I loved this series, Milly, and I’m thrilled to see it coming out in e-book. So convenient for travelling, though you can’t turn down the corners of the page! You can though, adjust the size of the font, But enough… tell us more about the brilliant and intriguing series, The Waterway Girls.

You are kind, Kathleen. The germ of the idea came on a train to London. I was earwigging two ladies of a certain age discussing friends who had crewed Inland Waterway narrowboats for the war effort. Heavens, I even had to turn the page corner of my book down, and listen…

They were remembering how their two friends had blisters on their hands the size of moons, could barely move in the 7ft wide cabin where they slept, ate and cooked. They remembered them running along the towpaths, opening and closing locks, hauling on ropes, loading and unloading. In winter it was absolutely freezing and in summer, the sun would beat off the roof of the narrowboats while they steered, blinding them. Then there was the bucket… At which they burst out laughing.

Of course, Kathleen, being the nosiest person alive I had to ask more. ‘Ah the bucket,’ one said. ‘There’s no room for a bathroom just the one cabin. So a bucket was positioned behind the engine and cabin, which is why the pubs along the way were life saving – as well as their social aspect of course.’

The time flew and soon I was hearing about the kids on the bridges who threw whatever they could at the narrowboats as they passed beneath and later the V-1 and V-2s bombs causing death and destruction. But by then we were drawing into London, so the conversation had to end. Nooo. How could it.?

So, Milly, how did you move on from this fantastic chance meeting?

I dashed straight to the Canal Museum behind Kings Cross Station, close to the Regents Canal, sat in the tiny cabin and there and then a team of three young women toiling on the waterways, living cheek by jowl in this tiny space was born. Not only that, but how they still found love, laughter and friendship amongst the wonderful community of Inland Waterway women and boaters. I researched over the next weeks, and it almost wrote itself. I just wanted to do them all justice – the Inland Waterway women and boaters – and to pay homage to these extraordinary people. I hope I did.

Yes, you did Milly, and now readers, let me tell you all about The Waterways Girls which I have just enjoyed so much.

19 year old Polly Holmes leaves poor bombed London to join the war effort on Britain’s canals. Once on board narrowboat Marigold she meets Verity, the fellow trainee. She is not welcomed with open arms, but there is no time to even gulp as Bet, the Skipper and trainer, gets down to creating a team, one in which they must meld together, learn all there is to learn and to – trust. Polly rolls up her sleeves and they embark on the gruelling journey from London to Birmingham and soon both girls realise the canal has the power of healing, and that a world of new beginnings is within reach. Wonderfully written and envisaged. Captivating.

Millly, it has been a pleasure to talk to you, and to read all three of the Waterway Girls novels. What I love about all Milly Adams’ and Margaret Graham’s books (the same author under a different pen-name) is that one doesn’t just read, but rather finds oneself living the life of ordinary people from so many extraordinary walks of life, a life often forced upon them by a world war, and one which we could never envisage today without Milly’s research and phenomenal writing skills. Thank you to Milly Adams for keeping these amazing people alive.

Yes, The Waterway Girls is a triumph and is with me still, I didn’t want it to end, but the good news is, that Love on the Water ways and Hope on the Waterways are to be released as e-books in November. Hallelujah.

https://www.canalmuseum.org.uk/ The Waterway Girls: pre-order now for £0.99 rather than £2.99. www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FRN1JWMF/

Dr K Thompson, award-winning author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01A7DM42Q http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A7DM42Q
http://faitobooks.co.uk

Note: These articles express personal views. No warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of information given and you should always consult a doctor if you need medical advice.

Microplane simply means quality for me, so I always get slightly over-excited when they launch a new product, and their new Container Grater has set my pulse racing a bit too much for my advancing years.

For those who don’t know, Microplane was inspired by a Canadian housewife in the early 90s, who, fed up with her traditional grater, borrowed one of her husband’s wood-working tools. Her discovery that a well-engineered tool could be so much more effective than the kitchen-grade grater she’d struggled with, resulted in the creation of Microplane – the original manufacturer of photo-etched cutting tools. After over fifty years of experience, their durable, photo-etched and razor-sharp stainless-steel blades are simply the best – effortlessly cutting through hard and soft foods, without tearing or shredding.

So let me tell you about the Container Grater. If you’ll pardon the pun, I just can’t contain myself a moment longer.

This grater combined with storage container has been so well-thought through, I’m in awe. The firm plastic container appears compact, yet has a roomy 532ml capacity, plus a non-slip base for safe grating. It’s topped with a sleek wooden lid, which doubles as a mini cheese board, and removing the lid reveals the ultra-sharp stainless-steel bladed grater. This grater is so strong that you can grate not only hard and soft cheeses, but chocolate, coconut, various fruit and veg, garlic and nuts too, and the gratings fall neatly into the container beneath with no mess. A semi-circular gap at the end of the grater allows easy dispensing, for instance sprinkling grated cheese on pasta. You can either replace the nice wooden lid, or if you wish to store for longer in the fridge, remove the grater and replace with the well-fitting airtight plastic storage lid – so clever.

The Microplane Container Grater is dishwasher safe and the wooden lid just needs a quick wipe with a clean cloth. It’s available in two beautiful colours – Anthracite Gray with a Walnut Lid and Cashmere Beige with a Bamboo Lid and can be bought from John Lewis, RRP £39.95. The biggest problem is which colour to choose – they’re both so gorgeous.

By Dr K Thompson, award-winning author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01A7DM42Q http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A7DM42Q
http://faitobooks.co.uk

Note: These articles express personal views. No warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of information given and you should always consult a doctor if you need medical advice.

Anything for Him by LK Chapman: Reeling from the loss of her parents in a house fire, Felicity is pulled into the dangerous orbit of the volatile Jay and allows herself to be drawn into Jay’s twisted revenge plan against his former best friend. Soon Felicity learns that no matter what she does, it will never be enough for Jay.

As his jealousy and insecurity tip him into escalating violence against her, Felicity questions everything he has told her about his past and his former girlfriend Sammie, and hatches a desperate plan to escape … Honestly,this is so tense – a real page turner Buy now for £0.99 instead of £2.99 www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FRMTKMYK/

There is a nuclear weapon in the hands of the Vatican City’s deadliest enemy. And time is running out to stop the attack …

Marco Venetti, the only man the Pope trusts, is on the hunt for a traitor. He is willing to do anything to protect the church, and the man at its heart. Even if it means getting blood on his hands … But when Marco finds him, the traitor reveals terrifying new information: the name of a Russian mafioso with a grudge against the Vatican and possession of a nuclear bomb.

If Marco doesn’t work with him, the consequences will be deadly. To prevent it, Marco must enter a deadly game of cat-and-mouse that will take him across the continent, on land and by sea. With time running out, he will stop at nothing to uncover the truth. Because the secrets inside the Vatican may be the deadliest threat of all. And only Marco can restore honour to the church, by any means necessary … It’s beautifully written and I loved every word.

Buy now for £0.99 instead of £2.99 www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FRG6Z4R3/

The Waterway Girls by Milly Adams

In war-torn London, young Polly Holmes leaves heartbreak behind to join a narrowboat crew on Britain’s canals – where friendship, resilience, and the hope of new beginnings carry her through the darkest days of war.

In October 1943, nineteen-year-old Polly Holmes leaves poor bombed London behind to join the war effort on Britain’s canals. Stepping aboard the Marigold in the pouring rain, there’s lots for Polly to get to grips with. Not least her fellow crew: strong and impetuous Verity, whose bark is worse than her bite, and seasoned skipper Bet. With her sweetheart away fighting in the RAF and her beloved brother killed in action, there’s plenty of heartache to be healed on the waterway. As Polly rolls up her sleeves and gets stuck into life on board the narrowboat – making the gruelling journey from London up to Birmingham – she will soon discover that a world of new beginnings awaits amid the anguish of the war. Emotional, evocative unputdownable – I loved it.

And just think, there really were volunteer Inland Waterway girls who rolled up their sleeves, managed locks, endured the hardships, the dangers, and let’s not forget the fun found in the world of these fabulous Waterway Girls. What a homage to love, friendship and the boating community. Absolutely heartwarming.

Buy now for £0.99 rather than £2.99. www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FRN1JWMF/

The breathtaking conclusion to the Guardians of the Crown series introduces a heroine with nothing left to lose and a hero with everything to gain … England, 1659: Following the death of Cromwell,(such a fascinating period) a new king is poised to ascend the throne of England. One by one, those once loyal to the crown begin to return … Agnes Fletcher’s lover is dead, and when his two orphaned children are torn from her care by their scheming guardian, she finds herself alone and devastated by the loss. Unwilling to give up, Agnes desperately seeks anyone willing to accompany her on a perilous journey to save the children and return them to her care.

After enduring imprisonment, exile and torture, the fugitive Daniel Lovell has returned to England, determined to find his brother and kill the man who murdered his father. But the King has one last mission for him and there is the small matter of a desperate woman who needs his help. When they are finally given the opportunity to seize everything they ever hoped for, will they find the peace they crave, or will their fledgling love be the final casualty of war? A fascinating series, unputdownable and absorbing.

Buy now for £1.99 instead of £2.99. www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FRGDGWPR/

Regular readers know I’m a massive fan of Tracklements, a Wiltshire-based family company who create quality food, using simple, honest ingredients. Their products are made by hand in small batches, using ingredients sourced from farms and small businesses across England. They boast a huge range of innovative products – using both traditional recipes, and also modern inventions, meaning that one can never be bored – there’s always something new and exciting to sample.

And now, as the weather cools and the nights are drawing in, I’m super excited about the Tracklements Christmas Gift packs. There are several to choose from, but I just love their Farmers Market Gift Pack, comprising three jars of fabulous hand-made preserves in an attractive gift box:

Green Tomato Chutney, 200g
Particularly British Piccalilli, 170g
Tomato & Chilli Chutney, 190g

Naturally I had to test them immediately and let’s just say that I wasn’t disappointed. I’ll do my best to share my experience.

Green Tomato Chutney – traditionally made to use up the tomatoes which didn’t ripen before the end of summer. The green tomatoes are mixed with apples, dates, sugar, cider vinegar and an amazing selection of spices. Absolutely delicious with cheese or on cold-cut meats.

Particularly British Piccalilli – a true British tradition, pickled vegetables mixed with sugars, vinegars and spices, predominantly mustard. This is the best piccalilli I’ve ever tasted and a great accompaniment for a ploughman’s lunch.

And finally Tomato & Chilli Chutney – tomatoes and tomato purée blended with onions, apples and dates together with cider vinegar, cane sugar, and spices, including of course red chillies. Warm, rich flavours, with a decent chilli bite – this could enhance a stew, or simply enjoy it with a cold spread – it really is a bit special.

Tracklements Farmers Market Gift Pack, RRP £13.80 is vegan and gluten free and it’s available at Tracklements, together with so many more jars of sheer loveliness. Don’t wait for Christmas – life’s too short.

By Dr K Thompson, award-winning author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01A7DM42Q http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A7DM42Q
http://faitobooks.co.uk

Note: These articles express personal views. No warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of information given and you should always consult a doctor if you need medical advice

Dr Fiona Hill is a leading foreign affairs advisor to a series of US Presidents, the UK government, and US National Security Council, who believes she has cracked the secret to success. As the daughter of a coal miner and midwife, Dr Fiona Hill is no stranger to success herself – the former White House aide and Senior Fellow at Washington DC’s Brookings Institution is considered one of the world’s top experts on Russia and Putin. But success, she says, lies closer to home: the North East to be exact.

Born in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, Hill launches her new short podcast series, Forged in the North, at this year’s Durham Book Festival in October. Hill – who is also Chancellor of Durham University and a defence advisor to the UK’s Labour government – chatted to some of the region’s most successful minds in politics, the Arts, sport, and business, to work out the secrets of their phenomenal success. Her guests include the music icon Sting, Yale historian Paul Kennedy, author Lee Hall (Billy Elliot), screenwriter Peter Straughan (Wolf Hall/Conclave), North East Mayor Kim McGuinness, Dragon Den’s entrepreneur Sara Davies, Brendan Foster, who founded the Great North Run, and Paralympian Tanni Grey-Thompson.

Fiona Hill said: “The idea behind it was inspired by my memoir, There is Nothing for you Here, about growing up in County Durham and how the social fabric of North East life in the 80’s supported my ambitions in education, travel and social mobility.” Fiona added: “What Forged in the North is trying to do is put the spotlight on a region that is normally only in the headlines for something going wrong: child poverty, the lowest life expectancy, worst nutrition. But the North East is home of the Industrial Revolution – literally the engines of prosperity. 200 years ago, it was the forefront of innovation, and we’re saying, there’s still a lot of potential for innovation. This podcast is learning from all these amazing, successful people who were forged in the North.”

One of the common denominators of her guests was their sense of roots and home as a driver to success and part of the motivation of Forged in the North, she says, was to challenge the North-South imbalance. Hill found the North excels in ‘soft-power’ – now touted as a driver of success.“There’s YouGov research that shows the North East has the strongest sense of regional identity in the UK after Scotland. When they dug down, the reason why was people. There’s a sense of solidarity that’s been forged in adversity. Everyone’s thrown all kinds of rubbish at the North historically; but it has a resilience.”

North East Mayor Kim McGuinness said: “This podcast celebrates the North East’s incredible legacy as home to some of the UK’s most successful people in sports, business, and the creative industries. It shows how talented individuals have transformative power, but also asks how we create what Fiona called the infrastructure of opportunity to let more succeed. It’s my vision the North East becomes a cultural powerhouse, and this important podcast shines a light on how with the right support, talent can truly thrive...’

But let’s leave the final thoughts to Dr Fiona Hill: “Being from the North East grounds you, it’s an anchor, a solid base with a strong sense of what’s right and wrong and a clear perspective and values. Social capital means those who succeed invest back. Sting has said recently in his interviews backing Gateshead’s Baltic that the North has been neglected and there needs to be a bit more national attention. It’s just giving people a chance. He is miles away, travelling around the world constantly, but feels a very strong affinity to the North East.” She adds. “The fact the region changed dramatically, from being the forefront of pretty much everything, has shaped my enquiry into the world: what does that imply for the rest of the world? What pitfalls lie ahead? How do you overcome that? How do you dig deep? That’s what I’m trying to think about. How you make societies more resilient? I keep coming back to these lessons from North East England.”

All episodes of the Forged in the North podcast series will be available to listen on 10 October on all the leading podcast platforms.

Fiona Hill will discuss her podcast Forged in the North at the Durham Book Festival on Sunday 12 October with Northumberland internationally bestselling author, LJ Ross, and Romani storyteller, Richard O’Neill. To book, visit www.durhambookfestival.com

Let’s get one thing out in the open from the off – this is not a farce. It’s not even a comedy. So, my expectations were dashed straight away. Silly me – two great comic writers and a title that the Whitehall farces in their heyday would have been green with envy to have…

No, this is a dramatic peek into what could have happened if a young Adolf had become acquainted with Freud. Could Freud have changed history? Or was Hitler’s mania an inevitability beyond anyone’s control?

A bleak, brown set captures the mood. Sadly, for me, it matches the script and the characters too much as well. To avoid comedy, Marks and Gran have dipped their toes into meaty territory, into the very mind of Hitler to try to see why he became what he did. And their device is through Freud’s methods. But, really, this is a play about Freud, not Hitler. To paraphrase, once Hitler becomes Führer, Freud exclaims that he doesn’t know whether to admire Adolf for achieving his dreams or to be appalled by the fact that he has achieved them.

Jonathan Tafler as Freud with Sam Mac as Hitler

And it is ‘dreams’ that is at the core of this play. A wonky doorway and window frame on one side of the stage, a straight one on the other, representing, one assumes, the closeness between sanity and insanity. The play plods along at a dull pace until the penultimate scene – the climax and the whole point of the production: where an elderly Freud faces a triumphant Hitler. A scene reminiscent of Salieri and Mozart, or when Frankenstein finally faces up to his monster… whose head are we inside, at this moment? Has it been a Freudian dream all along? Apart from this magnetic moment, the play had too many scenes, scene changes, lighting changes and characters. Although Jonathan Tafler played Freud convincingly, he was similar throughout. With no obvious journey, he was stuck in a character without much emotional depth. Sam Mac plays a few versions of Hitler, from child all the way through to German Leader. He has more growth, but his ‘temper tantrums’ are what any of us expect to see. Are we watching clichés or well-rounded characterisations?

Sam Mac as a young Adolf Hitler

Sadly, the rest of the cast have to find what space they can in the shadows of these two large characters. But they all come across as having different styles, as though they were in different plays.

The whole piece is disjointed and stutters towards its climax. I can’t help feeling that what began as a Radio Play from 2007 has accidentally been stretched too far and fallen almost into a televisual style. It says, in the programme, ‘Be prepared for an adventurous evening of theatre.’ I was, but it wasn’t.

Photography Chromolume Writers Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran Director Isaac Bernier-Doyle Producer Annlouise Butt for Chromolume Productions Set & Costume Hannah Danson Lighting Design Simon Jackson

Cast Jonathan Tafler, Nesba Crenshaw, Ruby Ablett, Sam Mac, Brendan Lyle and Neil Chinneck

Venue Upstairs at the Gatehouse, 1 North Road, Highgate Village, London

N6 4BD

Until Sunday 28th September 2025

Tickets £25 from: https://upstairsatthegatehouse.ticketsolve.com/shows/1173663994/events

Showtimes 7.30pm daily (no Monday performances)

Saturdays Matinees at 3pm, Sundays at 4pm Running Time 2 hours – inc interval

Guidance Mentions of antisemitism Socials @upstairsatthegatehouse Website www.upstairsatthegatehouse.com/freudplay

Image courtesy of Paul Stuart Photography Ltd

Ilkley Literature Festival is building on its long legacy as a platform for poets this year, with a distinctly northern programme of poetry events. A major theme for the October festival is In Verse: The Rising of the North. The north’s longest standing literary festival was opened in 1973 by the poet W.H. Auden and has been a dedicated champion of poetry ever since with appearances from luminaries including Philip Larkin, Ted Hughes, and Carol Ann Duffy. It commissioned the 50-mile Stanza Stones Poetry Trail with Simon Armitage, which was completed in 2012. The Poet Laureate returns this October as a headline guest as he reads from his new upcoming collection, New Cemetery inspired by the conversion of a local natural beauty spot into a municipal graveyard near his home in West Yorkshire.

The festival also showcases a series of new poetry commissions, centred on Tony Harrison’s controversial poem, ‘V.’ which celebrates its 40^th anniversary this year. The poem was written during the Miners’ Strike and explores class, alienation, anger, and Northern identity. A televised performance made headlines and divided the nation due to Harrison’s use of profanities.  ‘V.’ Reimagined is chaired by the Yorkshire poet Andrew McMillan and brings together three acclaimed Northern poets – Malika Booker, Jo Clement, and Paul Farley. The commission is a partnership with New Writing North and will be replicated at Durham and Manchester Literature Festivals. 

Festival Director, Erica Morris, said: “We’ve been showcasing the cutting edge of poetry since our inaugural festival in 1973. This year our poetry strand has a distinctly northern accent. As well as welcoming the Poet Laureate, audiences can hear from the rising stars of the poetry scene and discover the talent coming out of the University of Leeds Poetry Centre.”

The festival’s New Northern Poets showcase features six emerging poets selected from a competitive application process to take part in a mentoring programme run by the University of Leeds Centre for Poetry and Word Up North, now in its third year. The six will debut new work resulting from their one-to-one mentoring with experienced poets. They’ll also take part in commissions, including podcasting, leading workshops, and reading groups, to help develop their poetic practice and expand their network.

The six are: Nóra Blascsók, a Hungarian poet based in Manchester; York-based Rachel Curzon; Nigeen Dara, a British-Kurdish doctor and finalist in the 2023 BBC Words First programme; Jamie Field, a Blackpool-based poet and winner of the inaugural Disabled Poets Prize; Vanessa Napolitano, a British/American poet who lives in Saltaire, and Laura Strickland, a carer and poet. This year’s mentors include Zaffar Kunial, shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize and Costa Poetry Award; Charlotte Eichler, shortlisted for the Seamus Heaney Centre First Collection Prize and Maia Elsner, winner of the Somerset Maugham Award.

To book https://www.ilkleylitfest.org.uk Box Office: 01943 816714.

I was recently asked out to dinner by a new friend. It was wonderful – delicious food and perhaps a little too much of a rather nice Barolo. But now my dilemma – the return invitation. What to cook? I admit to lacking the enthusiasm for hours over a hot hob these days, but thanks to my dear friends at Tracklements I find I can cheat.

I absolutely love Tracklements, a Wiltshire-based family company who create quality food, using only simple, honest ingredients. All their products are made by hand in small batches, using ingredients sourced from farms and small businesses across England. They’re constantly creating new and exciting products which means there’s always a large selection of high quality, delicious and innovative products, and their latest invention – Shallot & Garlic Jam is to die for. Made with shallots, raw cane sugar, cider and balsamic vinegars, garlic, red chillies, sunflower oil, salt and black pepper – that’s it – simple pure ingredients as always. And the taste is divine, the rich warmth of the shallots and garlic mixed with the heat from the chillies – it adds depth to a cheese board, or a gourmet burger – or mix it into a hake and bean stew to instantly raise the dish to cordon bleu level (guess what I’m preparing for my friend’s visit).

Available at Tracklements £4.20 for 190g jar – delicious.

By Dr K Thompson, award-winning author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01A7DM42Q http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A7DM42Q
http://faitobooks.co.uk

Note: These articles express personal views. No warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of information given and you should always consult a doctor if you need medical advice.