David L. Atkinson's Blog, page 15
May 15, 2017
Tuesday Food Blog - Essential recipes
How things have changed. Homecare and cooking for families in the 1950s was very different than it is today.
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Growing up all those years ago and after the shortages of WWII, rationing didn't end completely for ten years after the war ended, planning the meals for a week was different.
The idea of essential recipes comes from an article on the BBC that I read earlier today. They publish 10 recipes everyone should be able to cook. They include meals such as lamb curry, chicken chow mein, pizza and how to cook a perfect jacket potato.
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In fact the last item is the only one of the ten that my mum would have considered as an option. In fact our meals at home were simple and repetitive from necessity. It must be said that mum was an accomplished pastry cook sometimes hired by the Freemasons to cook for them. At home things were different.
Sunday - a joint of meat with accompanying vegetablesMonday - cold warmed up. (Previous day's meat served cold with fresh vegetables)Tuesday - The remains of Sunday's joint with chips gravy and peas.Wednesday - a fry up (today's all day breakfast)Thursday - Panacaldy (Lancashire hot pot) and as a treat home made rice pudding.Friday - Fish and chips (always fish on a Friday)Saturday - Pie and chips (homemade meat pie)
And then back to Sunday.
It wasn't always thus. Occasionally we would have something different but for the most part that was it. There was a requirement to plan when you had limited income and that was one of mum's great skills.
[image error]
There were few fast food outlets apart from fish and chip shops, the Wimpy Bar was the first but as we'd never had them no children I knew whinged to be taken for burgers. So these days it would seem there is greater choice and a reduced need to plan ahead, but falling back on such places, eating out and microwave meals have had an affect on daily lives.
Bring back home economics classes.
God Bless
[image error]
Growing up all those years ago and after the shortages of WWII, rationing didn't end completely for ten years after the war ended, planning the meals for a week was different.
The idea of essential recipes comes from an article on the BBC that I read earlier today. They publish 10 recipes everyone should be able to cook. They include meals such as lamb curry, chicken chow mein, pizza and how to cook a perfect jacket potato.
[image error]
In fact the last item is the only one of the ten that my mum would have considered as an option. In fact our meals at home were simple and repetitive from necessity. It must be said that mum was an accomplished pastry cook sometimes hired by the Freemasons to cook for them. At home things were different.
Sunday - a joint of meat with accompanying vegetablesMonday - cold warmed up. (Previous day's meat served cold with fresh vegetables)Tuesday - The remains of Sunday's joint with chips gravy and peas.Wednesday - a fry up (today's all day breakfast)Thursday - Panacaldy (Lancashire hot pot) and as a treat home made rice pudding.Friday - Fish and chips (always fish on a Friday)Saturday - Pie and chips (homemade meat pie)
And then back to Sunday.
It wasn't always thus. Occasionally we would have something different but for the most part that was it. There was a requirement to plan when you had limited income and that was one of mum's great skills.
[image error]
There were few fast food outlets apart from fish and chip shops, the Wimpy Bar was the first but as we'd never had them no children I knew whinged to be taken for burgers. So these days it would seem there is greater choice and a reduced need to plan ahead, but falling back on such places, eating out and microwave meals have had an affect on daily lives.
Bring back home economics classes.
God Bless
May 13, 2017
10 things we didn't know
Kindness, reappearing beaches and stars who were lost
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1. Eminem cured Ed Sheeran's stammer.
Great
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2. Steven Seagal is reportedly considered to be a national security threat in Ukraine.
It's all that aikido
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3. A beach can reappear after 30 years.
The power of nature
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4. Nicki Minaj has promised to help pay college tuition fees for 30 of her fans.
Good for her
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5. It might be possible to earn £1,700 by moving to the remote Italian village of Bormida.
Mmmm! Looks a nice place
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6. Cary Grant had 100 LSD sessions to try and find himself.
Was heard to be wandering about saying 'where am I?'
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7. Joanna Lumley hopes to be fed to the foxes when she dies.
Then dogs will eat up foxes!!!
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8. Babies with involved fathers may learn faster.
Probably
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9. Researchers have discovered 80 forgotten cycle ways "hidden in plain sight".
Suggests they're not needed
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10. The fridge is the filthiest place in your kitchen
Cool though!
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God Bless
May 12, 2017
Writing - Literary giant portrayed
There are a number of biopics been produced over the years, some good, some mediocre and some bad. The last one that I saw and enjoyed was of Mrs P L Travers, Saving Mr Banks. A clever film with the writers history running parallel in retrospect and featuring a wonderful performance by Colin Farrell.
[image error]Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks
The author of Mary Poppins, played by Emma Thompson and Walt Disney, played by Tom Hanks, produced an enthralling story about the relationship between the two people. It took 20 years or more before the two came to an agreement to produce the movie.
So what's next? Well possibly a most challenging picture, as yet unnamed, turning the microscope on part of Roald Dahl's life. As I see it the challenge could be in protecting the perceived reputation of a man who was a God amongst writers.
[image error]Hugh Bonneville
The lead will be played by Hugh Bonneville.
The currently untitled film will be set in the 1960s and focus on Dahl's marriage to actress Patricia Neal.
"I can't imagine anyone better to give the ambivalent nature of Roald Dahl's life," the film's producer Elliot Jenkins said.
"He was such a man of wounded parts below his polished veneer of self-confidence."
The 1960s were a time when Dahl struggled to write some of his most famous works, such as Matilda and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
The same decade saw Neal starring in Hud, a role which saw her win an Oscar for best actress.
The biopic has been described as being in the same vein as the Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson film Saving Mr Banks - the story of Walt Disney trying to persuade PL Travers to let him make a film out of her novel Mary Poppins.
The role of Neal has yet to be cast.[image error]Roald Dahl 1960s
I hope that this treatment is at least the equal of Saving Mr Banks.
[image error]Thomas and Friends
As an aside Mr Bonneville is to play a part in another literary great, Thomas and Friends. It has been announced he will star in the new Thomas & Friends film Journey Beyond Sodor.The actor will voice a new engine called Merlin who believes he has the power of invisibility.
He follows in the footsteps of Ringo Starr, Eddie Redmayne, Alec Baldwin and Olivia Colman who have also previously featured in Thomas & Friends.
God Bless
[image error]Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks
The author of Mary Poppins, played by Emma Thompson and Walt Disney, played by Tom Hanks, produced an enthralling story about the relationship between the two people. It took 20 years or more before the two came to an agreement to produce the movie.
So what's next? Well possibly a most challenging picture, as yet unnamed, turning the microscope on part of Roald Dahl's life. As I see it the challenge could be in protecting the perceived reputation of a man who was a God amongst writers.
[image error]Hugh Bonneville
The lead will be played by Hugh Bonneville.
The currently untitled film will be set in the 1960s and focus on Dahl's marriage to actress Patricia Neal.
"I can't imagine anyone better to give the ambivalent nature of Roald Dahl's life," the film's producer Elliot Jenkins said.
"He was such a man of wounded parts below his polished veneer of self-confidence."
The 1960s were a time when Dahl struggled to write some of his most famous works, such as Matilda and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
The same decade saw Neal starring in Hud, a role which saw her win an Oscar for best actress.
The biopic has been described as being in the same vein as the Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson film Saving Mr Banks - the story of Walt Disney trying to persuade PL Travers to let him make a film out of her novel Mary Poppins.
The role of Neal has yet to be cast.[image error]Roald Dahl 1960s
I hope that this treatment is at least the equal of Saving Mr Banks.
[image error]Thomas and Friends
As an aside Mr Bonneville is to play a part in another literary great, Thomas and Friends. It has been announced he will star in the new Thomas & Friends film Journey Beyond Sodor.The actor will voice a new engine called Merlin who believes he has the power of invisibility.
He follows in the footsteps of Ringo Starr, Eddie Redmayne, Alec Baldwin and Olivia Colman who have also previously featured in Thomas & Friends.
God Bless
May 11, 2017
Writing - 5 top writing tips
Every week without fail there are lists published to make us all better! We can choose 5 foods to flatten our stomachs; or 7 exercises for a stronger core; and even 10 ways to build characters in your writing. Well I avoid such lists like the plague as a rule until I came across this one.
[image error]Paula Hawkins
Paula wrote The Girl on the Train which has sold over 20 million copies and is hailed as a literary sensation. I've seen the film and really enjoyed it even though I'm told that the book is better. Well Paula has provided the BBC with 5 tips to help us succeed as authors.
1. Be ambitious. For this latest novel, I never considered writing The Girl On The Train 2 – I wanted to do something completely different.Paula tells Mariella that "you have to write the book you want to write" – something she knows all about, as she started out writing romantic comedies under a pseudonym, without much success. "They kept getting darker and darker, more and more terrible things kept happening and it was just clear that romantic comedy was not my forte. The fourth one did terribly, and my agent was saying, you’ve always wanted to do a thriller, do a thriller. So I did a thriller.’
And the rest, as they say, is literary history.2. Write the best book you can. Tell the story you want to tell. Jumping on bandwagons never works."I don’t think jumping on bandwagons works. By the time you’ve actually finished your book, that bandwagon will be long gone. I don’t think you can artificially go out and say, I am going to write the new Lee Child or the new Dan Brown. That doesn’t work."
3. Avoid distractions: you need to get off Twitter."I do sometimes have to step away from social media for a while. I love social media and I love talking about books on Twitter – but sometimes it can take over. I had to force myself to leave social media after the Referendum vote last year because it was too distracting."
4. When feeling disillusioned, re-read the books that make you want to be a better writer."Kate Atkinson is one of my favourites; I love Pat Barker, I love people like Cormac McCarthy; I tend to read quite widely... I think you can take inspiration from great writers. I know that a lot of people feel somewhat disillusioned when they read great writing, but actually I think it helps to see what you can aspire to even if you know you might never reach those heights. It reminds you what you love about writing."
5. Luxuriate in the writing. It’s the best part of the job."There are times when I love writing. There are times when it flows and goes well and it’s a wonderful thing. What happens when you have a degree of success the way I have – I have to spend all my time talking to journalists, I miss being alone writing at my desk, so I think enjoy the writing while it lasts."
I particularly liked all five points particularly the last two. Why else are we writing? I write because I love reading and also because I enjoy the process of writing.
So this is a change for me to follow a list but this is not a difficult set of rules to follow.
God Bless.
[image error]Paula Hawkins
Paula wrote The Girl on the Train which has sold over 20 million copies and is hailed as a literary sensation. I've seen the film and really enjoyed it even though I'm told that the book is better. Well Paula has provided the BBC with 5 tips to help us succeed as authors.
1. Be ambitious. For this latest novel, I never considered writing The Girl On The Train 2 – I wanted to do something completely different.Paula tells Mariella that "you have to write the book you want to write" – something she knows all about, as she started out writing romantic comedies under a pseudonym, without much success. "They kept getting darker and darker, more and more terrible things kept happening and it was just clear that romantic comedy was not my forte. The fourth one did terribly, and my agent was saying, you’ve always wanted to do a thriller, do a thriller. So I did a thriller.’
And the rest, as they say, is literary history.2. Write the best book you can. Tell the story you want to tell. Jumping on bandwagons never works."I don’t think jumping on bandwagons works. By the time you’ve actually finished your book, that bandwagon will be long gone. I don’t think you can artificially go out and say, I am going to write the new Lee Child or the new Dan Brown. That doesn’t work."
3. Avoid distractions: you need to get off Twitter."I do sometimes have to step away from social media for a while. I love social media and I love talking about books on Twitter – but sometimes it can take over. I had to force myself to leave social media after the Referendum vote last year because it was too distracting."
4. When feeling disillusioned, re-read the books that make you want to be a better writer."Kate Atkinson is one of my favourites; I love Pat Barker, I love people like Cormac McCarthy; I tend to read quite widely... I think you can take inspiration from great writers. I know that a lot of people feel somewhat disillusioned when they read great writing, but actually I think it helps to see what you can aspire to even if you know you might never reach those heights. It reminds you what you love about writing."
5. Luxuriate in the writing. It’s the best part of the job."There are times when I love writing. There are times when it flows and goes well and it’s a wonderful thing. What happens when you have a degree of success the way I have – I have to spend all my time talking to journalists, I miss being alone writing at my desk, so I think enjoy the writing while it lasts."
I particularly liked all five points particularly the last two. Why else are we writing? I write because I love reading and also because I enjoy the process of writing.
So this is a change for me to follow a list but this is not a difficult set of rules to follow.
God Bless.
May 10, 2017
Poetry Thursday 262 - The unknown
We spend much of our lives fearing that which is unfamiliar, either self-inflicted or otherwise.
House settles
Will they come crawling from the walls,absorbing us in their passing,the creeping inevitable tide that befalls,all those within residing.
What’s it like to be part of the structure?An integral factor of the material,forming the very frame of the picture,from the stuff of the body corporeal.
So beware of the dwelling’s creaks and groans,as you lie in the dark awaiting sleep,for you may become the thing that moans,and of you, none will ever again peep.©David L Atkinson May 2017
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Going Down
Sometimes, no matter how you try, you fail,then you have to take the flack,square your shoulders against verbal flail,and bear the beatings on your back.
There is a sadness in supporters’ parts,as their teams fail to acquire points,a nostalgic yearning for stouter hearts,within players the club formerly appoints.
Still, good can come if lessons are learned,there may yet be success on field of play,if good advice and experience isn’t spurned,the Gods of football may cheer our way. ©David L Atkinson May 2017
God Bless
House settles
Will they come crawling from the walls,absorbing us in their passing,the creeping inevitable tide that befalls,all those within residing.
What’s it like to be part of the structure?An integral factor of the material,forming the very frame of the picture,from the stuff of the body corporeal.
So beware of the dwelling’s creaks and groans,as you lie in the dark awaiting sleep,for you may become the thing that moans,and of you, none will ever again peep.©David L Atkinson May 2017
[image error]
Going Down
Sometimes, no matter how you try, you fail,then you have to take the flack,square your shoulders against verbal flail,and bear the beatings on your back.
There is a sadness in supporters’ parts,as their teams fail to acquire points,a nostalgic yearning for stouter hearts,within players the club formerly appoints.
Still, good can come if lessons are learned,there may yet be success on field of play,if good advice and experience isn’t spurned,the Gods of football may cheer our way. ©David L Atkinson May 2017
God Bless
May 9, 2017
Writing - Musicians like books, mostly
So which is your favourite book? What a question to be asked. I read constantly, usually have a couple on the go at any one time, and I'm 67 years old. My answer would be 'it depends'!
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Not a subtle clue but it is a story that I return to annually. As for the rest of what I read I tend to love them when I'm reading them. Perhaps I've read too many!The question arose because BBC Radio 6 has been asking musicians to name their favourite books and the range is fascinating spanning 'I don't read fiction because I can't suspend reality' Noel Gallagher, to a list of 100 from the late David Bowie.Some of the reasons were interesting.
[image error]Laura Marling
Laura Marling names Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters but loves their books for their 'brutality' rather than romanticism. She also says,
"I love the way you can fall in love with a piece of literature; how words alone can get your heart doing that."
[image error]Carl Barat
Carl Barat, one of the front men for the Libertines, focussed on one book. The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand.
The book is described as the story of a "visionary artist struggling against the dull, conformist dogma of his peers."
"It’s about two architects, one who’s obsessed with this dream and one who wants to be an artist," he told NME in 2015, "It’s amazing."
[image error]Donald Glover
Donald Glover, aka Childish Gambino, is one of the smartest thinkers in music, and says his favourite books focus on Asperger's syndrome, due to his respect for how the minds of sufferers work.
He names two books on the subject as his literary picks.
"I have an obsession with books about kids with Asperger’s syndrome. I like the way they think — it suits me,"
"The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon is great. That and Jonathan Safran Foer’s Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close - they’re on a separate bookshelf.
"They don’t understand what the other books are saying by their facial expressions, but they’re perfectly lined-up."
I love the way he sums up those two books. I have read 'The Curious Incident ... ' and I believe it is worth a read.
The bottom line is that fiction suits different people in different ways. So if you write don't think that no one will read your work, its rather like looking for the right partner in life, you just need to keep looking and you'll bump into each other eventually.
God Bless
[image error]
Not a subtle clue but it is a story that I return to annually. As for the rest of what I read I tend to love them when I'm reading them. Perhaps I've read too many!The question arose because BBC Radio 6 has been asking musicians to name their favourite books and the range is fascinating spanning 'I don't read fiction because I can't suspend reality' Noel Gallagher, to a list of 100 from the late David Bowie.Some of the reasons were interesting.
[image error]Laura Marling
Laura Marling names Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters but loves their books for their 'brutality' rather than romanticism. She also says,
"I love the way you can fall in love with a piece of literature; how words alone can get your heart doing that."
[image error]Carl Barat
Carl Barat, one of the front men for the Libertines, focussed on one book. The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand.
The book is described as the story of a "visionary artist struggling against the dull, conformist dogma of his peers."
"It’s about two architects, one who’s obsessed with this dream and one who wants to be an artist," he told NME in 2015, "It’s amazing."
[image error]Donald Glover
Donald Glover, aka Childish Gambino, is one of the smartest thinkers in music, and says his favourite books focus on Asperger's syndrome, due to his respect for how the minds of sufferers work.
He names two books on the subject as his literary picks.
"I have an obsession with books about kids with Asperger’s syndrome. I like the way they think — it suits me,"
"The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon is great. That and Jonathan Safran Foer’s Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close - they’re on a separate bookshelf.
"They don’t understand what the other books are saying by their facial expressions, but they’re perfectly lined-up."
I love the way he sums up those two books. I have read 'The Curious Incident ... ' and I believe it is worth a read.
The bottom line is that fiction suits different people in different ways. So if you write don't think that no one will read your work, its rather like looking for the right partner in life, you just need to keep looking and you'll bump into each other eventually.
God Bless
May 8, 2017
Tuesday Food Blog - Seasonal stuff
It's may. The chefs in the country will tell you that asparagus, Jersey Royals and lamb are in season.
Cholent
Ingredients 2 teaspoons vegetable oil1 large onion, chopped2 cloves garlic, chopped455g lamb, cubedJersey Royals potatoes, cubed1 sweet potato, cubed450g baked beans1 tablespoon ketchup1 tablespoon barbecue sauce1 tablespoon prepared mustard2 teaspoons dried onion soup mix2 teaspoons seasoned salt1 teaspoon steak seasoning90g pearl barley
Method
Prep:20min Cooking time : Until the meat is tender.
Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat; cook and stir the onion and garlic until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the lamb meat, and quickly brown the pieces on all sides. Stir in the Jersey Royal potatoes, sweet potato, baked beans, ketchup, barbecue sauce, mustard, onion soup mix, seasoned salt and steak seasoning and pour in enough water to cover. Bring the mixture to the boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook on low heat until the beef is tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.Stir in the pearl barley and transfer the stew to a slow cooker set on Low until the barley is tender, about 12 hours.
This Jewish Cholent recipe could easily be made with lamb and served with asparagus sauteed in butter and would truly be in season.
God Bless
Cholent
Ingredients 2 teaspoons vegetable oil1 large onion, chopped2 cloves garlic, chopped455g lamb, cubedJersey Royals potatoes, cubed1 sweet potato, cubed450g baked beans1 tablespoon ketchup1 tablespoon barbecue sauce1 tablespoon prepared mustard2 teaspoons dried onion soup mix2 teaspoons seasoned salt1 teaspoon steak seasoning90g pearl barley
Method
Prep:20min Cooking time : Until the meat is tender.
Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium heat; cook and stir the onion and garlic until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the lamb meat, and quickly brown the pieces on all sides. Stir in the Jersey Royal potatoes, sweet potato, baked beans, ketchup, barbecue sauce, mustard, onion soup mix, seasoned salt and steak seasoning and pour in enough water to cover. Bring the mixture to the boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook on low heat until the beef is tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.Stir in the pearl barley and transfer the stew to a slow cooker set on Low until the barley is tender, about 12 hours.
This Jewish Cholent recipe could easily be made with lamb and served with asparagus sauteed in butter and would truly be in season.
God Bless
May 7, 2017
Writing - More inpirations
So last night I wrote a poem. I do occasionally but thinking about it today the source of inspiration was visual.
Noru, Osaka, Japan
The are many visual cues around us and at various times so I am not thinking of one of the lists that so many consider essential for you to be able to write. I believe more in the power of your mind and ways in which you control the flow of information around us.
We all live in an age where info is coming at us thick and fast but to be creative I think you need periods of calm reflection during which you can consider some of the things we brush up against in our daily lives.
I include the photo I took in a park in Noru, Japan about ten years ago because it shows the deer mixing with the people at a cafe. There is no worry about health and safety or any of the other mind numbing hazards of modern day life, the animals are treated with respect and are happy to be with the humans. That typifies the calmness and respectful way in which humans can behave.
Now a degree of mindfulness and meditation may be necessary for this to occur and unlike the west the business life in Japan can see the benefits of time away from the work front to give the self time to recuperate.
The Japanese believe in the spiritual nature of things and animals as well as deities. This is reflected in the patience with which they go about their business but also then in levels of success that they achieve in all walks of life.
[image error]Sakura
Sakura is the cherry blossom that flashes into being in spring and generates beautiful views and partying in Japan! The people party at the behest of nature. That is inspiring in itself and there are thousands of beautiful sights to be seen but blossom may not inspire you to write. Your imagination may be triggered by much more mundane sights - there are no rules!
On this occasion it was a house with wood paneled rooms that at the sound of music oozed cockroaches that consumed people found in that room.
The resulting effort will appear on Thursday so until then!
God Bless
Noru, Osaka, Japan
The are many visual cues around us and at various times so I am not thinking of one of the lists that so many consider essential for you to be able to write. I believe more in the power of your mind and ways in which you control the flow of information around us.
We all live in an age where info is coming at us thick and fast but to be creative I think you need periods of calm reflection during which you can consider some of the things we brush up against in our daily lives.
I include the photo I took in a park in Noru, Japan about ten years ago because it shows the deer mixing with the people at a cafe. There is no worry about health and safety or any of the other mind numbing hazards of modern day life, the animals are treated with respect and are happy to be with the humans. That typifies the calmness and respectful way in which humans can behave.
Now a degree of mindfulness and meditation may be necessary for this to occur and unlike the west the business life in Japan can see the benefits of time away from the work front to give the self time to recuperate.
The Japanese believe in the spiritual nature of things and animals as well as deities. This is reflected in the patience with which they go about their business but also then in levels of success that they achieve in all walks of life.
[image error]Sakura
Sakura is the cherry blossom that flashes into being in spring and generates beautiful views and partying in Japan! The people party at the behest of nature. That is inspiring in itself and there are thousands of beautiful sights to be seen but blossom may not inspire you to write. Your imagination may be triggered by much more mundane sights - there are no rules!
On this occasion it was a house with wood paneled rooms that at the sound of music oozed cockroaches that consumed people found in that room.
The resulting effort will appear on Thursday so until then!
God Bless
May 5, 2017
Writing - Metaphors and similes in action
I know that you all know the difference but sometimes it is useful to have a reminder.
[image error]Metaphor
Speaks for itself really.
[image error]Simile
Likewise.
So when I began to write Inceptus I set the start in Ireland with a man in position as a sniper in the rain. While visiting Ireland several years ago I experienced the 'soft Irish rain' and decided to use that in my description. On that occasion I used a metaphor describing the rain wrapping the man in its blanket. So saying that the rain is a blanket is metaphoric.On the other hand if I'd said that 'the rain was as soft and warm as a blanket' - simile.
Okay - lesson over.
Peter May has written the Enzo Files a set of five books the first one being Extraordinary People.
[image error]
I chose this book because I am reading it currently but I could have selected any of May's books as they are rich with such comparisons. In this one, at the beginning, he uses them to describe the atmosphere on a steamy, Paris evening in summer. If I'd chosen from the Lewis trilogy there are a plethora of examples describing the weather and the behaviour of the sea. The balance is good although at times he does indulge himself.
That balance is important and that is the key. There is little doubt that the use of such tools enriches the writing but overuse may reduce pace and induce boredom. There is no right or wrong number you have to have a feel for their employment, rather like having a feel for performing a piece of music.
God Bless
[image error]Metaphor
Speaks for itself really.
[image error]Simile
Likewise.
So when I began to write Inceptus I set the start in Ireland with a man in position as a sniper in the rain. While visiting Ireland several years ago I experienced the 'soft Irish rain' and decided to use that in my description. On that occasion I used a metaphor describing the rain wrapping the man in its blanket. So saying that the rain is a blanket is metaphoric.On the other hand if I'd said that 'the rain was as soft and warm as a blanket' - simile.
Okay - lesson over.
Peter May has written the Enzo Files a set of five books the first one being Extraordinary People.
[image error]
I chose this book because I am reading it currently but I could have selected any of May's books as they are rich with such comparisons. In this one, at the beginning, he uses them to describe the atmosphere on a steamy, Paris evening in summer. If I'd chosen from the Lewis trilogy there are a plethora of examples describing the weather and the behaviour of the sea. The balance is good although at times he does indulge himself.
That balance is important and that is the key. There is little doubt that the use of such tools enriches the writing but overuse may reduce pace and induce boredom. There is no right or wrong number you have to have a feel for their employment, rather like having a feel for performing a piece of music.
God Bless
May 4, 2017
Writing - Technophile retires at 96
It has been announced that HRH Prince Philip will retire from official duties in the Autumn.
[image error]Prince Philip
When you retire there are two ways to proceed. Either you sit down and fade away or you become more busy than when you were at work.
One of the facts about the prince is that he was the first one in the palace to have a computer and it was suggested that he may spend some time writing. What amazing stories he will have to tell.
[image error]
Of course his royal highness retired five years ago at 90 but never quite managed it! He is not the sort of man that will sit back and be seen with a coronet on his head dribbling in the corner of a room.I look forward to some of his stories coming out for us all to read. If his writing mirrors his personality the works will be both acerbic and witty.
[image error]Carriage driving
The Duke is an active man and still enjoys carriage driving and reputedly chasing chamber maids round the palace! He has always had an eye for a pretty girl and I witnessed him chatting up a rather tall and striking double bass player in the Opera North Orchestra a few years ago while standing waiting to sing for the Queen's Jubilee.
[image error]Princess Elizabeth and Philip marry 20/11/1947
Of course, they will have been married 70 years in November this year, which in itself is an occasion likely to spawn numerous thanksgiving services etc. I'm sure he will be there God willing.Philip was born in Corfu and has British and Greek heritage. He has always been a navy man and is still an admiral. Whatever, he has been a source of support for his wife for longer than many live.
After 70 years
God Bless them both.
[image error]Prince Philip
When you retire there are two ways to proceed. Either you sit down and fade away or you become more busy than when you were at work.
One of the facts about the prince is that he was the first one in the palace to have a computer and it was suggested that he may spend some time writing. What amazing stories he will have to tell.
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Of course his royal highness retired five years ago at 90 but never quite managed it! He is not the sort of man that will sit back and be seen with a coronet on his head dribbling in the corner of a room.I look forward to some of his stories coming out for us all to read. If his writing mirrors his personality the works will be both acerbic and witty.
[image error]Carriage driving
The Duke is an active man and still enjoys carriage driving and reputedly chasing chamber maids round the palace! He has always had an eye for a pretty girl and I witnessed him chatting up a rather tall and striking double bass player in the Opera North Orchestra a few years ago while standing waiting to sing for the Queen's Jubilee.
[image error]Princess Elizabeth and Philip marry 20/11/1947
Of course, they will have been married 70 years in November this year, which in itself is an occasion likely to spawn numerous thanksgiving services etc. I'm sure he will be there God willing.Philip was born in Corfu and has British and Greek heritage. He has always been a navy man and is still an admiral. Whatever, he has been a source of support for his wife for longer than many live.
After 70 years
God Bless them both.
