Canuk

An episode of Gainger is so good and means that I am not reading about a Stupid Orange Person. November in the Baltic would be bloody awful. Our hero is going to need lots of fuel for his heater. Are we still in the little ice age, or are my dates out? Thank you for this. Much appreciated.

like your writing - certainly looking forward to more! thanks

Oh! dear! I really should have coffee before i write commentary. Yes, I was a little harsh and abrupt. You may be amazed to know that that was part of a much broad more encompassing response. However the other parts were all left in my head..... I apologise if I offended and I really want you to know that I skimmed NOT because the writing was bad (your writing is NEVER bad), but because I don't like the subject. I know full well there are those who can rave on, as you had your characters do, but this just makes me relieve arguments I have had with poorly educated bigots. So all credit to your writing! but as I have said elsewhere - cardboard characters never make me angry!! Anyway, if I offended I apologise - future comment will be 1) after coffee and 2) more considered!

I do find peoples internal monologues, or worse, attempts at dialogue, on the nature of their faith, god, gods, or moral issues, to be boring in the extreme. Frankly I love going to old school places of faith ful of bells, smells and atmospheric music. But as soon as someone , anyone starts lecturing me on what is good, right, just, perfect or my fate, I am out of there. I admit that I skimmed a few paras in this. I simply find it neither interesting nor enlightening a characters views on the metaphysical. To me that is the internal discourse of the uneducated.

sorry, but two things about this "show" put me off - the girl (Quinta?) NEVER wore her seat belt..... and the filming was all about the furniture. What happened to location location location?

well that was one hell of a roller-coaster! Liz loses her lover, Janet's father loses his wife and daughter, but we have Elias, two proud parents and two ecstatic grandparents! but I see tensions ahead - raising children is not easy..... great writing thank you.

funny no matter how often you say to yourself "I'm not gay", or even "I'm NOT gay", the space between your ears just doesn't hear, doesn't compute or just plain ignores the noise!! Great read.

Just discovered this series. The blog style is interesting, allows us to see him as he sees himself, but somehow we get to join dots he doesnt see. Great, thanks.

i whole-heartedly agree - I am sure Disneyland/world/Tokyo/Paris are great places, but as an adult, unless I was taking children, I honestly cannot imagine anything worse!

Great story, and the ending was great, except for that letter! Looking forward to more of your writing Thanks

Sorry, but that saddens me that some would get that involved to send flames. I hope my comments remained in the realm of "discussion", if not, I apologise and am happy to delete anything that offends. A

the fact that we are having this discussion, disagreement about characters that are so fully formed we can give them feelings, motivations, reactions says heaps about the writing. So while I am happy to disagree regarding the plot and characters and their motivations, it ONLY because it is so well written we can have these discussions.... no one argues over cardboard characters.

I can see how you got to the view that its all a bit of overkill, which it would be if you are imagining the story about a group of friends. In that case this chapter would be a silly, juvenile somewhat bitchy stunt pulled by.01%'ters on each other, but its not. The family have got to their position because they have been a family - their success, the driving force, all the fighting and bad behaviour has been internally checked and driven. JJ is too juvenile to know or understand when he has reached that line in the sand, and what's worse, when he has been giving warnings, he has ignored them. So the only course left to Steph is to get JJ back in his own world at his own game. So, far from your perspective, I see this chapter as a distillation of all that CAP has been about - a family doing the very best for itself and its individuals while looking out for its self collectively. Either way, either perspective, great writing Mark.

Caroline really is the perfect wife for our hero. Her politcal instincts and contacts really make Graingers life that much easier. Really enjoying this. Thanks.

Very impressively written. Congrats. And many thanks for sharing your talent.

Great chapter. I just had to explain the whole story to my partner who was wondering why i was crying in bed..... the things you authors make me do!

That went well, said no one, ever. I am not sure who is more insensitive. I think Marcus' mother needs to take them both to task. They need someone to slap some sense into them!

Well this path of true love certainly has more barriers than most! Andy really is haveing his very being split. The way you show his mental turmoil; very very real. Looking forward to what comes next☺

"He never realized that sex would be such a workout. Well, maybe that could be a solution to his chubbiness." if only !! Perfect body through sex; that is a wonderful fantasy!!

well after that I am not Andy can deny the "gay" thing! great writing.... very impressed Thanks again....

you certainly write inner turmoil very well! the "not standing up for someone" would touch just about everyone - school yards are very hard places and "different" does not do well. man at his most animal. without education we are a very uncivilised bunch.....

rather shocked to read that Marcus and i seem to share the same mother! running into Andy was perfect. I see strife ahead. great read Thanks

Really? Undoubtedly there are men like that, but IMHO and in my limited (ish!) experience a lot of guys would have that reaction. two reasons: do you really want to have sex with someone who has NFI? and second, there is a risk of huge regret after the event and do you really want to cope with that? just found this story and really enjoying it! great writing. Thanks

that is a huge understatement!!! tho' in rereading Hornblower after reading the Grainger stories, the absence of sex seems weird!

"and its not even scary" - never a truer sentence. That feeling that occurs, for some anyway, when all this independence that as a teenager you had been striving for at every opportunity, suddenly becomes absolutely meaningless when you find "the one". great writing. the scene greeting his mum; not knowing how it should go, but knowing that how its going is not what you want or need..... Thnaks