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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...

Book Launch of “Helen and the Grandbees”

Some youtube videos from the launch event... Reading from Helen and the Grandbees: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBsEYk0JM90 Interview with award winning author, Alistair Jones:...

The Homestead Cafe at Beckenham Place

Beckenham Place (which I have for some reason consistently been referring to as a Palace... c’mon, it has an outdoor swimming lake - that’s palatial) has stolen my heart with a paper cup. I...

HELEN & THE GRANDBEES

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...

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...

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...

A review of Koy SE3

Finally, ownership has been taken of CAU the impressive (triple?) fronted building facing the heath with absolutely everything going for it except for apparently the occupancy of a restaurant that...

My Paintings

Canary Wharf Clouds

£30.00£300.00

A Few More Of My Blog Posts

Boulangerie Jade  SE3 – reviewed again

Boulangerie Jade SE3 – reviewed again

There are two types of people in this world, those who like mille-feuille, and those who don’t.  Okay well, maybe there are three types, those who don’t like mille-feuille, those who do like it, and those who would like it if it was easier to eat.  Cos...

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99p e-book

Looking for some spring bank holiday reading?? Helen and the Grandbees “a heart-wrenching and deeply resonant story” ebook is at 99p at the moment! https://amzn.to/3crOtVr

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A Review of THE SPICERY subscription box

A Review of THE SPICERY subscription box

I was a bit cynical about The Spicery before I was gifted a subscription. I already have a whole cupboard door of spices... plus a drawer of kilner jars... plus things lying, y’know, around. However, when the first box arrived, pre-mixed with a sachet for each main,...

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A deliciously complicated Negroni delivery…

A deliciously complicated Negroni delivery…

  In my long search of trying to find reasons to be cheerful in lockdown with ice and a very badly broken arm, I encountered the Riding House Cafe, normally based in Fitrozia was now delivering. I did not know what sort of food experience to expect -  the...

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Broken arm!

Morning all! This is just a quick note to say I can see lots of people are hitting the blog when I normally publish on a Saturday morning only to be disappointed that I haven’t blogged for a couple of weeks... Apologies... this is because I had a freak accident on my...

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