Thank you for the kind words, folks.

Plaw, I did indeed grasp your biting wit in your post, and I knew you were joking. Or at least hoped. There's no need to overcompensate by actually copying and pasting a line with individual reference and praise. Liar. :p

Fame, to answer your questions:

1) A woman, older than I, who lives, I believe, in Ireland, won first prize. She's a history in writing, if nothing big. I've not read her story yet, but it's based around Christmas I know, by the title.

2) I've not been to London before; I just resent the fact that it is so commonly used as a cultural export to foreign countries, used as an insight to England and English life. There's more to us than the red buses you see in Hollywood films. I was also kind of challenging the judges when I was writing it: do you dare to publish a Notherner? They did.

3) The lush green is of Leazes Park. The stadium dwarfing it is St. James' Park, home to Newcastle United Football [soccer] Club. To the right of the picture would be the stone lions.

4) Yeah, she's read it. I spent some of my most finest, heart-pumping moments in that park, the setting of my story. I'm glad I got something out of it other than a kiss.

And as for the funded film, I have a short adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Match Girl showing at the Northern Lights Film Festival closing gala, alongside Michael Winterbottom's The Cock and Bull Story.

JustMe, yeah, Tyneside is home to the River Tyne. On looking, if appearances mean anything, it is certainly one of the dirtiest rivers you can find.

Thanks again,
Mick