This is not so much a 'newsletter' as a message of reassurance that despite the lack of comms the website is still alive and kicking and I am still alive and kicking - at least I was last time I looked. At 74 you tend to take each year as it comes.

I find it gratifying that fairly frequently people email after stumbling across the website, seeking information or copies of Bird's shows and a few people have joined the mailing list in the past twelve months.

And now a bit of real news ...

In December 2025 website stalwart Chris Williams wrote to tell me that at the tender age of 86 Betty Arvaniti, known to us for Who pays the Ferryman? and The Dark Side of the Sun, is still acting and working in film to rave reviews.

Betty's latest film is called Broken Vein which premiered in Athens recently. Director Yannis Economides praised Betty for her powerful performance as the mother of a troubled businessman.

The film is a modern version of the classic Greek tragedy. Thomas Alexopoulos is a businessman in debt to a rival local criminal. His life is collapsing under the pressure and he needs help to save his home and everything dear to him. Desperate, he embarks on a perilous plan to rid himself of those who pursue him, but tragedy awaits. There are trailers on the internet if you would like to watch them and get a flavour of the film. Chris also sent me a couple of photos which I have uploaded to the 'Cast' page in the Ferryman section of the website.