Always hanging around

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As the nights draw in, and the clocks go back, the first chills of winter come galloping from the north. The summer holidays are but a fading memory as we hunker down for winter. On the fridge door is a magnet of a crab that was purchased in Cromer, and is a permanent reminder of this years’ family camping holiday at Forest Park just outside the town.

This year we decided to stay in the U.K and enjoy a traditional seaside holiday, and there aren’t many better places for such a holiday than in North Norfolk. Nights under the stars on an award winning camp site why the children are joyfully playing with their new friends in the fading light is an experience that should be enjoyed more often.

Cromer has all the traditional charm and then some. We spent days on the beach with chips and ice-cream and of course the famous dressed Cromer crab landed daily on the beach in little wooden boats. Then there is Comer Pier with Europe’s last end of the pier variety show, and what a wonderful show it is. It’s worth every penny with something for every member of the family to enjoy. Then to cap it all off you can’t beat crabbing off the pier.

After the show we all went crabbing on the pier with out bucket and nets and chatted to passers by strolling the wooded decks taking in the clean sea air.

We all had a wonderful time and my holiday spirits increased even more when on our return home I found out that my new book, Daniel Jones Doom, the squeal to Frenzy a Daniel Jones Story had won the People’s Book Awards.

So during the cold drab winter months when the spirit flags under the weight of the constant stream of grey clouds we can sit at the kitchen table, and there on the fridge door is a memento of sunny days, and very happy times.

Regards

Mark

Sunday, 6 September 2015

The People's Award

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http://www.amazon.co.uk/Daniel-Jones-Doom-Mark-King/dp/1781331200/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1437842789&sr=8-1&keywords=daniel+jones+doom

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I'm pleased to announce my new book awards Daniel Jones Doom the sequel t the acclaimed book Frenzy a Daniel Jones Story is the winner if the People's Book Awards.

Thank you to all the fans of the book and my followers who voted for it.

Regards

Mark

Daniel Jones DOOM

Posted on July 25, 2015 by Guest

Daniel Jones DOOM by Mark King

Printed Book

Daniel’s peaceful life has been destroyed after discovering the hideous truth about the Over-seers – the new masters of humanity. Hiding in centuries-old flint mines from Hunters and from the terrifying Triclops machines, Daniel’s recurring nightmares lead him, once more, into danger. With mankind brainwashed under the false hope of a glorious new life in the Achievement Centre, he must return home through a devastated landscape to save his father
from certain death.

Daniel reunites with two fellow fugitives – Mary and her young companion Gwendolyn – to undertake a rescue mission so dangerous that death is the only guarantee. Is it too late for Daniel’s family or is it too late for humanity itself? Daniel Jones DOOM, the exciting new sequel to FRENZY a Daniel Jones Story, is another fast-paced, engrossing chronicle of three rebels who once again risk their lives in a vividly depicted world peopled by memorable new and known characters.

Saturday, 29 August 2015

Cromer nights

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To be truthful I wasn't looking forward to sleeping in a tent. The first time I went camping with my family was five years ago when I had seriously hurt my back. I had something bulging out of my spine that shouldn't have been, and it was hell on earth. I had borrowed a small tent from a friend, and some very basic equipment, and off the family went. It was only for two days, but laying on a hard floor with only a sleeping bag with chronic back pain isn't an enjoyable experience.

Since then we have bought our own tent and added equipment to make it more comfortable. There was plenty of egging on by the wife, and children, who wanted to go camping again, that persuaded me to give it another go and invest in some equipment of our own. Personally I'm more happy by the pool somewhere hot in the world, but we're a democratic family, and camping got the winning vote.

But I had a good sleep on the first night, and it was the wife who had the restless night. The group of adults next to us had sat outside their tent when their own children had gone to sleep. They were drinking and talking, and the more drunk they got the louder they became. It didn't bother me because after all the hard work I had put in that day, and a few beers, I soon fell into the land of nod. But the wife became more and more irritated with them, and apparently by the first hour of Monday morning she had had enough, and went over to them asking them politely to be quite. They said sorry, and quietened down, but it took the intervention of somebody from another tent, plus an argument, before they finally went to sleep. I was none the wiser to these events until a rather tired wife told me in the morning.

After I cooked a breakfast of bacon and egg sandwiches we walked down to Cromer beach. It took longer than we expected. For some reason we thought we could get to get to the beach in ten to fifteen minutes, but we had to add another half an hour to this before we could get the swim ware on as the sun appeared. Cromer is a traditional British seaside resort. I enjoyed the local speciality of Cromer dressed crab, caught just off the coast, and landed on the beach in small wooden boats before being prepared locally. We all had chips for lunch with dashings of salt and vinegar, and later on we had ice cream on the beach.

The walk home was too much to handle so we took a taxi back to the camp site. Me and the wife sat outside our tent with a drink while the children played with their new friends they had already made, and once we all had a shower, and changed, we headed to the camp site bar.

All I can say about the food in the bar at Forest Park was that is was the best ever value meal I have ever had in the U.K. All the dishes were tasty, and my burger was probably the best burger I have ever eaten. We went to bed that night with our bellies full, and very content.

The children feel asleep as soon as their heads hit their pillars while the wife and I had a glass or two of wine under the night sky while watching shooting stars. The end to a perfect day on a traditional British seaside camping holiday.

Regards

Mark

Friday, 21 August 2015

I'm back (once again)

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Ten days off on my hols, and now it's back to normal life.

The week leading up to our camping expedition, sorry holiday, was like the build up to most holidays, quite a stressful time. It doesn't matter what type of holiday you are looking forward too, you still have the suitcases out the weeks before you go with items placed inside ad-hock as they are thought about. Slowly they fill up and the closer the date for travelling arrives the more you find you keep double checking with each other, 'have you packed this, or have you booked that?' The travel list is never ending and when you go camping there's twice as many items to pack, and thus twice as must to worry about.

I had to get the tent out and spread it over the back lawn because we have had a family of mice living in our garage who for some reason seems to like chewing holes in the most unusual things. I kept dreading putting the tent up on site only to find holes all over the canopy roof. There were no holes thankfully although my wife has had great joy in using an old fashion mousetrap to catch three of them, and our cat has taken two as well; so I think the mouse family are no more. I was quite happy to leave them where they where and as nature intended until I had seen some of the damage they had caused to camping chairs and other various items.

We had so much to take we needed use of the Mother-in-law and her car which was full to the roof alongside ours. Once packed we headed for North Norfolk to Forest Park which is about a 45 minute drive away from where we live. We decided to stay in the U.K this year with all the trouble happening in various tourist destinations in the Mediterranean region.

We arrived at 3 pm and by 5 pm the tent was up and everything unpacked.

The Mother-in-law brought Pippin the dog who took great delight in trying to help with the erection of the tent, but other than some help by my son it was mainly daddies sweat that got the tent up, and livable. Once everyone was settled my day hadn't ended because next it was time for food and that could only mean one thing, barbecue. It was the least we could do for the Mother-in-law. So out come the charcoal and a can of beer for the chief, which was me.

As the wine flowed and the sausage sizzled I had my shorts on, and the sun on my back. The children and Pippin were running free and the ladies were soaking up the last rays of the day as they sat happily in the deck chairs chatting. It was at this point you take a moment out to think about all the previous weeks hassle, and tension, and if it was worth all the stress? But like I say there is always a but, if it had been pouring with rain, and blowing a gale, then we would have all been huddled in the tent. I wouldn't like to think what the mood would have been like then, but on this occasions it wasn't raining. There was just an amazing sun set.

And on an occasion like this the answer was yes. Yes it was worth all the hassle, but their was a little question that popped into my head. Would the good times last throughout our holiday?

Stay tuned to find out.

Regards

Mark

Monday, 3 August 2015

Where is the sun?

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