My piece on nettles has just been published on the research page of the Military History Group. It’s a fascinating subject, and after a couple of false starts I like to think I’ve done it justice. I will post it here in the next day or two. Its “family history” goes back about ten years – to the work I did on nettles when we were on the farm. This is the thing with knowledge when you are writing, it never wears out. It also goes to show that anything can be “military” if you try hard enough. From uniforms to parachutes and camouflage netting – but I suppose anything that existed in the 1914-45 period was involved in warlike purposes.

I had an acceptance last night. I still have three submissions out (and don’t have much hope for any of them) so it is time to get going. A lot more needs to be written in the next 14 days, and I  have nothing in reserve.  I tried writing poetry last night but couldn’t get to grips with it. I have a list of titles, and sometimes a few words of notes to go with them, but nothing that amounts to much.

That’s one of Julia’s pictures, of a tern. She struggled to frame it as they are so fast. They breed on artificial rafts moored in the lakes in the country park. I publish it here because it allows me to get a pun into the title.

I’ve also written an outline for Julia and her monthly piece in the Nene Valley Railway newsletter. She lacks faith in her abilities, so I knock her thoughts into shape and it gets her started. She has been taking pictures of dogs this month, with a view to writing up the cafe as a dog-friendly meeting place for dog walkers. They even give the dogs free biscuits. If they ever start giving humans free biscuits, I will be there.

She also spoke to a visiting Tasmanian while she was there and got enough information to do a profile. He also let her have photos of his sketchbook so she has some original artwork of the station. He is originally from the UK and was planning to visit family, including his father who, sadly, died just before he set off. His plan for this leg of the trip is to visit Staithes, as it has a rich artistic history. (though you have to read to the end of the linked article to find it). While I was looking that up, I looked at some of the pictures of Dame Laura Knight ( a Nottingham girl). She was an official  War Artist and I feel an article coming on. As I say, if you lived at the right time, everything is military.