This is the fourth in my series of glimpses into the subject of my new book Paranormal Warwickshire which will be published by Amberley Publishing on 15th November 2020. Today I feature two locations very near to my home: the Saxon Mill pub and eatery north of Warwick town, and Gaveston’s Cross, hidden in aContinue reading “Glimpses of Paranormal Warwickshire Part 4: Gaveston’s Cross and the Saxon Mill”
Tag Archives: SC Skillman
Glimpses of Paranormal Warwickshire Part 1: Shakespeare’s Ghosts and Spirits
This is the first of a series giving you a few tasters from my book Paranormal Warwickshire which will be released by Amberley Publishing on 15th November 2020. Warwickshire is a county steeped in the supernatural, as befits the county of Shakespeare and the many ghosts and spirits that he conjured up in his works.Continue reading “Glimpses of Paranormal Warwickshire Part 1: Shakespeare’s Ghosts and Spirits”
Cornwall Mini Series Part 15: Lanhydrock National Trust
A vast parkland, a major historical house which has so many associated buildings clustered around it, alongside its own church, it seems like a village in itself – and a garden of ingenuity, beauty and variety, which surprises and delights you as you explore its paths, its structure and colourful planting: this is Lanhydrock. CloserContinue reading “Cornwall Mini Series Part 15: Lanhydrock National Trust”
Cornwall Mini Series Part 12: Trellisick National Trust
What an enchanting location this is for a grand house: situated on the Fal estuary in Cornwall, views across to the water are to be glimpsed from the terrace at the back of the house, and also from many places in the parkland. As one of my friends on social media remarked, grand houses likeContinue reading “Cornwall Mini Series Part 12: Trellisick National Trust”
A Resurgence in Withdrawal – Covid-19 Lockdown Art
So many of us have reacted in different ways in the UK lockdown, some being energized and leaping into action in house and garden, others relapsing into lethargy, feeling flat and down and disorientated and bewildered by what’s going on in the world. Others may have taken up a new activity or found themselves behavingContinue reading “A Resurgence in Withdrawal – Covid-19 Lockdown Art”
Angel Encounters Mini Series: Part 3. A Divine Encounter: the Right People in the Right Place at the Right Time
Angel encounters: another person, who just happens to be nice? God? Or an angel? In the Bible the identity of angels is often confused with/ blurred with God. “Was it God or an angel?” is often a question you have in your mind after a biblical encounter. Examples are the story where Jacob wrestled withContinue reading “Angel Encounters Mini Series: Part 3. A Divine Encounter: the Right People in the Right Place at the Right Time”
Angel Encounters Mini Series: Part 2. “I met Two Angels in a Mercedes Benz on a Dark Road Near Oxford.”
In the days before we all had mobile phones and satnavs, I drove north along the M40, heading home to Warwick, having visited my elderly father near Sevenoaks in Kent. Dusk had fallen. I looked at my petrol gauge; the marker hovered on red. I had no hope of reaching the next services before runningContinue reading “Angel Encounters Mini Series: Part 2. “I met Two Angels in a Mercedes Benz on a Dark Road Near Oxford.””
Angel Encounters Mini Series Part 1. Modern-Day Angel Encounters – With or Without Wings.
What does a modern day angel look like? Like the fussy angel played by Michael Sheen in the deliciously funny and clever ‘Good Omens’ by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett? More, perhaps like this angel depicted by Vincent Van Gogh? or maybe like the powerful and moving Knife Angel that appeared at Coventry Cathedral inContinue reading “Angel Encounters Mini Series Part 1. Modern-Day Angel Encounters – With or Without Wings.”
A Walk in the Park Leads to Reflections on the Covid-19 Crisis, Shakespeare and The Plague…
I went for a walk with my son Jamie to St Nicholas Park in Warwick on a beautiful warm sunny day. We found very few people, all observing the 2 metre rule. The atmosphere was like a dreamy quiet Sunday afternoon in a sleepy village in the 1950s. I thought, If this was a dystopianContinue reading “A Walk in the Park Leads to Reflections on the Covid-19 Crisis, Shakespeare and The Plague…”
The Art of Writing Backwards: a Novelist’s Sleight of Hand?
When you saw that title what did you imagine? A scene from Alice through the Looking Glass? One of those high speed reverse sequences in a magical fantasy film, when everything rewinds? Or perhaps a time-slip scenario? Or simply an image of mirror writing? Would it be wonderful if we could indeed start at theContinue reading “The Art of Writing Backwards: a Novelist’s Sleight of Hand?”