Here are the pictures from the terrific signing at the world famous Warwick’s Books…

A happy fan

Thanks to everyone who made this signing such a fantastic success!!!

Apparently it’s Sherlock Holmes week.

Why does no one tell me these things?

If you are running a Basil Rathbone blog then you literally have to take notice of this. I mean I think there’s actually a law about it.

So, Baz – if you’re around – I’m sorry. I know you were ambivalent (at best) about your identity as Holmes, but that doesn’t change the fact you were one of the greatest Sherlocks of all time (arguably THE greatest). You looked like the Paget drawings come to life (though prettier). You did restless, cerebral brilliance better than any actor I can name (apart from Jeremy Brett). And I am going to fecking say so whether you like it or not.

This week is going to be Sherlock Week on The Baz.

Entirely by coincidence (really truly) a guy I know at uni is working on an animation project…

I just received this review from the lovely Joanna, on Goodreads, and it made me smile.

This book is so completely awesome. Erudite was a word another reviewer used, which is the one word I would use to describe the book if I couldn’t use “awesome.”

It’s not for purists. Firstly, Watson’s barely in it. Secondly, the subject matter is a little bit more uh… edgy? than what I assume would be traditional. Witchcraft, a little bit of sex (though not explicit, I think), drugs, religious discussion. I mean, it does have Aleister Crowley in it as the Watson subsitute, ha. This novel shakes up beliefs about Sherlock Holmes… which makes it sound “merely clever” but I assure you it is not. It reads like the work of an intelligent person passionate about sharing a story with you, as opposed to a person passionate about showing you how clever…

As a Watson fan I had to read a book with the fine title of “The Secret Journal of Dr. Watson”. Especially, when Watson and Holmes are to be involved in something as thrilling as the Russian Revolution. This is an adventure story more than a mystery, although it encompasses mystery as well.

It is the latter part of the Great War. The Czar has abdicated, Kerensky has lost his position to Lenin and Russia has pulled out of the war. Russia’s action has released a hundred German Divisions to fight the Allies on the Western Front. The Romanovs are still alive and the English King wants his cousin the Czar and his family saved from the Bolsheviks. But how can this be done and by who? The British government cannot be seen as interfering in the internal politics of the new Russian state. The rescue must be done by…

Being a learning coach, you have a perspective that those you coach can achieve anything they want once they know some essential “how to’s”. This is a bold statement but one that has been proved to work time and time again.

The job of a learning coach is to help adults and children to firstly understand their own experience better, how they do things and why some parts of their experience work better than others. You also focus on the skills, often exceptional skills,  people already have and work from there.  Note this is not to assess people against a set of national standards that show where they are under or over performing, this is to help people and their families better understand specific aspects of their own experience and how their mind works best.

The next steps is for the learning coach to identify skills and strategies that the person…

Yesterday’s court hearing to decide the fate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s former home, did not prove as decisive as everyone had hoped.  The judge has postponed the outcome and will not give a verdict until the end of July.

This must be so frustrating for all the fans and supporters who gave up their day to sit in court.  To me, the decision is clear – this historic building absolutely must be protected from unsympathetic development.  It will be a national disgrace if we, as a country, fail to take action against plans to destroy the home of one of our greatest writers and turn it into a housing development.

I don’t understand why the judge has delayed the decision (unfortunately I couldn’t attend court myself due to my husband being in hospital) and hope that ultimately sense will prevail.

At least no decision is better than the wrong…