Hello Bernard,
I don’t suppose you necessarily go by “Bern” but my father used to open the batting for the local first eleven with a man called Bernard and that’s what he called him. Rather affectionately I thought. “C’mon Bern, let’s get on with it” he’d say as they finished padding up or finished their tea, depending on whether they were batting first or second. They were pretty good as I recall but I’ve never really come across anyone else since I could call Bern.
Anyway, having found myself with some time this evening I’ve found the opportunity to message and this has what occurred to me. Hope you’re amused rather than offended!
Apart from that, I just wanted to say thank you for the books, and by extension the TV programs. I’ve watched Sharpe when its been on terrestrial TV of a weekend morning for many years, and more recently watched The Last Kingdom with my better half (and sometimes her mother) to much enjoyment. But it was only by accident that I discovered that there were books behind the shows. Pretty obvious in hindsight.
I have an odd relationship with reading. I tend to either binge on something, obsesses with it maniacally and read late into the night. Or I struggle to get into something, don’t really touch it, leave it by my bed and then don’t read anything for months, even years.
Currently I’m in the opening chapters of Sharpe’s Rifles having started the series at the start of the year and I feel like I’m back in a reading groove. It’s also opened my eyes to the horrors of the 17th Century British army and the high adventure of the peninsula war, which I will doubtless further research as I go along. Hopefully I will complete the series just in time for the next instalment!
Anyway, that’s a bit longer than I expected so thanks for reading (ha!) and thank you very much for the books. They have done me good.
All the best,
-mat