Hmmm, well over a month since I posted a burst of words from my brain to yours! In the interim we`ve seen the Hutton enquiry drag various main planks of the Blair government`s case for war down into the pulping machine - well, nothing exposed that we didn`t already suspect, but nice to see that hunches and visceral mistrust were not misplaced. Now we wait for Lord Hutton hisself to make his pronunciamento on the sorry Kelly saga, whereas what we really need as well is an independent commission of enquiry on why we went to war in the 1st place.

Another event of moment has to be the Ascension of St Ahnult to the Governorship of Californ-eye- ay. Must admit that my jaw swung low and wide when I heard the news. I won`t indulge in any sneering at Cali denizens (the phrase `dumb as a box of rocks` will not pass muster on this blog....again), but you have to wonder. Are we now seeing the fruits of 50 years of American-style celebritised ultramedia brainwashing, that a man with no policies and no track record can step up and be given control of the most powerful state in the US? What, I wonder, can this presage for ourselves here in the UK? - will it be David Beckham for Mayor of London? Ant & Dec to run the Foreign Office, maybe? Or Sara Cox for PM?

Sigh. Anyhow, on a lighter note - I just today received inna post a copy of a Czech magazine, Zakladna, the no 8 edition from 1998, which printed my story, Dark Territories, a grim, sub-Gibsonesque tale of genetically-augmented military folk! I`m sure that the mag`s people mailed me a copy 5 years ago but that was during a time of upheaval and much flitting between flats in search of the One True Flat wherein peace and a writerly tranquility doth reign (yeah, I am actually living it in now, at last). But anyway, it is a blast to finally hold in my hands a copy of Zakladna, a rather nifty perfect bound A5-sized booklet. And at some time in the next year or so I am hopeful that a collection of me short stories will be appearing.....well, I`ve yet to get an agreeable publisher for this, but leads are being followed and responses awaited.

In the meantime, I move on with bk3, Shadowmasque - and I`ve found myself being unavoidably influenced by real-world events as I write it, altho` I do put some effort into not doing a one-for-one, scarcely veiled allegory. Heck, you`ll see when it comes out.

And all that remains for now is for me to say - happy birthday to me! Egad, 25 again!