Write-Place

Twitter. Must be the buzz word of the year beating  Kindle or I-pod hands down. I am trying it, though I can't for the life of me see the point. Another time wasting tool/activity almost certainly, but I am perfectly capable of doing that without another "application" to get to grips with. Would I be any worse off if I don't Twitter ? Probably not and probably in my case better off as I am renowned for letting information overload get to me. I am judging Writer's Talkback's One Word Challenge Competition this month - first time as joint judge so I could do with getting on with that instead of looking out for news on who's doing what, to arrive. I have somehow managed to be "following" Alistair Campbell (??) and I haven't the slightest interest in what he has to say. I expect the feeling's mutual but I may have to tweet something to him anyway, just for the hell of it. Still no resolutions in mind. Give another day and I might ha...

It's that strange time in between Christmas and New Year where I feel I am in limbo - but I don't know what I am waiting for.  It's officially the fourth day of Christmas, according to the song anyway. No one has given me any calling birds yet but I didn't get a partridge or any doves or  hens over the past few days either. And I am certainly not expecting any gold rings tomorrow. With three and a bit more days to go till New Year, I suppose I could be waiting for that, if only sub -consciously. But if that's the case then I might have to think about making resolutions, and that seems a bit like putting myself under pressure to achieve something. If I don't achieve what I intended to, then this time next year I will be feeling a complete failure and I don't fancy that again ! So, no resolutions (yet) and no particular plans for the near future (yet). To be able to take each day at a time is a precious thing. At this moment that is all I hope to do. I ho...

Write-Place Blog Spot: Keeping the Peace : "Seems like The Police have recently seen sense in the way they interpret the law - Section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986, to be precis..."

Seems like The Police have recently seen sense in the way they interpret the law -  Section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986, to be precise. Quite rightly of course, this part of the act makes it an offence to utter ‘threatening, abusive’ words ‘to cause harassment, alarm or distress’, but new guidelines say that police officers need to be a bit more thick skinned to carry out their job effectively. A street preacher was arrested, held for seven hours and charged with a public-order offence after he told a gay PCSO that he believed homosexuals were acting against the “word of God”. The charges have now been dropped and he has been awarded £7,000 plus legal costs in compensation and will get an apology in person from the Chief Constable. The right to free speech allows people to express unpopular view as long as their behaviour is not unreasonable or violent so it’s about time that beliefs can be expressed which provoke debate rather than be an offence. The police bank account could...

"Twins" - a story by me. Read it here, if you want to ! http://www.spookcity.blogspot.com

"W hat we think or what we know or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only consequence is what we do.  "   I had an email today from Sheffield Museums with this quote on it by John Ruskin. I posted it as my status on Facebook (rather rashly, maybe) and now feel I should elaborate on the sentiments. If I don’t, then I could be guilty of dwelling on things of little consequence simply by not doing something. Or would I? My initial reaction was that yes, the “doing” is the most important thing. But on second thoughts, as most things, one is no good without the other. Doing something without believing in it or believing without thinking first, is definitely not the way to go. I must think, then decide what I believe and then base my actions on this. The results of my actions will then reflect on my future thinking and beliefs. Everything goes full circle. And considering this, I wait with anticipation for the consequence of this blog post.

Someone on Writer's Talkback yesterday, made a post about running out of milk.  People got talking about substitutes and how they liked to have their tea or coffee. This lead onto a 'discussion' on who loves hot milk, who hates Marmite and who dunks toast in coffee. Funny how one thing leads to another. Today I have made pasta bake and there's rather a lot left over. I wondered if the person who had ran out milk yesterday could suggest anything, rather than throwing it out.The suggestions ranged from passing it their way to freezing it. So I have searched out a plastic pot that has a reasonably fitting lid (funnily enough -  see another blog on plastic containers) I have then looked in the freezer and found a number of tubs and plastic bags containing unidentifiable concoctions. Possibly one of these was once pasta bake in another era. So these have been removed to the bin and the new pasta bake installed. No doubt in the future it will be replaced by another tub o...

Police officers are being ordered to send text messages instead of speaking on their radios. The police communications network, Airwave Solutions, is becoming too expensive to use and texting is apparently much cheaper.  Great. I can just see it now - PC PLOD HERE. I AM OK BUT M8 IS DED. PLS FONE 999 ! A sign of the times, maybe. I'm all for cutting costs for the tax payer. Reminded me of something I wrote a good few years back, published in TES. So am indulging myself by posting the link here : Enjoy !  http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=364485

I thought I'd lost it forever. But today I have found it and the best thing about it is I can't remember writing a lot of it, so it's like reading something that someone else has written. And you know something -  I'm quite impressed. What am I on about ? 5,200 and odd words of a novel I am writing that went AWOL about a year and a half ago. It wasn't actually the text that went absent, rather that compartment of my memory that was incorrectly labelled and badly filed. So it's been a bit exciting reading and editing my own stuff. It's also given me a boost to think that maybe there's all sorts of other literary masterpieces of mine hidden away on my computer's hard drive and probably on my own too. Thanks NaNo WriMo. I might not have got far with  a new novel, but I'm happy I found the old one.

I have found myself the ultimate "get yourself moving and write" site. Well, I thought I had yesterday.  This year's National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) has begun. The theory : begin writing on November 1st with a goal to write  a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.   http://www.nanowrimo.org/          Simples.   Or rather, not at simple as I thought. I had all good intentions this morning. Even knowing that I had "other"  things to do, I was certain that I would have a good few hundred words written. I ought to know myself better. Of course, the site itself has been working so slow that I haven't even managed to upload the novel title yet (I 'm sure it  does have a title) and of course I had to write this blog and chat about writing on other forums first. I have also had to read how other people are getting on with their own NaNoWriMo entries, find out who my buddies are and make supportive comments ...

Poems - KELLAND * STREET * CROSSLEY * ASH

Write-Place Blog Spot: Practice Gigs for Writers : "I have just been listening to the comedian Michael Mcintyre talking about his On The Road tours. He has gone from selling one ticket at Edin..."

I have just been listening to the comedian Michael Mcintyre talking about his On The Road tours. He has gone from selling one ticket at Edinburgh to sell out performances with audiences of thousands. Getting to where his career is today and preparing for these shows obviously takes a lot of work and knockbacks and hasn't been easy. So how do you present your work to so many people in the hope that at least the majority appreciate it ? Mackintyre does practice gigs, starting with as little as 15 people and working up to larger audiences until he has a show he is happy with  and knows is worth putting out to "the masses". I wonder if this is feasible for writers and if it's any different from asking for critiques from "professionals". There are book and poetry readings but these are usually after the book/poetry is complete.  And listening to something read aloud is very different to reading it yourself. Maybe if we had audiences reading during the proces...

"I could write a biography about me. But all the things I 'liked' and all the groups I joined already told my story " Someone just sent me this from a website called "Likelicious", where people post a little piece about what they like (hence the name ) The posts are anonymous. Made me think that yes, that could almost be me yet I do enjoy this "networking " game, time wasting/consuming though it is. I am a talker - whether verbally or written (though on a bad day I am more comprehensible when writing than talking and on a really bad day I am just completely incomprehensible!) I am the person who you tell your life story to during twenty minutes in the doctors waiting room - and you will hear a good bit about mine too, though we will probably never meet again. Good or bad for me ? Good or bad for you ? Where do you fit onto this scale of public v private ?

Write-Place Blog Spot: Catching the Mood : "I've done more writing on doing anything but writing than your average procrastinator but this is a final one (for now) before I get started..."

I've done more writing on doing anything but writing than your average procrastinator but this is a final one (for now) before I get started, as there's not much of the day left (but I have been thinking) I am planning to catch the mood - that is, mine and the subject's. I have been chasing "the mood" for months now but somehow today it seems to have decelerated in it's escape and I HAVE IT. The project is this : to write using Stewart's work as a base. It is not an original idea to use one art form as a base for another (if it is I copyright it here and now) but it is unique to me in that I know the artist personally. I have written stuff and used his artwork as a background on paper but not as yet, for the inspiration. We have all been expected at some time in school to paint from a still life set up or a "famous" artist's print. Good for technique and practising using materials I would think, though I am not and never will be skilled ...

Fine Arts lecturer Mark McGowan has produced a show "The Re-enactment of the Assassination of Raoul Moat " and has been funded by four public bodies including the Arts Council which distributes Lotto Cash He has refused to say how much he got, as has the Arts Council, who say that every application for funds is judged on it's own merit. Merit ? What merit is there in writing and performing a "play"about a maniac killer portraying him as the victim, 11 weeks after the awful event ? To suggest that Moat is a victim is an appalling insult to the bereaved and wounded.   The only other victims in this are the people who provide the Arts Councils with their money - the tax payers.

  The debate over how prolonged internet use is affecting our brain is on again. The ‘mind change’ brought about by using the internet needs urgent research to work out its long-term effects - so says Professor Susan Greenfield. She fears that technologies are “ infantilising the brain into the state of small children who are attracted by buzzing noises and bright lights, who have a small attention span and who live for the moment “ I know what she means. My mind seems to be completely infantilised and my attention span is mostly lower than the average 2 year olds (as I often comment on) Whether this is due to the internet or not of course, needs researching too. Search engines are “driving us to distraction” and technology is moving faster than neuroscience can monitor its effect on our brains. In simple speak I think that means we don’t know what it is doing to our thought processes. I know that advert about search engines that's on the telly lately drives me to distrac...

Where is the boundary line between what is classed as pyjamas and what are day clothes ? And, how do I decide at what time of day/night I should wear them? This is my latest “dilemma” which brought about the statement from my friend which is the title here. It’s not that I am so clothes conscious that I am bothered whether my jeans look like pyjamas or my pj’s look like jeans though. It’s more the time of day of wearing either. What time is it reasonable to put on your pyjamas ? In the winter time that’s easy – as soon as it starts to get dark, in my book it’s perfectly acceptable to get a nice warm bath and wear pyjamas till bedtime. Of course, I then have to contend with anyone who operates “normal” hours - deliveries, newspapers, leaflets etc (this is mainly because my gate is broken so when anyone tries to get in the garden I have to go out and make sure they are not flattened by it in the process of posting something) Likewise in the morning. It’s ok to still be in pyjamas ...

An online friend has blogged about changing the coffee that she usually drinks and the place that she drinks it. She feels like she has cheated http://auntagnes.wordpress.com/2010/09/01/ive-cheated/  Good luck to her, I say. Change the place you drink your coffee every day and tell me when you find somewhere that serves coffee - just that ... plain and simple coffee. I know I'm speaking in the vein of the "grumpy old women" here but it is a fact of life that you can not go into a cafe these days, ask for a cup of coffee and get it without a barrage of questions about the type you want. I can handle Cappucino and Espresso and Latte. I think I even know what an Americano is. But when they start on Doppio and Macchiato and Frappe then my mind wanders. They even seem to have little biscuits that go with the coffee that you are having. They ought to have a list of what goes with what because I like those stick ones with the chocolate inside but am not so keen on the wafery on...

Pittenweem Harbour - Original Pastel by Stewart Platt (inspired by a photo by Julie Broom) T here's something about boats and the sea that sends even the least literary of us into wistful and poetic musings at the sight and the visual artist is in her/his element to be able to observe and produce images that stir. In sunshine the slant and sparkle of reflections on water can lighten our mood while in stormy conditions our darker thoughts are often portrayed in the rain loaded cloud changing the colours of the sea in an instant.  I think myself l ucky to live on an island here in Britain - even inland, it is  only a few hours travelling distance of the coast. Much of my teenage angst was silently screamed at the sea and in middle age it still feels like home to be near it, regardless of the weather. The squall of the gulls, the thundering of the waves , the slap of the boats ropes on the masts. " I must go down to the sea again ... ... ... "

After the "Bias in Eastenders" talk yesterday, I have been reading a study by the British Medical Journal (like you do ! ) who's objective was "To measure mortality among characters in British soap operas on television. " (with thanks to the Ugley Vicar blogspot for discussing the subject and the BMJ http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/315/7123/1649 ) I am finding the subject of people's responses to soap operas quite fascinating and thought you might be interested in the Key Messages from the analysis. "Characters in soap operas lead very dangerous lives Their lives are more dangerous even than those of Formula One racing drivers or bomb disposal experts People suffering from many forms of cancer and other serious diseases have better five year survival rates than do these characters Could the exaggerated portrayal of these violent and dangerous lives be contributing to our distorted national perceptions about violent crime and death? " ...

There's been "complaints" that Eastenders shows an "anti Christian bias". The BBC has had to defend a storyline after viewers accusations.The plotline in question shows a Christian Pentecostal pastor, as a mad killer whose actions are motivated by his Christian faith. And now over 100 viewers have written to the BBC saying that they find the storyline deeply offensive. Years ago whenever Eastenders started my children were "banned" by me from watching it after having seen a bit of an episode when someone got hit on the head with a chair on the Christmas Day episode, I think it was. I didn't think it was suitable viewing for me as an adult never mind my impressionable offspring. Now they accuse me of hypocrisy (jokingly, I think) as about 6 months ago I started watching it and now follow it regularly. My children are grown up enough now to choose if they wish to watch or not - most of the time they are too busy with their own children to have tim...

Yesterday I was reading how a fellow blogger was bemoaning the prices of child care so that parents can work and also the ridiculous increase in prices for package holidays and flights during the school holidays. I agreed and sympathised with her. I never understood that business of "if everyone wants something then it's more expensive". To me if the demand is high then whatever it is should be cheaper. (Of course, I didn't fail my Economics O'level for nothing) However I felt I had a solution for her and now today having assessed the situation further, I am sure of it. I have been to look at boarding kennels for my 2 dogs while I go away for a few days. The cost of a small dog is £10.50 a day, a medium dog £11 per day. Luckily for me they decided that mine are both small and so I get a 10% discount for taking two. The kennels are great. There are regular walks and treats for good behaviour, all food is provided, there are games to play etc etc. So.. how about...

Not much topical, intellectual or discussable stuff in my mind at the moment (well, not that I can blog about anyway )so here's a piece to keep the blog on a "writing" theme. The title could be substituted for "Empty Brain" if wanted.Empty Rooms In the silence of another sleepless night with shadows from the moon’s pale light Blues and blacks shine through the window pane Like shadows calling out your name. And did you ever know That although you said that you would go I never thought it would be so I watch the moonlight in the place where colours once bathed around your face And fragrant flowers are in the air The scent is here though you’re not there. And I wonder if you know That I never thought you’d go But you did and I’m alone. Morning goes with more regret of the evening and memories I can't forget. Empty rooms and I climb the stairs where clothes lie draped on empty chairs. And I wonder if you knew how I always understood ...

It's true. Plastic lids - those that tightly enclose your leftover beans and other such delicacies in a pot - are multiplying. I appreciate that this must sound like the most inane comment I have come out with recently but I can back up this statement with clear evidence.I used to think that it was only my kitchen cupboards that had endless supplies of lids which fit nothing at all but other members of my family have the same thing happening.I assume from this that it's happening in kitchens all over the country and probably in other countries too. This is not a local problem. The signs of this happening start first with you only being able to find the pot and no lid to fit it. If you are lucky you may have a few empty chinese takeaway dishes but it is unlikely that the selection of lids will fit the one with your portion of decaying chilli in it. The problem then escalates to finding lids which you can not remember ever having a pot to go with it - sometimes in colours that ...

"Massacre in Cumbria" by Clare Leigh will be published in paperback on 30th July, priced £7.99, published by John Blake. He says that some of the profits will be donated to the charity Victim Support as “We feel it’s a very raw subject so we don’t want to seem like we’re exploiting the dreadful murders." He reckons they have a moral obligation to do this. Yeah Right. Some of the profits ? Why not all, if this has to be done at all and by an outsider ? But does it ? And so soon after the awful events ? The author is apparently an experienced journalist.Hmm - not experienced enough to know about insensitivity it seems. Or perhaps I am being too sensitive.

Just received this email from createspace.com and find it interesting especially after me going on about information overload etc in my last 2 blogs. I might pledge a couple of the suggestions (not saying which though- someone might try and hold me to it ! ) "They say that it takes 21 days to form a habit. Marketing your book shouldn’t be a task you dread. It should be a habit that comes to you easily. Pledge to do the following 7 steps everyday for the next 21 days, and form a habit that is going to strengthen your online presence and create a community around yourself and your book that will continue to grow over time and ultimately help you get in the habit of selling books. 21 Day Book Marketing Pledge 1.) I pledge to give one book away to a charity, friend, or organization. The book I give away will be signed by me with all my online contact information and a handwritten invitation to review the book on Amazon. 2.) I pledge to write an entry for my blog. 3.) I pledge...

An article in today’s Daily Mail suggests that the internet is making us less able to concentrate. We read fewer books of the paper variety as anything we want is available at a click and there is a mind blowing supply of information constantly at hand. All knowledge that there ever was can be in anyone’s mind. But not only is the information permanently available, it seems that the internet is actually “blowing our minds” as the process of using the net is “subverting the very process of intellectual inquiry”. Doing research in a library involves us in deciding which step to take next to further the enquiry – the internet does that for us by providing a hyperlink. We all know that the internet has been blamed for all ills in society and done by mankind, but I have to agree that in this instance the suggestions ring true with me. I say this as I write this while half watching the Matthew Wright show on television and half reading the newspapers on the internet (on second thoughts,...

"The art really is in isolating yourself and letting as few things into your head as possible. To only admit those things into your head that come from a direction where no one else ever looks. That is the difficult thing." W.G. Sebald This is a very profound thought - or maybe it just seems profound to me because of a particular state of mind at a particular time. Sebald speaks of "the art" but does not specify the art of what. We can assume that he means the art of living, but this can also be narrowed down to specifics - writing of course comes straight to my mind,or anything creative. But surely knowing the art of living must be one of the most amazing things to be able to get to grips with. Sebald admits it's difficult. I will do my best to try.

I came across the article I wrote two years ago about the BNP reposted on the net this week and thought would respond in a sort of update on what has happened - or not - since. Two years down the line and I can report that not a lot has changed here in Maltby (suprise, suprise).Many people appear to be tactically voting just to get Labour out (which has happened nationally but never locally here!) I think what concerns people about "Independents" is that it is almost impoossible to define what an Indpedent is. In fact here in Rotherham, despite many claims that it was not going to happen it has resulted in a "Rotherham Independents Group" - note "group" not party. Still VERY worrying I feel that in a town of around 17,000, the BNP got 810 votes. Granted these were no doubt by the people that "anonymous" speaks of that are basically ignorant thugs - not sure they are even really fascist - and hang around causing bother for bother's sake. I...

What to think about or comment on today ? A hung parliament? Think we have that up to our necks and more. The situation in Greece? That night work it’s way around to the Euro Parliament and the same sort of thing. So….. What about funerals ? Ok, so it’s not the most uplifting of topics – but it’s a fact of life. As I get older, my mind keeps changing on what I want to happen when I die. I know for a fact I don’t want to be buried. (Have threatened to haunt anyone who does that) I was brought up in a family with very strong Christian beliefs. I went through the stages of doing as I was told, then rebelling, just for the sake of it. As I had my own children my views changed again and I studied as many religions as I could manage (or maybe it was theological ideas more than religions) Some ideas seem very logical to me, others just plain unpalatable. And yet I can still not say I am 100% Atheist. It might be easy if I could. To believe (or not believe) 100% in a point of view. I don’t u...

Well, here we go. This blog that wasn't going to be particularly political has turned out to be political again ..even if just for this week up to the elction. I have posted on Politics in the Rother Valley about the latest round of leflets/non leaflets. I really think we must be being persuaded by the big 3 and the TV. Anyway - Maltby Town Council. What can one say. Thursday was the finance meeting where things like er,,finance were supposed to be discussed. It was difficult to work out who was who and who was campainging for what amidst the noise and rumpus coming from cllrs and public alike. A prospective Independant candidate was shouting across the table to tell councillors what to say whilst haveing converstion with 2 PCSO's regarding some councillors personal finance ! You seem very open and transparent Mr Independent not - dont think I will vote for you. As for the rest of the meting - the chair mumbles into a so called microphone that no one can understand what on...

Got my leaflet from BNP yesterday. Nothing new there really. Will Blair for Rother Valley says he is campaigning on local issues of crime and anti social behaviour and that the BNP would stop all benefits and free housing to “asylum seekers” – his inverted commas as if he doesn’t believe there are any such people seeking legal asylum. Take a trip to Somalia, Turkey, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe – and then think about why people might want to leave these countries. Charity begins at home as they say, but as a lady on the BNP leaflet states “the BNP protects our Christian values”. Check out Matthew 22:39 BNP Actually, I rather object to the “our Christian values” bit stated as such. Who is the “our” referring to? Seems like the BNP recognise 2 categories of people – Islamic extremists and Christians. I don’t fit into either of those…what a dilemma ! (Since the “illegal” BNP propoganda being distributed in Maltby, I have less faith in their beliefs than before – and that was kind of zilch. Inc...

It is generally accepted amongst my friends and colleagues who “write” that writers are the best – or worst depending on how you look at it – procrastinators around. Procrastinate: a fancy word for doing anything at all other than what you are supposed to be or intended doing. (Words like lazy, idle, tardy do not come into my descriptive list for this) I don’t know how or when I acquired this trait. It’s not that I don’t want to write – I do – in fact I am writing constantly in my head. Even as I type this I am writing the next piece that I am going to do. It’s just the actual getting it onto the paper or the computer. I wake up each morning with great intentions of getting so many thousand words of my novel written, or the poetry anthology completed or the six short stories that I have on the go finished or the many competitions that I have plans to enter. And then somehow I end up washing up (which could easily wait) vacuuming (which doesn’t need doing as I did it yesterday) washin...

Just a quick thanks to Politics in the Rother Valley blog - found at http://rothervalley.wordpress.com. Have been away from Maltby Town Council watching for a while - but am back ! Just need to correct the tense of the statement of the dissaray of MTC - it is STILL in dissaray and continuing to be so, just under the guise of a different Chairperson who couldn't run a chimps tea party (and believe me, that's usually what an MTC meeting seems like, minus the bananas)

Which came first – Easter, the egg or the chocolate ? The egg has long been a symbol of renewal and rebirth. Though the feast is a moveable one it falls in the springtime season when baby animals such as lambs, bunnies and chickens are foremost in our minds and the buds plant life are showing that re-growth is all around us. Easter is a Christian celebration but has been adapted from pagan traditions. Symbols of rebirth, and traditional religious sacrifice coming from the Norsemen’s, Eastar, Ostara, and Ostar, and the pagan goddess Eostre, all involving the time of the growing sun and new birth. Ancient Egyptians, Persians, Phoenicians and Hindus all believed the world began with an enormous egg, so the egg as a symbol of new life has been around for centuries. The Easter Bunny arose originally as a symbol of fertility, due to the rapid reproduction of rabbits. But what of the chocolate ? Painted and decorated eggs have been given as gifts during this festival by all cultures an...

Recommendations. Can you resist them ? I think I have an innate inability to NOT resist when something is recommended to me, no matter who is the recommender. Well, not everything. Films, TV programmes, music, restaurants, holiday destinations, shops – with these I can listen to someone extolling the virtues of the item or place in question then forget about what they have said, but with books … no chance. Suggest that I would like a particular book or that you like it yourself, and regardless of whether we have anything in common or not, I am likely to seek it out. If not actually buying the book then certainly searching the library for it. Needless to say this has resulted in me reading and owning a multitude of books that I may not necessarily have chosen myself, but feel obliged to read because someone suggested it. Of course, sometimes this is a great blessing as I might have otherwise missed out on a great read, but sometimes it seems like a mania that I have. Amazon (thou...

Today, in astronomical terms, is the beginning of Spring here in the Northern Hemisphere - 22 September in the Southern Hemisphere. This is when the sun crosses the equator on its journey toward the Tropic of Cancer or the Tropic of Capricorn. Spring lasts until the start of summer at the summer solstice. Apparently the moment when spring begins does not correlate exactly with changes in weather which we usually take as the change of seasons. Temperatures in the daytime lag behind the energy delivered to earth by the sun by several weeks as the earth and sea take time to warm up. (thanks and reference to Wikipedia for my apparent scientific knowledge on this) It’s a good feeling to know that the days are now lighter for longer and that we can look forward to some sunshine soon, even if not right now at the official beginning of Spring. Today in my part of the country the sun is struggling to get through cloud and the ground is soaked after a day of rain yesterday. (I was told that it...

I have just been reading a news article about a library book that has been returned after 45 years. "Quatermass and the Pit" was borrowed from Dinnington library in 1965 and posted back just this month. There's clearly some interesting story behind where the book has been all this time and I hope the "returner" gets in touch with the library to explain. This made me think of my library book borrowing habits and of how easily I could in fact have a book on loan for 45 years - with no interesting story behind it. It's not that I let them get overdue on purpose.It's more likely because I have so many books "on the go" at once. This must be something to do with having a short memory span or plain lack of concentration - it's certainly not that I am super good at multi-tasking. I am only happy if I have a pile of books on the bedside table, on the floor beside the bed and in various other piles on tables and other places around the house. Per...

I am not sure what has happened to the font on the posts on this blog. I am not even sure whether it's my computer that's showing some text to be extra large and some extra small, some black, some blue etc. I suppose that it's excusable that I don't know if it's only my computer that's showing this as one does not normally read one's own blog on someone else's computer - unless one is editing it or purely narcissistic (must spell check that) Anyway, for whatever reason, I apologise and would be grateful if anyone would let me know if this is a blog problem or computer problem. I read on a blog the other day that the reason the text had changed on that one was that some HTML had been lost. This is rather scary as I would have no idea where to look if I found that I had lost some of mine ! Been losing my memory for years and now it's seems my blog is losing it's. Ah well, close friends always share things...

“The cult of celebrity is destroying today’s children…” says Sharon Osbourne, a woman who has spent years helping to create it. Sharon’s life and career appears to have been created around attention seeking, traits which she has passed on to two of her children. Their appearances on television have shown their behaviour to be less than what the average parent would want for their children and yet they flaunt it at every opportunity. She and her husband have encouraged their children in this “cult” so it’s a bit rich to announce that today’s children are being destroyed by it. None of us are perfect parents (if there is such a thing) and I put my hand up first to admit failures. But surely Sharon Osbourne’s comments can only be classed as hypocritical. Of course she does have a new book coming out soon….. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1254209/SHARON-OSBOURNE-The-dark-fame--cult-celebrity-destroying-todays-children.html#ixzz0gqLXLAle

Running in the traditional Shrove Tuesday pancake race was banned by St Albans Council (Lib Dem – whether that’s significant or not) yesterday. This was on health and safety grounds on account of the road being wet and for fear of the “odd person” slipping and falling as has apparently happened in previous years. In my home town “odd” people go slipping and sliding about all the time – mostly due to the pot holes in the roads and paths, the dog crap on the pavements and “green spaces” and the general unkemptness around public areas that we pay to be maintained out of our council taxes. In fact you don’t really have to be odd. The odd ones are RMBC who don’t seem to feel that there is a problem or if they concede that there is, throw a bit of tarmac down which lasts till it rains again and spray the weeds at the edges of the paths about once a year. Mind you, at least St Albans had the community spirit to organise what turned out to be a walking event with pancakes in pans, tho...

A number of days (weeks, months ?) since I have had anything to say worth letting out of my mouth let alone put online. But as I have just been reading about the literally millions of people around the world who do a blog, I reckon no one's going to bother much about this, and after all this blog is supposed to be connected to www.write-place which is about...writing. I can't afford a therapist and the person who it is written for knows who he is. Draw Me Draw me a place where the sun shines all day And the night is so warm we sleep under the sky. Show me the warmth of the ground that we lie on And people around us go just passing by. Paint me a place where the air is so cold that all water is frozen and snow falls soft to the ground. Make it a dark sky with stars as our light Make it as though the moon we have found. Carve me a story that tells of us two and only us two in a world of so much. Cut into the wood as you cut into my soul Turning the wood as I turn with your touc...

A plug for this blog today www.rotherhampolitics.blogspot.com " of interest to all those actively engaged in or interested in practical politics in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham." Very concerning post about a Mr Caven Vines of Kimberworth who is a UKIP candidate for the next elections and has some very alarming views. Then there's Ex-UKIP leader Nigel Farage, who leads UKIP's 13 MEPs in Brussels, who wants to ban the wearing of the burkha in Britain (here we go on this one again !) My comments on this below : SCARY !! (I counted 56 mistakes in the post by the way taking into account grammar,spelling and punctuation - but perhaps this is a little harsh as maybe the erratic capital letters are for effect)This man's views are very worrying and as you say, clearly will alienate much of Rotherham's electorate. It doesn't take much brain to see that Mr Vines is inciting hatred himself - though he must believe that he is being "fair".I imagine ...

And here we are at the start of another “new year” or just a new month, week or day depending on how we look at it. After all we are told by many exceptional scientists that time is only relevant to a particular space or situation and possibly or even probably is not linear at all. So why does my mind always think of January at the left hand side with the year working it’s way across to December at the right hand side? Is it because most diaries start at January at the beginning of the book and work through to December at the end? Or is it more to do with my limited ingrained knowledge of Pope Gregory’s calendar – though I believe that’s more to do with the calculation of dates of festivals like Easter than the actual lay out of the months. Some calendars are quite straight forward in their lay out of how the year runs. Those spiral bound ones with a page for each month with an appropriate picture on it and the dates of the days in a box underneath. They are usually ok for me – until y...