Writing, Walking, Cycling

It’s been a busy summer and it’s not over yet, so it’s probably time for an update. Let’s start with writing.

I was delighted to have a poem published in the latest issue of (the delightfully named) Gutter. Gutter describes itself as Scotland’s leading literary magazine, and who am I to argue?

I’ve also got an article in the current issue of The Nightwatchman, the Wisden Cricket Quarterly, and, barring any last minute changes, will have an article in the next issue as well. I’ve written about Parker’s Piece in Cambridge and its amazing cricketing heritage. The magazine will hit the shelves in September.

In the December issue of Bedrock magazine, I have an article entitled School + Food = Hope. It’s an equation we use a lot at Mary’s Meals, as you can see here, for example.

The big news, though, is that I have a new children’s novel in the pipeline. We’re planning illustrations at the moment, so I’m not sure when it will be available, but I hope it won’t be too far off. What can I tell you about it? It’s aimed at children aged 8+. It’s funny - at least, I think it’s funny - and it's quite different from The Race and Meg and the Great British History Mystery. I really enjoyed writing it.

So that’s writing. What about walking and cycling?

Next week, I’m walking the Augustine Camino with Mary’s Meals. We’re starting in Rochester, near where I was born and bred, and finish at the Shrine of St Augustine in Ramsgate. We’ll be visiting four of the designated Jubilee churches and shrines along the way, so it should be a really special walking pilgrimage. I’ll post some pictures and updates when I’m back.

Swiftly following on from the pilgrimage, I shall be jumping onto a tandem to cycle from London to Brighton for Mary’s Meals. This is the one that is making me nervous, to be honest. I’m not a cyclist and I haven’t really done enough training, but we’ll see how it goes. The main motivation, of course, is ensuring that we feed as many children as we possibly can in poor communities around the world in their places of education. £19.15 feeds a child for a whole school year, so we’re hoping that as many people as possible will sponsor us. If you’d like to do so, here’s our JustGiving page.

Today was our final (i.e. second) go on the tandems. We had a lot of fun, even in the rain.

Our presence in the park also excited some interest from passers-by.

Next stop Clapham Common and then it’s downhill all the way to Brighton!