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What happened to The Pasages?
A Shipwreck…on Land? When the tide goes out on Jurby Beach, on the Isle of Man’s North-West coast, it reveals a hidden treasure: the wreck of The Pasages, a heron fishing trawler that ran aground on the soft Manx sands in 1931. It’s a fascinating sight, and well worth the effort of walking across the… Read more
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THE DEMON DOG OF THE ISLE OF MAN
Peel Castle Peel, on the Isle of Man West’s coast, has one of the prettiest ruined castles you’ll ever see. The conquering Vikings built it on a small island known as St. Patrick’s Isle (apparently, the man himself stopped off here on his way to Ireland). Inside, the castle is all ruins, with grassy mounds… Read more
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What is tHE Tower of refuge?
Photograph by Gregory J. Kinglsey An Unusual Structure Rising from the Irish Sea In the middle of Douglas harbour in the Isle of Man, there’s an unusual structure. A grey, wave-lashed building that looks like a miniature medieval castle pokes out of the sea, complete with turrets and crenelated battlements. How did it get there?… Read more
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What’s wrong with Indonesian cats’ tails?
Twisted, gnarled and stubby In my novella Change of Lifestyle, a stressed London teacher suffers a personal and public betrayal and moves to Jakarta. He is promptly adopted by an Indonesian cat called Marshall Law. Like many Indonesian cats, Marshall’s tail is described as “twisted, gnarled and stubby.” But why do so many Indonesian cats… Read more
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THE ALGORITHM BLUES
TIKTOK TAKEOUTS PART 2 In June, I went to the West Midlands Writing Conference. One of the panels discussed promoting your work on social media, particularly TikTok and Instagram. The panelists talked about a mystifying deity called The ALGORITHM. The ALGORITHM, it seemed, has the power of life or death, at least over what they… Read more