“A compelling story” Amazon reviewer) 👇🚀✨📚 #SciFi #Space #BookSky #ReaderSky

🌸 Sweet peas' vibrant colors and delicate petals are adding a beautiful touch to the garden. Loving this burst of natural beauty. Who else enjoys these lovely blooms? #GardenJoy #SweetPeas #NatureLovers

Just a reminder MoneySavingExpert does not cold call. If someone knocks at your door (or calls you) claiming to be from us or sent by me, to switch your energy or owt else, it is not true, be careful.

"Wow! Just sat through The Day Of The Martians while working and I'm absolutely bowled over by it. It was well written, produced and gripping to the end." The Martian Diaries 3-part sequel to The War Of The Worlds - print, ebook, audio w/music www.martiandiaries.com #Audiobooks #BookSky

Interested in wildlife & the history of Sutton Park? Don't miss these upcoming events from the Friends of Sutton Park! #Wildlife Challenge Talk - Mon 9th March & Roman Road Walk - Sat 28th March. Free for members, £3 non-members. More info: www.fospa.org.uk#Wildlife #SuttonColdfield #Volunteer #Birmingham

Happy Sunday everyone. Wishing you all a very peaceful day. Take care out there. Loving you all xx👍😊💃🕺🪗

Four FREE short stories! This weekend only 👇✨📚 #ShortStories #FreeBooks #BookSky #ReaderSky

Maximize your garden's potential, no matter the size! 🌿📏 Vertical planting and companion planting are game changers for small spaces. Grow up, not out, and see how diverse your harvest can be. Every inch counts in the urban jungle! 🏙️🥕 #SmallSpaceGardening #UrbanGardening

Three mini-blogs for the start of February Well folks, January soon passed by, and as we roll into February, with not much going on to write about, I thought I'd try something a bit different following an afternoon out I had last Sunday. They don't really warrant long-form articles of their own,…

School half-term and other timetable changes in February 2026 Monday 16th to Friday 20th February Owing to school half-term closures, there will be minor changes to a number of bus timetables in Birmingham and the Black Country during peak times as traffic levels reduce. I feel the need to stress…

What's looking lovely in your garden this February? Share a picture below and we'll repost a few of our favourites next week!

“Riveting read that holds your attention” (Amazon reviewer) 👇📚 #Horror #Thriler #ShortStory #BookSky #ReaderSky #Audiobooks

Between books and undecided what to read next? Try this science fiction short story collection 👇✨📚 #SciFi #ScienceFiction #ShortStories #BookSky #ReaderSky

In May 2014 we were asked to dance on a Sunday at a local village Farmers Market. Lovely people, super stalls and a nice crowd. A really fun morning. #becauseyourhistorymatters #50in26 🪗🕺💃😊 #Shropshire

Good Morning fab followers and thank you. We wish you all a very safe and happy Wednesday. Take care out there please. Loving you all xx💃🪗🕺

“Intrigue and conspiracies abound to make this a page-turner” (Amazon reviewer) 👇🐬 ✨📚 #ScienceThriller #Dolphins #BookSky #ReaderSky

Good Morning everyone. We’ve danced outside this Chester pub many times. It’s a nice place! We hope you can all have a great Tuesday. Loving you all, be careful out there. Xx😊🪗💃🕺

Happy New Year to everyone from Shrewsbury Morris Dancers. 2026 sees Shrewsbury Morris celebrating 50 years of dancing in and around Shrewsbury and sometimes further afield too. A great team of people who meet together every week and share a lot of fun and friendship. 😊👍💃🕺🪗

Beat the winter blues with indoor gardening, your sunny windowsill is prime real estate. 🌶️ Start Chillis & Peppers now for a summer harvest. 🥗 Grow Microgreens for fresh salads in just 7-14 days. 🌿 Herbs like Basil & Chives thrive in the light. Start your "itch to grow" today! 🍅✨

Good Morning all, Happy Tuesday! We’re dancing this coming Saturday in #Oswestry for their super #AppleDay! Be there or be round………no, that’s not right…..be triangular……wait, hold on……be oblo…….oh look, just go and see, it’s a lovely day. 🙄💃🪗🕺💕😊👍

5 Great Sci-Fi Masterpieces Hidden on Prime Video (#2 Still Needs a Sequel) buff.ly/YWyt1Vk Thanks to the sheer breadth of the library, there is something for every sci-fi fan, but it's easy to miss great movies. This list features adaptations derived from HG Wells and George Orwell. #SciFi #Film

A Martian armada heads for Earth at Christmas 1913 and a new invasion begins! Fans of The War Of The Worlds - don't miss The Martian Diaries 3-part sequel in books or audiobooks with bespoke music & sounds. Samples & buy links www.martiandiaries.com #SciFiBooks #Audiobooks #BookSky

Need a gift for a fan of The War Of The Worlds? They're sure to appreciate this award-winning 3-part sequel in books or audiobooks featuring bespoke music and immersive sound effects. Hear/read samples & see buy links here www.martiandiaries.com #SciFiBooks #Audiobooks #BookSky #ReaderSky

📣 Our plant nurseries in Kings Heath and Cofton are open through the winter! Kings Heath has a workshop on Saturday 29 November for Christmas table arrangement and wreath making🎄 🌻 Shop open 9am-4pm Demonstration and workshop 10-1pm 1/2

2/2 "Because Mr Peterson was much smaller than Sir John. He was bound to lose if it came to a fight. The only way to better him would have been to take him by surprise." "And his motive?" "Is it not obvious?" George shrugged. "Read my many treatises. Tomorrow I shall test you."

Wednesday December 6, 1854. George scratched his head. "So you think Mr Peterson scarpered from the Diorama of his own accord then met up with Sir John...to do what? Blackmail him?" "That may have been the excuse. But I think he was already planning to murder him." "Why?" 1/2

Here ends Octavius Guy's daily journals for now. Thank you to everyone who read and responded so enthusiastically to our boy detective's posts over the years. Have a great life. 🙏

2/2 "I thought you would like to know," the sergeant began, refusing the seat that George tried to offer him, "our bird Peterson has flown the coop." "He will no doubt resurface at some point, sir. He must if he wishes to inherit." "Ah." Sergeant Gray nodded in appreciation.

Tuesday December 5, 1854. The wit of a clerk who led Sergeant Gray to my office poked his head round the door before opening it fully. "They've come to take you away," he jested, though no one laughed, not even the good sergeant, who seemed ready to cuff the fool's ear. 1/2

2/2 We both agreed that Mr Peterson was now a man to be watched very closely. I gave him his address, which seemed to placate him somewhat. The big question was how Sergeant Gray had been able to find me on a Sunday? Had he been watching me???

Monday December 4, 1854. Directly after yesterday's service I'd told Sergeant Gray all about the plan I'd hatched to unmask Sir John. He could hardly refuse to believe me since two officers of the court (Mr Death and my own employer) had been present. He didn't take it well. 1/2

2/2 "Let me guess. That of a young man?" "No." The way he said it so bluntly made my blood run cold. "It was the body of Sir John Geeson." "Sir John?" I gasped. Sergeant Gray's eyes drilled through me as the vicar droned on. "Who wanted him dead?" he asked. Me, not that I said so.

Sunday December 3, 1854. The commotion occurred just as we were sitting after mumbling the Lord's Prayer. No less than the good Inspector Gray was forcing his way along the pew towards me. "A body was fished out of the Thames last night," he whispered as he sat down next to me. 1/2

Saturday December 2, 1854. As I worked my way through my breakfast kipper I wondered how many days it would be before Mr Peterson's body turned up. That he was complicit in his own disappearance seemed obvious. What had Sir John offered him? Money?

Friday December 1, 1854. It's my seventeenth birthday, so I thought I'd be forgiven for doing very little to trace the unfortunate Mr Peterson. I was wrong. Both George and Mr Bruff had words with me. Telling them he'd signed his own death warrant would not have gone down well!

2/2 It seemed impossible. Every time I thought about it, it came back to that. If it seemed impossible, then it probably was impossible. My brain began ticking over with the two theories that presented themselves...both disastrous to the young Mr Peterson.

Thursday November 30, 1854. Frankly I considered my failure a slap in the face, a challenge to a duel that might as well have been delivered by Sir John himself. How could he have whisked Mr Peterson away before six pairs of watching eyes, choosing the perfect moment to do so? 1/2

4/4 It was in that very moment that Sir John must have struck for, when I next looked, Mr Peterson was gone! Even then I had hope, as I had stationed George and Bertha's young henchmen at the building's entrance. And yet, when I reached them, they claimed they'd seen nothing.

2/4 The Diorama, across from the Zoological Gardens, was surprisingly busy for a Wednesday afternoon. Mr Peterson stood in front of a tableau of the pyramids at Giza, stiff and ill at ease. Mr Bruff and I lingered at the side of the next exhibit, entitled, "Let Them Eat Cake."

Wednesday November 29, 1854. I calmed the timid Mr Peterson as best I could; Mr Bruff patted his shoulder. "We will be nearby and we will be listening," he reassured him. "You will be safe." "And I just have to pretend I'll keep quiet if he shares his inheritance with me?" "That's the plan." 1/4

Tuesday November 28, 1854. Mr Peterson, Sir John's third cousin once removed, looked astonished to hear my revelations. "So he murdered his wife?" he gasped. "I believe so." "And he can't be brought to book?" "My close contacts in the Metropolitan Police say not." "Oh. Oh, my..."

3/3 After revealing it was her own husband who was the culprit, Mr Bruff became thorny. "All this on the say-so of criminals?" "On the say-so of the same criminals you have relied on in the past," I countered. "I cannot prove it, but I know it for a fact." "Then what are we to do?"

2/3 "Who do you represent, sir?" I asked. "The late Lady Geeson or her husband?" Mr Bruff's brow furrowed. "Adelaide Geeson, of course. Her parents were clients of mine before they passed." "Then you would want to know who it was who struck her down? Who eventually murdered her?"

Monday November 27, 1854. I removed my bowler hat and knocked respectfully at my employer's office door. "Come!" came the immediate response. "Sir," I said upon entering, "I have a pressing question to ask." Though I saw him roll his eyes, I was determined to stay the course. 1/3

Sunday November 26, 1854. The service was over. "I have a question," I said. "You do?" Annie looked at me expectantly. "Is there a difference in biblical terms between killing someone yourself, or asking a friend to do it?" When she frowned, I immediately regretted my words.

Saturday November 25, 1854. "If you knew who attacked me, what would you do to them?" Bertha took a sip of her sherry, readjusted the black veil to hide her face, then sat back to speculate. "I'd bleedin' get 'em alone on a moonless night," she chortled. Well, at least I had a last resort!

2/2 "More?" The man peered down his cadaverous nose at me. "If I am correct in my thinking, I beg you to help me put an end to Sir John Geeson." A moment of perfect understanding seemed to pass between us. Then Mr Death raised his hands and smiled. "Young man, I am but a humble clerk."

Friday November 24 1854. "I wasn't expecting another visit." Mr Death looked surprised to see me. I steeled myself to broach what promised to be a thorny conversation. "Good sir," I began, "you must be aware that for some time now I've suspected you of being something...*more*." 1/2

Thursday November 23, 1854. "He what?" asked George. "He outright refused to believe me," I repeated. "And after all we've done for him!" I might have taken solace in George's vehemence but, honestly, I feared Sir John would go free. Mr Tibbles sensed my mood and gave my calf a butt.

3/3 "I managed to track them down, sir." I replied. "Ah! Where are they?" "In the city of Hull...though I doubt they are there any longer." "Hull?" Sergeant Gray's lips pursed. There are fools in this world, and people you can easily fool, but Sergeant Gray is not among them.