Well my Open University course my be coming to a close but I am determined to carry on writing.... was that ever a film ??
Finding myself at a loose end today I made an early start an took myself on the train to Liverpool. I haven't been on the train for ages and can't remember when I last went to Liverpool. I had a stroll around the new Liverpool One shopping area and wasn't impressed so I made my way up to the Philharmonic passed the bombed out church to meet a friend who has a studio up there. She is a very good dressmaker/designer, we first met when we both worked as consultants for the textile industry ( she is young and enthusiastic and is the girl I went to Paris with for her 30th . She goes under business name of Shameless Originals if you are looking for your own unique outfit). We had a breakfast in the Pilgrim Pub up that end of Liverpool. Whilst we were waiting for the breakfast to arrive I told her of a vague idea for a story and my plan to have a look in the ' Walker' for some inspiration.
My feet were sore by the time I walked back to the shopping end of town, perhaps new shoes with heels are not the best equipment for pounding the touristy pavements of the city (uneven paving slabs and lots of cobbles ! ) When I got to the Walker Gallery I just wanted to sit down. I sat in the first gallery I came to which just happened to be my favourite pre raphaelite artists. And ... it happened..... inspiration grabbed me and wouldn't let go. I made a few hasty notes while I was there then rushed off for the train home before anything dampened it.
This is just a quick note because now I am going to write it all down.
Bye eee
x
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Monday 31 January 2011
Thursday 27 January 2011
The Retired Pilot (a writing day workshop (10 minutes of writing) prompt
My wings are clipped now.
I am too old to soar weightless among the clouds and I have to spend my days gazing upwards, watching a game of noughts and crosses playing across the sky.
Cotton wool no longer brings images of fluffy clouds and serene peacefulness, but rather it reminds me that when it is full of liquid it escapes in a slow dribble at first, then rushes down the trunks and legs of anything in its way to form a puddle of something murky on the ground. Not the fresh water that had first been taken in but the result of toxins and man made substances and polution.
The blue of the sky and bright sunlight bouncing off clouds and glass, no longer serves to make my heart sing but rather mocks my decent to the earth and that stomach gripping feeling of falling out of the sky is replaced by a fear of death and the inevitable darkness that follows the descent into the earth.
All these years I thought that while I was up there I was so close to God - when really down here, now that I am old, I am closer to him than I have ever been.
Awen/ Bren
I am too old to soar weightless among the clouds and I have to spend my days gazing upwards, watching a game of noughts and crosses playing across the sky.
Cotton wool no longer brings images of fluffy clouds and serene peacefulness, but rather it reminds me that when it is full of liquid it escapes in a slow dribble at first, then rushes down the trunks and legs of anything in its way to form a puddle of something murky on the ground. Not the fresh water that had first been taken in but the result of toxins and man made substances and polution.
The blue of the sky and bright sunlight bouncing off clouds and glass, no longer serves to make my heart sing but rather mocks my decent to the earth and that stomach gripping feeling of falling out of the sky is replaced by a fear of death and the inevitable darkness that follows the descent into the earth.
All these years I thought that while I was up there I was so close to God - when really down here, now that I am old, I am closer to him than I have ever been.
Awen/ Bren
Monday 24 January 2011
No. 10 The Coffee House , Haworth
On Saturday I thought I had died and gone to scone heaven.
We started out to go to Haworth and stopped off for a cup of tea and a nosey at the Scar Top sale. Having purchased a bookcase and a cold cup of tea we abandoned our original idea of going to Haworth and decided on a trip to Keighley.
We had not been to Keighley before and soon discovered why as we drove through it and back out again !!
So deciding to revert back to our first plan we headed back to Haworth. We approached from a side of the town that we had never seen before. A quick look at the steam trains and the park took us to join Main Street and familiar ground.
We were looking in a cake shop window and I said to my husband.
'Those fat rascals don't look as nice as Betty's ( we usually had them in Betty's tea rooms in Ilkley and Harrogate )'
'They're better than Betty's ,' said a voice behind us.
I turned and the guy who had made the comment said again.
'much better, but if you want the best Fat rascals you want to go to NO.10 at the bottom of the street. Ask for Claire, she'll see you right.'
'No. 10 ' said I , making sure I heard right.
'That's right. If Claire was in harrogate she would put Betty's out of business.'
We don't need telling twice and with our tum's rumbling anyway we hot footed it down the hill to NO. 10.
It was a B and B and Coffee shop and we probably hadn't noticed it before because it had it's door shut and it had a B&B sign. But we opened the door and we were welcomed by that Angel called Claire ( who declares herself 'away with the fairies' .... so we have a lot in common.)who found us a table and broke the bad news that she had run out of fat rascals and plain and cherry scones. But if we really wanted plain scones she could probably whip some up in 15 to 20 minutes for us. Then she offered us Orange and walnut scones with Mascarpone and fig compote or a choice of cakes off her menu board.
I am not telling you fibs. That scone was heavenly. The service was excellent and the ambiance warm and welcoming. I have no hesitation in recommending it to everyone taking a trip to Haworth. Claire only makes cakes and scones, not meals, but they are well worth that special effort to find her Coffee House after a meal somewhere else or for just a snack.
Also if you phone ahead she will try to make you a batch of scone/cake for you to pick up and take home. We took home two slices of Raspberry and Almond slice to eat after tea the next day. Very yummy.
And to think if we had either followed our original plan to go to Haworth first or if we had stayed in Keighley we wouldn't have known about her delicious scones and cakes.
Funny how things work out.
Spooky.!
We started out to go to Haworth and stopped off for a cup of tea and a nosey at the Scar Top sale. Having purchased a bookcase and a cold cup of tea we abandoned our original idea of going to Haworth and decided on a trip to Keighley.
We had not been to Keighley before and soon discovered why as we drove through it and back out again !!
So deciding to revert back to our first plan we headed back to Haworth. We approached from a side of the town that we had never seen before. A quick look at the steam trains and the park took us to join Main Street and familiar ground.
We were looking in a cake shop window and I said to my husband.
'Those fat rascals don't look as nice as Betty's ( we usually had them in Betty's tea rooms in Ilkley and Harrogate )'
'They're better than Betty's ,' said a voice behind us.
I turned and the guy who had made the comment said again.
'much better, but if you want the best Fat rascals you want to go to NO.10 at the bottom of the street. Ask for Claire, she'll see you right.'
'No. 10 ' said I , making sure I heard right.
'That's right. If Claire was in harrogate she would put Betty's out of business.'
We don't need telling twice and with our tum's rumbling anyway we hot footed it down the hill to NO. 10.
It was a B and B and Coffee shop and we probably hadn't noticed it before because it had it's door shut and it had a B&B sign. But we opened the door and we were welcomed by that Angel called Claire ( who declares herself 'away with the fairies' .... so we have a lot in common.)who found us a table and broke the bad news that she had run out of fat rascals and plain and cherry scones. But if we really wanted plain scones she could probably whip some up in 15 to 20 minutes for us. Then she offered us Orange and walnut scones with Mascarpone and fig compote or a choice of cakes off her menu board.
I am not telling you fibs. That scone was heavenly. The service was excellent and the ambiance warm and welcoming. I have no hesitation in recommending it to everyone taking a trip to Haworth. Claire only makes cakes and scones, not meals, but they are well worth that special effort to find her Coffee House after a meal somewhere else or for just a snack.
Also if you phone ahead she will try to make you a batch of scone/cake for you to pick up and take home. We took home two slices of Raspberry and Almond slice to eat after tea the next day. Very yummy.
And to think if we had either followed our original plan to go to Haworth first or if we had stayed in Keighley we wouldn't have known about her delicious scones and cakes.
Funny how things work out.
Spooky.!
Thursday 20 January 2011
Teen v Adult Fiction continued
Discussion has spread to more family and friends... some of the comments are as follows.:
I was 13 when I started to read Wilbur Smith novels so there is really no such thing as teen fiction. Teens read what they like.
You can't put teens in one box. Some teens are out drinking and smoking and know more swear words than adults. Others are stuck in front of computer games and some are scouting or swotting for exams. What one book of teen fiction would suit all of them.
I read the Twighlight series and it was better than some of my books for adults.
When you are a teen you think you are an adult. In the library you are more likely to look in the adult section than be seen in the childrens section.
I was quite shocked at the things they write about now in Children and teen books.
It seems to me that unless you write about one parent families or dysfunctional families you won't get your children books published. It seems they don't want children to believe that a normal family with two parents can be happy or interesting.
Normal happy families are too Enid Blyton.
And the debate continues..............
I was 13 when I started to read Wilbur Smith novels so there is really no such thing as teen fiction. Teens read what they like.
You can't put teens in one box. Some teens are out drinking and smoking and know more swear words than adults. Others are stuck in front of computer games and some are scouting or swotting for exams. What one book of teen fiction would suit all of them.
I read the Twighlight series and it was better than some of my books for adults.
When you are a teen you think you are an adult. In the library you are more likely to look in the adult section than be seen in the childrens section.
I was quite shocked at the things they write about now in Children and teen books.
It seems to me that unless you write about one parent families or dysfunctional families you won't get your children books published. It seems they don't want children to believe that a normal family with two parents can be happy or interesting.
Normal happy families are too Enid Blyton.
And the debate continues..............
The lunch time sandwhich
It promised heaven on a plate
Seduced with words like fresh and soft
That wasn't what I ate
Described the bread as grain and nutty
the cheese as creamy crumbly Lancs
That wasn't on my butty
I should wrap it up and take it back
where was the home made apple chutney
That wasn't in my snack.
The bread was dry, tasteless and plain
last weeks cheese was hard and lonely.
I won't make my own lunch again.
Seduced with words like fresh and soft
That wasn't what I ate
Described the bread as grain and nutty
the cheese as creamy crumbly Lancs
That wasn't on my butty
I should wrap it up and take it back
where was the home made apple chutney
That wasn't in my snack.
The bread was dry, tasteless and plain
last weeks cheese was hard and lonely.
I won't make my own lunch again.
Wednesday 19 January 2011
A new year.... a new start ????
Well I am sitting here writing a blog when I should be writing 1500 word short story for the OU.
I have come across an interesting debate. I found my story was starting to lean towards teen fiction and asked the tutor if teen fiction would be allowed for the assignment. The answer was no. Not unless it crosses with adult fiction such as in the case of the missing dog at midnight by Mark Haddon.
I posted on our forum to that effect and the interesting debate it sparked off was..... where does Teen fiction end and adult fiction begin. Theses days more and more adults are reading storys such as Harry Potter and the Golden Compass, Inkheart and Spiderwick chronicles. Narnia is another good example.
With older teens probably knowing more than my generation did at that age, were can you draw the line and say 'that is for an adult and that is for a teen'
Now I have not only grammar and punctuation , spelling and layout, Genre and point of view I also have to consider the fine line of age/ maturity when writing something bordering on teen/adult interest.
Grrrr
Back to my 1500 words.
Toodle pip !
I have come across an interesting debate. I found my story was starting to lean towards teen fiction and asked the tutor if teen fiction would be allowed for the assignment. The answer was no. Not unless it crosses with adult fiction such as in the case of the missing dog at midnight by Mark Haddon.
I posted on our forum to that effect and the interesting debate it sparked off was..... where does Teen fiction end and adult fiction begin. Theses days more and more adults are reading storys such as Harry Potter and the Golden Compass, Inkheart and Spiderwick chronicles. Narnia is another good example.
With older teens probably knowing more than my generation did at that age, were can you draw the line and say 'that is for an adult and that is for a teen'
Now I have not only grammar and punctuation , spelling and layout, Genre and point of view I also have to consider the fine line of age/ maturity when writing something bordering on teen/adult interest.
Grrrr
Back to my 1500 words.
Toodle pip !
End of Another Year
22nd December 2010
While I had a quiet moment in the choas and mayhem disguised as Christmas I thought I would pen some more thoughts and news.
I say 'pen' but sitting at the PC tapping the keys on the keyboard isn't quite the same as good old fashioned pen and paper .... does anyone use fountain pens anymore these days?..... and sitting at a writing desk, painstakingly filling Basildon Bond pages with neat writing and no crossings out. And I still remember the feeling of getting long letters through the post. Does anyone out there feel the same about recieving a long email ? I hate reading from the PC screen because after a few moments the words dance around and shuffle about and play games with my eyes !!!
And I refuse to give in and magnify the screen .... ha ha ha 
Talking of dance.... I joined the U3A in Aughton and Ormskirk and after a year of dithering over wether to join in the activitys I finally braved the Book reading group.. Except for the Woman in White I haven't liked any of the books so far but I did meet a girl ( yes I know we are all over 50 but we are still girls at heart) who invited me to the Salsa fit class. It is great fun and I have joined the tap dancing class too. I'm the one who is always a few taps behind,
lol
I persuaded my husband to join the ballroom dancing classes in Burscough in September , there is only us and another couple and it's great fun, neither of us can get it all right from one week to the next and they also have Liverpool season tickets so the evening starts and ends with football talk ! I joined the salsa and Argentine Tango class at the same dance school on my own. That is fun too , I have had a few different partners since I started, but they are a great bunch and it is always a laugh, especially the tango lunge and the salsa windmill, and I always get the giggles
I have never grown up.
The dance exercise keeps the asthma from getting worse and keeps my spirits up. I have met new and lovely people through it and it makes the daily headaches easier to cope with ( along with the help of daily pain killers of course). I don't miss work but I often wish for a job of sorts because I feel useless ... but on the plus side I have more time for walking , dancing, writing and living.
My open university course for creative writing is going well.
My son has got a job in a bank call centre, not ideal but it will do until he starts a career in an area he wants to work. He is back living at home.
My daughter has just moved into a lovely flat in Appley bridge not far from the factory she works in. She is one of two in the HR department and is doing her HR exams as it is a role she loves doing.
We went on a norwegian cruise in May It was so good and we were sorry that it was only a week, but we did join in with the norwegian national day celebrations which was a great experience, that we booked another cruise while we were on board and are going on a Baltic one in September (with 3 days in St Petersburg !). Looking forward to it.
We also had a break in Amsterdam in September for my birthday and my brother and sister in laws anniversary. It is the first time we have been away with them and we had a terrific time and plan to repeat a similar one next year.
We went to Portmeirian as usual for our Anniversary and just got back the day before the bad snow started. We love it there. It is our annual quiet time together before the mad season starts.
I wish you all a very Happy, healthy and loving 2011
See you next year
:)
xxx
While I had a quiet moment in the choas and mayhem disguised as Christmas I thought I would pen some more thoughts and news.
I say 'pen' but sitting at the PC tapping the keys on the keyboard isn't quite the same as good old fashioned pen and paper .... does anyone use fountain pens anymore these days?..... and sitting at a writing desk, painstakingly filling Basildon Bond pages with neat writing and no crossings out. And I still remember the feeling of getting long letters through the post. Does anyone out there feel the same about recieving a long email ? I hate reading from the PC screen because after a few moments the words dance around and shuffle about and play games with my eyes !!!
And I refuse to give in and magnify the screen .... ha ha ha Talking of dance.... I joined the U3A in Aughton and Ormskirk and after a year of dithering over wether to join in the activitys I finally braved the Book reading group.. Except for the Woman in White I haven't liked any of the books so far but I did meet a girl ( yes I know we are all over 50 but we are still girls at heart) who invited me to the Salsa fit class. It is great fun and I have joined the tap dancing class too. I'm the one who is always a few taps behind,
lolI persuaded my husband to join the ballroom dancing classes in Burscough in September , there is only us and another couple and it's great fun, neither of us can get it all right from one week to the next and they also have Liverpool season tickets so the evening starts and ends with football talk ! I joined the salsa and Argentine Tango class at the same dance school on my own. That is fun too , I have had a few different partners since I started, but they are a great bunch and it is always a laugh, especially the tango lunge and the salsa windmill, and I always get the giggles
I have never grown up.The dance exercise keeps the asthma from getting worse and keeps my spirits up. I have met new and lovely people through it and it makes the daily headaches easier to cope with ( along with the help of daily pain killers of course). I don't miss work but I often wish for a job of sorts because I feel useless ... but on the plus side I have more time for walking , dancing, writing and living.
My open university course for creative writing is going well.
My son has got a job in a bank call centre, not ideal but it will do until he starts a career in an area he wants to work. He is back living at home.
My daughter has just moved into a lovely flat in Appley bridge not far from the factory she works in. She is one of two in the HR department and is doing her HR exams as it is a role she loves doing.
We went on a norwegian cruise in May It was so good and we were sorry that it was only a week, but we did join in with the norwegian national day celebrations which was a great experience, that we booked another cruise while we were on board and are going on a Baltic one in September (with 3 days in St Petersburg !). Looking forward to it.
We also had a break in Amsterdam in September for my birthday and my brother and sister in laws anniversary. It is the first time we have been away with them and we had a terrific time and plan to repeat a similar one next year.
We went to Portmeirian as usual for our Anniversary and just got back the day before the bad snow started. We love it there. It is our annual quiet time together before the mad season starts.
I wish you all a very Happy, healthy and loving 2011
See you next year
:)
xxx
The Next Stage
27th August 2010
Well I had a go at the vegan diet but once the oncologist told me that changing diet doesnt help my type of cancer I went back to including eggs and cheese and a little bit of fish in my diet. Food now tastes so much better !!!
The tamoxifen tablets I am on now are horrible. they give me daily headaches that often turn to migraine without warning, blurred vision, aching joints, tiredness, nausea and countless more......
I am haveing some sessions of reiki and reflexology to see if I can counteract the side effects holistically. With all this my prognosis is 70% without tamoxifen etc it is only 50% so its worth bashing on with the tablets and side effects ... just a case of put up and shut up.
My hubby and I have taken up walking properly, and are planning to walk the Dales way next year so we are getting in lots of practice and of course I am putting my walking outfit together now !!!! It all has to colour co-ordinate ! lol. Heaven forbid if I my colours look thrown together as well as saturated by rain and splattered with mud. :)
I have also started to weed out the craftes I no longer want to do . Now that I am not working I cant justify spending out on expensive hobbies so the knitting and quilting has to go. I will still keep hold of hand embroidery and machine sewing/embroidery. But I have added writing and walking to the hobby list because it is much cheaper and takes up loads of time. All you need is a pen and paper for the writing and once I have the right outfit :) lol all I need for walking is enthusiasm .
At the moment I am clearing a spare room to make a study ( yes I know that at this particular moment I am typing at the computer, but we all need a break ). It is taking me a long time because I keep coming across memories then I sit and dwell on them and as is happening so often these days , I wonder were the time went and why it goes so fast.
I must have kept all the childrens drawings ( or paint splodges ) from their early years along with presents they made and school work.... the photos will take me years to sort out and put in albums.... and my own dolls and kiddy bits and pieces are also in there. I havent the heart to throw them away, not after keeping them all this time.
Have you noticed now that in antique shops things we had as children in the house and toys are now being sold as antiques. Depressing isnt it? I dont feel like an antique. What happened to retro? I could cope with being retro! Retro seems to be the 70's and 80's now. Even vintage would be a nicer description, it makes one seem elegant and irreplaceable, treasured and savoured , like a vintage wine.
Time to carry on with the sorting.
Bye for now :)
Well I had a go at the vegan diet but once the oncologist told me that changing diet doesnt help my type of cancer I went back to including eggs and cheese and a little bit of fish in my diet. Food now tastes so much better !!!
The tamoxifen tablets I am on now are horrible. they give me daily headaches that often turn to migraine without warning, blurred vision, aching joints, tiredness, nausea and countless more......
I am haveing some sessions of reiki and reflexology to see if I can counteract the side effects holistically. With all this my prognosis is 70% without tamoxifen etc it is only 50% so its worth bashing on with the tablets and side effects ... just a case of put up and shut up.
My hubby and I have taken up walking properly, and are planning to walk the Dales way next year so we are getting in lots of practice and of course I am putting my walking outfit together now !!!! It all has to colour co-ordinate ! lol. Heaven forbid if I my colours look thrown together as well as saturated by rain and splattered with mud. :)
I have also started to weed out the craftes I no longer want to do . Now that I am not working I cant justify spending out on expensive hobbies so the knitting and quilting has to go. I will still keep hold of hand embroidery and machine sewing/embroidery. But I have added writing and walking to the hobby list because it is much cheaper and takes up loads of time. All you need is a pen and paper for the writing and once I have the right outfit :) lol all I need for walking is enthusiasm .
At the moment I am clearing a spare room to make a study ( yes I know that at this particular moment I am typing at the computer, but we all need a break ). It is taking me a long time because I keep coming across memories then I sit and dwell on them and as is happening so often these days , I wonder were the time went and why it goes so fast.
I must have kept all the childrens drawings ( or paint splodges ) from their early years along with presents they made and school work.... the photos will take me years to sort out and put in albums.... and my own dolls and kiddy bits and pieces are also in there. I havent the heart to throw them away, not after keeping them all this time.
Have you noticed now that in antique shops things we had as children in the house and toys are now being sold as antiques. Depressing isnt it? I dont feel like an antique. What happened to retro? I could cope with being retro! Retro seems to be the 70's and 80's now. Even vintage would be a nicer description, it makes one seem elegant and irreplaceable, treasured and savoured , like a vintage wine.
Time to carry on with the sorting.
Bye for now :)
The Start of a journey
In October 2007 I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. As well as the bad news I lost the job I loved because I was only freelance and couldn't be where they needed me whilst in hospital and recovering.
It was a scarey time and I had to hold it all together for the family, I had a lumpectomy but because the cancer had spread into and through my Lymph glands I had them removed too.I had to have 7 months of Chemotherapy when my hair fell out and I hated my wig so used to bare the bald look, and then 5 weeks of radiotherapy.
I tried to keep a positive attitude and on the days when I wasn't laid up after chemo or undergoing the radiotherapy which made me so unbelievably tired and weak I worked harder than ever at a temporary job up and down the country to keep myself occupied and my mind off the nausea and side effects. By september 2008 I was sporting a very short , no.2 haircut
Unfortunately for me the worst was yet to come in the form of Tamoxifen , the cancer fighting drug I needed to take for 5 years. It was soon apparent that I was intolerant to the generic form , having daily migraines, they discovered my side effects were less on a brand called Nolvadex D so I have been taking that for a year. It isn't ideal having uncomfortable and emotional side effects and the doctors are reluctant to prescribe it being more expensive than the generic brands.
And when I thought It was bad enough... more bad news... the suppliers in Britain no longer bring Nolvadex D into the country. My choices are now have the generic form and daily migraines ( no quality of life there) or do without ( and take my chances on the return of cancer ). It was a difficult choice but i have decided to do without, and instead fight the threat of cancer by changing my diet. Already a vegaquarian !! ( I don't eat meat and eat very little fish) I have discovered books on the subject that recommend that you follow a vegan diet to prevent the return of cancer.
As I love cheese and milk this will be incredibly hard to follow but I'm going to give it a try.........
I will keep you posted on my progress or lack of will power...
My advice to all of you guys and girls is keep checking regularly for lumps and if you think you have found one get yourself to the doctors.
I found mine in 2005, I had all the checks and was told it was benign. I let it grow for 2 years !!!
They had missed the cancer on the 2005 mammogram and got the diagnosis wrong. In hind sight I should have gone back and queried it but I let it get worse because I trusted the hospital..
If you are worried , talk to the GP.
Bye for now
x
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