My Books
This year has seen my Young Persons books Clearing in the Forest and Peaceful Land published. These are the adventures of three orphaned (seems you are not allowed to say bastard these days. But in the Middle Ages where the story is set it was a common word used to define the ‘out of wedlock’ offspring of Kings and Nobles of the times. The reason they were called bastards was so they could not make claim to the Kings/Nobles titles or lands although as history has proven it did not stop this).
Writing about history has brought me another string to my knowledge bow. I have had the pleasure of meeting people who enjoy history as much as I do and in this particular area – the Middle Ages – they are a knowledgeable lot. I had the first book given as a prize in a competition which I thought was very kind seeing as the story is a historical fantasy. Witches, demons, spells, good v evil are all these as is the really evil Odo, demon master to the King of France. The story is et at the end of King Johns reign and follows the adventures of John, Geoff and Ela as they fight to survive. I have been genuinely surprised at how many adults like the books so it was both a nice feeling and surprise when out shopping a lady came up to me (recognised me from my photo) and said how much she liked Clearing in the Forest and was going to buy Peaceful Land. Now I have written many adult books and a Historical Naval adventure – A Plymouth Story – but never before has anybody actually recognised me and enthused about a book. My wife said I fairly floated out of the store.
The Finca
I dont know if you remember the high winds we had when this happened, but needless to say I have fixed things now. We still get the high winds from time to time and we sit and listen to the supports of the panels flexing when the wind really gets up but so far so good. Everything is repaired now still a bit of rendering to be done but that’s on the inside. I’d like to say its a wet day job but we are in the middle of a horrendous drought and rain is very little and far between, but it will get done one day….
The Animals (Wild Boar)
Well 2017 saw my wife almost go shooting. The wild boar made the mistake of first digging up her saffron bed (to the right of the last step) and eating most of the bulbs then destroying her ‘tyre’ garden. So I moved one of the cameras as I was not sure whether it was the goats or wild boar, I should have known. These were the result a sort of caught in the act animal version. But somehow she decided that hunting them was not for her. So she salvaged what bulbs she could and replanted them. Then turned her attention to the tyre, here they had eaten the tulip bulbs so she tidied them up and planted iris and lily bulbs, but no tulips. You know when she saw what they had done to the little tyre garden that was the first time I had seen the animals make her cry. But as she said this is a garden in a forest and unless we wall ourselves in this will happen and we are not wall people.
The Goats
Then came the day I could hear banging noises like a rock being hit by a large hammer. Then I looked at the masa and saw these.
The Eagles
These are the big ‘quackers’ we hear in the forest now and then. The old adage if it looks like an eagle, flies like an eagle and quacks like a duck then….its an EAGLE!!
Well that’s a few of my 2017 memories, things that stay in my mind because they are, to me, wonderful. The animals and birds are part of our life and some things seem like yesterday. So from Puddytat, the Boys and ourselves here’s hoping you have a happy, safe and gentle 2018.
rgds Michael
(c) Michael Douglas Bosc – Author