Having just arrived home from a brilliant month away in Norway and Sweden, I wanted to make sure my first article of the Autumn is about Strawbridge, a fellow Substacker who gave me a chance to see an advance copy of his new novel, ‘My Own Ashes.’

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I started to read his reflections on growing up and immediately drew parallels with my own life.

So let me try and sum up why this book reached out to me as a reader and why it is a valuable reflection on the pressures of living in a society full of expectations.

My Thoughts

This book is well written and provides insights into one man’s life, as well as drawing comparisons to well know stories, from Star Wars to The Wizard of Oz.

Let me just emphasise the quality of Strawbridge’s writing. The grammar, fluency and composition is excellent. I have rarely read a book with no mistakes but this is flawless.

Strawbridge has described the awkward reality of growing up in the USA during a period when men were meant to be manly and participate in rough sports. It made me think about my own childhood when I was not interested in football or rugby but was forced to play them and often came out with cuts and bruises.

The exploration of societal expectations is a big part of this fascinating novel. Lots of parallels are drawn and thought provoking questions are asked. Strawbridge is clearly a deep thinker and intelligent writer and he explains that this can sometimes seem a weakness. Introverted people often suffer, despite having much to contribute and plenty to say.

Dealing with relationships at all levels is an important strand of this piece. He talks about the challenges of dating that he went through and openly discusses communication issues that many of us dwell on.

Should we pretend to be confident? Would we be better off staying quiet?

Strawbridge steps back from himself when referring to the hero of the story and really encourages readers to think about how challenging it can be to deal with internal monologues that feed negative thoughts into the minds of people who do not necessarily conform to societal norms.

One of my favourite quotes from the book is this:

‘I have more contempt for life itself and less for the poor beings who are held by its strings, dancing as part of a ridiculous show.’

I won’t give away the things that Strawbridge experienced but it is safe to say he has lived a full life, with many ups and downs. He has put into words an experience of existing, experimenting and enduring.

In A Nutshell

As a reader of biographies, I really enjoyed this and was moved by the writer’s honesty and vulnerability. It is cleverly written and has a way of combining first and third person text to provide a thorough reflection and commentary of stages of life that we can all relate to.

Comparisons made to movies and well known stories help to clarify some aspects of the subject matter. This thoughtful book is contemplative and insightful, thought-provoking and upsetting.

Be ready to be impressed and emotionally shaken by this gritty, truthful book.

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Last week I wrote about the first step on my summer journey to Scandinavia. I took in some of the best known attractions associated with Cologne in Germany.

Now I am going to share my experience in beautiful Malmo, Sweden. Malmo is the third biggest city in Sweden and is just across the Oresund bridge which spans the straight between Denmark and Sweden. It is basically where the North Sea connects to the Baltic.

Historic Malmo

Four years ago I spent a few hours in Malmo but was sad to discover that the Castle was closed because it was Monday.

This time it was a Sunday and I took the opportunity to walk around this historic 1434 built fortification.

Malmo Castle was passed between royals of Danish and Swedish heritage over the centuries.

Built by King Eric of Pomerania, it suffered damage in the 16th Century and was rebuilt in 1539 by the Danish crown who made it the stunning renaissance castle we see these days.

The museum and castle are well laid out and most displays are translated into English too.

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This is Crowned Prince Frederick of Denmark, whose image occasionally comes to life and starts talking.

The museum features dresses, armour, cannons and examples of medieval food.

Only one thing slightly irritated me and that was the fact that the museum went in one direction to the end but there was no exit there. You had to walk all the way back past everything to get back to the start, where the entrance and exit were at the same place.

Just outside the museum was this quirky little old fashioned tram, which we took for a spin on a 20 minute track.

It was so cute!

Malmo was a brief stop for me as I got there late on Saturday evening and had to leave at 6:30am on Monday morning.

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I especially loved walking around the city at sunset and experiencing the wide, clean streets which edged against the sea.

What a beautiful place Malmo is!

Recently I explained that I am spending the summer in Norway, Denmark and Sweden, getting to each location by train.

Well, my trip is ten days underway and I am now in beautiful Oslo.

I thought that I would share some photos of my journey so far.

Cologne

After taking a Eurostar from London to Brussels, I travelled to Cologne in Germany. Although it is not in Scandinavia, it certainly impressed me.

With charming architecture in its old town, Cologne is immediately intriguing. I was lucky enough to sample a local Jazz club while I was there.

The band of older gentlemen played classic jazz and were very talented. I loved sipping Pina Coladas while tapping my foot to well played jazz.

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Only staying two nights, I had to try and see the big tourist attractions so I simply had to visit the colossal cathedral.

I bought a ticket online while I stood queueing. It was easy to do and cost £10.26. It was well worth the price.

The structure was breathtaking and the inside was ever better.

The floors had amazing mosaics and the stained glass windows were just beautiful.

I am about to go and explore more of Oslo but I will fill you in on my travels and hopefully provide some good insights and travel advice.

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As a geographer who is keenly interested in the environment, there is one issue that really worries me.

Population growth.

According to Worldometer, the population of the world is 8.3 Billion (25/07/26) with a growth so far this year of 39,399,000 approx.

Now is the time to be worried.

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It is fair to say that there are finite resources in the world.

We only have limited amounts of productive farmland.

We only have limited amounts of clean water.

We only have limited amounts of fossil fuels.

The list goes on…

And on…

And on some more.

Try Not To Multiply

We all know that some religions promote having lots of children. Alongside this, many frown upon the use of contraception.

Even China relented on its one child policy. Although this was overly harsh, we do need to consider limiting the size of our families, for the sake of mankind (yes, I hate that word too - sounds too gendered).

Africa has a birth rate of 30.566 births per 1000 people, according to Macrotrends whereas Europe’s is just 7.91 per 1000 (same source).

Isn’t it odd that a continent with deserts and growing desertification is seeing such huge population growth?

Climate change is pushing these bigger populations north. A combination of lack of contraception, inflexible religious attitudes and rising temperatures is forcing migration towards Europe and Asia and America.

It doesn’t take much thought to realise that population change is negatively impacting people, animals and habitats all over our planet.

Urbanisation, deforestation and wildfires are all adding pressures to our ecosystem.

The human ecosystem is damaged.

Damaged and disintegrating.

But it isn’t all about humans.

This morning a US tweeter suggested to me that the US should not have to reduce pollution until China did.

The US releases 4.8 billion metric tons of carbon per year whereas China releases 11.9 (according to Statistica).

It is like children arguing about a mess they both made.

‘You made more mess than me.’

‘I’m not clearing anything up until you start.’

Awkward.

Attitudes need to change in order for us to tackle both global warming and overpopulation.

I have so much more to say on this issue but before I get started , let me ask you one question:

Do You consider overpopulation to be a huge issue and one of growing relevance?

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Last Friday I met up with my best friend who I’ve known since 1984. We were both reminiscing on the past when the subject of Vegas came up,

Over a decade ago, he was in a really good banking job and was able to afford a celebratory holiday to Vegas and he took me with him.

Now, even though I didn’t know it at the time, that particular reset holiday was ju…

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Welcome back to my little corner of the internet where I regularly talk about books, travel and the process of creating content.

I am glad to say it is finally the summer holidays and I have hung up my teacher laptop for six weeks.

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I am going to be brutally honest with you.

One of the benefits of being a teacher is the long summer holidays.

Yes that is one of the reasons I took the job.

In recent years, I have been making the most of summer to explore Europe by train. In 2024 I visited Belgium and the Champagne region of France. Last year I spent the …

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The weather seemed great this morning! Jack scurried around in a whirlwind of excitement, knocking things over with his toy sword as he pretended he was a pirate. Kate scooped everything together and pinned a sun hat to his head before leading him out of the door and up the driveway. The boot crashed closed and after strapping him into the child…

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Summer is messy,

You know what I mean.

Full of entanglements,

Yet sunny and green.

The hotter the weather,

The more active we are.

BBQs, parties

And road trips afar.

Laying on beaches,

Lotion slapped on our backs.

And as we get older,

The clearer are our cracks.

Sewers start stinking,

And insects drop in our food.

As we eat outsid…

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Welcome back to my newsletter where I talk about books, travel and teaching writing.

Today I wanted to draw attention to something shocking which is happening in the education system in the UK.

No, I am not discussing poor behaviour.

Nor am I talking about the lack of teaching of arts subjects in schools.

Instead, I am highlighting the decline in reading. W…

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Those of you who know me will be well aware that I like to get to the point.

Although I love a good story, I am never fond of embellishing something unless I am writing a fiction book.

In fact, even my fiction is relatively short. My first publication was a novella.

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Articles Shine When Polished

Recently I…

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Welcome back to my newsletter where I regularly suggest writing advice, review contemporary books and discuss travelling around Europe by train.

It has been a very busy month, including a fantastic trip to Geneva in Switzerland and several theatre trips.

Having seen two brilliant West End shows, I thought it would be fun to share my reviews of each.

If you…

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Welcome back to my newsletter where I explore the writing process, share great examples of fiction and talk about travelling around Europe by train.

For my recent book, TV and podcast suggestions check out my last post:

Having studied English for A-Level and, to a smaller extent, at University as well as having taught for many years, I have …

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Welcome back to my monthly feature where I love to recommend a book, TV show (or movie) and something to listen to (usually a podcast).

If you missed the April edition, it is here:

Read ‘Royal Spin’ by Omid Scobie and Robin Benway

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Let me be honest with you about the writing process.

I want to lay everything out in front of you like the contents of a suitcase being spread unevenly across a hotel bed.

We’ve all been there.

Late for dinner, we get fed up with rummaging through our cases, looking for a favourite top or that aftershave we spent a little too much money on.

It’s much easier…

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As I finish my holiday to Switzerland, I thought it would be a good idea to celebrate some of my most-read travel articles with you.

Travelling by train is my thing.

I just love exploring Europe by rail.

If you have not considered this mode of transport before then these articles suggest places you could visit easily ny train.

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Welcome back to my newsletter where I discuss books, travel and writing tips.

Currently travelling through Europe, I am basing myself in a wonderful city that is snuggled into the corner of Switzerland.

Geneva is packed with things to do but I have been spending a lot of time out of town too.

…

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Welcome back to my newsletter where I talk regularly about the brilliance of books and the excitement of travel.

Right now I am taking a trip with my mother to Switzerland.

We now go on a different adventure every year, having already explored Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam.

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This is the second time that I have stay…

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The idea of being an honest person is an interesting one. Humans seem to have it in their DNA to tell lies. We all do it, albeit often only what can be considered as white lies. Yet some people, as they grow up, become increasingly used to telling lies and these lies grow and grow until they become habitual, almost instinctive.

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Are you lying to yourself?

…

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When I did a survey to find out my preferred learning style at school, I discovered that I was an auditory learner.

It was no surprise that I was better at learning through speaking and listening.

So it is also no surprise that I really love listening to podcasts.

Podcasts allow me to consume ideas and insights at ease. I can even listen to them in the ba…

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