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richard lakin s blog short stories poems journalism skip to content richard lakin s blog short stories poems journalism shugborough i haven t written much recently feeling a change is as good as a rest i ve been busy drawing instead a few weeks ago we visited shugborough former residence of lord lichfield who took the snaps at charles and di s wedding i was in search of subjects to sketch and drew the walled gardens visitors statues much of what is below walled garden much development is taking place through the national trust the walled garden is wonderful and hard to believe it is just yards from the west coast mainline tower of the winds a wonderful place to pause and take off your bonnet while watching the labourers dig ditches the house is a short skip away if you suffer a bout of brain fever nessus centaurs are always mischievous nessus gets a prime spot near the front door you can t move for classical references if you re impatient for the odyssey to arrive at cinemas elbow grease the kitchens are vast and so is the washing up queen victoria stayed here as a young girl so they definitely got the best china out it was such a hot day but the grounds were very busy shugborough is a beautiful landscape encompassing the trent valley and cannock chase i ll return to draw more in the grounds share this share on x opens in new window x email a link to a friend opens in new window email share on facebook opens in new window facebook like loading rich travel 4 comments july 11 2026 july 11 2026 1 minute tyger to the rescue just a few years after waterloo a sailing ship was wrecked in fog upon a reef off anglesey maen piscar rises some thirty metres from the seabed near the coast around one km from the village of rhoscolyn it has wrecked many vessels and is a popular site for divers that september 1819 day swathed in dense fog the mary eliza en route to liverpool clattered into the reef as the craft was broken on the rocks the men clung to the wreckage but which way was the shore tyger the captain s retriever is believed to have smelt land and swam with the ship s boy against a strong tide to the shore tyger then dragged and led the three remaining crew members to safety sadly tyger s labours led to his death from exhaustion and he is buried and marked by this stone on the headland overlooking his valiant act tyger s stone the anglesey coastal path is busy with walkers and it s good to know tyger has plenty of visitors at nearby ravenspoint they leave shells on the gate shell along this section of coast there are two arches black and white quartz rock above the crashing waves bwa gwyn and bwa du in welsh a stride along past pink bay the rock has a wonderful pinkish shade is st gwenfaen s well pilgrims and now hikers make their way here for a few quiet moments of contemplation little is known about this saint but she may offer mental health healing and some leave a quartz pebble as an offering st gwenfaen s well beyond the well is nothing but sea and sky share this share on x opens in new window x email a link to a friend opens in new window email share on facebook opens in new window facebook like loading rich travel 4 comments may 15 2026 may 15 2026 1 minute stepping stones a short story since st chad s closed kenny had been pushing a shopping trolley with his life in it he wandered the ring road dragging it up kerbs through leaf mulch and litter kenny was known to everyone in town he wore a wasp striped balaclava and waved at the trains from a bird hide on the marshes years back he d been caught up in a music video dancing to the mute trumpet of a one hit wonder in the high street college students paid tribute to kenny with a dedicated facebook page he was as much a part of town as the old windmill or the highwayman s lockup kenny was one of my regulars but if he recognised me from school he never showed it he d turn up at ten o clock sharp lean on reception and press the buzzer until one of the girls from advertising tutted told him to wait and phoned upstairs brian the chief reporter picked up grinned and said your mate s downstairs for you i imagined strangling brian with his novelty tie i sauntered down the stairs shorthand jotter ready though i wouldn t write a word kenny was wearing his balaclava rolled up to his hairline fried food and woodsmoke drifted from kenny s coat making my eyes sting that s where i m going he said jabbing a broken fingernail at a scrap of paper kenny s trolley was parked outside stuffed inside i could see a string picture of a sailing ship a teddy bear missing an eye a broken child s guitar kenny moved towards the door i felt relieved but guilty he d been a few years above me at primary school always alone and humming while he raced a matchbox car around the rosebushes where are you going i said he leaned in and i tried not to recoil a bobble on his rolled up balaclava had snared a dab of yolk his chin was smeared with spaghetti sauce kenny needed looking after but who would do it since st chad s closed its doors he handed me the folded scrap of paper scribbled in green ink was stepping stones and a scrawled phone number kenny waved a hand and the door swung shut behind him i watched him rummaging through his trolley i ignored brian s smirks as i made my way back to my desk i propped kenny s note on the windowsill remembered i was late for a planning meeting and ran out of the back door i was in early the next day writing up the planning meeting when i realised ten o clock had gone by with no sign of kenny his note was curling with damp on the windowsill stepping stones sounded like one of those projects they ran at the church there was a new vicar called hilary perhaps she was helping kenny i thought nothing more of it i got back from magistrates court at lunch the following day with nine cases to write up i asked if kenny had been in anna shook her head but brian overheard missing your mate are you i dashed out for coffee and a ham roll asking after kenny at the polish bakery and pete s newsagents no sign he hadn t been seen on his bench in the park or feeding the pigeons in the market square i slumped at my desk as an email dropped from neighbourhood policing i phoned sergeant terry straightaway he said kenny s trolley had been found down by the river snow was beginning to fall and they were forecasting temperatures below freezing overnight i shared the missing person appeal adding what i knew to improve kenny s description i picked up the scrap of paper he d given me and phoned the number i got an answering machine but it was clearly some sort of mental health support group i was stirring my fourth coffee of the day recalling kenny at trinity primary when a thought struck me i snapped shut my laptop where are you off to then brian shouted worried i d been tipped off about a good story i dashed down the back stairs shrugging on my coat and knotting my scarf i glanced up at the spiralling snowflakes worrying how deep it would be on the higher ground of the chase i could ve called sergeant terry but i didn t want to be the butt of a joke if my theory proved stupid twenty minutes out of town i turned off the main road into the trees and up a gravelled slope i parked up and picked my way through the snow topped heather and gorse i knew where i was headed i d done the walk a dozen times but not in such bleak weather i made slow progress where the snow had drifted into the bracken cutting through the ancient coppice clear icy waters of the sher brook trickled down through the pines i offered up a silent prayer and crossed myself as i puffed and panted snow sticking to my eyebrows and cheeks i stopped to wipe my eyes when i saw a hooded figure in a greatcoat hopping from stone to stone across the brook balancing with arms outstretched like an aeroplane he was lost in the moment oblivious to the sleet and snow and the biting wind back at the car i gave him my flask of coffee he sipped as he warmed his fingers turning them over before the dashboard heater i stepped out to phone sergeant terry how did you find him up there he said we went on the same school picnic i said trinity always went to stepping stones the name of a support group stepping stones had meant something very different to kenny it took him to a happier time he told me about iced buns and fizzy pop and ponies splashing in the brook and making a den in an ancient oak he took the pinecone from his pocket he d picked up that day beaming as he showed it to me share this share on x opens in new window x email a link to a friend opens in new window email share on facebook opens in new window facebook like loading rich short stories 10 comments april 24 2026 4 minutes two goals three points safety what relief a scrappy and at times feisty game against clitheroe resulted in three points and safety from relegation for stafford rangers it s never easy though and after a cracking opening goal rangers quickly conceded clitheroe had a player red carded but rangers struggled to make their player advantage count a second half goal was wildly celebrated but rangers had a player sent off and scrapped out endless corners and free kicks to seal a vital victory well done rangers if this was a film two goals three points two red cards and a scrap clitheroe brought some colourful support including a bear mascot which met rangers mascot bobby the badger pics below onwards nervous lineup pitch invasion bobby and clitheroe support clitheroe in the home end rangers 150 year celebration share this share on x opens in new window x email a link to a friend opens in new window email share on facebook opens in new window facebook like loading rich uncategorized 5 comments april 18 2026 april 18 2026 1 minute six pointer at marston road it s never easy watching stafford rangers two nil up in around ten minutes in a relegation clash and then rangers get a player sent off it was a relegation six pointer against wythenshawe town and thankfully rangers held on for a 2 1 victory defending for most of the second half they re not safe yet but a little closer the wythenshawe goalie seemed quite a character and a throwback to the 1980s football of the wimbledon crazy gang doing a midmatch display of stretches and press ups and bantering with the home support inevitably things got more heated especially at the end and some unsavoury chants from the shed end weren t needed but good to see a colourful character who cares even if his centre half had to guide him from the pitch at the final whistle a big last 4 games for rangers who can t take anything for granted yet pitch side goalie warming up goalie giving feedback to the shed end precious victory share this share on x opens in new window x email a link to a friend opens in new window email share on facebook opens in new window facebook like loading rich uncategorized 10 comments april 5 2026 april 6 2026 1 minute posts navigation older posts pages about prizes 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