What If God's a Bullock?

Published 25th September

Bowsie and Wowsie love the good things in life, especially good food. Political journalist Jane Bonnd isn’t so bad either. She’s silly enough to think she’s the owner and they’re the pets, when it’s so obviously the other way round.

Lucky for her she’s got them to watch her back when events catch up with her. Which they do when she tangles with a bunch of crazy populist guys running MEGA (Making England Great Again), who are determined to redraw the world map.

Not to say the dogs know everything, mind. Getting the hots for a top spy does make for tricky times. Even they don’t know how that’s going to work out, any more than she does, as it happens…

ISBN: 9781852002244

Size: 212x135mm 

Binding: Paperback 

Length: 233pp

A Third Dose of Witty Reflections on Modern Life from a Grumpy Old Westcountry Man

Whether considering great issues related to the state of the world or simply the choice between a bath or shower, we can be sure that Ted Sherrell’s unique observations on life always include a good deal of common sense and plenty of humour.

Although being a self-confessed grumpy old cynic, he is not one to believe everything from the past is better; far from it, he revels in the comforts of modern life – so long as he can list them with a Biro and not a keyboard!

Easy to dip into at anytime, these 60 articles are chosen from Ted’s original columns published in newspapers across Devon and East Cornwall.

ISBN: 9781852002077

Size: 212x135m

Illustrated with cartoons

Binding: Paperback

Length: 221pp

With his knowledgeable and humorous approach in telling these stories from a westcountry council chamber, Ted Sherrell provides a wry insight into the workings of local government and what it is that councillors actually do – or perhaps that should read ‘don’t do’.

At the meetings councillors are faced with the most unlikely proposals and subject matter. They could be dealing with trees that are in the way or dropping their fruits on people, or dogs that leave their droppings in public places, or unreachable flagpoles, decrepit bridges or even the need to set up committees under government policy that never actually do anything!

The problem with all the discussions and decisions is that each of the councillors have their own strong individual personalities and quirks, and these can quickly make them appear either outrageous or extremely inflexible. Whilst democracy is obviously essential, there are other considerations – can they afford the proposal, which proposal will close the meeting quickest to allow them to go home, and will the outcome affect their chances of re-election?

When we consider that many of those who eventually reach the hallowed halls of Westminster start out as elected councillors, it is perhaps not surprising that the one true principle that can be seen running through our democratic system, just as occurs in this book, is that of procrastination – and perhaps it’s just as well!

ISBN: 9781852001919 

Size: 217x140mm 

Binding: hardback 

Length: 204pp

Totally Ted! More witty Reflections on Modern Life from a Grumpy Old Westcountry Man

Well-known Devon author and self-confessed grumpy old cynic Ted Sherrell shares even more of his many and varied opinions and conclusions about modern life in Totally Ted! 2

As a complete technophobe, anything from using a pressure-washer to fixing the toilet seat can become a major incident, and the ever increasing amount of junk mail, or the vexed complications of buying a new broom, are likely to drive Ted to the edge of despair. However, once again Ted’s columns, which first appeared in newspapers across West Devon and East Cornwall, are also imbued with excellent humour and increasingly more wisdom.

ISBN: 9781852001889 

Size: 212x135m 

Illustrated with cartoons 

Binding: Paperback

Length: 212pp

Totally Ted! Witty Reflections on Modern Life from a Grumpy Old Westcountry Man

The Totally Ted! columns are written by well-known Devon author Ted Sherrell. First appearing in newspapers across West Devon and East Cornwall, they give voice to Ted’s many thoughts about modern life. 

Whether Ted is writing about his phobia of technology, his idea for a ‘colander’ list instead of a ‘bucket’ list, the perils of shopping, or his dislike of television reality shows, the one thing guaranteed is that he is always a self-confessed grumpy old cynic. Nevertheless, these contemplations on day-to-day life contain a large dose of humour and a great deal of wisdom.

Driven Crazy My Life With Cars & Other Vehicles

Sometimes it’s easy to imagine cars are just for getting from ‘a’ to ‘b’ – but we all know deep down that each vehicle has a character of its own. In this humorously offbeat and unusual book we share in Leslie Scrase’s life through his automotive experiences, where Jaguars and VW camper vans are viewed with equal affection. 

Having always loved cars from his very earliest days, the 1950s found Leslie with his first purchase of a 1934 Austin 7, which became known as Aubrey – and Aubrey was to prove a valuable early lesson in the art of car ownership and driving in general! 

Leslie amusingly describes events in his life in relation to the vehicles he has encountered; at one point even finding himself in South India where the transport was an ancient Ford Anglia. 

There are cars, minibuses and camper vans, and a Vauxhall Victor, which together with a Pemberton caravan come truly to life in one chapter as Vera and Charlie, causing considerable trouble for their owner Leslie! 

Eventually love of cars and driving led Leslie to start a chauffeur driven car hire company in Surrey. The cars were all Daimlers and Jaguars, and the clientele were largely leading businessmen, politicians and stars of stage and screen, some of whom provide an interesting lesson on the affect money and power can have on human nature.

ISBN: 9781852001797 

Size: 217x140mm 

Binding: hardback 

17 b&w photographs 

Length: 163pp

Beneath the cream tea, pasty, pisky and second home owner surface of the county of Cornwall live those indigenous people trying to keep their heads above the surrounding waves. And author Peter Spencer, having just retired as an on-screen political correspondent with Sky News, suspects that in hard times seagulls have been replaced by tractors flying over the cliffs. It is this tractor culling conspiracy theory, and the reason behind it, that touches each of the colourful characters and the humorous tales within this book.

These stories present a whimsical, varied and often satirical perspective on the lives of ordinary Cornish folk. Pitched at adults, locals and visitors alike, the humour has a sardonic edge, although the portraits are generally affectionate and often touching.

From his Cornish base the author has teamed up with artist Rory Donald, who with his own unique style gives readers an instant insight into these characters and stories from the lower Celtic fringe of Great Britain.

ISBN: 9781852001674 

Size: 212x135mm 

Binding: Paperback 

Length: 141pp

Angela Lord’s humorous autobiography dwells on the amusing events and characters that have featured in her life. 

At the beginning are recollections of her early childhood and the funny incidents  surrounding her upbringing and family in Kent. She describes her struggle to earn money in order to fund her pony ’s keep, introducing various neighbours and shopkeepers along the way, all with their own highly individual, often quirky, characters.

Following marriage and the birth of two children, Angela and her husband decide on a complete change and move to Devon, where they purchase and run a restaurant called ‘The Butler’s Pantry’ in Budleigh Salterton. This is a new experience, and between water heaters exploding and firemen with hoses charging amongst the customers, it is just as well Angela has a good sense of humour! 

After the sale of the restaurant, Angela became a Court Usher at Tavistock and Okehampton Magistrates ’ Courts for fifteen years and various amusing incidents ensue from this. At the same time she managed to find a small piece of land and fulfil her lifelong ambition of running a smallholding and being reasonably self-sufficient. Needless to say, this is quite a learning curve too, and training her horse causes further amusement.

Whilst it is a humorous account, the book is Angela Lord’s personal life story and there are photographs of people and animals to help reflect this. 

ISBN: 9781852001100 

Size: 217x140mm 

Binding: hardback 

Length: 147pp 

48 photos