• I spent the morning in Tavistock Library being Viking Vik for Whitchurch and St Peter’s School. I’ve visited the library a few times now and always have a good time there.
    We had a lot of fun being vikings, telling Vikig Vik stories and teaching the children a few words of Norwegian – “hi” alway goes down well!

    After lunch, Library Manager, Jude Jeal, who had organised my visit and I drove up to the high moorland of Dartmoor to Princetown school. The school is at the other end of the village to the prison which dominates the scenery for quite a distance.

    The school has the most beautiful hand-painted and gilded sign. so nice to see real signwriting for a change. We had a load of fun but my outfit was criticised because I wa sswearing glasses – not historically correct – It was suggested I should have gone to Viking Specsavers!

    Thanks everyone for a Vikingtastic day! I headed off across Dartmoor on my way to Poole in Dorset. It was a beautiful journey, bright and clear. I’ve not been acrosss south dorset before. It’s very beautiful.

    Starlings in Poole
    As I came into Poole I was held up at the traffic lights. I saw everyone else looking o9ut of their windows at a flock of starlings wheeling around above us. My camera was on the seat next to me and I took this shot as they flew past and before the lights turned green.

  • I’m often asked if I’ve met any famous authors. I usually ask who the questioner would like me to have met. It’s usually Jaqueline Wilson, Michael Morpurgo or one of the invented commitee authors who write things like Beast Quest or Animal Ark. But I was flumoxed this week when I was asked if I knew Katie Price!

  • Yesterday afternoon I began my South Devon Viking Vik Spectacular! Stowford School came in and Librarian Helen Cooper and her gang at the library were ready in their Viking outfits. Even the Ivybridge Library rhino mascot was dressed up. My wife and daughter were up late the night before helping me get the outfit finished. The cats had got my helmet and ripped the mapie wings off so I had to make a new hat. We had a load of fun and the children were last seen walking down the road shouting viking chants of, “Wo ho ah!”