I was taken by a wicked friend to a gin club in London awhile ago. Bad bad man. Huge glasses, gin you couldn’t say no to. Bad bad headache the next day.

Looks like Bulldog Gin could have the same ‘can’t say no’ naughtiness.

Present in over 80 countries, BULLDOG Gin is the fourth largest and fastest growing premium gin in the world. I love the distinctive black bottle and distinct flavour, BULLDOG is a modern gin that has been quietly causing a stir on the gin scene with its British attitude and global mindset. My parents lived in India for some of the war, and – purely for medicinal purposes – had more than their fair share. I think, if they’re looking down from their cloud, they would like the look of this. .

Using only the best quality British wheat and water, BULLDOG starts with triple distilled neutral grain spirit. It is then distilled once more, adding the distinctive blend of 12 botanicals to the pot still to deliver a smooth result.

You can use Bulldog Gin as a cocktail. They have created one called:

The Last Word

Well, my family say I always have to have  the last word, so why change the habits of a lifetime.

METHOD.

1 pt of BULLDOG gin

0.75 parts Green Chartreuse

0.75 parts Maraschino Liqueur

0.75 Fresh Lime Juice

Shake all ingredients with ice and double strain into a Martini glass and garnish with a sunken Maraschino Cherry.

That should keep the cold out. Rather more attractive than a thermal vest, eh?

Stockist: Ocado. RRP £22.00 (the gin, not the vest)

Cut   by Marc Raabe should keep you insomniacs company during the night, or in fact, create insomniacs – it’s a real nightmare of a book.

I’m one of those wimps who hid behind the sofa when Dr Who was on, but for you out there made of sterner stuff it’s just the ticket. Raabe owns and runs a television production company, and it shows. It’s visual, scenic and immensely powerful. Be afraid, very afraid as Gabriel searches for his missing girlfriend, knowing that his past has caught up with him, and that she will pay for it, unless he can find her in time. Edge of the seat stuff.

Cut:  pb £7.99

Fireraiser by Torkil Damhaug

This is the third psychological mystery in the Oslo Crime Files, a tense and dark quartet of thrillers – in English for the first time. Set around the Fire Man who believes in the cleansing power of fire to destroy everything that reminds him of his youth. Intense, and tricky as though one is walking amongst shadows wondering what is real, and what isn’t.

The author worked as a psychiatrist for many years, and it shows. Arghhh.

Fireraiser: £8.99

Before I Let You In by Jenny Blackhurst

This crime novel asks a question: if you don’t know who is walking through the door, how do you know if you should let them in?

Karen fixes problems – she is a psychiatrist after all. But then there is Jessica who knows things about Karen, things no patient should know… It’s complex, but the author has control of her plot and always works forward. You will enjoy this.

Before I let you In. £7.99 ebook available

Ash and Bones by Mike Thomas

This is set in Cardiff, and whacks into gear immediately as Will MacReady embarks on his first day with CID. For one inexperienced young man the body count is growing… And the pace of the novel takes off, and sounds completely authentic but then the author has twenty years experience in the force. A good one, I thought. Give it a go.

Ash and Bones £7.99 ebook available

The esteemed & beloved King of Thailand passed on Oct 13th 2016 – and the nation was devastated. We expats were in a tail-spin above and beyond the sadness, because what was the etiquette, the protocol? The problem was no one really knew because the King was the longest reigning monarch, and the majority of Thais have not experienced this event in their lifetime.

King Bhumibol Adulyadej came to the throne aged 18 and was much revered and loved by his people. He was their champion, spearheading projects to support the poor whilst at the same time bringing the nation into the 21st century. As a result Thailand has become one of the more successful Asian nations whilst still maintaining it’s cultural heritage and spirit. He has navigated political and social crises with grace and diplomacy. He once said, ‘My place in this world is being among my people, the Thai people.’

While he was ill, it was not acceptable to talk of his death, as the Thais believe even mentioning the d-word is un-auspicious and to do so may prompt the awful reality, Besides the King merely passes on: he is beyond death.

When finally the official announcement went out it was literally met with wails of despair and an unprecedented outpouring of grief. Almost immediately TV stations closed or began back to back Royal documentaries, websites turned black, grey and white and institutions, businesses, schools, hospitals, hotels erected great edifices and floral tributes to the King. One Thai friend of mine said she felt like an orphan when she heard the news. Feelings ran very deep indeed, partly because of the question the situation raised – what now?

Well, Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn has not only requested time to mourn his father’s death but also to delay the proclamation of his title. His sister, who epitomizes much that her father believed in could it seems be the people’s preferred choice, as the Crown Prince not only lives abroad but has a fairly hectic private life. So, after a long reign of certainty, the only thing that is certain on the King’s death, appears to be uncertainty.

However these are the bigger questions. As expats and with a definite desire to respect this country and support our local friends, we were keen to understand what was expected of us. What’s app messages and line group threads bounced back and forth. It was apparent that as culture and beliefs dictated no discussion regarding the king’s passing there had indeed been no planning for the event and everyone was floundering.

Finally decisions were made. The schools were closed. We were to dress in black for a month, though the Thais would officially mourn for a year. We dressed in dark sombre clothes, encouraging slightly more minecraft play than entirely ‘good’ for the kids and, taking the lead from local kids playing nearby, allowed ours out to knock a ball around, no screaming, yelling or raucous laughter and I am proud to say they delivered with bells on.

I took almost an hour to decide on appropriate attire to walk the dog round the Moobaan, eventually deciding on dark. There was a noticeably sombre mood and it was exactly as I had expected.

All entertainment was cancelled for the next month: concerts, competitions and so on, but when we ventured to a local mall over the weekend, the masses, dressed in a sea of black and white, were clearly shopping through their grief. We had all expected everything to quite literally grind to a halt, but life went on, just shrouded in monochrome.

Eventually the Grand Palace has reopened for tourists and mourners alike. The attire is still strictly mainly monochrome and if not, black ribbons are sported, including by school children.

As our Queen takes over the position as the longest ruling monarch, there are some parallels between the two situations. The role of Queen of England was not her initial destiny, neither was it King Bhumibol’s – he only became King after his brother was murdered. Also Queen Elizabeth has worked tirelessly for her people; her presence will be sadly missed by the nation, there might be uncertainty – this time over the role of her successor’s wife. I so hope we British, of all faiths all political flavours, follow suit bearing ourselves with the same respect, dignity and decorum I’ve witnessed here.

There are certainly interesting times ahead here in Thailand. In less than 24 hours the landscape shifted enormously and there are more seismic shifts to come. My only hope is that the good sense the king always demonstrated prevails in his absence.

My deepest and most sincere condolences to the Thai nation during this sad and uncertain time.

I was fortunate to be able to attend the Blenheim Literary Festival recently. Set in beautiful Capability Brown landscaped grounds, the Palace provides a stunning backdrop to the event, which featured many of the nation’s best loved writers and personalities.

Nicholas Parsons– as delightful and charming in real life as he is on radio and television – gave a talk on the life and work of Edward Lear which managed to be informative and very amusing at the same time. He impressed his enthusiastic audience speaking for an entire hour without any reference to notes at all, making several long (and error free, I should add) recitations of favourites such as The Pobble who had No Toes, The Owl and the Pussycat, and The Jumblies.

Lord Owen provided a complete contrast in the next talk as he discussed his fascinating account of the meetings of the May 1940 War Cabinet Cabinet’s Finest Hour: The Hidden Agenda of May 1940. He then took questions on topics as wide ranging as the situation in Syria and how it might be resolved, and his views on the future of the NHS.

On a different – but wholly appropriate note given the setting – I also thoroughly enjoyed the talk given by Adrian Tinniswood on The Long Weekend – Life in the English Country House Between the Wars for the glimpse that it gave of the decadent ways of the aristocracy.

The same sort of luxurious living (albeit post) was also fully on display in Justine Picardie’s account of Dior at Blenheim, which told how he showed off his New Look to fashion hungry debutantes and socialites in two fabulous fashion shows put on to raise money for the Red Cross in the 1950s. Justine herself, who had clearly fallen under the spell of not just the clothes, but also the Palace, was a main mover behind the reprise of this evening earlier in the year, and I for one will be watching the Palace website in the coming season to see if it repeated in 2017. –