And came across these as well. I think they were both Christmas presents to me, as mum and dad knew I was into this sort of thing.

Having a final pass through books. I think mum might have a library book 70 years overdue!

This is going to be excellent! And you can pre-order it from Waterstones at 25% off for the next couple of days!

#NowEating I have made a spicy shredded chicken pie of such dimensions it practically has its own gravitational field. I think it might be lunch tomorrow as well.

Going through dad's things and turns out he had quite a collection of ties. Amongst which I found my old school tie. Don't quite know what to do with it. Obviously some sentimental value there but I'm not going to wear it and it's not something I've thought about in forty years...

"Carpenter may have lost battles, but he won the war." Nice long interview with John Carpenter, from @theguardian.com .

There's a heads-up for this year's Venice Noir in the Gazzettino...and if you turn up at Harrogate next week, you'll find out even more!

Having a clear-out and came across dad’s Swansea City scarf. This goes on the “to be kept” pile.

Mimi’s back in Venice, but here’s a photo of her wanting a big cwtsh last week.

#NowWatching Recording the Proms for later...but tonight has to be the mighty Horst Janson buckling swashes and fighting vampires as Hammer stream the 4K of...Captain Kronos Vampire Hunter!

Legend. Sad news...

Tonight's listening sorted!

The Proms are nearly with us (huzzah!) and there's a prog-tastic one as well (read that in an Alan Freeman voice if you like). Stuart Maconie and the legendary Carl Palmer are here to tell you all about it. But Italy was the country that loved Prog the most...shame they're not represented..

@househammerpod.bsky.social reach 1968's "Dracula Has Risen From the Grave." In which Dracula is thawed out, nibbles on lovely Veronica Carlson, and ends up in an unfortunate high speed incident with a large pointy golden cross. But be warned...singing may be involved...

Back in Wales after a long day's journey. Kind of hot here...

This kind of blew my mind. Apparently Voyager will reach the One Light Day milestone later this year...

Damn. Sam Neill was one of the good guys. (And thanks for "In the Mouth of Madness", Sam)

This the perfect description of Imperial-phase Dr Feelgood...

#NowEating Red Thai curried salmon on a bed of coconut jasmine rice. Bit of an odd recipe - parboil the rice and then finish it with the salmon under the grill, but it did actually work.

See, I don't go making this stuff up!

#NowEating A steak, but not just any steak. Lombata di Sorana. Heat pan to blazing-heart-of-the-sun-heat. Make sure your steak is as dry as it can be. Then into the pan for three minutes a side. Rest for three. Steak sandwich coming up tomorrow as well!

Thanks to Mike Ripley and “Shots” magazine for lovely reviews of “The Venetian Redemption” and @davidhewson.com ‘s “Devil in Dorsoduro”. As well as a shout-out for Venice Noir!

Maximum floppiness! #Caturday

#NowPlaying Duke Ellington, "Ellington in Order vol 4 (1932)". There's about 3.5 hours of music on here, including plenty of alternative takes and the like. I'm having such a good time with this series!

#NowEating Panzanella. Oh, those colours!

This is wonderful...

“Prince of Wales” goes to Welsh-speaking school and asks question about English football team…

Radio 3 continue to spoil us with Spanish Renaissance music from The Sixteen.

I remember a review of "Faster than the Speed of Night" along the lines of "If Jim Steinman is Wagner, then Bonnie Tyler is leading the Ride of the Valkyries". RIP Bonnie.

Oh, no reason.

And here's a piece I wrote for Crime Cymru...

Should anyone be near Caerphilly/Ystrad Mynach this weekend, this would be a fine thing to support.

#NowPlaying Monday night BBC Radio 3 gave us the Bach Mass in B Minor. Last night we had Mahler 2. Tonight we get the Monteverdi Vespers!! Really, they're spoiling us! www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

A little more from me on "The Venetian Redemption". Thanks to Ayo Onatade and Shots magazine!

Belgian players in front of the Seattle crowd

Hercule is tuning in...

Biscuits!!!

Wha-hey, there's Bach's Mass in B Minor on Radio 3! Bring on those 20 minute Kyries!!!

#NowPlaying "Ellington in Order, Volume 1 (1927–28)". The Duke from the Cotton Club period. Over two hours of music and, as you might expect, pretty much all of this is brilliant. Just a shame there are no liner notes to speak of. There are 8 volumes so far. I feel A Project coming on...

A piece by me on "The Venetian Redemption" for "Aspects of Crime" magazine.

It'll be fine by next month...I'm sure...

"Could we have less of the cat?"

They tell me I’m uncultured, but I’ll always recognise a bit of Beethoven.

"There is a heartfelt quality to the story that all readers will recognise and identify with, though this is poignant it is also uplifting and compassionate. " Many, many thanks to Paul Burke and AspectsOfCrime.

That golden moment when you have a 100% 5* rating (and my thanks to whoever left it.)

Writer with cat #Caturday

#NowPlaying Robert Johnson, "King of the Delta Blues Singers". Kind of a Johnson Best Of, immaculately remastered from the 1961 original. That voice and that sinuous guitar playing is never going to sound better... '..you knocked upon my door And I said, "Hello Satan, I believe it's time to go"...'

Dennis Wheatley month at @househammerpod.bsky.social concluded with the very odd but kind of enjoyable "The Lost Continent" in which the Goat of Mendes was replaced by The Giant Crab of the Sargasso. Elsewhere there's part 2 of my feature on Wheatley, and Smokey investigates "The Lost Condiment"!

Publication day dinner. Steaks with a tomato and red pepper sauce, chips (oven, I don't care, I don't want to burn the house down); and baked peaches with honey, vanilla ice cream and cinnamon to follow.

Bookmarks! We have bookmarks!