Mick Canning's Blog
September 11, 2025
Cordoba
We were in Cordoba in April. And we naturally visited the Mezquita (Spanish for mosque), a mosque repurposed as a cathedral in the sixteenth century. In this post, I’m focussing on the Islamic architecture – the parts that really interested me. Regrettably, we had both been ill since before we left The UK and I …
September 8, 2025
A Change Is As Good As A Rest
The last couple of weeks have seen a real mix of weather – typically autumnal. At times it’s been absolutely hammering it down here. After what feels like an impossibly long spell of parched heat, in the last week we’ve had some marvellous rainstorms. These rains have freshened the tired summer greens as though they’ve …
August 3, 2025
‘Likes’ Update
Well, I tried clearing the cache on the browser, and it made no difference. But I tried opening posts from my phone, and that worked. Help suggested that might mean it’s the browser at fault, so I might change my browser at some point. So for those of you having similar problems, my browser is …
August 2, 2025
‘Likes’
Just to say either WordPress has had a wobbly, or my account has – I don’t seem to be able to leave ‘likes’ at the moment; they disappear as soon as I leave the page. In case it’s just my reader, if I’ve successfully left a ‘like’ on anyone’s blog in the last hour or …
July 30, 2025
Where Do The Dead Go?
I know. It’s been a while. I’ve been thinking about how I publish my poetry and stories, and concluded that the simple way is the best way. I don’t wish to spend a lot of time and money submitting them to competitions and magazines, putting them to one side where they may end up forgotten …
February 16, 2025
Writer’s Notebooks (2) – The Purge
I’ve been doing some clearing out. I must have had around twenty notebooks on my shelves. However, once they’re filled up, they are almost never opened again. Once finished, they’re put in a drawer, or on a shelf, and then pretty well forgotten. Taking up space. Occasionally I might be writing something and vaguely remember …
January 19, 2025
Blue Monday
The third Monday in January – Blue Monday – is supposedly the worst day of the year for those who suffer from depression. So here we are on the 20th, Blue Monday. But there is no scientific reason for this date to be singled out, it is just a modern myth invented, apparently, by a …
December 20, 2024
Winter Solstice
I’m always pleased to see the Winter Solstice. Today is the shortest day of the year. Where I live, we will get approximately half the daylight hours that we will get during the Summer Solstice. Actually, slightly less. We get up in the dark and it is dark again long before supper time. The weather …
December 18, 2024
Stormy Weather. Again.
Well, it’s blowing a hooley out there at the moment. Winds howling around the eaves of the house and rain spattering the windows. What a miserable winter we seem to be having so far. Not particularly cold, but at times the damp makes it feel about a hundred below zero. Sort of. Not a day …
December 14, 2024
Echoes And Imaginings Issue #2
It’s out. Issue #2 of Echoes and Imaginings has arrived. It’s available both in my Etsy shop or directly from me – message me on the contact page. The format is similar to the first issue, with articles folkloric and psychogeographical. Poetry and photographs. A bit of re-hash from this blog, and new stuff. And …
