Back in April the Shans went for a spin on a panoramic wheel which had been set up in Arthur's Quay Park in Limerick over the Easter period. It was a bit of a cloudy, blustery day, as you can see from the strange shapes of our hair in a couple of the shots! But it was nice to look out over the city of Limerick from up high, regardless of the weather.

Almost 30 years ago, when I worked in Limerick city for a couple of years after university, I used to come to this park quite regularly in my lunch breaks, often clutching a delicious bag of fish and chips from Donkey Fords, my favourite chippie in Limerick. I'd throw the odd bit of chip to the seagulls who were always circling, looking for some grub. I loved seeing them catch the chips mid-air and gulping them down. Back in those days I had very long hair, and a scraggly beard, and dressed in long, heavy coats in the colder months. Most people used to give my bench a wide berth as I was munching my food and sharing it with the local wild birds. No doubt they viewed me as an odd, probably unhinged, potentially dangerous vagabond. Little did they know they were in the presence of a budding Master Of YA Horror, who would in a mere handful of years be feted in schools and libraries all over the world and held up as a glowing example for the next generation!!!! :-) :-) :-)