ROWLAND'S HUT is a metaphor for belonging, acceptance, togetherness, safety, rescue, security, protection, significance, sanctuary & love. -A refuge for the weak, a shelter for the needy in distress- --To give sanctuary is to bring endangered people into a place of shelter & protection-- --To be sanctified is to be brought under the protection of God-- --Deserts of the heart do exist. Perhaps there are fewer of them than we think. Isn't the Holy Spirit The Comforter in each one?-- (Brother Roger) Through the act of writing, I enter into an aspect of my Rowland's Hut by being productive, bringing all fragmented thoughts together to form a wholeness in purpose and expression. Within its walls, I am safe to examine this expression, allowing it to help heal my inner world, and to project my findings to the world outside. I hope that they will resonate in others, acting as an encouragement and a validation as to who we are before Man, but more importantly, before the God who loves us.

Poetry is all too often regarded as irrelevant, its meaning seemingly hidden. Conversely, story form seems more accessible in its communication and has a more defined nature than its opaque poetic cousin. A poem, however, is more compact in its delivery and has the added dimension of being open to wider interpretation. It acts like a mirror, revealing the secret wounds of the soul, its words offering the balm of understanding. Poems reveal vulnerability - emotion laid bare, inner journeys exposed, the fragility of life, the freedom of imagination... Poems are meant not so much to be understood as to be felt and to connect at a deeper level. The pattern, shape and rhythm of words convey meaning that goes far beyond the mind and into the heart. I hope that those contained in these pages reach both your heart and mind.

First published as Time of Flight under A. C. Koning. May 1931. For blind First World War veteran Frederick Rowlands, the craze for flying holds little interest - after all, he is unlikely ever to set foot in an aeroplane himself. However, a chance meeting with a famous flier draws Rowlands into the glamorous, and dangerous, world of aviation. When a body is discovered in one of the hangars at Hendon aerodrome, he finds himself buffeted by a turbulent mix of jealousy, betrayal and murder.

Focusing on the term empowerment this book examines the various meanings given to the concept of empowerment and the many ways power can be expressed - in personal relationships and in wider social interactions.