Life can be tough running an independent bookshop, so I never say no to an invitation to visit one and talk to readers about my books.

Maurits Escher struggled at school and only discovered what he was good at later in his life. I’m not surprised, because like me, ha eas left handed.

I rather enjoy speaking to groups about my books, but I wonder if I also have a useful role to play telling groups of older men that life does not end with retirement, it can actually take off in a new and exciting direction!

The older we get, the more important it becomes to plough a furrow that takes us to our personal goals. In my case, that means writing books that change the lives of those who read them.

My diary is filling fast with book events this autumn.Does this make me a successful author?

Don’t miss the chance to see some old farming films that are highly relevant today, support a great local charity and learn about my new book. https://buytickets.at/leistonbookfestivalcic/2163242

I’ve been driving Fordson tractors since I was 14 years old. Why would I stop now?

Last week I organised a book launch, sold 90 tickets and 23 books. I also learned a lot about myself, and my target audience. Why not ask me to speak to your group too?

We all need to do more to inspire young people, and this event I organised with Esther Freud and Emma Chinnery did just that.

We’ll be showing two rare Suffolk films, and launching the paperback edition of my latest book at 1400 on Sunday 29th Msarch, in Framlingham. Don’t miss it: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/leistonbookfestivalcic/2040462

We’ve now lived in our home for two full years, and in 2025 our net spend on heat and power was a remarkable £238.

Will my glass be half empty, or half full in 2026? Time to recognise and accept that I am achieving success, and just need to continue what I am doing, without distraction.

Days in London break the routine of days at my desk researching and writing. Variety increasingly defines my life as an author, and as that’s the life I’ve chosen, it’s just as well I find that enjoyable.

I often have flashes of common sense when I least expect it. This time prompted by walking home in the dark, from yet another meeting in town.

I’ve been doing something new, which I realise is all too rare.

It’s not every day that I meet someone so familiar with my latest book, that they remember my name.

A 48 mile bike ride at the weekend reassured me that while I might now be 70 years old, I am not yet old!

A recent conversation heled me realise who few people know that so many well known companies have deep Quaker roots. Exploring what made those companies so successful will be the subject of my next book, which I expect to see published early in 2027.

In a Church Times review of an East Anglian book, the reviewer wrote; ‘a new rural classic, along the lines of George Ewart Evans, Ronald Blythe, or Robert Ashton.’

It’s flattering to be given equal billing to two of my literary heroes!