"A selection of darkly humorous tales about two hapless undertakers, Josiah Oakshott and Archibald Thurble, and the troubles that befall them and their clients. Also, some stories about two precocious children you really wouldn't want to tangle with - Peregrine and Prudence. If you want to know who blew up the crematorium, why Mrs Anderby had an unfortunate encounter with some potting compost and how an Anti-Santa found himself in captivity, you...

A guy told me that a guy he knew said the coronavirus has been engineered. It has, of course, left-wing, radical badgers in their labs far below the earth when they were mixing a batch of bovine TB in the 1970s also created the coronavirus and passed the secret onto their friends the right-wing bats. Because bats knew they’d be ate by some human in the Huanan seafood market in January 2020. Revenge of the bats – COVID-19 is the name of the...

Monday 23rd March Todays plan Choose breakfast Do stretches , choose exercise modality and do it. I suspect I will have to have several bursts of it. Tidy another cupboard Clean dogs ears Hopefully keyboard will arrive and I will have a go with it. Supper is gnocchi with walnuts and blue cheese followed by the oranges which wont last long.

Once again, loads of thanks to all you wonderful ABCTalers for so many splendid contributions to the site. We know from feedback how much pleasure, inspiration and support our members get from each other, and it feels especially important right now. Also delighted to see that two of our writers, Penny4athought and Laurie Avadis, have new books out: https://www.abctales.com/blog/insertponceyfrenchnamehere/perfect-second-... https://www.abctales...

Natural justice isn’t something we spend a lot of time thinking about. Years ago when I was working on the roofs with Kenny Smith he got paid more money than me. Let’s say he got £65 and I got £50 per week. He was a roofer and time-served, could measure the roof out and bang down tiles quicker than a labourer. I accepted he should get more than me, which isn’t the same as liking it. We travelled together on the train and came home together, but...

33.9 million miles: is that far enough for 'social distancing'?

What I’m feeling seeing my book in print is hard to describe...I’m both amazed and scared that it’s out there, elated that I had the courage to self-publish it, but worried I’ve made a mistake. On the mundane fears, I hope I’ve corrected all typos, and on a little higher concern, I hope someone reads it…even one review would be nice to see…but either way, I do like that I can order an author’s copy - wow author …that’s me? Yes, I suppose it is...

At over a thousand pages Robert A.Caro’s biography of Lyndon B. Johnson is a hefty wedge of American history. We know power corrupts, but Caro also argues ‘power reveals’. We’re aware of that iconic picture of Jackie Kennedy standing with the former Vice President of the United States and now President, Lyndon Johnson. Power reveals. (But that was later, volume 4, the new Senator John F. Kennedy only makes a brief appearance, in volume 3, his...

Gilead was winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. I’m sure I’ve read it before. And I keep picking it up and re-reading bits because I don’t know where I left off reading. It’s a story in which nothing much happens but life. A dying man writing a letter to his young son, who’s is young enough to be his great-grandson. It’s 1956 and the narrator is pondering whether he should vote for Eisenhower. And in recalling how his life didn’t amount to...

As you would expect from all the talent on here, we've had some great pieces reflecting on the current situation, some with sadness, some with anger, and some with humour. We have writers from all over the world, so wherever you are, I do hope that you and yours are staying safe. Please keep posting on here - on a selfish note, we will worry about you if you're not around! This week's Picks are not Covid-19 related - they're two very contrasting...