A volume of short stories with a wide range of themes. In Stirring The Grass, Rick Griffin's Muslim girlfriend, Sara Awad, is reported as missing. This opens up a whole can of worms involving international espionage with all its attendant deceit and duplicity, and propels those closest to her on a roller coaster of emotional turmoil... In Man Flu, something strange starts claiming the lives of birds in the West Hill dominion. There are no external wounds, no signs of struggle, no readily obvious cause of death. The inner circle, under the presidency of a charismatic robin, decides that humans are responsible. The word goes out that all contact with humans is forbidden and, most significantly, bird feeders are declared off-limits. The penalty for breaking the embargo is severe... Also included: Shackleton's Shed, Why Thursdays? and a couple of short pieces of prose.