One of the coolest things seen in Venice: The Piraeus Lion. Carved in marble in Athens around 400 BC, graffitied by bored Varangian/Viking guards in the 11thC, stolen in 1687 by rapacious Venetians (St Mark's symbol was a lion), it now sits at the gates of the Arsenal, serene, imposing & fantastic.

Got 'em! Wordle 1,830 6/6 ⬜⬜⬜🟩⬜ ⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜ 🟩⬜⬜🟩⬜ 🟩⬜⬜🟩⬜ 🟩🟨⬜⬜🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

It's weird. I was raised watching US TV, movies and books that *stressed* the heroic competence & capability of it as a constitutional country, flawed but noble....when in reality, it's three weasels and an alcoholic hamster in a trench coat.... <sigh>

I will just note: Damn fine series of books. Damn well written. Go forth and READ THEM!!!

"I hear you're sending me a seventh prime minister"

Treated myself to a bookstore visit for Fathers Day. Couldn’t resist!

And he’s in the tub…

Built myself a home-made Pell, for sword practice. Let’s see how long it survives!

Apparently, though it isn't official in any way, June is considered "Historical Fiction Month" by some booksellers. Here's some of my favorite historical fiction reads...

Dusting off my MA in International Relations & 10 yrs working in international trade & investment promotion, to read through the US-Iran MOU. www.cnn.com/2026/06/17/m... Well, in technical, foreign policy parlance, the US got pantsed. THROUGHLY PANTSED. I mean...holy shit. This is ridiculous.

"when there are mountains I look at the mountains when it rains I listen to the rain" Santoka (images: Hasui Kawase)

Oh, woe on woe! Oh, Death, why canst thou not sometimes be timely?

The storm is up, and all is on the hazard.

One of the challenges in writing historical fiction, is to capture a setting. How do you write about an era that is long vanished, make that setting come alive in a realistic & accurate way? How does that drive the story & characters, & how do they interact with that world?

Walked into that one... Wordle 1,818 4/6 🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Picked this up at a trade show. The greatest safety sticker ever made.

Avaunt, thou dreadful minister of hell!

Casting call for the next Guy Ritchie gangster flick!

Are you happy now wordle? You made me swear... Wordle 1,817 6/6 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟨⬜⬜🟩 ⬜⬜🟨🟨🟩 🟨🟨⬜⬜🟩 🟩🟨⬜🟨🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

How is it that he looks so much better in my hats then I do?

The sound of the rain dripping has also grown old" Santoka (image: Hasui Kawase)

When walking in Italy - be sure to look down!

"It’s unfortunate that almost none of the people behind these accounts know very much about the ancient world." Unfortunately, ignorance is not the only thing wrong with them. @bretdevereaux.bsky.social on Elon Musk's X and the fascist statue accounts: www.thebulwark.com/p/why-stone-...

fickle, false, and full of fraud

I think "Are you a f*cking idiot" has now become the most oft-used phrase in 2026....

Damn. Surprised myself on that one! Wordle 1,811 4/6 ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ 🟩⬜⬜🟨⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Yee haw.

He hath ribbons of all the colors i’ th’ rainbow

Mondays. Amirite? Wordle 1,808 6/6 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Watching Nic Cage in Spider-Noir. Only two episodes in but it’s pretty good. I’m thinking if they ever do a Humphrey Bogart bio-pic, Cage would be a solid choice.

It’s another Sword Saturday!

Yesterday I posted an oculus, today, a Duomo. Why? It's Friday, I don't need a reason!

For no particular reason, other than its been a *long* day, here's the Pantheon's occulus.

Looking for a great summer read? THE JESUIT LETTER Ex-soldier turned play-actor Kit Tyburn left bloodshed & violence behind him when he abandoned the war against the Spanish, but when he intercepts a letter from a hidden Jesuit, he is entangled in a deadly conspiracy. amzn.to/3OndCRZ

"There's a virtue in slowness, which we have lost" ― Graham Greene, Monsignor Quixote (image: Hasui Kawase)

Wow. All green and pulled it out in the stretch. Wordle 1,803 6/6 🟩⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Almost. Wordle 1,802 6/6 ⬜⬜🟨⬜⬜ ⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟩🟩⬜⬜ ⬜🟩🟩⬜⬜ ⬜🟩🟩⬜🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Mondays.... Wordle 1,801 5/6 🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟨🟨 ⬜⬜🟨🟨🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

I renounce all confidence.

Happy #Caturday

"spring melancholy － even for goldfish even for humans" (image: goldfish and wisteria, Koson Ohara)

Just a reminder, I'm exhibiting in Mississauga on Saturday May 23rd! Come out and meet some authors, grab some books and have a terrific day! As a bonus, I'm giving out a limited number of free copies of my novella BLACK DOG. Stop by and say hi to get a copy!

Oh well... Wordle 1,795 5/6 🟨⬜⬜⬜🟨 🟩⬜⬜🟨⬜ 🟩⬜🟩⬜🟩 🟩🟩🟩⬜🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

still not quite over the fact that i watched 15 year olds get sued for millions of dollars for downloading twelve songs and now we all have to accept AI slop because every tech company in the known universe decided that IP laws don't exist now that they're inconvenient for them

"places of meeting for all vagrant persons and maisterles men that hang about the Citie, theeves, horsestealers, whoremoongers, coozeners, connycatching persones, practizers of treason and other such lyke." Sounds like fun.

Hmm. Now you're just being mean. Wordle 1,790 6/6 ⬜🟨⬜🟨⬜ 🟩🟨🟨⬜⬜ 🟩🟩⬜🟩🟩 🟩🟩⬜🟩🟩 🟩🟩⬜🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

If I grow up I want to write this well www.nytimes.com/2026/04/27/b...

<Sees on social.> "YESSSSSSSS!!!" <Sees price> "NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" <Collapses sobbing...>

The sunset view on the Venice Livecam is fantastic. It's a nice little afternoon de-stresser...