Having made a fruitless search for some friends in the upmost western part of Cornwall I was left with financial difficulty in getting back to Birmingham. I had already been walking about the English countryside since April and it was now October. I was in no real rush to get back home immediately and I fancied a bit of a stroll anyway. This stroll took me over a month to complete, and as the chilly autumn became a very cold winter I realised that living the life of a hobo wasn't as easy as one may think. The only only items on my person that kept me going through the seven weeks or so was a hot water bottle, a single calor gas stove and my radio. But there were times when even those life savers ran out of their respective fuels, and soon depression, hunger and eventual thieving, took priority for my needs. This is the story of my 250 mile walk home to Birmingham from St. Ives, Cornwall, in the autumn of 1990.

One day I decided to write a few poems, simply because I was bored and had nothing better to do. Most of these poems are related in some way to events that have occurred during my life and some are naturally of pure fiction, although they do have a meaning in some way or other to what occurs during our lifetimes.

Part one of a two week break in Ayrshire and Cumbria during a warm May in 1991. In this first part I hike from Ayr to Stranraer, sleeping in various wooded locations that are full of natural wildlife and magnificent lochs. Along the way I encounter close calls with the natural inhabitants, not to mention a couple of women who more than catch my eye. I ask the reader to excuse any grammatical hiccups, as I am just trying to tell a story. Thanks.

In April 1990 I decided to leave the domestic hell of a relationship that saw my long time girlfriend throw me to the streets, in an attempt for her to find a better love elsewhere, and in doing so, she left me naturally homeless. I could have stayed with friends or relations, but those sort of agreements are always short lived, and I would only end up back at square one and ultimately on the streets again. Because of the summer being just around the corner I decided that I would like to spend a few weeks of camping at some rural spots for a while, just so that I could find time to mend a broken heart. But those weeks would turn into months, and soon I would be living the life of a Nomad where I would once again find love, but this time it would be with the most incredible girl that I had ever met. Little did I realise it at the time, but I was about to travel the wilderness countryside of rural England with my new found love, followed closely by various law enforcements that were on the trail of a killer that was my Becky. For six and a half months, Becky and I would make our own world amongst the wildlife and natural freedom of the English prairieland where we became persistent in escaping the clutches of the law until the inevitability game of cat and mouse reached its inevitable end. This is the true story of Allison Rebecca Mitchell; a real life bohemian girl who was a true mermaid of wildest England.

It’s a new year, but what is a new year to a scruffy wuffy dog? Find out as you get to know Ollie, the scruffy wuffy dog. See how he works out his scruffy wuffy priorities for the year. With some unexpected events he may even transform into a new scruffy wuffy dog. Scruffy Wuffy’s Dog Diary is a fun and thoughtful view of how things might look to a scruffy wuffy dog. There are strong themes of goal setting, identifying talent, looking after pets, respect for animals, relating to others and personal transformation: also some cool scruffy wuffy dog stuff too! Scruffy Wuffy's Dog Diary is written for children aged from 5 to 12 years but can be enjoyed by people of all ages, particularly if they like dogs.