David L. Atkinson's Blog, page 13
June 13, 2017
Writing - Global hotspots for alien invasion
You can imagine my elation when I spotted this headline about alien invasion. As a writer it had me diving for pen and paper as I began reading.
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Great Britain is in the top 10% of areas for harbouring alien species, according to a study. We actually come 29th out of 540 islands, countries, regions. The UK also has more established aliens than elsewhere in Europe. Scientists say islands and mainland coastal regions are global "hotspots" for aliens.
The top three global "hotspots" for alien species are the Hawaiian Islands, the North Island of New Zealand and Indonesia's Lesser Sunda Islands.
Among coastal mainland regions, Florida in the US is the top hotspot.
So beware folks there could be aliens targeting various spots on the earth as possible sites of invasion!
Of course alien species are plants or animals that are non-native (or alien) to an ecosystem and whose introduction is likely to cause harm.
But from the writers point of view it opened up all sorts of synapses in my brain. I could see governments deploying troops in sensitive areas and local people being given money to beef up their own home security.
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Measures include stepping up biosecurity measures at entry points to detect stowaway species. What on earth, or off it, are biosecurity measures?Then of course what happens if a strange shadow is spotted or an unknown virus attacks the population? The possibilities for stories are almost endless.
[image error]
Sleep well, wherever you are.
God Bless
[image error]
Great Britain is in the top 10% of areas for harbouring alien species, according to a study. We actually come 29th out of 540 islands, countries, regions. The UK also has more established aliens than elsewhere in Europe. Scientists say islands and mainland coastal regions are global "hotspots" for aliens.
The top three global "hotspots" for alien species are the Hawaiian Islands, the North Island of New Zealand and Indonesia's Lesser Sunda Islands.
Among coastal mainland regions, Florida in the US is the top hotspot.
So beware folks there could be aliens targeting various spots on the earth as possible sites of invasion!
Of course alien species are plants or animals that are non-native (or alien) to an ecosystem and whose introduction is likely to cause harm.
But from the writers point of view it opened up all sorts of synapses in my brain. I could see governments deploying troops in sensitive areas and local people being given money to beef up their own home security.
[image error]
Measures include stepping up biosecurity measures at entry points to detect stowaway species. What on earth, or off it, are biosecurity measures?Then of course what happens if a strange shadow is spotted or an unknown virus attacks the population? The possibilities for stories are almost endless.
[image error]
Sleep well, wherever you are.
God Bless
June 12, 2017
Tuesday Food Blog - Where does food come from?
A survey out today casts doubt on the knowledge our children have on where our food comes from.
I remember having chats with my own kids as I used to grow my own vegetables and fruit. I remember one comment about potatoes I'd grown,'I'm not eating that its had muck on it!'
Yes exactly!
In this world where all fruit and veg are regular shapes, scrubbed and packed how are kids expected to know?
[image error]Cheese on trees
Almost a third of UK primary pupils think cheese is made from plants and a quarter think fish fingers come from chicken or pigs, suggests a survey. Nearly one in 10 secondary pupils thinks tomatoes grow under ground, according to the poll for the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF).
Some 27,500 five-to-16-year-olds were questioned last month.
[image error]
Also it would seem that some of our teenagers believe that strawberry jam is one of our 5-a-day!
God Bless
I remember having chats with my own kids as I used to grow my own vegetables and fruit. I remember one comment about potatoes I'd grown,'I'm not eating that its had muck on it!'
Yes exactly!
In this world where all fruit and veg are regular shapes, scrubbed and packed how are kids expected to know?
[image error]Cheese on trees
Almost a third of UK primary pupils think cheese is made from plants and a quarter think fish fingers come from chicken or pigs, suggests a survey. Nearly one in 10 secondary pupils thinks tomatoes grow under ground, according to the poll for the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF).
Some 27,500 five-to-16-year-olds were questioned last month.
[image error]
Also it would seem that some of our teenagers believe that strawberry jam is one of our 5-a-day!
God Bless
June 10, 2017
Writing - The beginning of the witch trials
About twenty years ago I visited the USA, part of the holiday was spent in Salem where, around 400 years ago, many women were killed because they were witches.
[image error]Salem witch trials
Story
"At this court," begins the 15 June 1648 entry in the journal of John Winthrop, governor of Massachusetts,"one Margaret Jones, of Charlestown, was indicted and found guilty of witchcraft, and hanged for it."
According to Winthrop, Jones was a midwife whose 'malignant touch' caused a variety of illnesses in her patients. She had the gift of foresight; her body had rogue 'teats', one fresh and one withered. Even worse, when she was arrested, a strange child appeared in her arms, ran into another room and disappeared. All the evidence seemed irrefutable and she was found guilty and executed the same day. (If only justice was as swift these days.) At the very moment of her execution a great 'tempest' in Connecticut, which 'blew down many trees'.
There is some evidence from a 12 year old boy who related that there had been 'trouble between Jones and her neighbours' which resulted in the accusation of witchcraft. What is significant about the story is that she was the first woman to suffer this fate. During the next century 80 more women suffered similar fates.
Another source of inspiration perhaps. I'm sure a number of stories have been written round the subject and I have seen an old movie on the subject.
God Bless
[image error]Salem witch trials
Story
"At this court," begins the 15 June 1648 entry in the journal of John Winthrop, governor of Massachusetts,"one Margaret Jones, of Charlestown, was indicted and found guilty of witchcraft, and hanged for it."
According to Winthrop, Jones was a midwife whose 'malignant touch' caused a variety of illnesses in her patients. She had the gift of foresight; her body had rogue 'teats', one fresh and one withered. Even worse, when she was arrested, a strange child appeared in her arms, ran into another room and disappeared. All the evidence seemed irrefutable and she was found guilty and executed the same day. (If only justice was as swift these days.) At the very moment of her execution a great 'tempest' in Connecticut, which 'blew down many trees'.
There is some evidence from a 12 year old boy who related that there had been 'trouble between Jones and her neighbours' which resulted in the accusation of witchcraft. What is significant about the story is that she was the first woman to suffer this fate. During the next century 80 more women suffered similar fates.
Another source of inspiration perhaps. I'm sure a number of stories have been written round the subject and I have seen an old movie on the subject.
God Bless
June 9, 2017
Writing - Children's laureate
The book start week was blessed with the announcement of the new children's laureate.
[image error]Lauren Child
Lauren Child, the bestselling and award-winning author and illustrator, has today been crowned the tenth Waterstones Children's Laureate.Lauren Child, artist and author-illustrator of the Charlie and Lola and Clarice Bean picture books and Ruby Redfort novels, will be the Waterstones Children's Laureate 2017-19.
The announcement came today in a ceremony in Hull, which is UK City of Culture 2017, where Child received a specially commissioned solid silver Waterstones Children's Laureate medal from outgoing Laureate, Chris Riddell.
The role of the Waterstones Children's Laureate is awarded every two years to celebrate and recognise the important contribution children's literature makes to cultural life.
Reflecting on her role over the next couple of years, Lauren Child said that 'children today need more freedom to dream and imagine'.
She is best known for the Charlie and Lola picture books and the Clarice Bean series of picture books and novels. She wrote the series of Ruby Redfort.
Previous laureates include Michael Morpurgo, Anne Fine and Julia Donaldson.
The idea for the Children's Laureate originated from a conversation between (the then) Poet Laureate Ted Hughes and children's writer Michael Morpurgo. They considered it an appropriate and timely way to combine the celebration of excellence in writing and illustration for children with honouring individuals who have made a significant and lasting contribution to the world of children’s books.
Quentin Blake was the first Children's Laureate (1999-2001)
Each Children’s Laureate has taken the opportunity to promote particular aspects of children’s books. These have included visual literacy, readers with disabilities, poetry, storytelling, illustration, drama, writing for young adults and more.
God Bless
[image error]Lauren Child
Lauren Child, the bestselling and award-winning author and illustrator, has today been crowned the tenth Waterstones Children's Laureate.Lauren Child, artist and author-illustrator of the Charlie and Lola and Clarice Bean picture books and Ruby Redfort novels, will be the Waterstones Children's Laureate 2017-19.
The announcement came today in a ceremony in Hull, which is UK City of Culture 2017, where Child received a specially commissioned solid silver Waterstones Children's Laureate medal from outgoing Laureate, Chris Riddell.
The role of the Waterstones Children's Laureate is awarded every two years to celebrate and recognise the important contribution children's literature makes to cultural life.
Reflecting on her role over the next couple of years, Lauren Child said that 'children today need more freedom to dream and imagine'.
She is best known for the Charlie and Lola picture books and the Clarice Bean series of picture books and novels. She wrote the series of Ruby Redfort.
Previous laureates include Michael Morpurgo, Anne Fine and Julia Donaldson.
The idea for the Children's Laureate originated from a conversation between (the then) Poet Laureate Ted Hughes and children's writer Michael Morpurgo. They considered it an appropriate and timely way to combine the celebration of excellence in writing and illustration for children with honouring individuals who have made a significant and lasting contribution to the world of children’s books.
Quentin Blake was the first Children's Laureate (1999-2001)
Each Children’s Laureate has taken the opportunity to promote particular aspects of children’s books. These have included visual literacy, readers with disabilities, poetry, storytelling, illustration, drama, writing for young adults and more.
God Bless
June 8, 2017
Writing - National Bookstart Week
National Bookstart Week is here at last! This year the festivities are even more special, as we're also celebrating 25 years of helping families enjoy reading together through the Bookstart programme.The celebrations have been well under way all of this week and there's still much more to come. Hundreds of libraries across the country have been hosting their own Let's Explore Outdoors! events. We've also worked in partnership with TV presenter and radio DJ Lauren Laverne to produce a brilliant, interactive version of Everybunny Dance! and there are tons of activities for you to print off and complete with your little ones.
We hope you'll join us in celebrating National Bookstart Week this year. We'd love to see what you get up to, so please ensure you use #Bookstart on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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Read out loud with dad this Father's DayIt's Father's Day on Sunday 18 June, and what better way is there to spend it than reading together?
We've put together a booklist of picture, rhyme and funny books that are perfect for reading out loud, snuggled up on the sofa with dad.
Lauren Child - children's laureate
Welcome to the new Children's LaureateWe're absolutely thrilled to announce that yesterday, Lauren Child was appointed the tenth Waterstones Children's Laureate!
Lauren is a multi-award winning author, illustrator and creator of characters including Clarice Bean, Ruby Redfort and the much-loved Charlie and Lola. Taking over from Chris Riddell, we can't wait to see what Lauren has in store. God Bless
We hope you'll join us in celebrating National Bookstart Week this year. We'd love to see what you get up to, so please ensure you use #Bookstart on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
[image error]
Read out loud with dad this Father's DayIt's Father's Day on Sunday 18 June, and what better way is there to spend it than reading together?
We've put together a booklist of picture, rhyme and funny books that are perfect for reading out loud, snuggled up on the sofa with dad.
Lauren Child - children's laureateWelcome to the new Children's LaureateWe're absolutely thrilled to announce that yesterday, Lauren Child was appointed the tenth Waterstones Children's Laureate!
Lauren is a multi-award winning author, illustrator and creator of characters including Clarice Bean, Ruby Redfort and the much-loved Charlie and Lola. Taking over from Chris Riddell, we can't wait to see what Lauren has in store. God Bless
June 7, 2017
Poetry Thursday 266 - PolitiK
The general election is today! May Corbyn win.
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May is gone!
One world, two views, unknown answers,Balancing the drive for success and what is right and fair.Do we vote, for one may be a chancer, or for what we have had – a 7 year dancer?
What about the deteriorating state?Public services crumbling, corporate entities blooming.Disabled peoples’ changing fate,food banks to put children’s meals on plate.
Then there is the lack of security.Manchester and London devastated by violence and terror.A culmination of galloping austerity,leading to public sadness and family misery.
The question in the nation’s hearts.What responsibility will I have to live with after Thursday?Have we the courage to make a new startor stay with what’s known – is that smart?©David L Atkinson June 2017
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Red and Blue
Labour is red,Tory is blue,May is dead,Corbyn May rule!©David L Atkinson June 2017
Whoever wins, we all have to live with the consequences.
God Bless
[image error]
May is gone!
One world, two views, unknown answers,Balancing the drive for success and what is right and fair.Do we vote, for one may be a chancer, or for what we have had – a 7 year dancer?
What about the deteriorating state?Public services crumbling, corporate entities blooming.Disabled peoples’ changing fate,food banks to put children’s meals on plate.
Then there is the lack of security.Manchester and London devastated by violence and terror.A culmination of galloping austerity,leading to public sadness and family misery.
The question in the nation’s hearts.What responsibility will I have to live with after Thursday?Have we the courage to make a new startor stay with what’s known – is that smart?©David L Atkinson June 2017
[image error]
Red and Blue
Labour is red,Tory is blue,May is dead,Corbyn May rule!©David L Atkinson June 2017
Whoever wins, we all have to live with the consequences.
God Bless
June 6, 2017
Writing - Helen Dunmore RIP
Sad news today in that another writer has been lost to us. I am sure her legacy will be read for years to come.
[image error]Helen Dunmore (64)
Tributes have been paid to the Orange Prize-winning writer Helen Dunmore, who has died of cancer at the age of 64.Author Philip Pullman remembered her as "a warm and generous human being", while Tracy Chevalier said she was "a graceful, elegant writer and person."
Dunmore won the first Orange Prize for women's fiction in 1996 for her novel A Spell of Winter.
Publisher Penguin Random House said it was "devastated by the loss of one of our best-loved authors".
Bloodaxe Books, which published Dunmore's first poetry collection, The Apple Fall in 1983, said it was "immensely saddened" by her passing.
Born in the Yorkshire town of Beverley in 1952, Dunmore also wrote books for children, short stories and translations.
Her most recent novel, Birdcage Walk, was published in March.
I share this with you because the legacy of writers' lasts many generations and it is fair to put it out there. Of course there are many hundreds of thousands of living authors trying to earn a crust and I came across one unfamiliar to me just yesterday.
[image error]Peter Adams
Pete Adams is an architect and designs and builds projects around the UK when he’s not writing up a storm. Pete describes himself as an inveterate daydreamer, escaping into those dreams by writing funny stories that contain a thoughtful dash of social commentary. With a writing style inspired and shaped by his formative years on an estate that re-housed London families shortly after WWII, Pete’s Kind Hearts and Martinets series of books have been likened to the writing of Tom Sharpe.
Pete says that the best feedback he’s had on his work was that “it made me laugh, made me cry and made me think.” People have said they laugh out loud reading his books, and if he can continue to get that reaction from his readers then he says he would be very content indeed. Pete lives in Southsea with his partner, the Irish nana, and Charlie the star-struck Border terrier, the children having now flown the coop.
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I have just bought the first book in the Kind Hearts ... series |Cause and Effect.
God Bless
[image error]Helen Dunmore (64)
Tributes have been paid to the Orange Prize-winning writer Helen Dunmore, who has died of cancer at the age of 64.Author Philip Pullman remembered her as "a warm and generous human being", while Tracy Chevalier said she was "a graceful, elegant writer and person."
Dunmore won the first Orange Prize for women's fiction in 1996 for her novel A Spell of Winter.
Publisher Penguin Random House said it was "devastated by the loss of one of our best-loved authors".
Bloodaxe Books, which published Dunmore's first poetry collection, The Apple Fall in 1983, said it was "immensely saddened" by her passing.
Born in the Yorkshire town of Beverley in 1952, Dunmore also wrote books for children, short stories and translations.
Her most recent novel, Birdcage Walk, was published in March.
I share this with you because the legacy of writers' lasts many generations and it is fair to put it out there. Of course there are many hundreds of thousands of living authors trying to earn a crust and I came across one unfamiliar to me just yesterday.
[image error]Peter Adams
Pete Adams is an architect and designs and builds projects around the UK when he’s not writing up a storm. Pete describes himself as an inveterate daydreamer, escaping into those dreams by writing funny stories that contain a thoughtful dash of social commentary. With a writing style inspired and shaped by his formative years on an estate that re-housed London families shortly after WWII, Pete’s Kind Hearts and Martinets series of books have been likened to the writing of Tom Sharpe.
Pete says that the best feedback he’s had on his work was that “it made me laugh, made me cry and made me think.” People have said they laugh out loud reading his books, and if he can continue to get that reaction from his readers then he says he would be very content indeed. Pete lives in Southsea with his partner, the Irish nana, and Charlie the star-struck Border terrier, the children having now flown the coop.
[image error]
I have just bought the first book in the Kind Hearts ... series |Cause and Effect.
God Bless
June 5, 2017
Tuesday Food Blog - Pasta and burgers
Continuing the everyday food theme I decided on pasta, the students' standby, and was given beef burgers. The question being how to marry the two.
Well to begin with I didn't try.
Breakfast burger
Doesn't really merit a recipe. I fried off half a finely chopped onion with garlic and seasoning, added the burgers to the pan to cook thoroughly. I added a rasher of bacon and finished off with a fried egg. It was served with tomato ketchup no salad in sight! I mean what is the point of soggy lettuce in a burger sandwich!!!!!!
I had some burgers left but I like variety!
Pasta with beef and tomato
Ingredients
Penne pasta1 beef burger cubed,olive oil for frying1/2 onion, chopped,garlic (in whichever form you prefer)1/2 pt milk, warmed1/2 oz butter1/2 tbsp plain flour250g grated cheddar2 tomatoes, choppedsalt and pepper
Method
Sauce - Melt the butter in a pan and stir in the flour to make a roux. Cook for two minutes. Warm the milk and add to the roux gradually and add salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and simmer for two minutes. Meanwhile de-seed and chop the meat of one of the tomatoes and put in the sauce then add half of the cheese stirring the whole time.
Meat
This is the same as above but for the fact that you chop the burger into about 10 pieces and throw in the second chopped tomato and the seeds from the one used for the sauce.Meanwhile cook the penne pasta until soft in salted boiling water.
Pre-heat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius. When the burger is browned stir together the tomatoes and beef and pour into an oven proof dish. Stir the pasta into the cheesy sauce but save enough to provide a topping, and mix with the meat. Finish the dish with pasta and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until the cheese topping is bubbling.
This is a really tasty dish and you could add mushrooms, peppers or your own preferred ingredients.
God Bless
Well to begin with I didn't try.
Breakfast burger
Doesn't really merit a recipe. I fried off half a finely chopped onion with garlic and seasoning, added the burgers to the pan to cook thoroughly. I added a rasher of bacon and finished off with a fried egg. It was served with tomato ketchup no salad in sight! I mean what is the point of soggy lettuce in a burger sandwich!!!!!!
I had some burgers left but I like variety!
Pasta with beef and tomato
Ingredients
Penne pasta1 beef burger cubed,olive oil for frying1/2 onion, chopped,garlic (in whichever form you prefer)1/2 pt milk, warmed1/2 oz butter1/2 tbsp plain flour250g grated cheddar2 tomatoes, choppedsalt and pepper
Method
Sauce - Melt the butter in a pan and stir in the flour to make a roux. Cook for two minutes. Warm the milk and add to the roux gradually and add salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and simmer for two minutes. Meanwhile de-seed and chop the meat of one of the tomatoes and put in the sauce then add half of the cheese stirring the whole time.
Meat
This is the same as above but for the fact that you chop the burger into about 10 pieces and throw in the second chopped tomato and the seeds from the one used for the sauce.Meanwhile cook the penne pasta until soft in salted boiling water.
Pre-heat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius. When the burger is browned stir together the tomatoes and beef and pour into an oven proof dish. Stir the pasta into the cheesy sauce but save enough to provide a topping, and mix with the meat. Finish the dish with pasta and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until the cheese topping is bubbling.
This is a really tasty dish and you could add mushrooms, peppers or your own preferred ingredients.
God Bless
June 2, 2017
Writing - Reading is pleasure
I was a teenage boy once!
I played football and cricket, had a girlfriend, supported my local football team and more - I read!Yet once again a study has revealed that teenage boys don't read.
[image error]
Only one-third of teenage boys in the UK say they enjoy reading, a study by the National Literacy Trust suggests.The Trust found a significant drop in boys' reading enjoyment between the ages of eight and 16 - from 72% at ages eight-to-11 to 36% at ages 14-16.
Girls' pleasure in picking up a book also dropped off in the teenage years, though not quite as markedly.
This is not surprising when one considers the range and other forms of entertainment that are available. While teaching in the early 80's, seems like yesterday, I remember reading similar statistics and we decided to look for more 'boy friendly' books. In my classroom the children still enjoyed being read to which, in spite of curriculum pressures, I continued to do. Books the boys and girls enjoyed in particular were The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett and The Owl Service by Alan Garner. However, we discovered that actor George Layton had produced a very readable collection of 'boy friendly' stories - The Fib and other stories.
[image error]
This was a very popular collection. However, the real point is that those who have influence over teenagers, whether male or female, should make it their responsibility to put books in the way of their charges. This can be done by reading themselves, having books in the home, visiting the library and talking about their reading experience in front of the children. I'm sure there are many other strategies including recommending books that are available on e readers.
I read for pleasure because it releases the imagination into places it won't normally stray.
God Bless
I played football and cricket, had a girlfriend, supported my local football team and more - I read!Yet once again a study has revealed that teenage boys don't read.
[image error]
Only one-third of teenage boys in the UK say they enjoy reading, a study by the National Literacy Trust suggests.The Trust found a significant drop in boys' reading enjoyment between the ages of eight and 16 - from 72% at ages eight-to-11 to 36% at ages 14-16.
Girls' pleasure in picking up a book also dropped off in the teenage years, though not quite as markedly.
This is not surprising when one considers the range and other forms of entertainment that are available. While teaching in the early 80's, seems like yesterday, I remember reading similar statistics and we decided to look for more 'boy friendly' books. In my classroom the children still enjoyed being read to which, in spite of curriculum pressures, I continued to do. Books the boys and girls enjoyed in particular were The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett and The Owl Service by Alan Garner. However, we discovered that actor George Layton had produced a very readable collection of 'boy friendly' stories - The Fib and other stories.
[image error]
This was a very popular collection. However, the real point is that those who have influence over teenagers, whether male or female, should make it their responsibility to put books in the way of their charges. This can be done by reading themselves, having books in the home, visiting the library and talking about their reading experience in front of the children. I'm sure there are many other strategies including recommending books that are available on e readers.
I read for pleasure because it releases the imagination into places it won't normally stray.
God Bless
June 1, 2017
Writing - Literary comfort blankets
How many times have you heard the suggestion that if you write down ?????? it will help you get over it. Writing as a therapy is common. Dreams that re-occur when written down are supposed to vanish.
[image error]J R R Tolkien
Using writing as a therapy seems to have been something Tolkien used on one occasion after he returned from World War I with trench fever. He wrote Beren and Luthien while convalescing. He had lost two friends in the war and seen some indescribable horrors and wrote an uplifting yet poignant story, partly as a result of watching his wife dance among white flowers in a wood in East Yorkshire, which filled him with joy.The story is about the fate of lovers Beren and Lúthien, a mortal man and an immortal elf who together try to steal from the greatest of all evil beings, Melkor.
The names Beren and Lúthien are carved on the gravestone Tolkien and his wife share in Wolvercote cemetery in Oxford.
The story below was written by yours truly as the result of a short story competition. It works rather like a comfort blanket for me.
A First Kiss
Sixty seconds doesn’t seem a long period of time but if you consider the events that can occur in that period every minute of our lives should be valued. An example would be the fact that sprinters should be able to run one hundred metres six times! In a flooded part of the UK 10 tons of water was being pumped from the Somerset Levels in the same period of time.It is often the case that when you encounter a new situation your first impressions formed in the early minutes tend to colour your opinions and reactions thereafter. This was the case when I made a visit to Amsterdam when still at school.The six of us had been walking for hours exploring the city but then the time came to return to the hostel. Amsterdam is an intriguing place with streets arranged in a semi-circular design, Dam Square at the hub. The hostel we were staying in was on a street with an unpronounceable name at number 39. The buildings we were hurrying passed were in the high two hundreds and industrial, we knew that we were going to be late and needed to rush. That was the mistake. Perhaps if we hadn’t been in so much of a hurry one of us would have noticed that the word ‘Nieuw’ was placed in front of the street name. Effectively we had walked to the wrong end of a parallel road and once we’d corrected the mistake and returned to the place in which we were staying we were exhausted. We’d certainly seen more of Amsterdam than most of our friends!Our little group consisted of three of each sex who didn’t really know each other that well because we were in different year groups. The girls were in the year above us lads. I think they’d been selected to chaperone us! There was this one girl about the same height as me, with a peaches and cream complexion, long brown hair usually tied in a ponytail, brown eyes and brimming with confidence. The six of us had been thrown together rather and so while we were panicking slightly about being lost in a foreign city there was no time for attractions between the girls and boys to begin to develop. On the other hand the six of us being somewhat in adversity broke down some of the normal barriers that exist between the sexes in the mid teen years. Teachers have exquisite skills in admonishing pupils but being away from home they were actually quite gentle with us, when we arrived at the hostel thirty minutes late. Everyone else had eaten and we were banished to the girls’ bedroom to eat a packed meal that had been prepared for us. I ended up sitting on the same bed as Celia. I remember thinking it was an old-fashioned name but she was quite relaxed and pleasant to talk to so we ate and chatted. The packed lunch contained a boiled egg, still in its shell!What happened next took place well within a minute but influenced the next three years of my life. Don’t ask me why but fourteen year old me decided that it would be a good idea to crack the shell of my egg on Celia’s head! I know it was stupid, childish and likely to propel me to the teachers once again for punishment. The disturbing thing was that as soon as I had done it I knew that I’d hurt her, I knew that I’d done a stupid thing and I was apologising before she’d finished reacting.Our eyes met at that point and her gentle, brown orbs were brimming with tears but not just as a result of the pain. I reached out and put my hand on her head, her hair felt silky and apologised as sincerely as I knew how. The next minute was electric. Celia could have screamed at me to ‘Get out!’ and sort comfort with her female friends. She didn’t!We were sitting quite close, facing, and leaning in towards each other. The quality of the following sixty seconds was nothing short of dream-like. Celia completed the distance between us and we kissed. I remember wonderful feelings of warmth spreading throughout my body. It was almost as if we had become one person. Everyone else in the room disappeared into an indistinct haze. I don’t suppose that this first kiss lasted more than a few seconds before the wonderful moment was broken by our cheering friends. I wasn’t tremendously disappointed because I knew it would happen again.
I wasn’t wrong.
Have you had similar written blankets?
God Bless
[image error]J R R Tolkien
Using writing as a therapy seems to have been something Tolkien used on one occasion after he returned from World War I with trench fever. He wrote Beren and Luthien while convalescing. He had lost two friends in the war and seen some indescribable horrors and wrote an uplifting yet poignant story, partly as a result of watching his wife dance among white flowers in a wood in East Yorkshire, which filled him with joy.The story is about the fate of lovers Beren and Lúthien, a mortal man and an immortal elf who together try to steal from the greatest of all evil beings, Melkor.
The names Beren and Lúthien are carved on the gravestone Tolkien and his wife share in Wolvercote cemetery in Oxford.
The story below was written by yours truly as the result of a short story competition. It works rather like a comfort blanket for me.
A First Kiss
Sixty seconds doesn’t seem a long period of time but if you consider the events that can occur in that period every minute of our lives should be valued. An example would be the fact that sprinters should be able to run one hundred metres six times! In a flooded part of the UK 10 tons of water was being pumped from the Somerset Levels in the same period of time.It is often the case that when you encounter a new situation your first impressions formed in the early minutes tend to colour your opinions and reactions thereafter. This was the case when I made a visit to Amsterdam when still at school.The six of us had been walking for hours exploring the city but then the time came to return to the hostel. Amsterdam is an intriguing place with streets arranged in a semi-circular design, Dam Square at the hub. The hostel we were staying in was on a street with an unpronounceable name at number 39. The buildings we were hurrying passed were in the high two hundreds and industrial, we knew that we were going to be late and needed to rush. That was the mistake. Perhaps if we hadn’t been in so much of a hurry one of us would have noticed that the word ‘Nieuw’ was placed in front of the street name. Effectively we had walked to the wrong end of a parallel road and once we’d corrected the mistake and returned to the place in which we were staying we were exhausted. We’d certainly seen more of Amsterdam than most of our friends!Our little group consisted of three of each sex who didn’t really know each other that well because we were in different year groups. The girls were in the year above us lads. I think they’d been selected to chaperone us! There was this one girl about the same height as me, with a peaches and cream complexion, long brown hair usually tied in a ponytail, brown eyes and brimming with confidence. The six of us had been thrown together rather and so while we were panicking slightly about being lost in a foreign city there was no time for attractions between the girls and boys to begin to develop. On the other hand the six of us being somewhat in adversity broke down some of the normal barriers that exist between the sexes in the mid teen years. Teachers have exquisite skills in admonishing pupils but being away from home they were actually quite gentle with us, when we arrived at the hostel thirty minutes late. Everyone else had eaten and we were banished to the girls’ bedroom to eat a packed meal that had been prepared for us. I ended up sitting on the same bed as Celia. I remember thinking it was an old-fashioned name but she was quite relaxed and pleasant to talk to so we ate and chatted. The packed lunch contained a boiled egg, still in its shell!What happened next took place well within a minute but influenced the next three years of my life. Don’t ask me why but fourteen year old me decided that it would be a good idea to crack the shell of my egg on Celia’s head! I know it was stupid, childish and likely to propel me to the teachers once again for punishment. The disturbing thing was that as soon as I had done it I knew that I’d hurt her, I knew that I’d done a stupid thing and I was apologising before she’d finished reacting.Our eyes met at that point and her gentle, brown orbs were brimming with tears but not just as a result of the pain. I reached out and put my hand on her head, her hair felt silky and apologised as sincerely as I knew how. The next minute was electric. Celia could have screamed at me to ‘Get out!’ and sort comfort with her female friends. She didn’t!We were sitting quite close, facing, and leaning in towards each other. The quality of the following sixty seconds was nothing short of dream-like. Celia completed the distance between us and we kissed. I remember wonderful feelings of warmth spreading throughout my body. It was almost as if we had become one person. Everyone else in the room disappeared into an indistinct haze. I don’t suppose that this first kiss lasted more than a few seconds before the wonderful moment was broken by our cheering friends. I wasn’t tremendously disappointed because I knew it would happen again.
I wasn’t wrong.
Have you had similar written blankets?
God Bless
