• My daughter doesn’t really get politics. My Wife says she has to vote – people have died so she can. My daughter thinks she might vote Liberal Democrat. My wife says that’s a wasted vote around here – but is it?

    The problem with our system is that the boundaries get re-drawn by each new government to aid their re-election. If a party is in third place in a constituency, it seems like a waste of time voting for them, so the temptation is to vote for the second party in an attempt to unseat the Government. But all this does is give moral power to another party that you do not support.

    It would be possible for the party with the most votes not to form a Government at this election, but they would have a moral majority that would have to cause some kind of change.

    If everyone actually went and voted for the person or party they really want to represent them, then the parties that don’t get power will at least have the moral backup of real voters behind them.

  • Here’s a video that shows you how to draw a crab. This is based on my book, Nip! Nip! a very early phonics book that I’m really quite proud of. It has only three letter words made out of the letters SATPINMD and I think it’s quite a fun story! I show it to year six and beyond and they all really like it!

    You tube has changed things recently. If you see a thumbs up anywhere, please click it if you like the video.

  • For the first time in my life, I’ve written something that has made me laugh out loud! Actually it brought tears to my eyes. It’s the character that did it – Axel Storm’s bombastic Uncle Ritchie’s character is expanding as I write. He’s a monster! I never knew this until I began writing him in.

    He appeared in the distance, driving across the plain in a cloud of dust, screeched to a halt and surprised me as well as Axel and his Mum and Dad, who knew what he was like all along – otherwise they would have stayed at his ranch. I was reading the opening chapter out aloud and was taken by surprise at how awesome he has turned out to be! Axel thinks he’s wonderful.

    You’ll have to wait ’til the autumn to read it. (Unless he gets edited into something more wholesome – will I be allowed to keep the shotgun scene!?)