Book Review – Hidden & Other Stories by Victoria Taylor Roberts

Here are fifteen stories on a concurrent theme that everyone has something to hide. These narratives are about ordinary people coping with their everyday lives. The stories are brief, ideal to dip in and out of during a train, bus journey or lunch break. Some are sad and some uplifting. They are all expertly drawn accounts of the human condition and many end in a delightful twist.

Hidden by is published by Authors Online and is available at http://www.authorsonline.co.uk
and http://www.amazon.co.uk for £7.99 (paperback) and £5.61 (kindle format).

Khoj (A Search) by Ramzan Hakamali

This is a book that Peatmore Press could not resist publishing. It is a story of four people – the author’s grandfathers (maternal and paternal), his father and himself. One grandfather ended up in the Europe of the last century. The other literally walked into darkest Africa and jetted out when the world had taken a giant leap forward. The author’s father was expelled from Uganda, as were many other people of Asian origin, by Idi Amin in the 1970s and given refuge in the United Kingdom. Ramzan Hakamali, his wife and two sons now live in Surrey where he has searched out his past and now searches for the future. A search, a word when translated in Hindi is KHOJ.

Khoj is published by Peatmore Press and is available at Amazon co.uk
via http://www.peatmore.com/khoj.htm for £5.66

Ocean of Stars fundraiser 2014

It is good to see that Merlin’s Sea Life centres take marine conservation seriously. They are organizing an event to highlight the problems at the London Aquarium (by the London Eye opposite the Houses of Parliament) on 1st July at 7 pm which is well worth a visit. Details can be found at:

http://www.visitsealife.com/london/newsandevents/oceanofstars2014/

Travels in Southern England

I arrived in Weymouth by train on 31st May and quite by chance found the Wessex Folk Festival taking place. This is a free festival but to keep it going visitors buy the sponsored programme and put change into circulating plastic buckets. The festival is a delight and, although I had not heard of the many acts that performed on the main stage at Brewer’s Quay or the small stage by the harbour, the music was fantastic and well worth hearing. Morris teams took turns to dance in the square and along the street to wonderful effect.

The Unprepared Jugband on the small stage

The Stone Donkey Pilots on the Main Stage
(I was dazzled by this band so much so I bought their CD, “So Darn Good”)

Morris Dancing by the harbour

Saturday Night Folk Session at The Sailors Return

Weymouth is found on Dorset’s Jurassic Coast, so called because of the many fossils that can be found along the cliffs lining the shore, and is one of England’s most enchanting seaside towns. I arrived here by train and it was a delight to stay in a Guest House near the seafront and to sample the local ales with names like Piddle, Life Boat and Wey Ale. It is not everyday that you can go into a bar and order a refreshing pint of Piddle that is really thirst quenching.

The Old Rooms Inn
(I enjoyed listening to evening song sessions here during the Festival over a glass of piddle notably with the Unprepared Jugband.)

Make sure you check out the Festival’s website below for next year’s event. If you go then you will be in for a treat.

http://www.wessexfolk.co.uk

Keith Jahans
Editor, Peatmore Press.