A flight from Sydney returned us to the UK on Wednesday 10 December. Although we’re still suffering from jet lag with some very early starts to the day, it’s good to look back on our experiences. You may remember, I used AI to help refine our itinerary and wrote about it here. The first two weeks involved a road trip of the North Island following a figure of eight around Auckland and for the second leg, we joined a cruise. This took us to ports on the North and South Islands plus stops in Hobart, Melbourne and Sydney.
Here are the highlights:
Auckland
A day trip to Waiheke Island in the Hauraki Gulf, just off AucklandSymonds St cemetery, the first in Auckland
Bay of Islands
Whangārei FallsChurch at Russell, a ferry ride from Paihia where we were based for three nightsTrip along Ninety Mile Beach which also acts as a national highway. Cape Reinga where the Pacific and the Tasman Sea collide
We also visited the Waitangi Treaty Grounds where papers were signed in 1840 which form the basis of relationships with Māori people.
Coromandel Peninsula has some lovely beaches including Hot Water Beach where people sit in puddles to feel the warmth.
I received an email from SME News in June this year saying The Writer is a Lonely Hunter had been nominated in the Southern Enterprise Awards 2025 . The nomination was based on my ‘impactful storytelling and dedication to community engagement through writing’. I looked into the organisation and decided to proceed. A couple of months later, I was told that following merit-led research and evaluation my blog had been recognised as the deserving recipient of the Best Literary Writing Blog Award 2025.
My sixteen-month-old grandson has impetigo (an infectious bacterial skin infection) which he caught at nursery but he isn’t allowed to return there until 7–10 days after starting a course of antibiotics. As a result, we’ve covered some of the emergency childcare needs. It’s great to be helpful and looking after our grandson is always a lot of fun. He’s started talking much more and points his index finger when out in his buggy and calls out words like car, truck, bus and dog. We’ve spent a lot of time building towers with plastic cups (which are immediately knocked down) and stirring pretend porridge which is always too hot or too cold.
I was delighted to receive a review copy of The Blue of You, the latest work by talented author Amanda Huggins, published by Northodox Press. The novella is a joy to read, and I thoroughly recommend it to you. Here’s my five-star review:
The setting of a village on the NE coast of England in The Blue of You is integral to the story where some members of the close-knit community hold secrets and others break them. The novella works as a mystery where I found myself wondering which characters were trustworthy. Layers of narrative reveal Janey Shaw’s personal history as she becomes empowered to address issues of unresolved grief. The writing is immersive and rich with symbolism. This is another triumph for the author who has a strong track record of producing high quality writing.
AI systems are trained on existing written material and therefore authors are anxious about having the copyright of their work infringed. It’s large corporations that gain most from the introduction of AI and the big profits that can result. Professional writers whose median income fell to £7000 in 2022 are right to be concerned. There are also reports of AI generated stories flooding open submission windows causing more headaches. You can read about the Society of Authors response to AI here. Keeping all this in mind, are there any positives?
I’ve had my friend Cathie staying with me for the past month and we’ve done lots of exciting things. Here are a few of them…
We went to see The Crucible at The Globe on a very hot afternoon. The £5 ticket meant standing for the duration which wasn’t too bad when the shade finally reached the spot where we were perched against a wall. It was one of several great plays we’ve seen this summer – others were The Great Gatsby and The Stereophonics.
It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I have a penchant for visiting cemeteries. When I spent the summer of 2021 in Cambridge, I regularly walked through Mill Road cemetery as a short cut to joining parkrun on Coldham’s Common. David’s favourite spot for foraging elderflowers and elderberries (to make wine) is at Surbiton Cemetery. So on a lovely day at the end of May, I decided to make for Brompton Cemetery.
Many cemeteries are more like wildlife sanctuaries and offer pleasant green spaces in which to wander. (I agree with the Victorians who saw them as a venue for a pleasant outing.) Seven large cemeteries were established in London during the 19th century to alleviate overcrowding in the existing parish graveyards. These were Kensal Green Cemetery, West Norwood Cemetery, Highgate Cemetery, Abney Park Cemetery, Nunhead Cemetery, Tower Hamlets Cemetery and Brompton Cemetery As I’ve been to Highgate cemetery many times, I decided to visit Brompton because I knew it from the days when I lived in Earls Court but never went inside. In 1981, the architectural historian Hugh Meller began calling this group of cemeteries ‘The Magnificent Seven’ after the 1960 western film of the same name.
Following a post on the London Writer’s Salon noticeboard for members, I contacted the librarian at HMP High Down about delivering a flash fiction workshop. It piqued my interest to see how a workshop would be received by male inmates at the prison. High Down is a category C men’s training/resettlement prison which is why staff are interested the role volunteers can play in rehabilitation. Notable inmates at High Down have included Gary Glitter and former England cricketer Chris Lewis. The prison is situated close to Belmont in Surrey where I lived as a child from the age of two until eight years. Our neighbour was employed as a gardener when the site was know as Banstead Asylum, a psychiatric hospital. After gaining my shorthand and typing qualifications when young, I worked there as a temporary secretary. With this history, I was curious to see how things had changed.
Oh yes, any trip to IKEA should be rewarded with a bite of lunch. Fortunately, the Croydon store wasn’t too busy when I visited last week and I came away with all the purchases on my list… and not much more. (The marketplace is fatal for picking up just another bargain.) I was interested to note there’s a scene set in IKEA in You by Caroline Kepnes, where the protagonist helps his muse to buy a bed. I am late to this novel (it’s now available on Netflix) but I did find it a compelling story and it made me realise how few books I’ve read recently where the main viewpoint character is male.
On this occasion it’s David and our friend Martin at the helm of a GoBoat. This electric-powered boat took us on a jaunt along the River Thames from Kingston and the table provided an excellent way to share a picnic. I’ve been madly searching Google to find the name of the romantic novel which I think was set in Copenhagen and features GoBoats. Instead, I’ve come up with an AI overview of how I can write a novel based on my search:
The protagonist, a travel writer, is tasked with documenting the “hidden gems” of Copenhagen. She meets a local guide while exploring the city’s canals, and they decide to take a GoBoat tour…
Although I find plot the hardest thing to nail as a writer, but I won’t be resorting to AI any time soon.
As a former teacher, I’ve discovered I’m entitled to join Boundless an experiences club that helps those who work or have worked in the public sector to make the most of their free time. It does this by offering savings on events and a variety of free benefits. The club was established in 1923 by Frank Edwards who set about bringing people together to share adventures. Nowadays, the £40 membership offers free entry into Kew Gardens and (for an additional fee) several royal palaces including the Tower of London and Hampton Court. To make the most of our membership, David and I visited Kew Gardens last week which is a train ride away from our flat in South West London. We explored a section of the grounds and enjoyed the temperate house. We also took a stroll along the treetop walkway which offered fantastic views over the London skyline.
the writer is a lonely hunter 