Book Review

For this review, we asked seasoned water-dweller Ian Case, who actually lives on Britain’s waterways to give us his take on this grippy murder mystery thriller.

Canal Pushers by Andy Griffee

Is there a serial killer stalking the towpaths of the Midlands? I was set to find out, as I enjoyed a ‘lockdown review’ of Canal Pushers - a murder mystery thriller and debut novel by Andy Griffee, Within the first few pages, I was quickly encapsulated within its story line. Much of the descriptions relating to the first time living aboard a Narrow Boat rang a bell with me and no doubt with many other seasoned boaters, as they recall their own tentative experiences. The re-occurring comments relating to ‘the fisherman’ bring about a menacing undertone and are sprinkled throughout the book as you read it. The descriptions of Narrowboat life and pubs are pretty accurate and you can easily picture the scenes described. The story never wants for something to happen. There are many threads which seamlessly run together keeping the book alive and teasing the reader into wanting more. Its most certainly a book you will not want to put down once you start. I liked the way the story started – straight in there and into the gritty details from the off. I’m not one for long introductions and in this novel there was no wasted pre-amble – everything you needed to know came out in the first couple of chapters which are full of intrigue as the scene is set. It’s very refreshing to see how the storyline unfolds, in a way that keeps the reader excited and engaged in the plot. The descriptions of the characters you meet are well described and add on occasions a subtle element of humour – none of which detracts from the story line, but it will bring a smile to your face. Take a Narrowboat, a novice owner, a widow, drugs cartel, a lone fisherman and a friendly coroners officer and you have all the ingredients for a fascinating and addictive storyline. There is a sequel too, River Rats by the same author. I cannot wait! Our reviewer, Ian Case is a narrowboat owner enjoying his retirement on the waterways of Britian, he runs a weekly YouTube channel “Narrowboat Tales” which now has just on 3000 subscribers. Paperback – £8.99 | SBN-10 : 1903360439 | ISBN-13 : 978-1903360439 Kindle - £4.16 | ASIN : B07QQVHC56 Publisher : Orphans Publishing (2 May 2019)

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“It’s not just advanced equipment, but also our highly skilled team that help us win awards”

Leading local optometrists Parley Optometrists have been in the news again this year after being short-listed for 4 more national awards, but it’s not just the investment in ground-breaking technology that makes them a success - skilled staff are the key according to practice owner Rob Jones

Multiple award winning opticians Parley Optometrists are certainly not your average high street practice, and not only because they aren’t on a high street! The house based optical practice is celebrating its 20th year and has always striven to be at the forefront of clinical technology and excellence. Practice owner Rob Jones explains “During the last two years we have taken on more clinical community eye services, which historically would have fallen to the local eye hospital, and this has meant an increase in demand for appointments and an increase in patient numbers. The practice has significantly expanded the clinical team to continue to provide outstanding levels of ophthalmic care.” The practice boasts the very latest technology, ophthalmic hospital levels of equipment and a team of clinicians to match. Optometrist Gillaine Seymour has over 30 years experience in many varied environments. She was actually Rob's supervisor whilst he was training. Gill performs routine eye exams and has expertise in front of the eye assessments and low vision assessments.

Gareth Watson is an esteemed local optometrist who ran his own practice for a number of years before deciding to add variety to his working day. His specialties include elderly care and childrens assessments. Optometrist Diane Wingate again has over 30 years experience providing routine eye exams and has expertise in dry eye assessments and clinical optometry. Independent prescribing optometrist Jane Bell is a very well respected clinical optometrist and is on several national committees promoting optometry and eye care. She divides her time between optical clinics and attending health service meetings. Jane together with Rob provide the specialist glaucoma care. Lisa Pipe, contact lens and diabetic retinal screening practitioner, runs dry eye clinics alongside her contact lens and diabetic eye disease screening appointments. She is also responsible for the majority of troublesome eyelash removals and was short-listed for the national contact lens practitioner of the year award recently. FINALIST 2019 The busy practice also has a full support team to give patients

TECHNOLOGY a high level of service, aiming to make each individual feel

PRACTICE OF confident and comfortable throughout their whole journeyTHE YEAR through the practice. Call 01202 575759 for an appointment.

• Diabetic eye screening • Glaucoma screening & hospital shared eye care • NHS & Private eye examinations • Contact lens specialists • Orthokeratology (vision correction alternative to laser - for those suitable) • Digital imaging of the internal & external structures of the eye • Corneal topography/pachymetry (advanced scanning techniques) • Children’s examinations & coloured overlays for specific learning difficulties • Hospital cataract referral centre • Using the latest technology to enable early diagnosis of ocular & health problems

Finalists again at the 2019 Optician Awards

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PARLEY OPTOMETRISTS

AT THE FOREFRONT OF OCULAR TECHNOLOGY

Parley Optometrists believe in delivering award-winning eyecare for our patients which is why we have invested in some of the latest technology available to ensure that we are giving our patients the best possible care available today

127 New Road, West Parley, Dorset Call 01202 575759 to make an appointment

www.parleyoptometrists.co.uk