Author Archives: TanGental

About TanGental

My name is Geoff Le Pard. Once I was a lawyer; now I am a writer. I've published several books: a four book series following Harry Spittle as he grows from hapless student to hapless partner in a London law firm; four others in different genres; a book of poetry; four anthologies of short fiction; and a memoir of my mother. I have several more in the pipeline. I have been blogging regularly since 2014, on topic as diverse as: poetry based on famous poems; memories from my life; my garden; my dog; a whole variety of short fiction; my attempts at baking and food; travel and the consequent disasters; theatre, film and book reviews; and the occasional thought piece. Mostly it is whatever takes my fancy. I avoid politics, mostly, and religion, always. I don't mean to upset anyone but if I do, well, sorry and I suggest you go elsewhere. These are my thoughts and no one else is to blame. If you want to nab anything I post, please acknowledge where it came from.

A saucy postcard and a Limerick

Posted on Jun 23, 2022 by TanGental

As a child, I had a summer holiday every year at my Gran’s house on the north Kent coast at Herne Bay. It had all you could want as a holiday destination: a beach, albeit mostly made up of stones, … Continue reading →

Posted in humour, limericks, miscellany, poems, poetry | Tagged , , , | 33 Comments

Wishing Yourself Free #99wordstories

Posted on Jun 22, 2022 by TanGental

The #99wordstories prompt from the Carrot Ranch this week is June 20, 2022, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about what freedom feels like. Whose point of view do you use? Does the idea of … Continue reading →

Posted in #99wordstories, Carrot Ranch Congress of Rough Writers, creative writing, humour, little Tittweaking, miscellany | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Week Twenty-three: 2022

Posted on Jun 21, 2022 by TanGental

We went to the theatre last week to see Middle at the National. As the name suggests, it’s the middle play of three. We missed the Beginning or the Start or the Commencement (I’ve not checked) which didn’t seem to … Continue reading →

Posted in 2022, miscellany, theatre, thought | Tagged , , | 33 Comments

Life And Soul #shortfiction #flashfiction

Posted on Jun 20, 2022 by TanGental

Every year I collected together the pieces of short fiction I’ve written into an anthology. The current set I’m working on is from 2019 and it can be a challenge. The most difficult bit, as the writers amongst you may … Continue reading →

Posted in anthology, flash fiction, short story | Tagged , , | 33 Comments

The Garden – Mid June 2022 #garden

Posted on Jun 19, 2022 by TanGental

It’s been a bit mixed and today it’s nearing 30C with 34C threatened tomorrow making it one of the hottest June days on record. The colours, though have been stunning and while I’ve let the lawn grow shaggy to preserve … Continue reading →

Posted in dog, gardening | Tagged , , , | 30 Comments

Moving House #writephoto

Posted on Jun 18, 2022 by TanGental

This week’s #writephoto prompt is Mus Souris had a problem. The tornado had been inaptly timed. He and his mussus had just settled into their toadstool apartment when the wretched wind had picked up No.7, The Fungus and blown it … Continue reading →

Posted in #writephoto, flash fiction, humour | Tagged , , | 22 Comments

Philately Friday: Traditions Interrupted

Posted on Jun 17, 2022 by TanGental

I’m going to talk about Christmas stamps. Eventually. I’ll share some imagery of various versions as we get there. My father’s life was a journey of sorts. As a teen, in the Army at the end of WW2 he abhorred … Continue reading →

Posted in stamps | Tagged , | 29 Comments

The Eyeful #99wordstories

Posted on Jun 16, 2022 by TanGental

This week’s #99wordstories prompt from the Carrot Ranch is June 13, 2022, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about a danger zone. It can be an exciting plot-driven story (think “story spine”) or a situation … Continue reading →

Posted in #99wordstories, Carrot Ranch Congress of Rough Writers, creative writing, flash fiction, humour, little Tittweaking, miscellany | Tagged , , , , | 36 Comments

Interconnectedness, The Difficult One

Posted on Jun 15, 2022 by TanGental

Douglas Adams, he of the phantasmagorical Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy penned another set of books based around Dirk Gently and his Holistic Detective Agency. Gently believed in the fundamental interconnectedness of all things and used that belief to solve … Continue reading →

Posted in miscellany, thought piece | Tagged | 37 Comments

Week Twenty-Two: 2022

Posted on Jun 14, 2022 by TanGental

I went to the seaside. There was an element of memory-laning here, too as the destination – Broadstairs – is situated on the Kent coast. If you’re not familiar with British geography, imagine Britain is a kneeling man. Broadstairs would … Continue reading →

Posted in miscellany, thought, thought piece | Tagged | 33 Comments