The debonair Basil Marigold's

Having spent a fairly wet, Bank holiday monday, walking around Rufford Park. I found myself lost in thought about the place. I remember going to a big park, with a great ruin, when I was very little and had come up north for a holiday. I also remember not going for a long time, in between the trip as a kid with, Nannar and Grandad and me, moving up north, in search of fame and fortune. I had somehow fused the park and it's ruined Abbey into a location I believed to be, Clumber park, another place not so far away.  It was the first time I went to Rufford, with the girl who became my wife that my memories returned and I realised that the 'ruined building' I remembered but could not place was actually, Rufford Abbey at Rufford Park. It was a happy memory I held as a kid, a place I seem to remember with joy. There is something quite wondrous about the building. On this Bank Holiday for some reason I found myself wondering what the actual history to the place was.  To try an...

What began as an inspiration from the BBC radio programme, good reads, that swiftly metamorphosed into a literary quest to read all the Agatha Christie, ' Hercule Poirot'   'novels', in Chronological order, is, like the books themselves, beginning to reach its conclusion. In Poirot parlance, the suspects are presently gathering in the drawing room, as our 'Egg headed, Belgian, ex-policeman, enters to begin his initial declamation to the assembled witnesses of his, 'methodical' and 'orderly' genius. I am currently only six books from facing, 'The Last Curtain' (both literally and Literary speaking - and yes, this is a pun. You can laugh...now!). It has been a long and, at times, arduous a journey since those halcyon October days in 2013 when this whole project grew from the origins of the 'A,B,C murders' discussed on the radio on the drive home from work.  Yet, the end now is in sight for both Poirot and myself. I have been thinki...

Northumberland collects castles, like David Moyes collects, well, defeats. One imagines that the council has a collection of generic brown tourist/places of interest signs that have a blank followed by 'Castle'. Though to be fair, they are wonderful castles each and every one. In various stages from usable (Bamburgh, for instance has private rented apartments), Lindisfarne, was re-modelled and used as a holdiay 'castle'. Dunstanburgh castle is pretty much 4 walls left standing. Alnwick houses a Duke and his family and my daughter made sand castles. Everything is Castle related and I can imagine that, Roy Castle once lived in Northumberland, in a castle.

Northumberland beaches can be very beautiful, as beaches go, they tick quite a few boxes that good beaches need; they can be long and curved, they possess fine and clean sand, very few rocks (unlike the breakwater beach in brixham, for example) as you head towards the sea you have the good, compacted sand, ideal for sand castles and the day we went yesterday it also had glorious blue skies and a day of sunshine. Yet, oddly, this beach (and the others I have been to so far, also), it was pretty well deserted. Certainly not too busy at all (compare this to the Grockle heavy Devon coastline in summer). All these boxes above have been ticked and were this; Devon, Dorset or Cornwall the beach would be standing room only for large, burnt red English men with beer bellies and comparing their tattoos with the wife or girlfriend. But not here, not in Northumberland and that's for the other box it ticks; ferociously high winds from the east coming across the north sea! In full effect, a wind...

I have been further north, which is technically another country altogether, Scotland. However, this is the first time I have headed so far north and not left England behind. I am presently, in the least populated county in England, the county of Northumberland. It has this distinction of being the least populated county in England I was surprised by this, as I thought maybe it would Cornwall, or Cumbria, but no, I stand corrected (though I stand alone, as there are so few people to stand with me). Ancestral county of the Percy family, as Dukes of Northumberland. The ancestral seat being, Alnwick, although the county capital is now, Morpeth.   It was quite a drive, the county is dissected by the A1/A1(M) heading along the east coast as it finally runs into Scotland. The proximity to Scotland seems to have defined the history and nature of the county. The Scots and the English often clashed in and around Northumberland, it being less difficult to penetrate by armed forces than th...

It is without doubt a very personal list, these things by their nature must be. Yet, 6 years ago the Guardian published an article here  by a journalist who listed what he believed to be the 10 best book shops in the world. It is as I've mentioned, a truly variable love and one man's goose...etc.  The point is that I have now visited the bookshop that stands proudly at number 6 in the list. Scarthin books in the Peak District (Cromford to be exact, geographically!). I had never been before until a few weeks ago. My wife took me, she is aware I have predilection for book shops (of any variety, unless of course, Cheryl Cole opens a shop only selling her books). I have visited very many in my life so far and indeed, I plan to visit an awful lot more in search of the continual bargain that needs to be be bought and brought home with me, as its new owner.  I have, however, become more disciplined with my book buying. It really has to be something 'exceptional', as opp...

My, Poirot, novel reading challenge is going well after what has been a fruitful period in the month of March. I have managed to read from, Dumb Witness to Hercule Poirot's christmas. (in total 4 books so far, read from the 4th to the 20th March. I know this because my chronological list is dated when they are read. Yep, it's that methodical (or anorak-ish) depending on your opinion about lists. I may, just may be able to shoe horn number 5 in before the end of march (perhaps, if I'm being wildly ambitious, 6?). However, March has been the most productive reading month since I started! It has also meant I have come to a major milestone. The half way point in my challenge! Hercule Poirot's christmas was number 17 of the 34 I am too read. I have managed to read a christmas story with Easter coming up on the horizon. But the joy of reaching the half way line has resulted in quite a euphoric feeling (I am not focusing on the fact that I have another 17 books to go, for e...