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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…

I was reading a post recently on Facebook about autistic children who talk for hours at a time and I thought I would bring together the threads from my experience and the parents that contributed to try and shine a little light on why a child does this and what might help them change their experience, when it is causing them or their families distress.

1. When non-autistic people feel stuck with a problem, just explaining it to someone else, helps them get more clarity. Autistic people have explained that talking aloud helps them sort out their thoughts, perhaps this is just a much more intense version, of the above.

2. When people are ungrounded, which many autistic people are, with high levels of stress, people often talk very fast, sometimes without drawing breath.

3. When an autistic person is talking about their “pet” subject, then they are totally engrossed…

Yay!  My short story is being published in Sherlock’s Home . . . The Empty House.

Sherlockology and MX Publishing joined forces in support of the Undershaw Preservation Trust and offered Holmes fans the chance to have their own story published in an anthology called Sherlock’s Home, The Empty House.  The competition gained a massive response with nearly 400 entries from fans all over the world.

I decided to enter and am absolutely delighted that my story has been chosen, along with 31 other entries, to become part of this worthwhile publication.  The book will also include contributions from Undershaw patron Mark Gatiss and other famous supporters such as Stephen Fry and Douglas Wilmer.  (MX were not on the judging panel – just in case anyone thinks that’s why I got picked!)

It made me appreciate just how difficult short story writing really is.  I now have even more respect…