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Talking About HELEN & THE GRANDBEES at the Stratford Literary Festival

Last month, I had the opportunity to discuss Helen & The Grandbees at the Stratford upon Avon Literary Festival. This was a fantastic evening meeting some fabulous Warwickshire writers and hosted by Jo James (in the pic) Sadly, our technology failed… so here is a...

My stories taught me about myself

(This article originally appeared in the Pebworth Piper) My need to leave London had been on my mind for a while. I was fatigued by London’s luxury towers and treeless plazas. It’s uptight tentacles tangled along every street and into my little Victorian cottage...

The Tapas Room, Deptford – A Tiny Cavern of Delights

Little did we know that it was the end of tier 2, that in fact this tier was set to double, when we enjoyed a day off work to pretend to holiday in Deptford. We sat under the glow of a heater, making up for the tiny well-ventilated room, admiring the bottles, the menu...

“If a treat is available it should be indulged,” Pre-lockdown Boulangerie Jade review

So many places in blackheath have been so good at their social distancing that we decided to do the ‘trip before lockdown’ experience, so long as we could be sure it was safe. Now, a ‘Trip Before Lockdown’ is a very special occasion and should not be undertaken...

Review of Wisley Gardens… and environs

In June, we discovered the RHS gardens. Can’t remember why. Think I saw it on someone’s instagram. We packed fake fizz and I made an artichoke and thyme pizza and apple cake and we ventured out into the newly unlocked world, wondering if the toilets would be closed...

HELEN & THE GRANDBEES

A little diversion for the blog today as my my novel “Helen and the Grandbees” based in south east London has just hit publication date... Buy Helen and the Grandbees here: https://amzn.to/3crOtVr *affiliate link It’s a different type of wrtiting from the...

Working From Home – Exercise

I’m sure that you are getting all the same WFH advice that i am... My office‘s top tip was to tell me to schedule a workout everyday to counter any isolation associated with working from home....

The Intercontinental O2 review Greenwich

In some ways, The Intercontinental at the O2 should come on prescription. It’s got it all: healing powers, grumpy receptionists and pharmaceutically-priced options. Overall, I keep coming...

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Review of Aisha & Abhaya

I have a friend who’s face says everything.  I admire that friend and how comfortable she is expressing contempt. However I don’t think I am too low in the contemptuous-glare-pecking-order. I...

My Paintings

Canary Wharf Clouds

£30.00£300.00

A Few More Of My Blog Posts

Tila Deptford

I’m duty bound to write about Tila.. because despite the food being delicious, there was no one else there... no one to admire the wood fire and the relaxed decor. This is wrong. People are missing out. There was much to like, the QR code menus, the open kitchens...

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Book Launch Party 28th October

If you would like to dial in to the launch party 7pm on Wednesday 28th October, contact me on @alexpaintings. 'Breathtaking and moving, Helen and the Grandbees is a novel that bravely explores themes of familial discord, race and love in modern Britain. It is a book...

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