6th November 2025

On By Mick CanningIn Art, blogging, folklore, travel, writing29 Comments

When I began this blog, some ten years ago, it was for the express purpose of both promoting my writing and discussing writing in general. Since then, although I have certainly used it for that purpose, promoting my books and zines, posting the occasional poem, writing the occasional review of other books, and posting discussion topics on the subject, the blog has almost inevitably drifted into other waters. Since I enjoy travel so much, I began to post photographs and memories of those travels. I put up pictures of my artwork, since this seemed an obvious (and free!) place to promote them. Articles on the British countryside, mythology and folklore, and customs. Like most people, I have wide interests and this is a good format to record them in.

The Old Weird Albion, by Justin Hopper. Reviewed in 2019

One of my great pleasures has been the meeting of minds. We follow each other, read posts and comment, foment discussions. And it is a safe place! Unlike social media, it is very rare for strangers to barge in and attack other users. And on the very rare occasions this happens, it is easy to just block them. This makes it a much more enjoyable place to spend time. And there are no algorithms pushing contentious posts at the reader.

Mount Everest, photographed from Tengboche in Nepal from a post in 2021

But for the last couple of years I have been rather tardy in both posting and reading other’s blogs. Part of the reason for this is that since being retired, for some reason I seem to have less free time than I did before. I’m not really sure why that is. But I’m still here. And to get myself back into the swing of things, as well as writing some new posts, I’ll probably re-post a few of the posts I put up a long while back, which many of my current followers won’t have seen.

Recycling is good, after all.

A piece of my artwork.

Writing Update

On By Mick CanningIn Work in progress, writing34 Comments

I haven’t done one of these for a long time. For anyone wondering what has happened to my novel in progress, it’s finished. Hurrah! I know there were two earlier versions which got discarded as soon as I had finished them, but I’m really pleased with this one – it’s the book I had visualised when I began it nine years ago. Only better. When I had finished the earlier versions, I felt relief they were finished, but no joy. This time, I’m really happy with what I’ve written. I know it’s what I want to say.

Irrelevant photo. Because.

It has had the attention of several beta readers and is now all the better for their suggestions. It has also had what I hope will be the final edit, and I am beginning the process of looking for a publisher or an agent. This means a lot of research and writing both long and short synopses. And then, I suppose, months of waiting to see whether I have any luck.

There is also poetry and zine-making going on sporadically, plus some currently vague ideas for another novel.

It’s all go, I tell you.

Cordoba

On By Mick CanningIn Cordoba, Mezquita, Spain, travel25 Comments

We were in Cordoba in April. And we naturally visited the Mezquita (Spanish for mosque), a mosque repurposed as a cathedral in the sixteenth century. In this post, I’m focussing on the Islamic architecture – the parts that really interested me.

Regrettably, we had both been ill since before we left The UK and I was still feeling pretty grim throughout this part of our journey. This definitely impacted upon our enjoyment of the trip and I certainly fancy a revisit at some point. (It’s also worth mentioning we did the entire journey by train, which was comfortable, efficient, and more environmentally friendly than flying. That’s not relevant to this post, though.)

The forests of columns and archways are probably what the Mezquita is best known for.

I think the light almost gives this the quality of a Renaissance painting.

The Islamic world does amazing architecture. Arches, columns, and domes are the mainstay of their construction, but the decoration is also remarkable. The prohibition on depicting anything in the natural world means that paintings and carvings are invariably geometrical, intricate and inventive.

These type of decorated ceilings are common in the Islamic world.

This part of the roof is a whole other thing, though. The dome sits on top of a series of squinches, an architectural development allowing the transition from a square space to one where a circular dome can be supported (I’ve come across squinches before, in India. If you’re curious, the post is here). The decoration is glorious!

We had some rain, but sometimes buildings look even better in the rain. Well, that’s what I think, anyway.

A Change Is As Good As A Rest

On By Mick CanningIn autumn, weather16 Comments

The last couple of weeks have seen a real mix of weather – typically autumnal. At times it’s been absolutely hammering it down here. After what feels like an impossibly long spell of parched heat, in the last week we’ve had some marvellous rainstorms.

These rains have freshened the tired summer greens as though they’ve suddenly been woken up and sparked into life again. As summer drifts into autumn, we’re suddenly presented with the lusciousness of spring.

The heat had left me both mentally and physically exhausted, but I’m finally reviving a little. Autumn, like spring, is a season of change and I’m feeling the effects.

I’m also celebrating the return of mud. No doubt in the depths of Winter I’ll be sick of the stuff, but right now it appears like a magical substance. To walk upon ground that gives, ground that reacts other than by producing a puff of dust, is magical.

Even the birds seem more chipper.

‘Likes’ Update

On By Mick CanningIn Uncategorized14 Comments

Well, I tried clearing the cache on the browser, and it made no difference. But I tried opening posts from my phone, and that worked. Help suggested that might mean it’s the browser at fault, so I might change my browser at some point. So for those of you having similar problems, my browser is Chrome. At the moment.

‘Likes’

On By Mick CanningIn Uncategorized12 Comments

Just to say either WordPress has had a wobbly, or my account has – I don’t seem to be able to leave ‘likes’ at the moment; they disappear as soon as I leave the page. In case it’s just my reader, if I’ve successfully left a ‘like’ on anyone’s blog in the last hour or so, can you let me know?

Where Do The Dead Go?

On By Mick CanningIn novels, poetry, publishing, short stories, writing30 Comments

I know. It’s been a while.

I’ve been thinking about how I publish my poetry and stories, and concluded that the simple way is the best way. I don’t wish to spend a lot of time and money submitting them to competitions and magazines, putting them to one side where they may end up forgotten or just unpublished while I decide to submit them ‘just one more time.’ I’m not interested in putting a lot of time and energy into chasing the best deal or the most prestigious publications.

The whole purpose of writing is firstly for myself, and secondly because (naturally) I’d like to be read. It doesn’t have to be a large audience, I’m quite chuffed when anyone let’s me know they’ve read something of mine and enjoyed it. In which case I might as well just write some more zines and publish work on this blog. It feels like far less pressure. And the novel I’ve finished (Long Shadows) and which is still being edited I might submit to an agent or two, but I’ve no intention of spending months and years trying. If I’ve no luck I will quite quickly just self-publish it.

Anyway, putting my writing where my mouth is, here’s a poem.

Writer’s Notebooks (2) – The Purge

On By Mick CanningIn Work in progress, writing38 Comments

I’ve been doing some clearing out.

I must have had around twenty notebooks on my shelves. However, once they’re filled up, they are almost never opened again. Once finished, they’re put in a drawer, or on a shelf, and then pretty well forgotten.

Taking up space.

Occasionally I might be writing something and vaguely remember noting down something that might be relevant, but I’d never be able to find it again, so I usually didn’t bother. Anything worthwhile I might have written down while out for a walk or on a journey someplace, never seen again.

Yet when I actually come to sit down and read through them again, there tends to be nothing I want to use. Nothing that seems relevant. Either superseded by other ideas, or simply not any good.

Then there are the notebooks I used to develop novels, short stories, etc. No longer needed when the work is finished. Why hang onto those?

So they’ve all gone. It feels very cathartic.

Blue Monday

On By Mick CanningIn Blue Monday, winter34 Comments

The third Monday in January – Blue Monday – is supposedly the worst day of the year for those who suffer from depression. So here we are on the 20th, Blue Monday. But there is no scientific reason for this date to be singled out, it is just a modern myth invented, apparently, by a UK travel company who presumably intended it to prompt people to take foreign holidays to cheer themselves up. However, I can see some justification for the claim, while also seeing a certain hope. Justification, because I tend to feel depressed and miserable at this time of the year. Tired. Lacking in energy or, indeed, motivation.

But also a certain hope; by now the daylight hours are lengthening, which becomes apparent when we are fortunate enough to have clear skies around sunrise or sunset. New growth is apparent, with new shoots finding their way up through the earth and leaf or blossom buds swelling on trees and bushes.

I feel so tired at this time of the year. I just feel I need to survive this winter, just get through it. I shall light a fire, wrap up warm, pour a beer and read a pile of books. I am in touch with my inner dormouse and intend to essentially hibernate until Spring.

Winter Solstice

On By Mick CanningIn mumming, solstice, winter15 Comments

I’m always pleased to see the Winter Solstice.

Today is the shortest day of the year. Where I live, we will get approximately half the daylight hours that we will get during the Summer Solstice. Actually, slightly less. We get up in the dark and it is dark again long before supper time. The weather is cold and predominantly miserable.

But from today the daylight hours lengthen – at first imperceptibly, but gradually it becomes noticeable the hours of daylight are increasing. Finally, there is an end to the relentless lengthening of darkness, and within a few weeks it will become obvious that the world is, indeed, moving towards a time of warmth again.

Yet there are already new plants coming up; new growth that has been prompted by…what? When they broke the surface of the ground a few weeks ago the days were still getting shorter and certainly no warmer. Nature is strong and determined. Winter is never a lifeless time of death and decay. There is dormancy and rest, but also a lot of growth if one takes the trouble to look for it.

I’m thinking longingly of Spring, of renewal and growth. In a couple of hours I’m off to see a mumming play – perhaps I’ll leave you to Google that one – down on the Kent coast. Beer will be involved, of course, in line with the best folk traditions. Old – possibly ancient – celebrations of the turning of the year and the approach of Spring.