Write-Place

The Well - One Word Challenge: Writers - Online

2012-02-04T12:29:00.000-08:00

One Word Challenge Writers-Online January prose winner - "Shift"

The Well

The sky is overcast with dark grey streaks signalling rain. She wishes she'd worn shoes instead of sandals that flap against her heels, flicking bits of loose Tarmac as she waits to cross the newly laid road.

Rush hour traffic buzzes past, exhaust fumes mingling with the oily smell of bitumen, catching her throat. Same walk to the same supermarket, same time, same route she's been taking for a number of years since her youngest started full time school.

She glances at her watch as she weaves between a van and a bus while the lights are on red. She's not late, yet.

A flash of sunlight illuminates the scene as the sounds around her change. Her feet feel encased. She looks down to see herself dressed in laced boots, thick wool stockings, a linen pinafore covering a rough dress.Water trickles over stones and a heavy leather bucket thuds against her as a boy hauls in the rope. A snuffling,steaming horse waits patiently, scraping it's hooves on the cobbles.

Then as suddenly, she is back in the present. A time shift that reverts in a moment but remains in memory.

The lights change to green. She continues her walk.

Click here to see the picture that inspired this flash fiction

Every Picture Tells a Story - Remembering Maltby

2012-02-04T10:59:00.000-08:00

Whether it's one of those coincidence things or just that sometimes things do work nicely together, it's good when it happens.

I am pleased to announce on this blog that Facebook page Remembering Maltby has to date 585 members in just over a week. I am more than a little overwhelmed with the interest in it and am looking forward to collating all the pictures and stories together to make an invaluable historical record, made by the community. Feedback about this has been amazing and there's some brilliant photographs, memories and stories being shared between 3 or 4 generations of Maltby people. Some are Maltby born and bred, some were born elsewhere but now call Maltby their home, some spent their childhood here but now live on the other side of the world. At the risk of sounding too sentimental, it really is wonderful to be part of this and I am very grateful for everyone's responses.

The other thing that I'm chuffed about is this ...

I am the winner of January's One Word Challenge prose competition on Writers-Online. Very pleased about this - though I don't relish the 'prize' which is to judge this month's competition. Not an easy task.

However, why I am really pleased is that I based my 200 words entry (on the word 'shift' on a picture that Stewart Platt has drawn from an old photograph of Maltby, which is now on the Remembering Maltby Facebook page.

"The Well" by Stewart Platt

Take a look at Remembering Maltby's Facebook page to compare with the actual photograph.

To read "The Well" by Brenda Gunning look at my next blogpost.

Enjoy !

Googling Google and other information

2012-01-29T03:13:00.000-08:00

Over the past few days I've been getting emails, texts and notifications, some at unearthly hours of the morning - as I'm sure every internet user has about Google policies.

I've skim read the information as it's arrived - and lost interest after the first few lines.

Is this something I need to read the very 'small print' of or is it just something that will happen and won't particularly effect the likes of me as a regular user of Google search ?

Facebook 'timelines', Twitter upgrading to new versions, Amazon recommending what I should read and iplayer giving me suggestions of what to watch, it's hardly surprising that I find it difficult to find time to write.

Of course I could tap away on the laptop without considering the internet at all until I'm ready to email something. But that would mean a long list of 'research' topics to look up later and anyone who knows me knows my aversion to lists.

Text me, email me, Facebook me or tweet me if you have any suggestions.

Thanks.

I'm old - it's official !

2012-01-13T03:35:00.000-08:00

I look it and more days than not I feel it. The signs have been there, for as long as I can remember (!). Poor memory, going to the fridge and losing my way across the kitchen, agreeing with everything that's said on "Grumpy Old ... ". Aches and pains and body protesting at the simplest of tasks.
But now it's official (according to research done by the Dept for Works and Pension)
Old age begins at 54.

This has been a bit of a shock to me today, despite the signs, because it seems I have been in old age for almost 6 months now. If I remember rightly, which I probably don't, last birthday I received a few jokey cards on an old age theme along with the ones with flowers and dogs and things, but I've been getting those for a number of years now, but no one sent me a "Welcome To Old Age " card specifically announcing this milestone in my life.
Now I would have thought that with the recession and all the cutbacks, that the DWP might have better things to spend their money on than a survey like this. We all know that we are living longer and there are more "old" people than ever before. As the government itself is increasing the age of retirement, it seems strange to produce statistics that tell us at what age we actually leave our youth behind and become old.

Anyway, despite it seeming to be true more to me because I have seen it written down, I don't think I need it confirming in black and white. I have just half an hour ago ran a bath and then got into it with my pants on.
Of course I was just multi-tasking, washing clothes and washing self at the same time ... ...

Happy New Year

2011-12-31T13:51:00.000-08:00

The Monitor's Mission

2011-12-31T12:23:00.000-08:00

Writers Talkback One Word Challenge - "Scarlet"

Akram is jostled in the crowd, struggling to push his head up between the knees and elbows that are digging into his small body. He is almost deafened by the sounds of angry voices chanting and car horns signalling their discontent. He grasps the hand of his older brother, desperately clinging on. He knows he must not let go.
The crowd surges and Akram's five year old feet are lifted off the ground as they move forward, nearer to the group with the white peaked caps.
Akram's brother will be in deep trouble with Mama if she finds out he is here. In the past few months since the troubles got worse she has forbidden them to go to Friday prayers at the Ummayad Mosque in the city and they have stayed indoors much more than usual. But she won't find out - not yet.

Tricolours of scarlet, whiter and black with two green stars in the centre, wave above the heads of the people as shots are fired. Akram's limp, now lifeless body is lifted bleeding onto the bonnet of a car of the Arab League observers,Another innocent, martyred in the name of united democracy.

196 words

Christmas Post

2011-12-22T04:49:00.000-08:00

Watched The Grumpy Guide to Christmas last night - amusing, if not predictable.
All those so called celebs telling us how much they hate Christmas, but obviously revelling in the revenue that moaning about it brings by talking about it on TV. As Ozzy Osbourne said "When I was a practising alcoholic it was the best time of the year, but when you don't drink it's just another day".
They also talked about sending (or not sending) cards at Christmas and how you always get one from someone who you have never heard of. Me, cynical as ever, thought - that never really happens, it's just you have forgotten or something.
But, another one of those coincidences that aren't really coincidences happened this morning.

I received a Christmas card through the post this morning... from someone I've never heard of.

Or maybe forgotten.

I don't recognise the handwriting and I have scrutinised the postmark, which only tells me that it has gone through the Sheffield Mail Centre, yesterday.
So, to whoever sent the card, thankyou for thinking of me. I wish you best wishes for Christmas and the New Year, too. And I haven't really forgotten you, just your details are awaiting process somewhere in my memory.

Poetry 'n Motion

2011-12-15T10:08:00.000-08:00

In case anyone missed it on Tuesday 29th November via almost every social networking site available -
I won a competition.
At risk of being repeatetive, the competition involved Vintage Inns, Sir Andrew Motion as judge, and one line of poetry.
I have graciously accepted and enjoyed the dining out part of the prize (at the Boat Inn, Sprotbrough) and am now waiting for the other parts - a framed copy of the poem and a signed copy of Andrew Motion's latest collection of poems "The Cinder Path".

Now, I have to admit that apart from knowing he was poet laureate at some time in the past, that was about all I knew of Andrew Motion. My main studying time of poetry was, of course, before the days of Google at the sweep of a thumb and the click of a button. That's my excuse anyway, but I did feel obliged to read up a bit about the man responsible for my latest 'literary prize'. As coincidence/luck/fate or whatever would have it, a few days after the competition I came across Andrew Motion's 'In the Blood - A memoir of my childhood', in Poundland. Always one to splash out, I bought it without hesitation ... and am glad I did. The story is a detailed and beautifully written account of his family and the countryside he grew up in and a tribute to his mother.
And so I am inspired yet again to record my own musings and memories. If I make it to the shelves of the pound shop, I will be in eminent company and more than pleased.

The Best Christmas

2011-12-06T09:08:00.000-08:00

It did cross my mind not to write a blog about Christmas - before, during or after the event. Which ever way I talk about it I know that I will appear either 'holier than thou' or scrooge- like. I will certainly seem hypocritical.
However, I have buckled under the weight of my thoughts - which apparently are not so dis-similar to those of many others at this time.
There's nothing new in feeling a bit pressured at this time of year. Most of us want our family and friends to have the best possible... everything.
Best tree. best decorations, best lights, best food and drink, best time together and most of all best presents. Whether this 'best' is for ourselves or for what others think of us is something that's a bit too uncomfortable to think of. I hold my hands up here - I reckon I'm a pretty good contender for the top prize in this game.

I want my family and friends to have THE BEST, be it mince pie, cracker or party, while talking about peace and harmony and good will to all. I think I have sorted out the difference between wants and needs and believe that I need them to have the best.

But really what I know would be the best would be to spend time with people who mean something to me (and me to them) without the pressure of "is everyone happy?" when obviously what makes them happy is for me to be happy.

Not difficult is it ? It's not even a case of beliefs or tradition. We can all manipulate those terms to suit our mood, if we want to.
So ...
may your Christmas be merry, happy, joyful, peaceful, or whatever adjective you wish to put with it.
I will try to make mine "the best" for all concerned.

Newspaper Blackout

2011-11-30T11:59:00.000-08:00

Only six hours left to make an entry in the Writers Online monthly One Word Challenge and I am struggling to produce a poem based around the word 'putrid'. The 200 word story was difficult enough but this seems to be beyond me. ( I have less than 6 hours left really, because I won't be able to stay awake till anywhere near the deadline of midnight tonight)

But then I just happen across the headline in today's news that Alastair Campbell has used the word today at the Leveson inquiry. Then, by luck, fate, chance or coincidence, my wandering mind also rests on the website of Newspaper Blackout.
Problem solved. Wonder what anyone makes of it.

(ironically this is the perfect time to use the highlighted text which I have been trying to lose for the past few posts !) |

Newspaper Blackout Poem

Take one newspaper,
article,
marker.
Cross out words.

Leave only those you like,
and soon you’ll have a poem,
they said.

Created from
running puddles of text
still visible.
resurrect
what others declare dead.
make
enigmatic ransom notes,
funny and zen-like,
collages of found art.

Reclaimed Reformed

from a
putrid press industry.

That's my line - all seven words of it

2011-11-29T12:32:00.000-08:00

Well, I've told everyone and anyone that I can think of about this so I ought to write it here as well.
I HAVE WON a competition BY WRITING ONE LINE !
I've never quite had the opportunity to say "less is more" but I think in this case I can.

Here's part of the "press release" (yeah, you did read that correctly ... ! )

"Brenda co-authored an eight-line poem inspired by Sir Andrew’s work on Vintage Inns’ latest press campaign, which honours the Great British rural pub. He has been judging the best line submitted each week, so they can be added to gradually complete the verse.

When Brenda entered, the competition stood at six lines completed:

The muted brilliance of autumn leaves

The wind’s deep voice soft-tickling the trees.

The parting notes of swallows’ cresting calls

As dappled sunlight fades and evening falls.

The bonfires’ tongues call to the dying sun

Bright harvest moon ascends, her reign begun.

And Brenda’s suggestion for the next one – chosen by Sir Andrew over hundreds of entries from all over the country – is: Then glittering starlight sprawls across the sky

Brenda will receive a framed copy of the eventual eight-line poem, plus a meal for four with wine at her chosen Vintage Inn, but also a signed copy of Sir Andrew’s latest collection of poems, The Cinder Path, which has been shortlisted for The Ted Hughes Award for New Work in Poetry. "

I am, needless to say, chuffed to bits.

Thanks Vintage Inns

I am inspired to write further - maybe eight,nine or even ten words next time.

(Read more of me promoting myself on Facebook )

'Mega Monday' is here !

2011-11-28T01:55:00.000-08:00

I'm not one for quoting statistics, mainly because my memory is so bad I forget the figures in between reading them and writing them down. But I thought a few numbers might wake me up a bit this morning, so sit up and pay attention !

Today is "Mega Monday" according to the media and estimates are that there will 3,300 purchases a minute online.
High street shops are struggling with sales down by 2.1%

25% of all our Christmas shopping will be online up 16% from last year
12% of online sales will be made on a smartphone
1 in 3, that's 11 million will use the computer at work to online shop.

Does this mean we prefer shopping online to going to the shops ? Not really, is the apparent response - it depends who we are and where we are and what mood we are in that day.

This sounds about right to me. I went shopping on Saturday and am still feeling that if the only shop I walk into again is our corner shop, then that's fine by me.
I'll probably feel differently on another day but for now I'll stick to browsing online.
But not today.
I don't want to cause internet chaos by taking 3 hours to decide whether to buy an individual Christmas pudding or a large one that can sit in the cupboard till next year as no one here likes it except me ... ...

Happy shopping !

Keeping an eye on things

2011-11-22T06:57:00.000-08:00

This is probably old news to many people, but it's new to me, very interesting, amazing, almost unbelievable and more than a little disturbing.

Scientists have developed a prototype contact lens which can generate info-vision – the ability to stream information across a person’s field of vision.

"Do what ?" I hear you asking. I said the same to myself.

Soon we could be sending and receiving texts and emails, catching up with the latest news and generally social networking without even logging on to a computer or phone.

Images and messages will just appear in front of your eyes. It will one day be able to show directions and TV programmes.

Yes, honestly.

Just imagine, you might never need that old fashioned Sat Nav ever again and you could watch Corrie and Enders while you are driving too. Get rid of that ancient Sky HD recording thingy that you just got installed.

After blogging about my new phone just the other day, it seems a little 'previous' to be now talking about doing all the things I have not yet got to grips with in a blink of the eye - literally. I know there are many things that my poor brain can't fathom, but just the concept of this is quite scary to me. The next stage in this ever 'advancing' technology might be to connect our thoughts to this information stream. I find it difficult enough to keep my mouth under control, never mind my thoughts, so I dread to think of the consequences.

Within weeks a number of people in Britain are to be implanted with a tiny device in their retina which, if successful could be on the market by 2013.It stimulates nerves in the retina which pass signals down the optic nerve to the brain to turn into an image.Robert MacLaren, the surgeon who will lead part of the trial warned that 'the surgery is still experimental and the device does not work in all cases.' Well, it's been tested on rabbits and squirrels so far, so that's reassuring.

I'm all for improving things for health reasons and education is by it's nature an ever evolving concept, but I am sure I am not alone in feeling wary of some of this. Or maybe I am just showing Luddite tendencies, or whatever today's equivalent may be.

Diagram from Daily Mail Online

"Homeland"- 200 words

2011-11-21T02:26:00.000-08:00

Stars flickered in a sky not yet diminished by electric light. The USA was twelve years old and ended at the Mississippi River. The camp, near the town now called Salmon, was fragrant with cedar needles smouldering on a fire when I was born into the Agaidika tribe.

They named me Sacajawea and taught me to hunt and trap in the forests and fish in the streams. I skinned deer to make soft leather for clothing. I painted the partings in my hair with red clay, a symbol of peace. I learned early and worked hard for survival.
Captured by horsemen trading with the white men, I was taken from my tribe. Sold, I became the wife of Charbonneau and the mother of Jean Baptiste.
More men came, with strange looking boats and wearing uniforms. They built a place they called Fort Mandan. I was useful for the skills I had learned from my tribe, so I went with them to what they thought was unexplored territory and reached my homeland where my family was killed five years before.

I died of putrid fever in St Louis, but my spirit soars still, above the Lemhi Valley of my birth.

(One Word Challenge entry for Writers Online )

Managing Wants, Needs and Time - can you do it ?

2011-11-20T03:20:00.000-08:00

I've done it now.
After being the owner of a variety of mobile phones over the years, which have met their demise by being stolen, lost, put in the washing machine, dropped in the bath and down the toilet, I was sure I was perfectly happy with the basic one that I've been using this past year.
It has the basics - phone calls (why else would I need a phone ?) texts and even has a reasonable camera. But I've got a camera for taking photos, a camcorder for video, a notebook computer which does everything I can think of that a computer does, and a laptop for when I need a bigger screen and keyboard. Why would I need a Samsung Galaxy ? Aren't I just being too materialistic, something that I am quite averse to - usually ?

Well, I think this situation is a bit like when I had a twin tub washing machine years ago when my children were babies. I could do whole loads of washing (including towelling nappies !) in that twin tub, in a couple of hours. What was so good about an automatic one ? I didn't need one. Obviously I found out when I got one. It was the same with a dryer. And central heating. And electric and gas and so on ... and presumably with the wheel.

A year ago I blogged about Twitter on To - witter or not. Now I think about it differently and can see it's power and influence throughout society - 'Arab Spring', NOTW, last summer's riots and so on. Changes and progression in technology are constantly impacting on us as time-saving gadgets and machinery affect us all, even though time can't be "saved" as such (I think, unless someone has found out differently)
We have to differentiate between 'wants' and 'needs', individually and globally and prioritise work and leisure with family and friends and ourselves. We may even find that we have extra time that we didn't know was there. That's time management.

John Rowles sings "If I only had time"

The Blogathon Challenge

2011-11-14T10:21:00.000-08:00

A colleague at Writers Online Talkback has set a challenge for those of us who need a bit of a push sometimes, to get on with the task in hand and also to give other bloggers the promotion they deserve.
Always up for a challenge (!!??) I have decided to take part.
I am of course, later than I intended in posting this, so don't worry dear reader, this post is going to be short.
So ...
Thanks to Patsy Collinsfor the idea and the challenge. I am sure we will all rise to the challenge, and some of us may even complete it.

Next post coming up soon. In the meantime, take a look at The Blogathon Challenge in action.

Testing...testing ...

2011-11-09T09:14:00.000-08:00

Well, seems I have well and truly messed up with the background colours and goodness knows what on the layout of this blog. Unintentionally and unknowingly of course.
This is therefore a test (similar to the numerous pieces of paper I have with TEST printed on them when trying to sort out the printer) to see if I have managed to put it back to what it was.
Many thanks to all on Writers Talkback for your advice - gratefully received. Not sure whether I have interpreted it correctly though.

So, I'll now press the button ... ...

One thing leads to another, even when stationary

2011-11-04T05:58:00.000-07:00

Not been on here for over a whole 2 months but seem to be in writing action mode past couple of days so am making the most of it.

A discussion on Writers Talkback about a member's 10yr old daughter writing some very perceptive thoughts on existance, has made me remember my Big Plan for The Environment. This must surely be a case of the time being right for it to see daylight and be brought to the attention of those that ought to know.
So here it is.
My plan is to have one large motorway type construction running length ways through the whole of the country north/south and another couple going east/west.
The road itself will be a conveyor belt system which cars get onto and park until they get to the point where they can drive off onto the other conveyor belt and park till they are nearer their destination. A bit like a ring road only not necessarily a ring and a moveable belt as opposed to the cars themselves moving. The belt would be powered by waste cooking oil or wind power or maybe even water power on the more coastal routes.
I have not come across any negatives to this invention myself, so far !

I hope to produce an artist's impression of the system, just as soon as I can get the artist to do it. Then I sit back and wait for the offers from Dept of Transport etc to come in .

Human - Visible

2011-08-31T05:56:00.000-07:00

I am the place where light can not reach.

Obstructed by opaqueness

I occupy all of the space behind.

A reverse projection

A cross section

A two dimensional silhouette

At certain times, at certain heights

I appear to change and grow,

though appearances can be misconstrued.

I am human – visible.

And in the right conditions Venus I employ,

to join the sun and moon in casting my creation.

Yet no one says who or what else sees me.

Unattended I am ghostlike,

a representation of a presence,

unnerving the sciophobe.

Happy Birthday to me 2011

2011-07-25T05:29:00.000-07:00

Another birthday.
So far, I have resisted the urge to look at what I posted on here this time last year. Not for any other reason except that I'm hoping it was not maudlin thoughts about getting older or being too thankful for what I have that it sounds pretentious (of course just using the word 'pretentious' sounds pretentious anyway )

Have had good wishes from all the people who are most important in my life and however it sounds, that is the most important thing to me. (Am making no excuses for repetition of words today - it's an age thing.) The dogs had to be told, but they are definately excused as, if I remember correctly, I only wished them both happy birthday after the event )

So Happy Birthday to me and anyone else who's birthday it is today and a 'happy day' wherever possible to everyone else.

Little food for thought courtesy of my mother this morning :
Add the last 2 digits of your birth year to the age you are this year .
The answer is always 111.
No idea why- it just is.

Not telling you how old I am today, but I was born in 1957. Do the Maths !

Just another unreliable newspaper

2011-07-13T10:43:00.000-07:00

As the House of Commons debates the phone hacking scandal and the conduct of newspapers, July’s issue of MaltbyNews is in circulation.(I hesitate to say “delivered to every house in Maltby as it proclaims, as it’s rather a hit and miss affair).

Amidst the national discussion on the reliability of the press and the infringement of liberties of the public, Maltby News’ editor Kevin Hall has chosen again to disregard his so called policy of giving the”right to reply’. Rather than respond in his ‘newspaper’ to the libellous comments and untruths that he has previously published he has produced an issue with neither “Letters to the Editor”, an editorial comment nor the name(s) of the journalists’ who have written the copy.

The ‘Events Calendar’ notes the Local Development Framework Public Consultation dates for Bramley and Wickersley but omits Maltby. Two Maltby Town Council News Pages (at a cost of £300) have a competition entry form with last year’s date on. If it wasn’t for the advertising by local businesses (at whatever the charge) and the ‘wrap around’ by Maltby Academy (ditto the charge) then a more cynical person than myself might conclude that Kevin Hall prints in Maltby News what is in HIS interest and not that of the Maltby community.

Write-Place Blog Spot: A change is as good as a blog post

2011-07-11T10:50:00.000-07:00

Write-Place Blog Spot: A change is as good as a blog post: "Time for a change of picture of me on here. Surprised myself today by realising that it's 2 years, 11 months and 2 weeks since that last one..."

A change is as good as a blog post

2011-07-11T10:48:00.000-07:00

Time for a change of picture of me on here. Surprised myself today by realising that it's 2 years, 11 months and 2 weeks since that last one was taken (yes, well spotted - my birthday in 2 weeks time) How time flies by these days. Over a month since I posted here though I have been blogging at maltbyblogger and at Rotherham Politics so haven't really been silent at all !
The idea was that I write the political type stuff under a separate name and keep Write-Place blogspot for literary/writing related things . It hasn't quite worked like that though and the 'unpolitical writing' side of things have been neglected.
So lucky reader, I am now back at the right place at the write-place and this blog may even get a blast of updating of political thinking too.
Bet you can't wait.

Justice for the common man ... and woman

2011-06-08T10:11:00.000-07:00

There's been much in the media recently of injunctions and privacy laws. The PM has said the law should be reviewed to "catch up with how people consume media today" and that it's unfair that newspapers couldn't name individuals whose identity was being widely circulated on the internet. Twitter and Facebook, emailing and blogging is a major part of daily life for most of us - well, you wouldn't be reading this now if that wasn't the case.

I know from personal experience that views and perspectives that the public take from the media are not always the full story. Newspaper reports are often taken as ‘gospel’ and our local newspapers in particular have a duty to represent all views and rectify false accusations. Once something is written it becomes fact for some people and no amount of further evidence will change their views.

Over the past 18 months there have been many instances of defamation and libel against me and my friend on the letters pages of MaltbyNews paper and those responsible continue to send malicious and libellous emails, cc’ing numerous people into them including Maltby News, The Rotherham Advertiser and the Worksop and Dinnington Guardian. It is not a surprise that our letters about this issue do not get printed anymore as the malicious damage has already been done by the perpetrators.
Kevin Hall, editor of Maltby News is not a member of the group covered by the press complaints commission and so there is no course of action that can be taken apart from a civil one, which obviously is beyond the means of the general public. The police are currently investigating, but as per the Chris Read case in Rotherham, no doubt someone will discuss it with their line manager and come to the conclusion that there ‘is no case to answer’.

It is only by the honesty and openness of everyone, including the media that ordinary folk like me can have the truth told. I'm not a celebrity and don't want to be one. But justice is for everyone, regardless of finances or status.

May I have your attention ?

2011-05-12T04:35:00.000-07:00

Typical isn't it ...

I had a post for this blog all composed in my head and then when I set down to write I got a "Blogger is not in use at the moment" message.

By the time that I had browsed every other Google blog that I follow - and some that I don't - to see if it was a problem unique to me or if it was affecting others, I had sort of forgotten what I intended posting.

However, as I have recently read about easily distracted people having too much brain

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20453-easily-distracted-people-may-have-too-much-brain.html

I am not too concerned about my memory lapses, at the moment.

So, back to The New Scientist. Maybe some further insights into the fact that I have recently gained weight -it's not fat at or big bones at all, it's the extra grey matter.

Thought Experiment & Diving for Pearls

2011-05-05T06:31:00.000-07:00

Recently read Julian Baggini's "The Ego Trick".

A brilliant book which looks at the nature of self in an entertaining and comprehensive, easily understandable way.

http://julianbaggini.blogspot.com/2011/03/ego-trick.html

Definately recommended for anyone interested in exploring what it means to be 'you'.

Read and enjoy below, then buy the book.

Has inspired the following from me (200 words or less and short poem on theme of 'glass'.

Thought Experiment

Imagine yourself as created

all at once, yet perfect and whole.

But your sight has been veiled from the external.

Do your feelings then come from the soul?

As you fall without any resistance

through the void. Each body part separate, untouched.

Then reflect in the glass of experience

and affirm the existence of self.

Ref: “Floating Man” – Avicenna

cited in "The Ego Trick" Julian Baggini

Diving for Pearls

What you see is what you get.

That’s what I used to tell people, but lately that’s not quite true. It’s seems that there are elements of myself that cannot be seen but are certainly there and almost conscious, almost tangible, but not quite.

I recount my memories and they write down my stories though I don’t really remember some of the events that I recall. They seem pleased when I describe certain things and it’s easier to go along with them than question it. It’s not my problem that they need to search for who I am.

The looking glass has always been my confirmation of that.

So I talk their language and I take their pills and now when I see more than one reflection in the mirror, it is no longer a contradiction but a truth.

They say it’s DID - Disassociate Identity Disorder.

I say, it’s only me.

I am multi-faceted. I know now that I am more than a clichéd thought, because there’s more to me than meets the eye.

Do you know who is standing to represent you ?

2011-04-24T10:59:00.000-07:00

With May 5th rapidly approaching, it's difficult to know where to start in debating the issues that Maltby Town Council have had over the past four years since the elections in 2007.

To keep up to date via blogging became an almost 24/7 task, especially during 2008/2009 (Read here http://wwwrite-place.blogspot.com ) so I hope that now looking at things in retrospect, we can gain a better understanding of what we can expect from our elected members in the future.
So, Maltby's candidates for Rotherham Borough Council, 2011 :

Michael Burke (BNP), Michael Conlon, Christine Beaumont (Labour), Derek Johnson (Conservative), John Kirk (Independent).

Michael Burke was in 2010 hoping to follow fellow BNP member Will Blair, who was elected to RMBC in 2008. Last year he said he'd been getting a good reaction from people and had been asked for more leaflets. In The Dinnington Guardian he says that "People everywhere are concerned about immigration" I have never seen Mr Burke at a Maltby Town Council meeting, which to me is a gauge on whether there is an interest in the town itself. I didn't get a leaflet on behalf of him at the last elections and and so far haven't had one this year either. I feel that a little more than a concern about immigration is needed to develop Maltby's community.

Michael Conlon
Apparently independent, though he has reserved his right to not state on the ballot papers what he represents, leaving me (and I am sure many others) wondering about his real intent. Has attended one MTC meeting last year and one meeting of the unanswerable to the public 'Maltby Forum' group where he announced a stream of mis information. He writes abusive language on his Facebook pages and makes false accusations and threats about members of the public. His brother signed his nomination papers yet claims he didn't know Michael was standing for Borough Council. No campaign leaflet through my door as yet.

Christine Beaumont
Has lived and worked in Maltby most of her life and is governor at 2 Maltby schools. She has served two terms on Maltby Town Council and has always been active in the community. She attends MTC meetings regularly and other local events. She is standing for town council as well as RMBC. Have had two campaign leaflets about Mrs Beaumont.

Derek Johnson
Mr Johnson has I understand, stood for election to RMBC since 2007. Unfortunately this is all I know of him. I've never received any literature from him and haven't seen his name mentioned anywhere else except on the candidate papers.

John Kirk
The current recently elected Chair of Maltby Town Council after the last chairperson Cllr Karen Usher didn't attend council meetings for more than six months.
http://www.rotherhamparishcouncils.gov.uk/Home/Maltby/maltbyHome.aspx
Mr Kirk has served on MTC for a number of years and is active in the Maltby community. Haven't see any campaign leaflets for his election to RMBC, as yet.

And there we have it. Five candidates standing to represent Maltby on RMBC, yet only two of them appearing to have Maltby's interests at heart.
Opinions and views highly welcome before election day.

Lexia

Tuned In

2011-03-24T14:43:00.000-07:00

A short stay in hospital last week made me “Media Free” for a few days – physically and mentally as well as practically – so I feel like I am on catch up with life. I have no chance (or need) of being completely up to date with International or national events, though I try, to a certain extent.

Things are happening, both natural and man-made, around us and across the world that are having and will have a major impact on our lives and on our children’s lives an it is not alarmist to be aware of this.

I have read that there is no more “bad news” than there ever was, in proportion with the population. There aren’t any more murders, rapes and robberies than in times gone by and it only appears to be so because of our access to so much information, instantly. Earthquakes, tsunamis, wars and unrest have been going on since time began but now we document so much evidence, as it is happening. We watch unfolding events thousands of miles away from us, without moving an inch from the armchair. Detailed information on every aspect of every event is relayed to us at such speed via internet, satellite and mobile phones that papers have missed the ever breaking news as soon as they go to press.

I often bemoan the fact that I am on information overload and that the amount of networking and communicating I do isn’t necessary. But it is after all, a choice. We can either read, watch and listen or stay untuned to the events in the world that we think don’t concern us.

I prefer to stay tuned in.

Much of what is happening especially worldwide, is beyond the control of individuals, but “every little helps” as it’s said. The more information I have about others’ lives, the more I appreciate my own. Globalisation is here and global knowledge is life enhancing for us all, whether we realise it or not at the time.

In this, no amount of information can be too much.

Creative Cafe Project - Cafe Lit

2011-03-03T09:25:00.000-08:00

May I introduce to readers of this blog ... The Creative Cafe Project

the idea of Gill James, children's writer and university lecturer. The Creative Cafe is a network of cafés where artists, writers and musicians are welcome and where ordinary coffee lovers know that they will be able to experience something a little different as they sip their brew. It is already happening in a number of towns and aims to create and expand Creative Cafés nationally. A perfect way to develop arts in the community, no matter how big or small the venture becomes.

Please take a look here http://www.creativecafeproject.co.uk and also at

http://creativecafeproject.co.uk/Dreaming.aspx

I challenge anyone who enjoys music, poetry, literature and art NOT to be inspired by this "vision".

Is there a Creative Cafe near you ? There isn't one very near to me - but hopefully there soon will be.

The Second Person

2011-02-28T03:22:00.000-08:00

Most books are written in first person I, or third person he/she/it. I have read that only the most creative and experimental write in second person - the "you" point of view.
So with this in mind (she says) I am reworking a story into second person as I also understand that it is the least used point of view in fiction, and there's nothing like experimental to get the brain cells moving.

Second person requires the reader not only to step into the head of the protagonist, but into his very shoes.
The writer has to become at one with the reader and convince the reader that the events are happening to him personally and that he is seeing and experiencing these events through his own eyes. writing-in-second-person-point-of-view
It's also said that 2nd person writing can become annoying for the reader.
Good writers shouldn't have a problem with this, should they ?

Here's a couple of "off the cuff " paragraphs written this morning. I will post the other reworked story when it's complete - and if it's not too annoying.

You probably won’t believe this because you don’t seem to know it yourself.
Maybe you do but don’t talk about it or rather you don’t talk to me about it.
So that’s why I have to say this because I know, and even if you think I don’t understand, I have felt what you feel and it scares me too. It's scary when your thoughts appear to have a will of their own and the world around you carries on regardless.
Control.
That’s what we don’t have and that’s why you are afraid, as I am afraid.
For if we don’t have control, then we are nothing.
Like this morning, and every morning since it happened.
You are awake and you lie there in your bed and you wonder why you are trapped and encased like a mummy in a tomb where there is no light, because you don’t want to open your eyes. Then you realise that the sheets and the covers are wrapped in a tangle around your legs where you thrashed and fought in your sleep against so many evils. You muscles are stiff and taut and all that moves are your eyeballs behind the lids. You keep your eyes closed for as long as you can, trying to move first your toes and then your legs and arms, slowly remembering that you are a being in the here and now and that the terrors of the last few hours are not with you in this room.

To be continued ... perhaps

Signing on the dotted line ... ...

2011-02-20T03:08:00.000-08:00

When Mr Ed Miliband produced a document of blank pages called a Fresh Ideas Pamphlet for Labour supporters to suggest new policy proposals, it seemed like a good way to get views across.

Now the two Eds, Miliband and Balls, have come up with another form to fill in before shadow ministers do or say anything in public. This involves getting specific approval on the precise words they intend using, especially ones about money.

'The public has a right to expect us to adopt a responsible and thorough approach. We hope this process will support rather than hinder your work in developing a clear and ambitious agenda for a future Labour Government’, they say.

This is all well and good. There has to be a consensus of opinion in these matters so that the party are all singing from the same proverbially hymn sheet and everything is open, transparent and not misleading.Yet there is something disturbing about having all your words and actions vetted before they are put to the public. It seems to be more censorship than necessary discipline and I wonder where this will end.

Our government is renowned for bureaucracy and especially towards paperwork.

Forms have been brought in for the police, teaching, the NHS and many others, which control and restrict how these jobs are carried out. The police are kept away from the public, nurses away from patients and teachers away from vital contact with the children. One further step and we as citizens will be filling in forms about our beliefs and our morals and have vetted what we intend saying to our own families. Freedom of speech will become something from the distant past – if there ever really was free speech in this country. Maybe the census forms this year will surprise us by asking what hasn’t been asked before.

Perhaps the paperwork that Labour politicians are being asked to do will keep them busy and off the streets towards the next election. Maybe we will then have a fresh new government at both local and national levels.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/02/19/article-0-0D40D3BE000005DC-782_468x672.jpg

Battle of the Hard Copy

2011-02-10T11:40:00.000-08:00

In the battle of book versus e.reader, I thought I would argue for the case of The Book to the bitter end. Until today, when I find that Asda is selling a 5in View Quest Mediabox for £52.

Not that I have £52 aching to be spent, but it is half the price of a Kindle and not only has hundreds of books which can be stored, but you can also watch videos, listen to music and use a voice recorder on it.

It might have been the voice recorder feature that made my ears prick up – figuratively speaking – but anyway I started to look into this wonder tool which was clearly more than a gadget and definitely something that would improve my quality of life. In fact, it was becoming a puzzle how I have managed without one.

But then the reviews started talking about how "the device lacks a link to the internet through the 3G mobile phone network which would allow books to be downloaded anywhere". Hmmm… what’s that mean ? and I am on Vodafone and don’t want to change.

Then it was mentioned that it’s very bad for eye strain and can’t be read properly outside because of the LED backlight and if you are not going to get an e-ink screen you might as well get e.books on your laptop (or in my case my lovely, neat Notepad computer)

And all the time in the back of my mind is the thought that these items are helping towards the demise of real books, bookshops and libraries. Haven’t I just last weekend signed petitions for keeping libraries open? There really is nothing better than having a “hard copy” book which can be read anywhere, anytime and unless it’s the complete set of Encyclopaedia Brittanica, easily transportable. Add to this the fact that I bought 3 new books from Smiths last Friday and have just ordered 2 from Amazon today and I really have to wonder what I was thinking of.

So I have rethought the idea of getting an e.reader. Even if they start selling them as BOGOF offers, I won’t be moved.

Anyone want to debate for the other side ?

How To Unclutter Your Home

2011-02-05T06:57:00.000-08:00

Most of my family and friends (and quite a few on Facebook) know that my little bedroom has been decorated and I have been trying to have A Big Clearout with the hope of a tidy house making a tidy mind.

Collecting (hoarding) “stuff” we know makes for a stressful life. By having too much, it becomes clutter and mess around us makes for a mess inside our heads and we can’t think straight or even at all in my case.

The sorting of this room has been an ongoing project since moving into this house erm … 7 and a half years ago. The room did have to be changed from an office/ junk room to a bedroom and back again during this time and I have been poorly and my grandchildren always mess it up and the dogs leave hairs all over and it’s been a bad winter and … ok, yes it’s time it was done.

I made sure I had a good long think about this before I started… and looked at some “advice” that is widely available online.

Seems the first step is to admit you have a problem. OK that’s easy - I have a problem. I have too much STUFF around me which is making me feel cluttered and I can’t think straight to sort it.

The next suggestion threw me a little as it said to buy a book called Unclutter Your Home by Donna Smallin. My room in question has many books. As have all the other rooms in the house, except the bathroom that is. Leaving books in the bathroom too long makes them go limp. Now books are one of the things that cause clutter – so others tell me. I don’t agree of course. Clothes, pots and pans and too many ornaments are clutter, but books could never be. That goes for the ones that have been read loads of times and the ones that have not yet been read (by me). I have a feeling that Donna Smallin is wanting to sell her book more than she wants me to de-clutter my house, anyway.

Other suggestions range from imagining what disaster would befall me if I got rid of something, to begin by tidying out the car. I would be as well not to do either of these things as 1) I will become paranoid about impending disaster and 2) if I start on the car I will not have time in this life to do anything else.

So, I am sorting things into “stuff which I don’t use, don’t need and should have been thrown out or given away years ago” and “stuff that means something to me and no matter how new or old they are, or whether I “need” them or not I want them”. These are the things that are I will keep, put on shelves or in drawers tidily, naturally.

There is a final suggestion to reward yourself with a bunch of flowers, a candle or a book. The first two sound like more clutter to me, but a book ?

Now that sounds a good idea.

The Poetry of Brooke, Browning and Ward (Clifford T)

2011-01-23T07:22:00.000-08:00

There's a comment on YouTube which says:

“One Day Clifford T Ward will be mentioned in the same breath as Rupert Brook and Dylan Thomas for he is as quintisentially (sic) British and poetic as they were. Like them too his life is tinged with the great sadness of unfullfilled promise and was ended far too soon.”

When anyone dies “too young” (Clifford T Ward was 57 when he died in 2001) it is tragic. When a person of great talent, be it music, poetry, sport, science or whatever dies, it seems most poignant and we think of unfulfilled dreams and waste. Ward was a skilful poet and musician, “Home Thoughts” being a particular favourite of mine. “I could be a millionaire, if I had the money” is a wonderful line. He is also relatively unknown for someone of his calibre (I think)

Perhaps he is not as unfulfilled as we might think and perhaps no one can talk about anyone’s unfulfilment except their own. It was said that he would have had more commercial success if he hadn’t disliked touring, interviews and photo shoots so much. Maybe he just didn’t class that as fulfillment.

Even at my age I am not sure what fulfils me. I know what pleases me and what concerns me, but to say that knowing my family are happy makes me happy sounds a bit pretentious.
Maybe when I get to my three score years and ten I will have the answer. Not too long to go.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsJ8iqS-Kio

Reading for pleasure

2011-01-20T09:35:00.000-08:00

A fellow blogger has been thinking about whether to persevere with reading books that she can't really get into, but feels that she needs a wider variety of reading to be a good writer.

http://carol-bevitt.blogspot.com

I know what she means.
There seems to be lots of books that I have thought I should read. Where this "should" has come from, I'm not sure. Probably recommendations from educationalists or literary reviewers and such like. Sometimes a friend or colleague has suggested I read a particular book and I have persevered even when the process has turned into a total chore. 1000 Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez, is an example. It has been on my bedside table for 6 years now and I have not managed to get past the first chapter. I ought to move it really as it does taunt me that it's a "classic" that I am unable to complete.

But this is not a good way of choosing reading material.
I know people who say they "don't like reading". I can't understand that statement but I can understand not liking what you read and that is where Marquez and such fall short, for me.

I am not at my best in the perseverance stakes with anything much at the moment but if I make reading a task then there's no hope at all.

You're not ****ing Royalty, Mr Vice - Chair of MTC

2011-01-15T10:19:00.000-08:00

Following Tory MP Mark Pritchard’s clash with the Commons Speaker John Bercow, T-shirts stating ‘You’re not f****** royalty’ are now on sale.

Mr Bercow had annoyed Mark Pritchard by demanding that he get out of his way as he made his way through Parliament.

After the Vice – Chair’s response to a member of the public’s questions at Thursday’s MTC meeting – “Shut up!” followed by “You WILL respect me and you will respect my position” – this is a most appropriate garment to be seen wearing at future meetings.

Orders now being taken. Email me for further details.

From here to there and the bits in between

2011-01-12T11:17:00.000-08:00

I have been watching Stewart work on this painting for a number of days now. He's saying it's the first time he's done a mural, but actually he has an unfinished one of the Lescaux cave paintings on a bedroom wall so maybe it's going to be the first completed one.

I had a reasonably good idea of how I wanted the "picture window" to look. The colours and shades were clear to me but whether I explained to the artist clearly enough, is for him to say. And so the scene has changed from blacks and greys to blues and greens and eventually to the orange and yellows of the sunset and reflections of the light on the water. It is as if the photo I had in my mind is now transposed onto the wall. It's an outstanding piece of work and very effective.

To me, the non visual artist, this achievement is incredible. If I write half as well as Stewart draws and paints, then I will be more than pleased. The journey from the start of a painting is similar to that of writing, I think. From a spark of an idea an image is formed which needs to be enlarged upon and described to the reader - the painter with paints, the writer with words. There are hurdles to get over and many changes to be made on the way, but if the end result satisfies - the painter, the writer, the viewer, the reader - then it's worth it.

Still many good reasons for me to complete the novel.

I'm working on it.

The Government's nagging again

2011-01-08T09:48:00.000-08:00

Watch out at the supermarket checkout. Prepare to be assaulted with advice about eating fruit and vegetables as The Government plans to make us eat what they say we should, come what may.

Look out for the green painted line on your trolley which shows you where to put your “healthy” produce. If you’re looking for pies, crisps and cake, then look on the higher shelves where it’s more difficult to see them. High fibre and low calorie stuff can be found lower down, at eye level. You WILL eat “five a day” !

Make your children walk to school and they might get Top Shop vouchers or tickets to the cinema. Bribery? Of course not.

Stop unwanted teenage pregnancies by entrusting your screaming, teething toddlers to them for a time. That’ll teach ‘em to have safe sex.

And so it goes on. This is the coalition government of David Cameron who said that they would interfere less in people’s lives. Well, not so’s you’d notice.

I quite like the latest tv advert for the Co – Op. The character is addressing his wife via the telly, telling her that he doesn’t want to do a” weekly shop” anymore when he could be spending more time with her and the kids, doing things they want to do. The punch line is “shop for what you want only when you want it”.

Nice sentiments, especially coming from a supermarket chain. Maybe if we weren’t being “nudged” (government speak for pressured) into buying things that we are told are good for us we would be less likely to go out spending on things that aren’t necessary. I bet they never thought of that.

The 5 a day campaign has had limited effect and it’s more likely that the healthier overall lifestyle of people is the reason for a decrease in cancer and better health. If I am left to decide for myself what is good for me or otherwise, then I am less likely to behave like a naughty teenager and rebel by having 5 lots of vegetables with my donner kebab and chips.

A mind of their own

2011-01-04T07:01:00.000-08:00

Do electrical appliances have a mind of their own ? A strange question, yes but I do have good reason to ask.
My washing machine has been gradually breaking down over the past few months. It used to wash and then spin dry every time it was used, then it began to spin when it felt like it and then didn't even bother trying. It just made the sound of spinning but didn't actually spin and I was left with a load of dripping wet clothes. 
So I ordered a new machine online and am waiting for it to arrive tomorrow.

I thought I might as well give the old machine one last try, and guess what ? Yes, it washed and spun perfectly. Of course I had to try it again - in fact I have used it 5 times now since I ordered the new one. Every time it has worked perfectly. I can't cancel the new one but I just know that if I did it would go back to not spinning. I daren't give it to anyone for the same reason. So the scrap man will be getting a washing machine in perfect working order. 
The kettle is playing up a bit - boils sometimes but not all of the time. I am telling it that I am ordering a new one and leaving catalogues open beside it showing bright, shiny, unused kettles in the hope that it will get worried. In the meantime I am keeping a close eye on the dryer, the microwave, the fridge and the toaster and talking loudly about up to date appliances that I could order and how the scrapyard is such a lonely place.

To-witter or not

2010-12-30T04:13:00.000-08:00

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 have "prioritise" as number one.
Feel that this one has been hanging around too long...
Suggestions welcome - via blog, text, Facebook, Email or that Twitter thing.

On the fourth day of Christmas

2010-12-28T08:02:00.000-08:00

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 hope it's enough.

Write-Place Blog Spot: Keeping the Peace

2010-12-19T08:45:00.000-08:00

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..."

Keeping the Peace

2010-12-19T08:43:00.000-08:00

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 have been saved a good deal too which could have been used for something more useful to the community.

I don’t believe what the preacher said is true, but then I don’t believe in the phenomenon of “the word of God” either. We all have the right to say what we do or don’t believe, it’s when we force a belief on others that the trouble starts.

I wish everyone a happy Christmas time, whatever our beliefs and hope that the Christmas message of love and peace reaches us and stays with us - those of all religions and none.

Happy Christmas 2010

Spook City - for a spine chilling read ...

2010-12-08T11:26:00.000-08:00

"Twins" - a story by me. Read it here, if you want to !

http://www.spookcity.blogspot.com

Consequences

2010-12-05T11:09:00.000-08:00

"What 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.

One thing leads to another

2010-11-17T12:09:00.000-08:00

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 of something.
I have found some rhubarb though, which is well due for making into a crumble or pudding but I have run out of flour so it will have to wait. Perhaps someone could suggest a substitute for flour ? Goodness knows what a discussion that could lead to ...

R U a TXT MANIAC ?

2010-11-14T11:20:00.000-08:00

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

Lost and Found

2010-11-03T12:31:00.000-07:00

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.

Know thyself ... and start on the second day.

2010-11-01T10:36:00.000-07:00

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 and the like.

So there we have it. I shall be participating in NaNoWriMo 2010. I will finish by 30th November. And I will begin on the second day ...

Poems - KELLAND * STREET * CROSSLEY * ASH

2010-10-27T12:13:00.000-07:00

Poems - KELLAND * STREET * CROSSLEY * ASH

Write-Place Blog Spot: Practice Gigs for Writers

2010-10-27T05:52:00.000-07:00

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..."

Practice Gigs for Writers

2010-10-27T05:51:00.000-07:00

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 process of our writing we might have a better sense of what works and what doesn't.

I am starting small.
I have an audience of two dogs for this morning's jottings and it's going well, so far. Think I might do the gig tomorrow with an increase in readership - next door but one's cat is looking attentively at me as I write.
Watch this space - which hopefully won't stay a space for too long.

Too private, too public or just right ?

2010-10-11T05:59:00.000-07:00

"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

2010-10-09T06:40:00.000-07:00

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..."

Catching the Mood

2010-10-09T06:29:00.000-07:00

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 at drawing. But most artist's say that working from real life models is more satisfying and productive than from pictures or photographs ( I am interested to know what you artists out there think on that) My interpretation of mixed media.

So, my theory is that if I write from the immediate, which I have seen being produced, then the result will be more realistic. That's the idea anyway.
Don't send thoughts on a postcard or I will be tempted to write not about the picture on it, but about the person who sent it and why they chose it. Send them to this blog - but check first to see if I am in the right mood.
Thanks.

Arts Council's misuse of funds ?

2010-09-27T03:08:00.000-07:00

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.

Internet is changing our thought processes ...

2010-09-23T03:49:00.000-07:00

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 distraction – drives me straight away from the tv back to the computer actually.

I agree with what the professor says, and most of us would say that too much internet use is as bad for our health as eating too many chips or drinking too much red wine. But the “powers that be” don’t half encourage it. Many things now are only able to be done online and it’s cheaper and stuff – banking, shopping etc etc We of course do still have the self control switch, but if pressure on life makes us go online more than we think is necessary, well it’s not all our fault, is it ?

Friend has just this morning had new broadband line fitted, so am away to provide my valuable tekky support on installing the router. See if I can get my thought processes around that one.

Pyjamas are only jeans with patterns on

2010-09-10T02:27:00.000-07:00

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 late in the morning as it’s fairly dark most of the day. But in Summer the pyjama thing becomes more of a problem for me as I feel positively slovenly when the sun is shining in and I am not dressed (I also feel slovenly when the sun shines in as it tends to show up all the dust and finger marks everywhere) As we know, it stays light quite late in Summer too, so it’s a bit of a nuisance hanging around waiting for the sun to go down completely before the comfy attire comes out. When I am ill, it’s not so much of a problem as I am feeling too bad to care about anything, but on the verge of recovering a little it’s not conducive to health to do all this clock and wardrobe watching.
So, it is 10.30am, the sun is shining a bit but there’s a lot of black cloud. I am feeling quite tired and I am wearing cotton checked “bottoms” and a tee shirt. That seems like a few good reasons to stay as I am until …er… later? I reckon so. Have a good day.

Plain and simple for me

2010-09-02T03:30:00.000-07:00

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 cheatedhttp://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 ones.
Then they ask you what size cup you want. This can vary from a glass the size of an egg cup to an extra large soup bowl with the diameter of a car wheel so that the coffee's cold before you can lift the cup to your mouth.
And regular always used to mean normal or usual or often. Now it means small - only the small that I think of must be called miniscule as regular always seems too large to be small.
Am off to put the kettle on to make a cup of tea. Ringtons actually.

Something about the sea

2010-08-18T09:41:00.000-07:00

Pittenweem Harbour - Original Pastel by Stewart Platt (inspired by a photo by Julie Broom)

There'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 lucky 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 ... ... ... "

Warning - Don't go and live in a "soap" street

2010-07-18T12:18:00.000-07:00

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? "

It seems that the best way to get viewers to watch soaps is for them to show issues that are as violent, depressing and upsetting as possible. Is this what we now class as "entertainment" or are our perceptions becoming distorted as the question suggests? With the Raoul Moat situation following his death and the Facebook pages, it seems that society is becoming more "disturbed" than ever.
Is it ?

Bias on Eastenders ?

2010-07-17T12:13:00.000-07:00

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 time to. I haven't changed my views on the content of the programme,only that now I see it as more of a satire on "perceived" East London life. Certainly there are murders, adulteries, thefts, suicides and the rest in London as in any town or city but it is the concentration of such things within one small area that makes the whole thing unreal and, to me, humorous though black humour I should say. To suggest then that there is an "anti-Christian bias" or any other bias in the programme just seems like complaining for complaining's sake.

Perhaps it's the people who watch the "soaps" who have the problem as a lot really think they are a true portrayal of real life. Or maybe it's the writers fault who will write anything that is likely to be sensationalist just to get viewers. Then we could argue the "on/off switch" on the TV theory.
The reception on my TV is currently quite poor - must be the weather or something.So luckily it's Saturday and there are no soaps on.
Then again, I could always watch repeats online.

Never holiday with kids or dogs

2010-07-16T09:09:00.000-07:00

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 all you people with kids put them in the kennels (cheaper than day care)and then the holiday for adults will be cheaper too (and no ice creams to buy and stuff). I am convinced this is the way forward for the future. I have told my dogs about their upcoming holiday and they are already looking for things to pack - though I have told them that all they need is a blanket.
Let me know how your holidays go if you try out this idea. I wish I had thought of it when my offspring were children ...

Empty Rooms

2010-07-14T04:41:00.000-07:00

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
that although you said you'd go
I never thought you would.

Save water - shower with a friend

2010-07-07T00:48:00.000-07:00

Well, here we are seven days into July and some parts of the country are starting with hose pipe bans.
Now I know we must not waste water, after all it's one of the most precious natural things we have available to us - after air, and maybe the sun (and no doubt a few more things)
Anyway, it's precious, we know that. And my tomato plants not only have black fly - which is probably caused by being too dry - but they are all shrivelled too and so are the beans and the potatoes are not looking too clever. But I won't worry - I shall use the dirty washing up water on them, which I understand will kill the blackfly and water them at the same time. (It's the washing up liquid the blackfly hate, not the grease and bits of food)

But come on. We are an island. You can't travel much further than 50 or 60 miles and you reach water. Salted yes, but didn't someone invent something to get rid of the salt for drinking? I am no expert (on anything at all) but even I know you can collect water to drink when you are lost at sea in your dinghy by collecting condensation on a piece of plastic or metal. Now if I know that, there's got to be some clever brains out there to work on this.
As for washing, I read somewhere that it's better to only bathe twice a week. I suppose some people carry this through to the extreme.

So - apparently we are short of water again. Places like Spain which are usually "hot" don't seem to have this problem. They water their perfectly groomed green lawns almost 24 hours a day and I never heard of hose pipe bans there.
No doubt I will get aspersions cast on my ignorance about climate change and all that stuff, but this is the way I say it from the "man in the street" 's point of view. When it rains, save some. When it doesn't, use that which you saved before. Where's the problem.

(Just need to point out that the title of this blog is taken from an incident when I was twelve and my RE teacher sent me to the Headmaster for having it written on the from of my notebook. Thanks Mr Tarn, you saved me a lot of thinking time there ! )

Invasion of Plastic Lids

2010-06-20T02:39:00.000-07:00

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 you know that you would never dream of buying.The worrying thing is you just can't bear to throw them away What if you throw out the lid and the very next day a pot to fit turns up ? Then you have a pot with no lid and have to resort to covering it with cling film or foil (and we all know that it then leaks)
While packing up to move houses, I only this week put a number of multi coloured lids into a box and unpacked them at the new house, knowing full well I have never seen pots to go with them They are now stored safely in a kitchen drawer especially for "plastic stuff"

I think I have a solution for these disturbing occurrences. Stop putting all those bits of leftover meals in the fridge, put it straight into the bin. You know you are only going to throw it away a week later when you haven't any space left to put the new weekly shop and you will then have another lidless pot to wash up. That meal was never worth a second chasnce anyway.

A Book Too Far

2010-06-17T01:31:00.000-07:00

"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.

21 day marketing plan

2010-06-08T01:44:00.000-07:00

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 to follow 10 people on Twitter.
4.) I pledge to find 1 person to send a Facebook Friend request to.
5.) I pledge to update my Twitter and Facebook accounts with a link to my new blog entry.
6.) I pledge to find a blog on http://www.blogcatalog.com that is relevant to my book’s genre or subject matter and place their link on my blog, and attempt to contact the blog owner.
7.) I pledge to reach out to another author, and offer them the opportunity to write about their book for my blog "

I suggest that whatever field you are in, you substitute the word "book" for your area.
Happy next 3 weeks ...

Re wiring the mind

2010-06-07T03:28:00.000-07:00

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, that fraction should probably be a third … though it doesn’t read properly )

As per my last blog, I am constantly trying to think about or do so many things at one time - the classic “stressmaker” in today’s world. Bombarded with information, answers to all questions at my fingertips and minute by minute updates on millions of peoples everyday actions – if I so choose – yet still wondering if I am richer for this.
Obviously, it is a free choice.
So as I have the choice, just to let you know that I am now going to make a cup of coffee, before I update my facebook page, tweet a few lines and check out some forums to see what people are talking about behind my back. What about you ?

(addendum – the internet can also make you paranoid)

The Art

2010-05-16T09:12:00.000-07:00

"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.

The BNP - Another 2 years on

2010-05-14T05:39:00.000-07:00

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. Incidentally the pub anon speaks of is now boarded up completely - set alight and vandalised too many times by it's patrons for anyone to risk money on it.
Will Blair still spouts the same old stuff - he is not racist etc etc...just get jobs for the "whites" before giving them to snyone else. His main thing at the moment seems to be campagining for more parking in the town, which is good, but nigh on impossible.Mr Burke , Cllr Blair's side kick, didn't have a manifesto or a leaflet giving his opinion, not that I saw. But Will Blair did manage to slide some photocopied lesflets spouting the usual hatred and ignorant theories into some newsagents asking them to put them inside newspapers.Luckily not many did, but they did manage to get out into the community.
Maltby is a good place to live. I wouldn't be here otherwise. I am proud of the way my children and grandchildren are growing up to be. If only we could guarantee this in the future.

What will happen now, who is to say? Perhaps we now wait in anticipation for the squabbling to start within this new coalition government- or maybe we will have a fruitful, peaceful one. God willing.

Theological thoughts or morbid musings

2010-05-08T07:27:00.000-07:00

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 usually have a problem with my beliefs and views in this way – just with this one.
Is it because of my upbringing – that bit of ingrained dogma that I can not –or am afraid to- lose completely? The time will come when all will be clear (er…I think that’s a Freudian slip of a Bible quote)

Anyway, do what you will with my body. I hope that something good from me lives on in what I leave behind , and if there is a funeral with music for me, please play Paul McCartney’s Long and Winding Road and Time To Say Goodbye by Andrea Bocelli.

Pantomime season starts early again at Maltby Town Council

2010-05-02T09:42:00.000-07:00

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 earth is being discussed. What a waste of time and space.
The only positive that seemed to come out of the meeting is that the lamp from the Crossley Memorial is to be renovated. We'll see.

BNP "policies" ?

2010-04-29T03:30:00.000-07:00

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.

Incidentally – appears we have a Liberal candidate by the name of Wesley Paxton. Anyone heard of him ? He tells me that he ” looks forward to hearing the moslem community in UK speaking out against forced marriage esp of girls, but I am not holding my breath……”
I think he might have mailed me this because of my surname. Don’t worry Wesley – no one is going to force me to get married, I would just like to know what other policies you have as I haven't had any literature from you.

Thanks to " Politics in the Rother Valley"

2010-04-28T04:35:00.001-07:00

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)

Easter, the egg or the chocolate ?

2010-04-04T09:27:00.000-07:00

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 and races but the first chocolate egg didn’t appear until the early 1800’s in Germany and France. In UK the first chocolate egg was produced by (strangely enough) a company called Fry (now owned by Cadbury) Dark chocolate eggs filled with sweets soon evolved into milk chocolate ones and since the 1960’s have been the favourite treat or gift for Easter.

I am not a “chocolate person”. I like a piece now and then but can’t imagine myself having to resist the temptation to eat mounds of it – as I have discussed with self confessed “chocoholics”. Anyway, no one appears to have bought me a chocolate egg this year – I have decorated wooden ones instead, which are much prettier … and last a lot longer.

Whatever your taste, religion or reason for celebrating – have a Happy and peaceful Easter.

Could you recommend a book ?

2010-03-29T12:25:00.000-07:00

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 (though it’s very useful) often makes things worse. They have daily recommendations for me, supposedly based on what I have bought before. Today, James Kelman, Martin Amis, Muriel Spark, Irvine Welsh and Monica Ali novels based on me buying “Lanark” by Alasdair Gray. This book hasn’t arrived yet so I am not sure if the style of the writings are the same, the themes similar or if the authors are from the same place or what. I know I have never read Martin Amis or Irvine Welsh at all. I have read and own Monica Ali books – but I didn’t get them from Amazon so how do they know? Them recommending a book by the same author as one that I have bought from them makes sense; I can see the logic there. But I have been known to buy a book for a relative and their taste in reading is certainly not mine.
Never mind. At least it saves me from thinking too much on what I could read next. I usually have about four books “on the go” at once, so the recommendations list does get used.

Is anyone else like this? And if so, could you recommend a book on the subject ?

Happy Spring Solstice

2010-03-21T03:56:00.000-07:00

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 was frosty at 5am but I can not vouch for that ) My garden, adjoining marshland is, by its nature a semi-bog. The so called “lawn” resembles a paddy field and the poor crocuses and miniature daffodils have raised their heads more than once above ground... and gone below again.
I got a clay chiminea the other day. Today I will warm myself by this , drinking tea and coffee while watching my partner erect a fence and lay a new patio. This is the life. Happy Spring Solstice !

May I renew these books, please ?

2010-03-20T13:25:00.000-07:00

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. Perhaps it's a security "thing" that I need enough books so that if someone decided there was never going to be any more books printed, I would still have a good supply of unread stuff to keep me going - library books and books that I have bought included.
Whatever the reason,not returning books on time has cost me. Not only financially, but in anxiety that I may not be allowed to borrow anymore !
More than once I have paid the full price of the book at the library rather than the fine - granted one of these times was because the new dog had decided to eat the cover (yes, I know, irresponsible and all that, but like I say, I like to have books easily accessible and if they are for me, then they are even more so for the dog)
I have to say that my local library is exceptional in supporting me in this bad trait that I admit too. They even didn't charge me when I borrowed a book from the hospital library during a stay there, brought it home and returned it about 3 months later (no charge, they said, you were poorly at the time - and no they were not humouring me, at least I don't think they were)
Ok, I am off to check what I have for bedtime reading tonight. Whatever it is, it will be a selection of genres. And I will check dates as soon as I remember to.

(my HTML seems to be still on the blink - so apologies for however this text turns out on the blog page)

Gremlins in the blog system or have I lost some HTML?

2010-03-02T13:28:00.001-08:00

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 ..."

2010-02-28T07:26:00.000-08:00

“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

Tossers Ban on Running

2010-02-17T03:18:00.000-08:00

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, though some people are now banned for life from entering for breaking the walking rule. Council’s seem to do this – give you something with one hand and take it away with the other.
Been used before but can't resist saying....Tossers.

Always room for some poetry

2010-02-12T09:34:00.000-08:00

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 touch.

Sculpt me an island, a place of our own
with the beauty of animals, trees smelling sweet
Make it our place where people may visit
But mainly a place where your heart I can meet.

Rotherham Politics Blog

2010-01-18T00:42:00.000-08:00

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 that even the BNP would be a little concerned if he was campaigning for them with this garbage.God help Rotherham ... and Happy New Year to EVERYONE, whether you are fighting elections or just wanting the best for our town and people.
17 January 2010 11:20

Re: Stop Press

Nigel Farage says that the burkha is a symbol of an "increasingly divided Britain". Maybe. Therefore lose Mr Vines and UKIP will already be on the way to losing some divisive "thinking" (I use the word loosely)
Perhaos UKIP could follow Nicolas Sarkozy's line that the wearing of the burkha is "not welcome" in France but he is not going to ban it. In other words he will sit on the fence as there is no clear cut solution to this issue.
I wait with bated breath to hear what Lord Pearson's legal advice about this situation is, when he gets it.

Diaries & Calendars - Happy 2010

2010-01-01T05:16:00.000-08:00

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 you come to when you need to work out how many weeks from the second of one month to the second of the next. Now this would be easy if all months started on the same day – it wouldn’t matter which day, just the same one – but they don’t. The 1st January 2010 (today) is a Friday and the 1st of July is a Thursday. So if I book my holiday for the 1st July, I have to count all those numbered days in between then divide it by seven to see how many weeks till I go away. Well, my maths was always poor and this is not a fail safe method for me.

Of course I can hear you saying, “You count the weeks themselves, numbskull” (you might not call me numbskull but some such thing) But there’s another problem for me – the days of the week don’t begin on the same date either. How they came up with this idea beats me. I don’t know why we don’t now go decimal and just have ten months in a year, ten weeks in a month, ten hours in a day (maybe that could run to twenty for those busy people)

Then there’s some calendars that try to confuse you completely by having all the months on one page only they go around the picture, usually clockwise – why clockwise ? If time is not linear they could go anywhere on the page, but maybe that would be even more confusing. I once asked an Arabic friend if she thought of the year as going left to right as she reads from right to left - back of the book to the front in my terms. However, our discussion never came to a real conclusion due to neither of us quite understanding what the other was on about.

Anyway, my new 2010 diary which I must begin to write in today starts with January 1st on the first page and ends with December 31st on the last page so I reckon I’ll stick with the linear thing. If it turns out that we should be working some other way around, then I am sure we will be able to cope with the changes – they managed it in 1582 and we are supposed to be a lot more advanced since then.

Happy 2010 (and you may say those numbers any way you wish ! )

Morality

2009-11-22T03:36:00.000-08:00

Morality. What is it?
I think I have asked this question many times before – if not in public then at least to myself. Apparently I have still not come to any reasonable conclusion.
Ethics. What’s that all about? Are these personal things or universal necessities for the well being of humans (or animals – I haven’t quite sorted that one in my mind either. Maybe I should just say “living things”)
How can we behave in a moral or ethical manner when some of us – like me – can’t define what either of the words mean? Many questions but very few answers. Perhaps this is the nature of the issue.
With the advancement of technology (and presumably also then the advancement of the human brain) moral situations come upon us faster than we can even create the questions, much less find the answers..
So what is the difference between the two, if any, and does it matter ? Do we naturally understand how to reason about morals and arrive at ethical decisions? Do our values have any effect on our ethical decisions and moral standards?
Some people believe that humans hold a special place in creation, and morality can be summed up in one ultimate “law” of reason – that which all duties and obligations derive from. Kant stated that an imperative such as this is when a certain action, or inaction, is necessary, but in general to basic human life. When we are hungry, we need to eat, when we are thirsty we drink.
But another imperative is that there are no real conditions to it. An act where by the nature of this act asserts authority in any circumstance. An end in itself.
Where you can “will that it become a universal law”. Kant believed that this “law” could never be better or stronger than one that says for example, murder is wrong because it is not good for the greatest number of people. This of course is not relevant to those who are only concerned with maximising benefits only for themselves.

So where is this leading, if anywhere?

Only that my personal morals seem to get eroded every day. Not by me- well not intentionally. Or maybe it is by me-intentionally. There comes a point when the struggle to keep with your own true beliefs (or what you thought were your beliefs) becomes too much of an effort so why not just go along with the untrustworthy, the users in life who appear to benefit and profit from their actions.

Mid life crisis? Too old for that. Cynicism gone too far? Possibly. Total mental break down ? Naaah – some might like that too much !
Just me being me and afraid of losing what I am. Will I let it happen ? I doubt it.

Labour in Maltby use the "Slander Approach"

2009-09-23T03:14:00.000-07:00

It's an old stunt - a low and cowardly one at that - but The Labour Party have decided to use it again, in their "campaign" for the election of two councillors for Maltby Town Council.

This stunt is colloquially called "If you have nothing positive to say about your selves then slag off the opposition in any way you can, regardless of whether your comments are true or not." It is regularly used by the current government and has been used by various politicians around the globe.

Now, we all know that newspapers are a great source of information, on the whole, but most of us aso know that certain newspapers can be extremely biased towards a particular issue. This is often the case in "party politics".So, to run a campaign based on newspaper headlines is surely, the lowest of the low. But The Labour Party in Maltby have seen fit to do just this on their candidates leaflet, posted through some doors recently. (I am not suggesting that this is selective delivering, but it rather appears to be !)
Don't be fooled Maltby by the underhand tactics of this group and their followers. We all have two votes at the election on October 1st. Use them wisely - Maltby's future is tentatively balanced.

No changes yet

2009-09-11T11:48:00.000-07:00

After a short break from this blog, I had been thinking what to write for a "returner". I needn't have bothered thinking too hard. Maltby Town Council has come up trumps again with it's continued inadequacies, which while not new, do still sometimes leave me "gobsmacked".

Today 11th September, I have received a response from MTC to an FOI request I sent on 19th May.
Ok - so what's 4 months between friends when it should have been replied to in 20 days ? Not a lot at all really.But you would think that in this time they might have been able to answer ALL the questions, wouldn't you ?
Well, being well versed in the methods and workings of some of MTC cllrs, I am not suprised at all of course. I am also not particularly suprised that today's mail is from the "Acting Responsible Financial Officer" who is named as a totally different person who signed the mail that I received from MTC the other day. Got it ? HUH !

Ah well - just when I was thinking maybe I was finished with the need for FOI requests . . .

Compassion or Insult - can the two be defined?

2009-08-23T10:02:00.000-07:00

The release of the Lockerbie bomber, Megrahi, has caused embarrassment, outrage and crtiticism in different degrees from various ministers and officials around the world.
The director of the FBI has told the Scottish Justice Secretary he was 'outraged' at Megrahi's release and says it 's made a mockery of the law and given comfort to terrorists.The Scottish First Minister says it was a 'grave error of judgment' which has damaged the reputation of Scotland.
And Downing Street releases the full text of a letter sent by Gordon Brown to Colonel Gaddafi wishing him a happy Ramadan and addressing him as "Dear Muammar".

Granted, the letter asked Gaddafi to 'act with sensitivity' over Megrahi's homecoming and said that a high-profile return would cause further unnecessary pain for the families of the Lockerbie victims and it would also undermine Libya's growing international reputation", but I (cynically?) think the intent was more sinister than this and therefore very worrying.
"Muammar" seems to have ignored all sensitivities (would the man understand the meaning, anyway?) and given Megrahi a hero's welcome and Gordon Brown has yet to explain his meeting with Gaddafi where they discussed the release.

But where does compassion begin and end and where does the act of releasing a convicted criminal become an insult to the public, the victims of the crime and all concerned? Last week Ronnie Biggs was released from prison on compassionate grounds - this is our legal system. like it or not. Megrahi has been released on compassionate grounds - he too is an ill man.

Does the difference in our opinions lie in the crime itself, the amount of people involved, our own opinion of seriousness of the crime or what ? Is it the length of time in prison that matters or whether we think the person is not going to do any harm to anyone anymore ?
I do not believe that this can be the proper way to be just - and I do agree with those that say it sends out the wrong signal to others...be they mass murderers, terrorists, bombers, train robbers or petty thieves.

Is there an answer ?

Dear Kevin Barron, MP - again.....

2009-08-22T07:39:00.000-07:00

Dear Mr Barron and anyone concerned with democracy....

I have forwarded to you an open letter sent by Mr Don Buxton (with his permission) in response to the appalling attitude of one of your "colleagues" Mr Iain St John. Perhaps you may have seen this letter, of Mr St John's but it is unlikely as you do not use email, despite your super, up to the minute equipment.

However, let's not go over old ground again.

The reason for this mail is to bring to your attention the utter contempt that many of those connected to RMBC show to their constituents. I am sure that you already know this but a small reminder never goes amiss, I believe.
Perhaps, like Mr St John, you may also wonder why you have been sent this "nonsense" as he describes it. Well, just to reiterate that if any cllr/or MP classes the views of the public whom they represent as nonsense, just because their views differ from the "elite" then we are in a very sorry position. From past experience and correspondence with you, I imagine that you will ignore this mail and class the contents as having nothing to do with you. If you do, then fair enough - it proves the points made in the letter that confirm that the growing network of the deeply concerned electorate are well founded.

Mr Buxton's letter describes the reservations and doubts that he has about the "integrity of the Elected Members and Officers of RMBC and the way that they try to spin, weave, deceive and ignore and isolate Rotherham communities."
He thanks his MP, John Healey and other MPs in our national Government for at least providing the tools to check, challenge, scrutinise and hold to account these "fools" that try to govern us. Through FOI efforts the citizens of Rotherham are now much wiser as to the cost of various seemingly unnecessary and expensive "ventures" at the tax payers expense. That Mr St John has the audacity to attempt to patronise the people who expose these situations and label some of them as "the jack boot mob" is little short of an absolute insult.

It would be pointless of me to expect any sort of response from you on the reasoning behind your colleagues attitude, I am sure.

I would like to be able to sign a letter to my MP as Mr Buxton has done ("I remain, Sir, your loyal constituent") However, I am unable to do so.

I remain, therefore, just another one of your constituents.

Yours sincerely,
Brenda Abou El Ola

GPs earn £300,000 a year

2009-08-05T04:00:00.000-07:00

In 2004, this incompetent Government introduced a new GP's contract which increased the pay of the doctors but also took away a lot of the services, like weekend working, and evening surgeries. The ususal mismanagement in the civil service in their financial administration showed another waste of tax payers money.
Now it's been reported that the situation may be even worse than we thought. Some family doctors are now earning £300,000 or more. Am not sure if any Maltby GP's earn anywhere near this amount - I guess if they did they might be living somewhere different to Maltby - but it seems a bit excessive considering the hours they work for their local patients.

I do not begrudge anyone in the NHS their hard earned pay. I know that especially in hospitals, doctors (usually junior ones) work ridiculous numbers of hours which is both immoral and dangerous. But wouldn't it be better to have the old system of your own GP comes to visit you "out of hours" and gets his extra pay that way, rather than having visits from locums who often travel miles to see a patient that they have never met before and no none of thir medical history?Most private sector workers across Britain are facing longer hours and smaller salaries so should GP's be different?

Could this be the best Kevin Barron quote yet ?

2009-08-01T05:37:00.000-07:00

The Rt Hon Kevin Barron MP, has made quite a few "gaffes" over the last number of months. Of course I am sure he would not call then gaffes himself, but it doesn't take much to wonder if the man is losing it/has lost it completely.

There was the issue of emails - even though Kevin supports taking care of the environment, (he says) he doesn't send emails and prefers to use trees by the thousands for his correspondence.
Then there was issue of him telling one of his consituents that he was not going to talk politics with them (strange for an MP)
Then we had his expenses issue - the fancy printer and office furniture and the new camera he needed for his trip to New Zealand..... etc

But this has to be the best one yet.

As many readers of this blog know, Maltby is in the process if s truggle to stop the Secondary School becoming an Academy. Much discussion has gone on - usually without the invited MP's, Cllrs, Governors and ministers who don't turn up at meetings. However, the stuggle will continue, to make sure our children get the best education possible - regardless of financial incentives to and from private businesses.

So what does Mr Barron have to say to this? In public debate regarding government policy regarding academies, Kevin said " I would not believe Government papers".

Well, neither would most of us Kevin, and as you have confirmed it yourself I wonder why you are still acting as my MP? Am I to believe anything at all about anything you say ? Oh, no....no don't go there. I don't want you bothering your herad about "politics" again.

Reply To "maltbynews" Propaganda - July 2009

2009-07-09T09:06:00.000-07:00

Dear Kevin Hall,

Let’s get a few facts correct here following your “sensational” front page report and patronising editorial in today’s maltbynews.

Firstly, you state the petition to dissolve Maltby Town Council is unlikely to have the effect which it’s supporters are aiming. You also state that Mr Mumford says that it is unclear what the purpose of the petition is. I can assure you that Mr Mumford has been told perfectly clearly what the purpose of the petition is for, but that if he has told you that he is uncertain, then who’s view is it that it is unlikely to have any effect? Contradiction in terms, Mr Hall.

Then you state “ that RMBC are already undertaking a review in Maltby following the upheaval in the Town (sic) over the past six months.”WRONG.
A governance review is taking place but not following or because of any upheaval. It is happening in numerous parishes across Rotherham. Bit of a manipulation of words there, to suit a biased view.

That you have named 2 Maltby residents in your report without their permission is a breach of many rules and regulations, which the National Union of Journalists are already very interested in.

“Having initiated their action on June 1st the group garnered the 30 signatories by the end of the month” WRONG.
A letter was sent to the Assistant Chief Executive dated 1st June with 30 signatures attached. You must have misinterpreted what I said to you when you phoned me Kevin. If you hadn’t been barracking me so much in this conversation you might have remembered that I told you that the letter said that we were committed to provide the necessary petition within the next month so that a Governance Review could be organised. Have your 2 “leakers” of misinformation not told you how many representations there actually are? Apparently not - maybe because they are too busy instigating a petition themselves based on another piece of MIS information.

Your next piece of propaganda says that Mr Mumford says that IF the Town Council were to “disappear” (sic) that the current precept would be retained by RMBC, and that “most likely” the assets would also be transferred to RMBC.
“IF” is the key word here. The petitioners are not intending that to happen at all and as for what will “most likely” happen…. what a shoddy piece of speculative reporting that is !
Your description of a “Community Group” which could administer assets was hardly informative, but suited your purpose of demeaning the prospect. For your information, an option in place of Maltby Town Council is a Community Interest Company http://www.cicregulator.gov.uk/ (to understand more)

And finally….
As you were so keen to unethically name members of the public in your paper, perhaps you will enlighten your readers on the “Community Group (that) has helped to facilitate the presentation of the petition”. I am unaware of any such group being involved.

Yours sincerely,
Brenda Abou El Ola

Town Clerk Post advertised at last !

2009-07-06T04:10:00.000-07:00

We have waited 12 months here in Maltby to have the post of Town Clerk advertised, after the resignation of the former clerk, Mr David Morton.

The ex clerk has been paid off and been given an apology from MTC (not sure about what) one day and then the next day the vacant post is finally advertised . There is a "gagging order" on the "undisclosed amount" that Mr Morton has received - well, at least as I write , but who knows what can change !

The job is currently only advertised in 2 places - on an A4 sheet at the Maltby Town Council office (of which only the brave and bold dare enter) and on the "new" MTC website. As the closing date is 31st July, which is quite short and the advertising VERY sparse, this does not appear to give a range of people the opportunity to apply. Surely this could not be the intention of MTC.

For the full job description, application form and covering letter (from the self appointed voluntary, "acting financial officer", not the Chairperson) details, see

http://maltbytc.forums-free.com/application-for-post-of-town-clerk-t485.html?p=4884#p4884

To recieve an application form...hopefully before the closing date, email maltby.town@btconnect.com

Good luck !

John Bercow - New Speaker of The House of Commons

2009-06-22T12:31:00.000-07:00

John Bercow, Conservative MP for Buckingham, is the new speaker of the House of Commons. He was elected to government in 1997 and served in the Shadow Cabinet under Iain Duncan Smith and Michael Howard. Bercow has increased his majority to over 18,000 at the General Election in 2005.
He has risen quickly through the junior ranks and was brought into the Shadow Cabinet in 2001. During this time Bercow stated that he lacked ruthlessness which would stop him from rising higher.

John Bercow’s website states
“You elected me and sent me to the House of Commons to speak and vote for the people of Buckingham. You might not agree with some of my views and that is OK. That is what representative democracy is all about.
Some politicians these days try to have bland views on everything so that they please everybody. However I have always taken the view that there is no point in being an MP if you don’t have opinions and you say nothing. I can’t fight the corner if I have no opinions and don’t know what to say.
However, it is my duty and pleasure to serve all of my constituents in Buckingham irrespective of your political views."

Bercow has long had an interest in Burma and the issue of democracy and genocide in the country. He runs the Advanced Speaking and Campaigning course, which has trained over 600 Conservatives, including several current MPs. Children and young people with speech, language and communication needs is another of his special interests.
The Speaker is the chief officer and highest authority of the House of Commons and also represents the Commons to the monarch, the Lords and other authorities and chairs the House of Commons Commission. Speakers must be politically impartial and on election the new Speaker must resign from their political party and remain separate from political issues even in retirement. The Speaker still deals with their constituents' problems as a normal MP.
I am not sure that someone can turn immediately from being affiliated to a political party to being completely impartial. Perhaps this is what my own MP, Kevin Barron is aiming for when he says that he will not talk politics with me (problem with Mr Barron is that he does not appear to be dealing with his constituents’ problems either).

Bercow says that immediately, he must and will cast aside all of his political views. "I said it and I meant it". He will be completely impartial and will do his best "faithfully and honestly to serve the House".

So as, with much of what is happening in political life at the moment, we will have to “wait and see”, whilst hoping that the new speaker will carry out his role of ensuring MPs follow the rules of the House during debates.
If we have a speaker who genuinely sticks to the rules as agreed, then we have a chance of democracy coming back to our government.

Anything but teaching, Gordon - PLEASE !

2009-06-20T09:15:00.000-07:00

Oh dear - poor Gordon Brown.

He has been "hurt" by the crises that have plagued him the past months as Prime Minister, and could "walk away tomorrow" and perhaps become a teacher.

Walk away Gordon ... PLEASE walk away....but for heavens sake don't inflict yourself and your hurt on our children any more ! Doesn't this country need plumbers, or electricians or something that does not involve PEOPLE that Gordon could work at ?

MP's Allowances Published Online

2009-06-18T00:08:00.000-07:00

Documents and receipts relating to MPs' allowances are published today on the parliament website.

www.parliament.co.uk

From today the public will be able to view printed documents and receipts relating to MPs’ claims dating back to 2004/05 and up to 2007/08.
The expenses claims of every MP for the past four years have been published, but, ironically with some key details not shown. The Commons authorities have published the details after the long-running Freedom of Information battle.
Addresses and correspondence that claims relate to have been removed for privacy and security reasons.
This means it is not possible to see if MPs "flipped" second homes which is a main part of the Daily Telegraph's revelations from its leaked version of the data. This news comes on the same day that Kitty Ussher, a Treasury minister, has been forced to resign after avoiding paying up to £17,000 in tax on the sale of her constituency home. Another case of "acting within the rules", in other words getting as much as you can by keeping as much as you can secret.
Nick Robinson of the BBC has said that if the database was all the public could see and the full uncensored claims had not been leaked then MPs like Miss Ussher would still be in their jobs.
Is this a step in the right direction towards full openness and transparency... or another attempt to pacify the public and keep them quiet ?

Seems to me it's like saying "Here, take my bank card, but there is no chance you are having the pin number " !

For our very own Rt Hon Kevin Barron MP .... http://mpsallowances.parliament.uk/mpslordsandoffices/hocallowances/allowances-by-mp/kevin-barron/

Direct question to Kevin Baron, MP, from rothervalley.wordpress.com

2009-06-10T11:47:00.000-07:00

In an earlier blog I have commented that the Rt Hon Kevin Barron MP has refused to answer my questions about politics as "it will go on the blog". Some of us have discussed the possibilities of which blog this could be and want to ensure that Kevin gets to know all the questions that his constituents want answering and also give an opportunity for him to reply direct (in the absence of his own website)

This blogger http://rothervalley.wordpress.com has asked a direct question to Mr Barron and I have posted the blog below. Keep going to the site in the off chance that Kevin may reply some time in the none too distant future.

Mr Barron ... I also would welcome a reply on this blog , if it happens to be the one that you read.

Hi Kevin

I know you read this blog – the letter you wrote telling me about it is one of my most prized possesions.
I also know that you said you weren’t going to write to me anymore because I have published your comments on this blog. What I didn’t know is that you have also told other constituents that you ostensibly represent that you won’t write to them either, whilst mentioning ‘the blog.’ The constituent in question assumes you might mean this one, although ‘the blog’ could mean anything. Just to make it quite clear, this is my blog, and I am the only one who writes posts on it. I have sent you an invite to become a writer here because you still don’t seem to have a website on any of the three domains you seem to control, but as yet you haven’t taken it up, so I remain the only writer at the moment. You are, of course, still welcome to take up my offer to contribute – it’d be great for the people of the Rother Valley to hear more often from their representative.

Anyway, as you seem to be gradually reducing the number of constituents you will communicate with, rarely send out leaflets and have still not managed to get a website of your own going I thought I’d ask a question here, prompted by a comment on my last post.
So, the question your constituents want answering – and it’s a big one because most of your constituents are Labour voters – or at least they were last time around – is what your views are on the Labour leadership? We’ve seen and heard nothing of your views.
Are you one of the rumoured 50 or so that were prepared to call for Gordon to go? Are you upset that, at a time when the Prime Minister is seemingly recruiting anyone who will answer their phone to be in cabinet (Sir Alan Sugar who he has had to make a Lord, Glennis Kinnock, who can’t actually be a minister because she is an MEP) that you still haven’t got the cabinet post you reportedly wanted in 1997? Do you think Gordon Brown should stand down as Prime Minister – and is your view on this based on what is best for your party, your own future employment as an MP, or the good of the country – or a combination thereof?
We, your constituents, would really rather like to know, and putting information on the internet is so much more effective than sticking it in the window of your office in Dinnington. The Rother Valley is quite big, you know.
We’d be grateful, therefore, if you could answer here, or on a website of your own.
Thanks for taking the time to read this blog, and this post in particular.

Maltby Festival 2009

2009-06-08T12:48:00.000-07:00

Maltby Festival 2009 - Sunday 5th July - Saturday 11th July

Sunday 5th July - Gala Day,Maltby Main football field, Muglet lane, Maltby
10 am - 4pm

Stalls, rides, disco, childrens entertainment, dancing and a medieval re-enactment, White Post Farm, circus workshop, competitions: kids fancy dress, gurning (funny faces), knobbly knees, glamorous granny and scruffy pet.
Each competition winner will be announced on the day. All competitions will take place between 11-2pm Lots of prizes to be won.

Monday 6th July - Zion Youth Group, Coronation Park, Maltby 6.30-8.30pm

Wild West night, including a Bucking Bronco and disco by DB Entertainment

Tuesday 7th July - Art Exhibition, Wesley Centre, Blyth Road, Maltby 2-9pm

Presented by Dave Brennan - local artists including students from MCS displaying their work. Refreshments available. Bar from 6pm. Free admission. Supported by Maltby Community Development Trust

Wednesday 8th July - "Camp Fire" in Coronation Park, Maltby

Sing song and food 6.30-7.30pm run by Hesley Woods, Woodpecker Fellowship Team.

Thursday 9th July -Teddy Bears picnic in Coronation Park - 4 - 6pm

Bring the family and a teddy and don't forget the picnic. Come and have some fun.

Friday 10th July - Safe@last presents weekend@last Concert

Saturday 11th July - Community Sports Day, Coronation Park, Muglet Lane, Maltby 10am-4pm

Fun for all the family- to include Youth services, Sports Development and local Police Services, races, football, climbing wall and award ceremony.

(Later Safe@Last presents weekend@last concert)

Sponsored by: Maltby Town Council, Hargreaves, Paper Island

If you are a group, charity, association, school or business who live or work in Maltby and want to get involved please contact us.

http://maltby-festival.synthasite.com

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