One of those weird facts that can't possibly be true, but it is. John Tyler, 10th President of the US, born in 1790, has a grandchild who is still alive. Harrison Ruffin Tyler turned 96 last month. Check it out if you don't believe me!

Reasons for not managing to finish the latest chapter of my novel, number 143: Ruby the cat refusing to move from the keyboard until she gets her lunch combined with my insistence that it's way too early.

Happy US Thanksgiving Day!

Put this hoodie on this morning and realised that ten years ago on a Monday morning. I'd be fretting about finishing my Creative Writing Masters homework.

The Taped Banana has been sold for $6.2 million at Sotheby's New York. I think people like Mr Sun need to pay more tax.

Looking forward to catching up with ELT chums tomorrow at the ELTons event at the British Council in London. But the programme doesn't seem to include any presentation of actual awards. Does anyone know what's going to happen?

Disgraceful self-promotion. I published my first novel The Duke's Portrait in 2022 and have almost finished my second, King & Country. Same central characters, one year later, 1938, set in Berlin and London.

We have to challenge the forces of darkness that are taking over in any way we can. This advice from Stephen King should be relayed to every American child who lives in a state where certain books are banned from libraries.

Dede pays homage to local celeb Capability Brown, eighteenth century landscape gardener who designed the gardens at Blenheim Palace and many more places.

I gather this is the place normal people can hide from Trump, Musk and all the other grotesques. Feeling safer already!