If tongue-in-cheek light hack work is your bag, David Holman-Hill Waters is your man

His first influences on the world of humour came in childhood, listening to the five-minute readings on the BBC Home Service, prior to Uncle Mac and his Children’s Favourites programme of the late fifties and early sixties.

David was smitten by these humorous readings from the likes of Basil Boothroyd, Dylan Thomas and Alan Coran. These, in turn, led to the joys of Punch magazine and the stories of P G Wodehouse.

The BBC also brought him Hancock and the work of Galton and Simpson and, with a Bakelite earphone snuggled into the pillow, the anarchic influence of the ‘The Goons’. Since then, David has not just been taken by the writings of these wonderful humourists, but quill in inky hand, has tried, he says, to emulate their brilliant humour and the delight their work engendered.

Having physically, if not exactly mentally grown up, David has worked in advertising and design, whilst amusing himself and enjoying annoying his few long-suffering friends, many enemies and relatives with his whimsical, self-indulgent tongue-in-cheek takes on life’s absurdities. All to his great delight.

A Welshman, still passionate, despite their rugby team’s current quandary, he has also written, illustrated and published a Children’s book, ‘Caradog the friendly Welsh Dragon’, a delightfully gentle tale of a friendly Welsh Dragon who, with the help of his Shepherd friend, tries to dispel the idea that dragons are fierce and frightening.

Along the way, he encounters a valiant but timorous knight, a bold blacksmith and the even bolder womenfolk of a small Welsh village. Not only a delightful read but an absolute world-beater. David informs me; at the last count having sold all of 15 copies worldwide!

Since retiring to Arboleas in Almeria three years ago, David has written numerous short humorous essays and is some 50,000 words into his first novel.

He has also teamed up with another author, Bernie Albrighton, to spread the word that writing is a wonderful therapeutic pastime.

Both had been frustrated by their lack of contact and association with other writers, so taking things into their own hands they started The Written Word Group for writers of all genres, who currently meet fortnightly on Fridays from 10:00.AM until 1:00.PM at the Hotel Meson in Arboleas.

David does admit however that writing tends to be a rather solitary activity, where time evaporates as he enters a world of his own, something he says, to which his long-suffering wife will readily attest.