Links on YouTube

 The double life of John "Mad Jack" Adams

Sea Ghosts

A few minutes ago, I did something I rarely do, I posted the link to my short story, Sea Ghosts, to two sites I watch on YouTube. The link is valid as the channels are about pirates, and my story is of a pirate who lived in Yorkshire

The blog has more readers in Finland than the UK

 Tervetuloa Finland

I can understand the Finns

In 1970, I visited Finland during a school cruise around the Baltic Sea. The Finns are a cold people, like most Scandinavians, I can understand why.

Since the 1700s, they have been in a stalemate with Norway and Sweden over an area of land. The area is small, and far from most of the major population centres, none of the countries want the area, but they don't want the others to have it either.

Before World War 2 began, Finland was at war with Russia, and with Sweden's neutrality making an invasion from Germany likely, I can understand why the Finns chose not to stand with the Allies. A war with both major powers would have been catastrophic.

The short story shown here is not Finland, the image is one I took in 2009 of Greenland, the following year, this area exploded and vanished below the waves

Alzheimer's Disease Concerns

 Mental Health Concerns

I am losing my memory

Since losing my wife in January, 2025, I have noticed a sharp decline in my mental health, I put it down to nothing more than old age, now I am concerned it could be Alzheimer's Disease. This was my wife's fear, both her mother and grandmother suffered from it at their ends. One of the most noted sufferers was actress Rita Hayworth, during her later years, she didn't recognise anyone.

My wife's mother lived with us in Horfield, Bristol in her last years, and she'd wake up calling for her husband, but he'd passed away years ago.

I hope to start writing again

 Alan Place - Short Story Writer

The Fantasy Writer

I have several projects in my WIP files which I can enlarge. There are some Gothic stories, Romance stories, Horror stories, and several Fantasy stories I enjoyed writing.

The last time I wrote one of my Speculative Fiction stories, I had to stop.The story was so weird, it gave me bad nights for weeks, and I knew what was coming, perhaps that was the reason. That story was based on an event that happened which happened to me, when I was stationed in Scotland

From Tropico to Frostpunk

 Frostpunk

I see no better way to view my possible romance with my friend in Whitchurch, Bristol, than in the comparrison of two of my computer games.

Two months ago when I found how close she is to my house in Hartcliffe, the future of our relationship would appear to be on the rise, and sunny like life on Tropico.

Now, after a series of cancelled dates, our romance, if we had one, is more like the barren frozen wastelands in Frostpunk

I am losing the fight with the Dragon

 Fighting the Dragon

Romance in Whitchurch

For several weeks, I have been fighting a war against depression, the main reason I have not "hit the bottle," is the hope of seeing my friend, Clara, who lives in Whitchurch, not far from where I live in Hartcliffe, Bristol. As the weeks have passed, and I keep being given a reason she is unable to make our meetings, I am losing my battle to not start drinking the bottle of Vodka I have in the house

Fighting the Dragon

 Clara - my love

Depression

Each day I have to fight a dragon, this dragon isn't a myth, or a fantasy. This dragon is real, and scares me, because I wonder how long can I keep fighting it?

This dragon comes in a bottle, dragon vodka. Each day, I fight depression after the loss of my wife in January, 2025. The fight is daily, a fight I fear losing, my rock is my friend, Clara, who lives in Whitchurch, Bristol.