Ben Graham

On the other hand, I'm currently revising my fifth novel; I've published four books of music journalism, and countless articles and reviews; and I live in a house full of books and music with a very understanding partner. So it's not gone too badly. And it's a nice hardware shop.

That should read 30 years since my first (and only) anthologised-by-a-major-publisher short story. The first story I ever submitted anywhere. This professional writing lark is a piece of piss, I thought. Gentle reader; I currently work in a hardware shop and copyedit AI drivel for peanuts.

Nice. I wrote about the strangely post-Woodstock vibe of Terry Wogan's breakfast show, from the POV of a pre-teen listener in the rainy Calder Valley, on my old music blog. hellisforhipsters.wordpress.com/2008/02/22/a...

11 years into being a published author (20 years if you count my first anthologised-by-a-major publisher short story), I've finally signed up for public lending rights. Library-derived riches here I come!

It's tough but I'm sure you're doing the right thing for both of you. Sending love and best wishes.

New School Guidance announces:

Full bathroom ban.
Full PE ban.
Full school trip accommodation ban.

Trans kids will not go to the bathroom, do PE or go on any school trips. 1/

Brain stimulating test makes people 'less selfish' Scientists have discovered how to make people less selfish - slightly and temporarily - by stimulating two areas of the brain.

But will I still be able to enjoy a bit of the old Ludwig Van?
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

I often think about Then Jericho and that Big Area they found.

"Hello, low-income couple in their fifties, you're using less energy than this time last year, but nevertheless you've clearly had the heating on this month. What were you thinking? To teach you a lesson we're increasing your direct debit by £20 a month starting immediately."

That's basically the ending of The Prisoner.

And a "seedy underbelly" is in itself a metaphor for things that might go on in a small town. So it's saying it's a metaphor for a metaphor.

Great piece on a favourite TV show. Doesn't hurt that Michael Praed always looks like he's just waiting to take up lead guitar duties for The Mission.

My wife is dead, I am disabled and I have nothing. If you can, please help me and my Charlie cat get back to the UK. Signal boosts would be most appreciated. Thank you. wyrddaze.wordpress.com/2025/12/15/m...

So sorry to hear this.

I don't set a specific goal but I do keep a list of the books I've read each year. Partly to remind me what I've read and what I haven't, but mostly because I really like making lists and find them comforting.

Ruined Norman tower at dusk with bridge over moat. Lisa stood on the bridge.

New Year's Eve visit to Pevensey to wander round the castle ruins at sunset. One beer in the Oak & Castle pub. Back home to watch The Quatermass Conclusion on DVD.

The Furnished Room was republished by Five Leaves in 2011 and is still available on their website. fiveleaves.co.uk/product/the-...

He's bigger on the inside.

Ah, I love Super K! Quick Joey Small is one of my favourite records ever.

A Spock And A Hard Place.

The Older Guys really got it all worked out

Gonna try and make this

Life is long in the short term but short in the long term.

Dogs talk. Dogs run cafés. Dogs break the law. Your dogfriend or bitchfriend has gone missing? For a modest fee, Inspector Hound can sniff them out. The stench of dirty business in high places? Hound is your dog. (Police-trained German Shepherd, fully enhanced to Home Office Standard EHA9 under the Enhanced Species Act). Hound is one of a kind, England's first canine sleuth, gazing out at the capital's mean streets through a greasy café window. This is a world in which the e-virus has given millions of dogs human language. Hound’s simple find-the-missing-bitchfriend case sets him on the trail of much bigger mysteries–- where did the e-virus come from? Who started it all? And why are humans so stupid?

Know anyone who loves dogs & SF? But them DogWorld!

A mysterious plague has given dogs (and cats) human language. Inspector Hound, the UK's first canine sleuth, is sniffing out where it came from. And helping run a dog cafe.

Available from books.by/attractor and www.amazon.co.uk/DogWorld-Dav...

Happy Birthday Kirsty!

Has Grant Morrison ever cited it as an influence on The Invisibles? It seems like something he would've watched and absorbed, especially it being a Scottish production.

That said, I'm still half-expecting to see a scene in an episode and realise I did see it at the time and that it was responsible for some recurring childhood nightmare that I've since suppressed...

I do remember it being on but being 8 years old I was almost certainly too young to be allowed to watch it. I was an avid Sapphire & Steel fan, but that was marketed as a children's show! I also remember confusing it with The Krypton Factor which didn't help.

Thanks for the link - I won't read the episode guide now though in case of spoilers!

Not sure why The Omega Factor isn't more celebrated in the annals of weird, paranormal cult television. Watching it for the first time on Talking Pictures TV and it's tightly acted, intriguing, well researched and bloody terrifying.