St. Andrews church, East Winchester, England

Christmas is upon us, the shops are resplendent with decorations – some quite magnificent as I witnessed in London at Harrods, Fortnum & Mason and elsewhere on my recent trip to see family in England.

But the highlight of my start to the season was the first advent service this year at St Andrew’s church in Winchester.  The church is of Norman origin and stands isolated on Deacon hill overlooking the town.  As my new book, the Case of the Beth-el Stone, also harks back to the time when this church was first established, it had a double impact.

The first rector recorded was Henry of Rowadone in 1285. In 1803, John Washington was appointed – a cousin of George Washington.  If only the stones could talk!  The church is very small and I and my daughter, Samantha, attended the service on a dull, wintry, grizzly day with about 15 venturesome souls.  On a good day it might seat about 50 people I’d guess.

When the future of the church was in question and under threat of closure in 1961, the Association of the Friends of St Andrew’s was formed.  Since then, the Friends, together with visitors from far and wide, have helped financially to maintain this very special place and its surroundings.  For more info, see Standrews@eastwinchester.org

I am now back in Australia and the third book in the Findo Gask and Erroll Rait Mysteries series has been released in my absence.   Findo and Erroll continue their travels, escaping from Melbourne after an attempt on their lives only to find themselves enmeshed in matters of constitutional importance in Edinburgh and beyond alongside involvement with the Knights Templar, the Freemasons, the embryonic British state organisation that eventually matured to become James Bond’s employer and an underground Jacobite group involved with Bonnie Prince Charlie’s heir.  There is an explosive ending….

The book is available on most on-line sites including Amazon and on my web site: https://CairnsofFinavon.com

I hope you enjoy the trip!

I will also be in Hobart, Tasmania on January 7th next year with my wife, Victoria to speak at a book signing of the Helots’ Tale at the Cascades Female Factory. This is the prison where my wife’s great, great, great grandmother was held on first arriving in  Van Diemen’s Land almost 200 years ago as a transported convict.  Cascades was a converted rum distillery opened in 1828 and was the first stop for many of the female convicts transported to Australia through the middle of the 19th century.  If you are going to be there, I’d love to say hello with my wife, all these years later visiting the place where her forbear began her Australian adventure.

Finally, let me wish you a very Merry and Peaceful Christmas.  As I write, I watch Assad’s brutal regime unravelling in Syria, conflict in Lebanon, Israel, Gaza and the West Bank, the brave resistance of Ukraine in the face of unjustifiable, illegal, genocidal Russian aggression, uncertainty in the USA and, by extension, the rest of the world, political conflict in Georgia – and more.  Praying for peace and leaders who can deliver it must be the message of Christmas this year.

Have yourself a merry little Christmas and a happy, healthy, peaceful and prosperous New Year.

David