Described as an eco-boutique hotel, The Green House is a restored, 32-room Grade II Victorian villa that, after extensive refurbishment, opened in 2010. Its Arbor Restaurant has been awarded 2 AA rosettes. It has additional event capacity in the basement. On the weekend we stayed, at the end of April, a party had booked this for the Saturday evening and we were emailed in advance to warn us of potential noise issues. Asked if we wished to switch dates or be accommodated in one of their quieter rooms we opted for the latter. On arrival we came to realise that we had been given their impressive ..read more

Poole Parkrun has a reputation for being the biggest event in the south west. Having already run Bournemouth a little while back, on our return to the town this weekend we decided to see what running in such a well attended Parkrun would be like – our local typically has around a couple of hundred each week. Held in Poole Park, a location we are familiar with from previous short breaks, we anticipated a flat course and plenty to admire along the way. This was also a Pacer Week which always adds an additional challenge to chase. Knowing how popular the event can be we arrived early at our chos ..read more

April proved busy with family activity, most noteworthy being daughter sorting out the details of where she is to live from this summer. Yes, she has confirmed that she will move out – exciting but also a change for us all. I have been getting back into cycling, something I do more when the weather improves. It would be good if temperatures would lift and the rain would hold off more frequently that I could enjoy the activity more. Husband and I attended our usual Parkruns each Saturday throughout the month, although with just the one new venue reported on – Salisbury. We ended last month wit ..read more

Salisbury Parkrun has been on our list of venues to visit for quite some time. We had been told the course would suit us (no mud or hills) and it had important facilities nearby (parking and toilets). With the weather forecast to be fine we decided this Saturday would be a good day to make the journey. An earlier than usual start was required to allow for contingency driving from the north of the county to the south. Despite a major road closure along part of the A360, we arrived within an hour. Arriving early proved fortuitous as part of the nearest car park was still underwater from the rec ..read more

“In Lypynski’s vision, all of the inhabitants of this common land would unite in the land’s interests, irrespective of their ancestry, language, faith, or occupation. Oddly enough, this simple and clear-cut plan for surmounting enmity in the multi-ethnic and socially stratified Ukrainian territories engendered even greater enmity.” Forgottenness, by Tanja Maljartschuk (translated by Zenia Tompkins) is the latest release from a new Irish publisher, Bullaun Press. The story has two protagonists, born in what is now Ukraine exactly a century apart. The first is the narrator, a contemporary wri ..read more

George heard there was a dragon living in a faraway land. “I will ride out on my trusty steed and save the people being terrorised” he declared to any who would listen. “When the beautiful princess under threat hears of my brave deeds”, he thought, “perhaps she will marry me.” George was in want of a wife, for all the usual reasons. Taking up his sword and his shield, George bid a hearty farewell to friends and family. They waved him off enthusiastically, somewhat relieved at the peace they could enjoy in his absence. It took some time for the young knight to traverse the lands, being unsure ..read more

“I gazed at the line of skyscrapers and tried to form original impressions of the famous shapes. I did wonder what’s so special about going anywhere, when everything looks so much better in pictures anyway.” Old Romantics, by Maggie Armstrong, is described as a collection of linked short stories. Each entry could certainly be read and enjoyed separately, but as a whole they tell the tale of a woman – from early adulthood through to motherhood – who shares the author’s name in various forms. These are love stories but told through the interior and often destructive desires and reactions of t ..read more

“You can be fit, conventionally good-looking, have lustrous hair and fine, firm limbs, but if you flash a snaggle-toothed smile – it’s game over, man. You’re a wrong ‘un.” John Patrick Higgins has always taken good care of his teeth. However, between violent events and genetic inheritance he has lived his life thus far with particularly bad denticles. By bad he means teeth that fail. Shards fall from them randomly when he eats even innocuous foodstuffs. Some have hollowed out despite there being no signs of decay. He grinds his teeth while he sleeps, something the usual treatments for such ..read more

A slightly different run report today, looking back on the first race I ever entered, this time last year. The annual 10k run, inaugurated in 1983, starts in the pretty little market town of Corsham in Wiltshire. A popular event, it is held in April and will be happening again next weekend. Having decided to enter a race, something that took quite some personal courage, I looked around for a local event I felt confident I could complete. Husband was still recovering from his heart issues but daughter agreed to join me – for which I was grateful. We did a few runs together in preparation but I ..read more

‘Bride’ is Ali Hazelwood’s first entry into paranormal romance, after finding huge success with her ‘STEMinist’ series of contemporary romances. It feels very much like a Hazelwood book: entertaining, with fantastic slow-burn chemistry and a fun and engaging subplot. There is, of course, the irritating and unnecessary third act breakup – but aside from this, ‘Bride’ is an excellent entry into the genre, and showcases Hazelwood’s ability to (slightly) branch out from her roots. Misery Lark is the only daughter of the most powerful Vampyre in the Southwest – and, as such, has spent her entire l ..read more