The Old Dog and Duck has seen better days, but Eddie and Malcolm meet there every Friday to put the World's problems to rights. WARNING - Politically Incorrect We've all been there. You're in a pub somewhere and in their usual corner are the beer drinkers, the ones who know everything and for most of the time spout absolute bollocks loud enough so that anyone else can hear them. This is a fictional tale about an imaginary pub where a few old friends meet every Friday to do just that. I warn you that you may find the dialogue offensive because there are elements of bad language, bigotry, sexism and racism. The story covers the period in and around the Covid crisis, but I haven't kept to the strict order in which events happened. The subject matter is topical and will include the coronavirus, Brexit, food, sex, TV, politics, and much more besides. I make no apologies for the content. Any and all opinions expressed are those of the characters in the story which anybody may share or turn away from in disgust. Writing this has been a wonderful opportunity to recycle a few old jokes and invent some new ones, illustrate a number of comical scenarios, and above all to take the piss. Enjoy it for what it is. Don't take it too seriously, Laugh where you want. After all, it's just a load of characters talking absolute bollocks.

This is a book for everyone who has ever wondered why pubs should be called The Cross Keys, The Dew Drop Inn or The Hope and Anchor. You'll be glad to know that there are very good - strange and memorable - reasons behind them all. After much research about (and in) pubs, Albert Jack brings together the stories behind pub names to reveal how they offer fascinating and subversive insights on our history, customs, attitudes and jokes in just the same way that nursery rhymes do. The Royal Oak, for instance, commemorates the tree that hid Charles II from Cromwell's forces after his defeat at Worcester; The Bag of Nails is a corruption of the Bacchanals, the crazed followers of Bacchus, the god of wine and drunkenness; The Cat and the Fiddle a mangling of Catherine La Fidele and a guarded gesture of support for Henry VIII's first, Catholic, wife Catherine of Aragon; plus many, many more. Here too are even more facts about everything from ghosts to drinking songs to the rules of cribbage and shove hapenny, showing that, ultimately, the story of pub history is really the story of our own popular history

It is the Spring of 1924 in New York City, where John Crackstone, a detective, specializes in missing person cases. On the surface a man of his time, John enjoys the good life, but can't quite afford it. However, he is not who he thinks he is. While solving the disappearance of a wealthy client, John uncovers clues that point to his own lost identity. Sometimes life is like a Monty Python episode; 'now, for something completely different'. John discovers he has been on the wrong journey for almost two years. The three novels of the Crackstone Chronicles, Extinction, Connections and Extraordinary Solution carry the reader through time and space, exploring the question: why would extraterrestrials visit Earth, let alone conceal themselves here? The three parts to the Crackstone Chronicles, Extinction, Connections, andMagical Solution will provide an adventurous ride through time and space, ending up with answers to the question: are other civilizations here on Earth, and why are they here?

Old dogs know plenty of tricks for staying young at heart - and here they are! This humorous and loving collection of duotone portraits captures the golden years of humanity's best friends and most faithful companions. Sage and tender moments are caught on film and are paired with captions that reveal each dog's age and their secrets for a long and happy life, such as Tonto (12): "Lift and pee, lift and pee, lift and pee on every tree," and Kelsey (11): "Never let little dogs with bows in their hair get the best of you." These are dogs who know how to live life fully and recognize its priorities (like bacon). Old Friends is the perfect gift for dog owners and everyone who hopes to age gracefully in the canine spirit.