest in an admission of guilt, and then went on to explain that she had, inadvertently, posted the wrong card through our door and could she please retrieve it?  I was happy to oblige but found it amusing to be greeted in Latin and reflected that this was something that would have been unlikely to have happened in the back streets of Burton from where I sprang!

The point of all this is that this is my "Mea culpa" moment.  I'm afraid the days have rather got away from me this week and, as a consequence, the next Aefelthrith and Gwladys episode in still a figment of my imagination and has not yet been reduced to print.  Sorry!  I promise to apply my nose to the grindstone (which would result in a massive improvement in my profile - see photo) forthwith and come up with something, soonest.

One of the things that has been occupying my time and attention has been the new Josiah and Archibald novel, 'Dead Reckoning', which is now available in both paperback and Kindle formats.  It would be fair to say that this has not taken the world by storm.  In fact, it hasn't even taken the world by passing shower!  I have been swept away by a tsunami-like wave of indifference.

In a (probably) benighted attempt to reverse this situation, I thought I might try and introduce people to my Undertakers by pointing them toward their very first story, as told in podcast form (I thought that way I would be 'down with the kids'), firstly as demonstrated by the very talented and professional team at Yorick Radio and then my much more less talented and amateur attempt on You Tube.  There hasn't been a discernible uptick of interest but at least it's kept me off the streets