Simon and I spent the weekend at Penrhos Cottage. This homely cottage, set in the beautiful Welsh Valley of Corris was the perfect escape from busy life. We dubbed Penrhos ‘The Lovely Cottage.’ Here are some photos (click any photo for full size image):
Simon popping his head out of The Lovely Cottage
Cosy & Homely.
The fireplace – we didn’t use it, as it was such good weather.
Practical Kitchen.
Bathroom 1
Bathroom 2. A shower big enough for two.
My bedroom.
Simon’s Bedroom.
It was wonderfully peaceful, especially with the whooshing from the stream set in the centre of the valley. The view was great:
The View 1.
The View 2.
We met the chickens, roosters and pigs that were in the field in front of the cottage:
The Chickens & Rooster.
The pigs.
The Lovely Penrhos Cottage is the the perfect place to holiday; whether you’re looking for quietness or activity. For those looking for quietness and contemplation you can chill out in the cottage or take long walks in picturesque countryside. If you’re looking for activity there’s plenty of tourist attractions just a short drive away. The cottage features include Wifi, a fully functioning kitchen and a washing machine. Children and dogs are welcome.
It struck me that Penrhos Cottage would make a superb cottage for writers taking a writing holiday. Simon and I left The Lovely Cottage feeling rested, relaxed and recharged.
In Mid-Wales, Part 2 I’ll tell you about Aberdovey Beach, King Arthur’s Labyrinth and my fabulous gay mirror.
At the weekend Steve and I went to see McBusted at the MEN arena in Manchester. McBusted’s target audience are teenage girls, young women and gay men. We saw loads of teenage girls and a number of young women who had dragged their boyfriends along (bless them). But the audience lacked many gay men, probably because it was Eurovision final night.
McBusted came on stage to teenage girls screaming like banshees. The music was fantastic with McBusted playing a setlist that was an equal mix of McFly and Busted tracks. The set included a Back to the Future style car and a descending UFO. Throughout the show there was a kaleidoscope of colour from lights, screens and illuminated guitars.
McBusted delivered beyond expectations. They gave an energetic performance, had a brilliant stage presence, fluid movements, voices that were spot on and engaged the audience well. Overall the audience seemed to have tons of fun as McBusted played all of fans favourite tracks. Personally enjoyed Shine A Light, which one of my all time favourite songs.
I know from McFly’s 10th Anniversary Concert Live DVD that they are in their element and at their best when performing live. McBusted was no different. If you love any of their music then go see them live. I promise that you wont be disappointed.
Here are some photos, click on any of photo for full size:
An explosion of smoke.
The ‘Back to the Future’ style car.
The stage, complete with stage-walk around the OMFG mega fans.
The set. Bright lights in all colours.
The set. Bright lights in all colours.
UFO in the centre of the audience.
McBusted performed on the UFO, once it had been lowered into place.
McBusted attempt at Human Pyramid on the stage-walk as well, very impressive.
The giant audience balls, let loose into the audience.
Cannons shot paper and streamers out at the audience.
McBusted performing one of their last songs.
McBusted completed their final song, before each of them jumping into a hole set into the stage.
Wow, this series just keeps getting better and better. In Plague kids are trapped in a dome; it’s a world without adults, and normal has crashed as burned… as the cover states. It’s hard times in the FAYZ (Fallout Alley Youth Zone). A disease is spreading which causes kids to to literally cough up their lungs, with Healer Lana powerless to do anything. Little Pete has caught the disease, meaning he’s out of action and in his usual own world. Does this make him more vulnerable to the darkness?
Bugs are eating kids from the inside out and are impervious to Sam’s destructive light. Unkillable psychopath Drake/Brittney is still on the loose and up to no good. Sam & Astrid are arguing, while they try to deal with the problems.
Plague is fast paced, uses clear description, characters reflections and action to move the story along, as all the previous books in the series have. But what makes this the best book of the series (I’ve read so far) is that it takes characters to much darker places. It does this by sticking them between a rock and a hard place, giving them difficult choices.
So much happens in this book, it is an essential read in the Gone Series. That said it does focus more on character development to the detriment of the overarching plot. To give you an idea of how much actually happens, without giving too many spoilers away, here are just some of the main events: Lana connects with someone, Caine gets it on with Diana, Caine helps to save Perdido Beach, Albert is nearly murdered, Jack grows – becoming more of an action man, the Human Crew are disbanded, Astrid commits the biggest sin in her mind as a Christian, Orc the useless drunk seeks redemption and much much more.
Plague ends with Sam taking some of the kids to a lake and Caine becoming self-appointed King of the kids who choose to stay in Perdido Beach. Albert, Lana and Howard are allowed to go between the Lake and Perdido Beach as they wish. Plague has a few interesting twists, in terms of who goes with Sam and who stays with Caine.
I only had two gripes with Plague. First, was that Sam’s character development was sacrificed, for the sake of other characters in the book. He spent most of his time off searching for a lake, with a few missed opportunities to develop his character.
The second gripe was purely presentational; the copy I ordered off Amazon didn’t have the same illuminous page edging as the others in my collection. While only minor, it is disappointing that my copies wont all match on my bookshelf. Especially considering that the brightly titled covers and page edging were what caused me to pick up Gone in a local supermarket.
Plague was so absorbing, that I often lost track of time while reading it. I enjoyed Plagueso much, that as soon as I’d finished it, I immediately picked up Fear (the next book in the series) and started reading.
Alec & Jared the gay, werewolf lovers are back. With Lucy, Alec’s sister, they set out to reveal the truth about what happened to them by decoding documents they found in a underground lab and to find their pack. But they are not the only ones looking for their pack. The Wolfs are hunting members their pack and offering them a choice: join them or they’ll kill them and their family.
Along the way, Alec & Jared are at it like rabbits while Lucy is coming to terms with her new inner wolf. They track-down other members of their pack including:
Maxwell another gay werewolf and his best friend Haley, and Nadia and her mother Helena.
Alec, Jared & Lucy discover the Wolfs have much bigger ambitions, than just recruiting their pack. The Wolfs are bent on world domination and already have a plan set into action. Alec, Jared & Lucy decide they must stop them. They learn about the elusive Tutelars, protectors of humans. Will the Tutelars recognise that Alec, Lucy and Co are trying to help or just seem them as another pack of werewolfs?
The story builds to a fantastic ending as the Wolfs set their plan into full motion, sending human society into panic and disarray. Can Alex, Jared and Co stop them or is it too late? This is where the book ends and it leaves the reader wanting more.
The Wolf in His Arms is written in third person with a good show and tell balance. It keeps the reader hooked throughout with it’s fast-paced, ever-twisting storyline. The Wolf in His Arms is a brilliant, superb and reasonably told story.
At times, a lack of editing did let The Wolf in His Arms down. It was repetitive on occasion, overly used description of weather – which wasn’t always consistent and used dialogue tags that distracted from the dialogue.
The Wolf in His Arms is available in ebook format only and its short chapters mean that it is perfect to read on bus, train or tube to work. The Wolf in His Arms is available to buy on Amazon.
Review soon,
Antony
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Monday 17 March 2014
About
Antony Simpson - Author, Blogger, Nurse & Witch.
Author of eight books.
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