Kautla (pronounced Cow-tla to us Brits) is a marshy forested area in the middle of Estonia, some 60kms south east of Tallinn. Heavily wooded and in an area of many lakes, it has a serene feel to those who manage to drive the many miles down the track from nearby Ardu. What is at Kautla […]
Following on from my post of images from key scenes of the novel Turn of the Wheel, I have produced a similar piee for By the Banks of the Rheidol. These are the actual places that inspired parts of the plot. Firstly, this is Aberystwyth, as seen from the South. Tanybwlch beach is in the […]
People of my generation in Europe cannot appreciate the full emotions of all-out war. The constant pressure of conflict. The stresses of attacks without warning and not knowing the status of loved ones, who may have been posted away to places unknown. The pressures of an economy totally focussed on war and rationing of food […]
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The latest wave of the pandemic is easing and hopefully, the vaccine program has helped reduce the caseload of hospitals, so that they are no longer in danger of being over capacity. We all must hope this is the turning point and that the virus will, at the very least, become less of a threat […]
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Finnish Boys – An excerpt
The new novel ‘Finnish Boys has now been released and as a celebration of my birthday (happy birthday to me!), I am publishing the beginning of chapter one on the web page today. The story begins in 1940, on the eve of the Red Terror, when the new Soviet government arrests ten thousand people across […]
Frongoch mine ruins in the 1980s. The Cornish pumping engine dominates, with its distinct yellow Flintshire brick chimney. Behind to the left, is the older pumping engine and the waterwheel/crusher. To the right is the site of the original mill ,
Many people in the UK have limited knowledge of Estonia’s past. When I was in school, the Baltic States were not even a footnote in the story of the Soviet Union. Personally, I only stumbled across their existence by accident, courtesy of a pre-war atlas. For those who have a similar lack of knowledge, here […]
Mining in the UK has been looked on as a male preserve in modern times. The work underground was deemed like many industrial jobs as being being too dirty or difficult for a woman. This is a brief summary of a woman’s role in the Ceredigion metal mines of the 19th century. I recommend those […]
Q: A new Estonian novel – is it availableto buy? A: Yes, The new novel is called Finnish Boys and is available online via my website and Amazon at present. Amazon also provides an e-book option. Q: It’s a prequel to Forest Brothers. Why did you choose to do it this way? A: It sort […]
‘It’s hard, duw its hard. Harder than they will ever know…. Max Boyce, himself a former coal miner, penned a few poignant songs and poems about the work underground. He does a great job, but then, to fully understand is to do – and most of us have never or will never get close to […]