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Friday 23 November 2018

TWILIGHT BEACH

TWILIGHT BEACH


I don't usually blog so frequently but after returning from the beach this evening I just had to share my thoughts and pictures. I love it at this time of year when I'm often the only person there. And especially when the tide is out. Aggie and I head out as far as we can - hoping to dodge the mud holes then walk along the tideline. And what is even better is when it's twilight. 


The birds are shadowy but vocal: Curlews, Oystercatchers, Turnstones. Dunlin and Little Ringed Plovers. Tonight, they were joined by a pair of Herons, which was rather special.


Aggie loves it too - the large areas of flat sand allow her to run at full tilt, which means she gets plenty of exercise. I just love it there and feel so privileged to have such a wonderful place close by. 









Thursday 22 November 2018

CITROEN DS - the 1955 Motor show sensation

CITROEN DS
the 1955 Motor show sensation


At the London Motor Show in 1955 there was the new 2.4 litre compact saloon from Jaguar, the latest MGA sports car and Rolls Royce Silver Cloud, plus a Sunbeam Rapier coupé with whitewall tyres. But the star of the show had to be the vehicle innocuously billed as the ‘2-Litre Six-Seater saloon’ on the Citroën stand. For the previous 21 years their staple offering had been the Traction Avant range.

Citroën had been working on their Voiture à Grande Diffusion (VGD) project since the 1930s. By 1950 the prototype was renamed ‘Projet D’ and in 1955, the DS was launched at the Paris Salon; by the end of that day Citroën had taken over 12,000 orders. 
It was the DS styling that caused the initial sensation, for even in repose it looked like a basking shark.
Variations included The Safari

A beautiful coupe 


And the most bizarre variant, The Reactor



The Reactor was a custom aluminum show car designed by Gene Winfield and completed in 1965. It was based on a 1956 Citroën DS chassis and powered by a Chevrolet Corvair engine. It gained fame when it was renamed The Jupiter 8 and appeared in Star-trek as well as being driven by Eartha Kitt in a Batman film.

I have featured the Citroen DS in my DI Sonny Russell crime novel, Blood on the Tide, when his French opposite number, Inspecteur Guillaume Bruissement has one on trial. I have also written one into Blood on the Strand, soon to be released.

Finally, a Tissier van was developed in the 1960s. 


I've researched this wonderfully futuristic looking vehicle but can find very little information about it. If anyone can supply more details I'd be delighted, so please contact me.


Thursday 1 November 2018

GHOULIES AND GHOSTIES

GHOULIES AND GHOSTIES

Kate, the landlady and boyfriend Bob

Following on from a post last month when I discussed the inspiration for the Shipwrights Arms in my novels, I paid a visit to 'Doris's' aka The Red Lion at Snargate, near Appledore. As it was October 31st, the theme was naturally, Halloween. My daughter, Saskia, made a spooky spider costume for Aggie and cleverly carved her likeness on a pumpkin.

Spooky spider Aggie

My effort was much simpler, inspired by Jack Skellington in Tim Burton's delightful, Nightmare before Christmas. And, despite stiff competition, it one first prize.

My winning pumpkin

All the entries.

The Goacher's bitter was rather too easy to drink and I'm afraid I celebrated rather too well.