David L. Atkinson's Blog, page 41
July 9, 2016
Writing - 10 things we didn't know
In the realm of sources of inspiration, writing and the like this week's unusual news items is a rarity ranging from silly names to the hardship women suffer.
[image error]
1. Australia has a town called Humpty Doo.
Sounds like something unpleasant one occasionally stands in!
-------------------------------------
[image error]
2. Every winter, great white sharks swim for 30 to 40 days to congregate at a particular spot halfway between Mexico and Hawaii. No-one knows why.
Return to the source of their conception.
-------------------------------------
[image error]
3. People touch their smartphones 2,617 times a day on average.
Sounds almost sexual.
-------------------------------------
[image error]
4. Alcoholics in Ottawa are given wine every hour as part of their treatment.
And their anthem is 'I'm in heaven ...'
-------------------------------------
[image error]
5. Three per cent of people think you should wait a month after the broadcast of a television programme before discussing the plot in a way that could throw up spoilers.
Best to say nothing - it is such a temptation!
-------------------------------------
[image error]
6. Even in the early 1970s women in the UK frequently had to get a male relative's signature to get a loan.
Then everything went pear-shaped.
-------------------------------------
[image error]
7. Pillows might easily have 47 different species of fungi living in them.
That's going to help me sleep more easily!
-------------------------------------
8. The Chilcot report is four-and-a-half times as long as War and Peace.
Which is round about double the number of words I've published to date.
-------------------------------------
[image error]
9. There was a Victorian comic song called "Tony Blair".
There is a similar 20th century politician!
-------------------------------------
[image error]
10. Fewer than one in five listed statues in the UK are of women.
There are hundreds and not all are flattering.
-------------------------------------
God Bless
[image error]
1. Australia has a town called Humpty Doo.
Sounds like something unpleasant one occasionally stands in!
-------------------------------------
[image error]
2. Every winter, great white sharks swim for 30 to 40 days to congregate at a particular spot halfway between Mexico and Hawaii. No-one knows why.
Return to the source of their conception.
-------------------------------------
[image error]
3. People touch their smartphones 2,617 times a day on average.
Sounds almost sexual.
-------------------------------------
[image error]
4. Alcoholics in Ottawa are given wine every hour as part of their treatment.
And their anthem is 'I'm in heaven ...'
-------------------------------------
[image error]
5. Three per cent of people think you should wait a month after the broadcast of a television programme before discussing the plot in a way that could throw up spoilers.
Best to say nothing - it is such a temptation!
-------------------------------------
[image error]
6. Even in the early 1970s women in the UK frequently had to get a male relative's signature to get a loan.
Then everything went pear-shaped.
-------------------------------------
[image error]
7. Pillows might easily have 47 different species of fungi living in them.
That's going to help me sleep more easily!
-------------------------------------
8. The Chilcot report is four-and-a-half times as long as War and Peace.
Which is round about double the number of words I've published to date.
-------------------------------------
[image error]
9. There was a Victorian comic song called "Tony Blair".
There is a similar 20th century politician!
-------------------------------------
[image error]
10. Fewer than one in five listed statues in the UK are of women.
There are hundreds and not all are flattering.
-------------------------------------
God Bless
July 8, 2016
Writing - Artistic urge
It is a compulsion - Art and all its associated forms. If I'm not writing, I'm involved with music at some level, and this week I have re-discovered the fascination I have with drawing. I haven't cleaned out my painting equipment for some time but I can see that coming on also.
At this point it should be noted that I don't have any proof that I'm good at any aspects of art but I love trying and surely that is the point. I go places, keep my eyes and ears open and then produce something! Of course, most recently, that has been books.
France
One of my water colours, framed.
My only commission!
I have done many sketches of varying subject and quality but here are the books.
Read on
December 2015
Steele My hero was created post recession and so has no concept of how 'good' things were pre-2008. In 'I Have To Get It Right' when he began to flex his muscles he was working in an accountant's office. Then after the Gurentai took him under their wing and removed all of his financial worries, it was justice that was his major concern. He did become involved in international relations in 'The 51st State' but it was for the maintenance of a respectful distance between countries, rather than economic reasons. His trips into the USA had repercussions which can be read about in 'The Biter Bit' but then by the time things began to change in 2011 and the recession was really biting, Steele was trying to make sense of the state of the nation in 'A Changed Reality' and coming up against some really nasty people taking advantage of the shortage of money. By the time the USA are out of their recession Steele's steps are still being dogged by an unknown enemy from the same country. In 'Inceptus' we also find out more about what makes the man tick. The most recent Steele book 'Castled' where Steele is once again at risk from unseen enemies. It would seem that he has become quite recession proof!The most recent addition to the Steele family is Earth plc in which our hero is concerned with political and emotional issues in this crime fighting adventure.
All books are available in paperback or ebook through Amazon, Smashwords and all good book shop websites.
Cessation
This is a dystopian story that hinges directly on the state of the nation as a result of fiscal mismanagement. Having said that it is more a story of human relations, privations, love and loss.
Poetry - there are also two thoughtful collections of poetry available solely through Amazon.
The Musings of a Confused Mind
and
Words from the Raindrops
God Bless
At this point it should be noted that I don't have any proof that I'm good at any aspects of art but I love trying and surely that is the point. I go places, keep my eyes and ears open and then produce something! Of course, most recently, that has been books.
France
One of my water colours, framed.
My only commission!
I have done many sketches of varying subject and quality but here are the books.
Read on
December 2015Steele My hero was created post recession and so has no concept of how 'good' things were pre-2008. In 'I Have To Get It Right' when he began to flex his muscles he was working in an accountant's office. Then after the Gurentai took him under their wing and removed all of his financial worries, it was justice that was his major concern. He did become involved in international relations in 'The 51st State' but it was for the maintenance of a respectful distance between countries, rather than economic reasons. His trips into the USA had repercussions which can be read about in 'The Biter Bit' but then by the time things began to change in 2011 and the recession was really biting, Steele was trying to make sense of the state of the nation in 'A Changed Reality' and coming up against some really nasty people taking advantage of the shortage of money. By the time the USA are out of their recession Steele's steps are still being dogged by an unknown enemy from the same country. In 'Inceptus' we also find out more about what makes the man tick. The most recent Steele book 'Castled' where Steele is once again at risk from unseen enemies. It would seem that he has become quite recession proof!The most recent addition to the Steele family is Earth plc in which our hero is concerned with political and emotional issues in this crime fighting adventure.
All books are available in paperback or ebook through Amazon, Smashwords and all good book shop websites.
Cessation
This is a dystopian story that hinges directly on the state of the nation as a result of fiscal mismanagement. Having said that it is more a story of human relations, privations, love and loss.
Poetry - there are also two thoughtful collections of poetry available solely through Amazon.
The Musings of a Confused Mind
and
Words from the Raindrops
God Bless
July 7, 2016
Writing - Children's books
It is so important that children have contact with books. My grandson is almost eighteen months old and he has a positive experience with books. Many writers and illustrators are slaving away daily to find the future generations, Gruffalo, Tiger who came to Tea, Thomas the Tank Engine and so on.
[image error]
Moving to the Tiger etc, by Judith Kerr aged 93, it is great news that she has received a lifetime achievement award for her work.The 93-year-old was presented with the accolade at London Zoo on Wednesday.
Kerr is the second recipient of the prize, set up last year to celebrate an author or illustrator's outstanding contribution to children's books.
Award judge Shami Chakrabarti said she represented "the enduring power of storytelling and the written word".
Kerr, she said, symbolised "the best of Britain, Europe [and] literature" and had made "the most enormous contribution to children's writing in the UK".
Born in 1923, Kerr fled Nazi Germany with her family in 1933 and moved across Europe before eventually settling in England.
She later wrote an autobiographical trilogy about her experiences that are now used in schools as a way of explaining Nazism to children.
The Tiger Who Came to Tea, Kerr's first book, was an instant success when it was published in 1968 and has never been out of print.
She has also written and illustrated 17 books about Mog the Cat, the most recent of which, Mog's Christmas Calamity, was released last year.
[image error]
Kerr, who was given an OBE for services to children's literature and Holocaust education in 2012, received her award from fellow author Michael Morpurgo, president of BookTrust.
The charity, whose main aim is to get children and families reading, gives out more than two million books to UK children each year.
Author and illustrator Shirley Hughes became the first recipient of the charity's lifetime achievement award last year.
Winston Woodlouse (study)
Just to illustrate to myself how difficult this process can be, as much to anyone else, I have started to work on a children's book character, Winston Woodlouse, and the idea was to produce a story for my grandson. Then I intended to illustrate it myself but ...As they say 'God loves a trier'
God Bless
[image error]
Moving to the Tiger etc, by Judith Kerr aged 93, it is great news that she has received a lifetime achievement award for her work.The 93-year-old was presented with the accolade at London Zoo on Wednesday.
Kerr is the second recipient of the prize, set up last year to celebrate an author or illustrator's outstanding contribution to children's books.
Award judge Shami Chakrabarti said she represented "the enduring power of storytelling and the written word".
Kerr, she said, symbolised "the best of Britain, Europe [and] literature" and had made "the most enormous contribution to children's writing in the UK".
Born in 1923, Kerr fled Nazi Germany with her family in 1933 and moved across Europe before eventually settling in England.
She later wrote an autobiographical trilogy about her experiences that are now used in schools as a way of explaining Nazism to children.
The Tiger Who Came to Tea, Kerr's first book, was an instant success when it was published in 1968 and has never been out of print.
She has also written and illustrated 17 books about Mog the Cat, the most recent of which, Mog's Christmas Calamity, was released last year.
[image error]
Kerr, who was given an OBE for services to children's literature and Holocaust education in 2012, received her award from fellow author Michael Morpurgo, president of BookTrust.
The charity, whose main aim is to get children and families reading, gives out more than two million books to UK children each year.
Author and illustrator Shirley Hughes became the first recipient of the charity's lifetime achievement award last year.
Winston Woodlouse (study)Just to illustrate to myself how difficult this process can be, as much to anyone else, I have started to work on a children's book character, Winston Woodlouse, and the idea was to produce a story for my grandson. Then I intended to illustrate it myself but ...As they say 'God loves a trier'
God Bless
July 6, 2016
Poetry Thursday 220 - A man lying on a wall
I did something today I've been promising myself to do for some little while. I went to Salford Quays on the outskirts of Manchester and had a look round the L S Lowry gallery.
I enjoy art immensely and have always appreciated L S Lowry but today I found a couple of paintings that were unfamiliar and thought provoking.In fact the Pit Tragedy is particularly poignant as both of my grandfathers died as a result of accidents in coal mines.
[image error]Pit Tragedy 1919
Pit Tragedy
Standing in groups, faces forlorn,at the call of the dread sound.The shrill heralding that something’s gone wrongdeep beneath the ground.
Living in the possibility of disaster,a daily fear for the loved ones,not showing it - a skill they master,when to the mines go their sons.
It lies in their souls as a serpent,waiting to strike unannounced.for the roof fall, death in an instant,the burgeoning threat has pounced.
Families broken by tragedy,working so close to hell,relying on a warning canaryto keep them safe and well.© David L Atkinson July 2016
The next poem sprang from another of Lowry's works
[image error]Man Lying on a Wall
A Man Lying on a Wall
A man lying on a wall,not afraid he’s going to fall,rather needs to take time outand wonder what his life’s about.
A man lying on a wall,pondering the reasons for it all,why his life turned out this way,and how he copes from day to day.
A man lying on a wall,has no wish to go on at all,decides perhaps to stay where he is,and let time slip by in a haze.
A man lying on a wall,letting weighty responsibility fall,feels his spirit rising whole,once again freeing his soul.© David L Atkinson July 2016
God Bless
I enjoy art immensely and have always appreciated L S Lowry but today I found a couple of paintings that were unfamiliar and thought provoking.In fact the Pit Tragedy is particularly poignant as both of my grandfathers died as a result of accidents in coal mines.
[image error]Pit Tragedy 1919
Pit Tragedy
Standing in groups, faces forlorn,at the call of the dread sound.The shrill heralding that something’s gone wrongdeep beneath the ground.
Living in the possibility of disaster,a daily fear for the loved ones,not showing it - a skill they master,when to the mines go their sons.
It lies in their souls as a serpent,waiting to strike unannounced.for the roof fall, death in an instant,the burgeoning threat has pounced.
Families broken by tragedy,working so close to hell,relying on a warning canaryto keep them safe and well.© David L Atkinson July 2016
The next poem sprang from another of Lowry's works
[image error]Man Lying on a Wall
A Man Lying on a Wall
A man lying on a wall,not afraid he’s going to fall,rather needs to take time outand wonder what his life’s about.
A man lying on a wall,pondering the reasons for it all,why his life turned out this way,and how he copes from day to day.
A man lying on a wall,has no wish to go on at all,decides perhaps to stay where he is,and let time slip by in a haze.
A man lying on a wall,letting weighty responsibility fall,feels his spirit rising whole,once again freeing his soul.© David L Atkinson July 2016
God Bless
July 5, 2016
Writing - What's in a number?
I was interested in my writing pal Bert Carson's blog the other day when he was introducing his lead character. A profile of the man if you like. I can remember doing the same with Patrick A Steele when the first story in which he was involved 'hit the shelves' (quietly!).
Well I'm now coming towards the end of his 10th adventure. I wanted to write 10 books but in fact the tenth Steele is my 11th. Why put a number on it? I don't know really. I think it was because at that time where I worked had a travelling bookshop that sold books in sets of 10 and I bought a set of Colin Dexter (Inspector Morse) stories. It isn't that important really but it stuck in my mind.
[image error]Building 7
Building 7 is the tenth Steele novel so now what to do with him? Do I kill him off and move on to a different genre? Do I hedge my bets and still try something different without killing him off in case I want to go back to him. There are even more options but I do feel that he is reaching the end of his usefulness in some ways.
I have an idea that an autobiography, mainly for my family, but also as a reflection of the social history of the second half of the 20th century, may be the next project. The bottom line is that I think I'm ready for something different.
Then there is the poetry. I could spend time just writing that and painting the odd watercolour. I haven't painted for a long while.
This effort is of Pen-y-Gent
For now I need to concentrate on finishing Building 7.
God Bless
Well I'm now coming towards the end of his 10th adventure. I wanted to write 10 books but in fact the tenth Steele is my 11th. Why put a number on it? I don't know really. I think it was because at that time where I worked had a travelling bookshop that sold books in sets of 10 and I bought a set of Colin Dexter (Inspector Morse) stories. It isn't that important really but it stuck in my mind.
[image error]Building 7
Building 7 is the tenth Steele novel so now what to do with him? Do I kill him off and move on to a different genre? Do I hedge my bets and still try something different without killing him off in case I want to go back to him. There are even more options but I do feel that he is reaching the end of his usefulness in some ways.
I have an idea that an autobiography, mainly for my family, but also as a reflection of the social history of the second half of the 20th century, may be the next project. The bottom line is that I think I'm ready for something different.
Then there is the poetry. I could spend time just writing that and painting the odd watercolour. I haven't painted for a long while.
This effort is of Pen-y-Gent
For now I need to concentrate on finishing Building 7.
God Bless
July 4, 2016
Tuesday Food Blog - A quicker lasagne
I can hear the moans - Not another lasagne! - but this one is described as a quick lasagne by Mary Berry, but in fact is much more than that.
Mary Berry's quick lasagne
In many ways this version of the Italian favourite is considerably healthier than the standard fayre from a number of points of view.Most significantly the cheese sauce is replaced by creme fraiche (I used half fat although it recommends full). There is a green vegetable and mushrooms included in the meal. In some places this dish is described as sausage and spinach lasagne but mine would have to be pork sausage and pak choi lasagne.It is slightly quicker than standard lasagne but I prefer to think of it as different.
Read onIngredientsbutter, for greasing6 large dried lasagne sheets75g/2¾oz mature Cheddar cheese, gratedFor the pork and spinach sauce1 tbsp oil450g/1lb pork sausage meat1 tbsp plain flour1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped2 fat garlic cloves, crushed250g/9oz chestnut mushrooms, sliced200ml/7fl oz full-fat crème fraîche100g/3½oz baby spinach, roughly choppedsalt and freshly ground black pepperFor the tomato sauce500g/1lb 2oz passata2 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste1 tsp light muscovado sugar1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves1 tbsp chopped fresh sageMethodPreheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Grease the ovenproof dish with butter.Soak the lasagne sheets in recently boiled warm water to soften while you prepare the two sauces.For the pork and spinach sauce, heat the oil in a large, non-stick frying pan. Add the sausage meat and brown over a high heat for 5–10 minutes until golden-brown, breaking up the mince with two wooden spoons. Sprinkle in the flour and fry for a minute.Add the chilli, garlic and mushrooms and fry for about 5 minutes. Stir in the crème fraîche and spinach. Bring to the boil and allow to bubble for a couple of minutes. Season well with salt and pepper and set aside.For the tomato sauce, mix all the ingredients together in a jug or bowl and season well with salt and pepper.Drain the lasagne sheets.Spoon one-third of the spinach sauce into the base of the ovenproof dish. Spoon one-third of the tomato sauce on top and arrange half the lasagne sheets over the tomato sauce. Repeat using two more layers of spinach and tomato sauce and one of lasagne sheets. Sprinkle over the grated cheese.Bake for 30–35 minutes, or until the pasta is tender and the top of the dish is golden-brown and bubbling around the edges. Serve immediately.
God Bless
Mary Berry's quick lasagne
In many ways this version of the Italian favourite is considerably healthier than the standard fayre from a number of points of view.Most significantly the cheese sauce is replaced by creme fraiche (I used half fat although it recommends full). There is a green vegetable and mushrooms included in the meal. In some places this dish is described as sausage and spinach lasagne but mine would have to be pork sausage and pak choi lasagne.It is slightly quicker than standard lasagne but I prefer to think of it as different.
Read onIngredientsbutter, for greasing6 large dried lasagne sheets75g/2¾oz mature Cheddar cheese, gratedFor the pork and spinach sauce1 tbsp oil450g/1lb pork sausage meat1 tbsp plain flour1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped2 fat garlic cloves, crushed250g/9oz chestnut mushrooms, sliced200ml/7fl oz full-fat crème fraîche100g/3½oz baby spinach, roughly choppedsalt and freshly ground black pepperFor the tomato sauce500g/1lb 2oz passata2 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste1 tsp light muscovado sugar1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves1 tbsp chopped fresh sageMethodPreheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6. Grease the ovenproof dish with butter.Soak the lasagne sheets in recently boiled warm water to soften while you prepare the two sauces.For the pork and spinach sauce, heat the oil in a large, non-stick frying pan. Add the sausage meat and brown over a high heat for 5–10 minutes until golden-brown, breaking up the mince with two wooden spoons. Sprinkle in the flour and fry for a minute.Add the chilli, garlic and mushrooms and fry for about 5 minutes. Stir in the crème fraîche and spinach. Bring to the boil and allow to bubble for a couple of minutes. Season well with salt and pepper and set aside.For the tomato sauce, mix all the ingredients together in a jug or bowl and season well with salt and pepper.Drain the lasagne sheets.Spoon one-third of the spinach sauce into the base of the ovenproof dish. Spoon one-third of the tomato sauce on top and arrange half the lasagne sheets over the tomato sauce. Repeat using two more layers of spinach and tomato sauce and one of lasagne sheets. Sprinkle over the grated cheese.Bake for 30–35 minutes, or until the pasta is tender and the top of the dish is golden-brown and bubbling around the edges. Serve immediately.
God Bless
July 3, 2016
Writing - A Day of Rest
Sundays used to be a day of rest and, as a youngster growing up in the fifties and sixties, incredibly boring.
[image error]
As a student in the seventies they were a real godsend as it gave one the opportunity to recover from the excesses of Saturday night. When the children were born they gave us the opportunity to do things and go places, but then the pace life took off in the eighties and in no time at all it became just another working day.
[image error]
Of course it was a day of rest for partly religious reasons as on the seventh God rested in the creation of the Earth. Whether you believe in that or not, the great god capitalism has made it an ordinary day. No longer a special family day or a day just for relaxation but a day to get up go to work, do the shopping and whatever else capitalism dictates.
[image error]
The above film was all about taking part in sport on a Sunday. The central character, Eric Liddell, refused to run on a Sunday during the 1924 Paris Olympic Games because of his strict religious views. The film received seven academy award nominations.
Whether you believe in God or not take it from someone who foolishly was bored on Sundays, we have lost something.
Read on
December 2015
Steele My hero was created post recession and so has no concept of how 'good' things were pre-2008. In 'I Have To Get It Right' when he began to flex his muscles he was working in an accountant's office. Then after the Gurentai took him under their wing and removed all of his financial worries, it was justice that was his major concern. He did become involved in international relations in 'The 51st State' but it was for the maintenance of a respectful distance between countries, rather than economic reasons. His trips into the USA had repercussions which can be read about in 'The Biter Bit' but then by the time things began to change in 2011 and the recession was really biting, Steele was trying to make sense of the state of the nation in 'A Changed Reality' and coming up against some really nasty people taking advantage of the shortage of money. By the time the USA are out of their recession Steele's steps are still being dogged by an unknown enemy from the same country. In 'Inceptus' we also find out more about what makes the man tick. The most recent Steele book 'Castled' where Steele is once again at risk from unseen enemies. It would seem that he has become quite recession proof!The most recent addition to the Steele family is Earth plc in which our hero is concerned with political and emotional issues in this crime fighting adventure.
All books are available in paperback or ebook through Amazon, Smashwords and all good book shop websites.
Cessation
This is a dystopian story that hinges directly on the state of the nation as a result of fiscal mismanagement. Having said that it is more a story of human relations, privations, love and loss.
Poetry - there are also two thoughtful collections of poetry available solely through Amazon.
The Musings of a Confused Mind
and
Words from the Raindrops
God Bless
[image error]
As a student in the seventies they were a real godsend as it gave one the opportunity to recover from the excesses of Saturday night. When the children were born they gave us the opportunity to do things and go places, but then the pace life took off in the eighties and in no time at all it became just another working day.
[image error]
Of course it was a day of rest for partly religious reasons as on the seventh God rested in the creation of the Earth. Whether you believe in that or not, the great god capitalism has made it an ordinary day. No longer a special family day or a day just for relaxation but a day to get up go to work, do the shopping and whatever else capitalism dictates.
[image error]
The above film was all about taking part in sport on a Sunday. The central character, Eric Liddell, refused to run on a Sunday during the 1924 Paris Olympic Games because of his strict religious views. The film received seven academy award nominations.
Whether you believe in God or not take it from someone who foolishly was bored on Sundays, we have lost something.
Read on
December 2015Steele My hero was created post recession and so has no concept of how 'good' things were pre-2008. In 'I Have To Get It Right' when he began to flex his muscles he was working in an accountant's office. Then after the Gurentai took him under their wing and removed all of his financial worries, it was justice that was his major concern. He did become involved in international relations in 'The 51st State' but it was for the maintenance of a respectful distance between countries, rather than economic reasons. His trips into the USA had repercussions which can be read about in 'The Biter Bit' but then by the time things began to change in 2011 and the recession was really biting, Steele was trying to make sense of the state of the nation in 'A Changed Reality' and coming up against some really nasty people taking advantage of the shortage of money. By the time the USA are out of their recession Steele's steps are still being dogged by an unknown enemy from the same country. In 'Inceptus' we also find out more about what makes the man tick. The most recent Steele book 'Castled' where Steele is once again at risk from unseen enemies. It would seem that he has become quite recession proof!The most recent addition to the Steele family is Earth plc in which our hero is concerned with political and emotional issues in this crime fighting adventure.
All books are available in paperback or ebook through Amazon, Smashwords and all good book shop websites.
Cessation
This is a dystopian story that hinges directly on the state of the nation as a result of fiscal mismanagement. Having said that it is more a story of human relations, privations, love and loss.
Poetry - there are also two thoughtful collections of poetry available solely through Amazon.
The Musings of a Confused Mind
and
Words from the Raindrops
God Bless
July 2, 2016
Writing - 10 things we didn't know last week of June
History, football, drugs and nuns figure this week.
[image error]
1. Ten per cent of the Icelandic population travelled to France for the European championships.
Last one out put the lights out.
------------------------------
2. The fertility drug Pergonal was developed using gallons of nuns' urine.
She did the contraceptive sample
------------------------------
[image error]
3. Old songs now outsell new songs.
Cos' there are more old people
------------------------------
[image error]
4. People who meditate are more aware of their unconscious brain.
Duh!
------------------------------
[image error]
5. Scientists have discovered the world's first known swimming centipede.
You wouldn't want that in your trunks!
------------------------------
[image error]
6. Conservative leadership candidate Theresa May owns more than 100 cookbooks - but none by Delia Smith.
Prejudiced against East Anglia?
------------------------------
[image error]
7. Technology is being developed to block concertgoers from filming live gigs on their smartphones.
Waste of time and money
------------------------------
[image error]
8. The Canadian prime minister is to feature as a hero in a new Marvel comic.
Then back to the day job
------------------------------
[image error]
9. At 81, Labour MP Paul Flynn is now the oldest frontbencher in the Commons since Victorian prime minister William Gladstone.
They should retire
------------------------------
[image error]
10. It will be another 500 years before the battlefields of the Somme are cleared of bombs.
Something else I won't live to see.
------------------------------
God Bless
[image error]
1. Ten per cent of the Icelandic population travelled to France for the European championships.
Last one out put the lights out.
------------------------------
2. The fertility drug Pergonal was developed using gallons of nuns' urine.
She did the contraceptive sample
------------------------------
[image error]
3. Old songs now outsell new songs.
Cos' there are more old people
------------------------------
[image error]
4. People who meditate are more aware of their unconscious brain.
Duh!
------------------------------
[image error]
5. Scientists have discovered the world's first known swimming centipede.
You wouldn't want that in your trunks!
------------------------------
[image error]
6. Conservative leadership candidate Theresa May owns more than 100 cookbooks - but none by Delia Smith.
Prejudiced against East Anglia?
------------------------------
[image error]
7. Technology is being developed to block concertgoers from filming live gigs on their smartphones.
Waste of time and money
------------------------------
[image error]
8. The Canadian prime minister is to feature as a hero in a new Marvel comic.
Then back to the day job
------------------------------
[image error]
9. At 81, Labour MP Paul Flynn is now the oldest frontbencher in the Commons since Victorian prime minister William Gladstone.
They should retire
------------------------------
[image error]
10. It will be another 500 years before the battlefields of the Somme are cleared of bombs.
Something else I won't live to see.
------------------------------
God Bless
July 1, 2016
Writing - One's mind in print
What else is the case? I looked at my books, the plethora of poetry saved to my hard drive, the poetry books and had to admit that it was me in print. Like it or not, read it or don't - it is a person.
I have also been doing some family research, which is a slow and at times frustrating exercise, but you soon identify yourself as a link between the past and the future.
[image error]
One of the earliest Atkinsons I have discovered was born in 1655 around the time Oliver Cromwell dissolved the first Protectorate Parliament and in the midst of the Anglo-Spanish War. That feels slightly weird but it is part of me. For more read on.
Read on
December 2015
Steele My hero was created post recession and so has no concept of how 'good' things were pre-2008. In 'I Have To Get It Right' when he began to flex his muscles he was working in an accountant's office. Then after the Gurentai took him under their wing and removed all of his financial worries, it was justice that was his major concern. He did become involved in international relations in 'The 51st State' but it was for the maintenance of a respectful distance between countries, rather than economic reasons. His trips into the USA had repercussions which can be read about in 'The Biter Bit' but then by the time things began to change in 2011 and the recession was really biting, Steele was trying to make sense of the state of the nation in 'A Changed Reality' and coming up against some really nasty people taking advantage of the shortage of money. By the time the USA are out of their recession Steele's steps are still being dogged by an unknown enemy from the same country. In 'Inceptus' we also find out more about what makes the man tick. The most recent Steele book 'Castled' where Steele is once again at risk from unseen enemies. It would seem that he has become quite recession proof!The most recent addition to the Steele family is Earth plc in which our hero is concerned with political and emotional issues in this crime fighting adventure.
All books are available in paperback or ebook through Amazon, Smashwords and all good book shop websites.
Cessation
This is a dystopian story that hinges directly on the state of the nation as a result of fiscal mismanagement. Having said that it is more a story of human relations, privations, love and loss.
Poetry - there are also two thoughtful collections of poetry available solely through Amazon.
The Musings of a Confused Mind
and
Words from the Raindrops
God Bless
I have also been doing some family research, which is a slow and at times frustrating exercise, but you soon identify yourself as a link between the past and the future.
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One of the earliest Atkinsons I have discovered was born in 1655 around the time Oliver Cromwell dissolved the first Protectorate Parliament and in the midst of the Anglo-Spanish War. That feels slightly weird but it is part of me. For more read on.
Read on
December 2015Steele My hero was created post recession and so has no concept of how 'good' things were pre-2008. In 'I Have To Get It Right' when he began to flex his muscles he was working in an accountant's office. Then after the Gurentai took him under their wing and removed all of his financial worries, it was justice that was his major concern. He did become involved in international relations in 'The 51st State' but it was for the maintenance of a respectful distance between countries, rather than economic reasons. His trips into the USA had repercussions which can be read about in 'The Biter Bit' but then by the time things began to change in 2011 and the recession was really biting, Steele was trying to make sense of the state of the nation in 'A Changed Reality' and coming up against some really nasty people taking advantage of the shortage of money. By the time the USA are out of their recession Steele's steps are still being dogged by an unknown enemy from the same country. In 'Inceptus' we also find out more about what makes the man tick. The most recent Steele book 'Castled' where Steele is once again at risk from unseen enemies. It would seem that he has become quite recession proof!The most recent addition to the Steele family is Earth plc in which our hero is concerned with political and emotional issues in this crime fighting adventure.
All books are available in paperback or ebook through Amazon, Smashwords and all good book shop websites.
Cessation
This is a dystopian story that hinges directly on the state of the nation as a result of fiscal mismanagement. Having said that it is more a story of human relations, privations, love and loss.
Poetry - there are also two thoughtful collections of poetry available solely through Amazon.
The Musings of a Confused Mind
and
Words from the Raindrops
God Bless
June 30, 2016
Writing - Three men that shaped our world
In these days of social media when things are out there in the world almost as they are happening we are still seriously influenced by three white males.
[image error]Freud, Nietzsche and Marx
We might not realise it, but we all live with a 19th-century male philosopher in our lives. Karl Marx, Friedrich Nietzsche and Sigmund Freud are towering thinkers, men with the wit and the will to question the status quo.Their ideas shaped the lives of millions in the 20th century and in the 21st they still have exponential influence. From pop songs to global economics to our attitudes to sex, the theories and aphorisms of these three dead, white males underpin everyday experiences.
‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,’ opined Nietzsche; ‘the pleasure-principle’, ‘wish-fulfilment’ and ‘anally retentive’ are all Freud’s coinages, while Marx’s condemnation of religion as the ‘opium of the people’ is trotted out to condemn everything from arranging church flowers to ISIS attacks.
Terrifying when you consider how people fight against stereotypes. Social media gets things 'out there' so rapidly but perhaps in that fact lies the problem.
[image error]
In fact it is rather like the tortoise and the hare. Our three philosophers have been dead for tens of years and yet their thoughts, attitudes and ideas are way ahead of modern thinking. My own personal view is that it is the very speed of life and education that get in the way of considered studying of our lives.
The three worthies above had time to consider how we live and relate to each other. Freud was an experimental psychologist and had time to work through his theories, searching for evidence to support those ideas. Nowadays, people seem to have moved on to something else before ideas have been thought through or tested. That is why these three still have so much influence years after their demise.
Even in the late 60s and 70s there were others, Jung and Pavlov for example, whose contributions have been considered. In the realms of education Piaget was in favour when I was being educated to educate. No longer apparently.
Writers, such as George Orwell, who produce works that are principally commentaries on life, are signposting how we are engineering our own demise. That was one of the reasons why I broke off from writing Steele novels to produce the dystopian novel Cessation.
The story is a speculative journey into a possible future that may lie ahead of us all. There is evidence that such a future may not be impossible. We have been warned that unless we increase the ability to produce electricity there could be power cuts in the next ten years. Our modern day lives are permeated through with the need for electricity and its production.
Although Cessation could be categorised as a dystopian story I find that rather a negative word and the purpose of writing the tale is to allow elements of hope in a seemingly desperate situation.
The story begins in 2023 a couple of years after the lights go out for the last time. Our group of survivors are thrown together on a farm in the low Pennines north of the M62 motorway and within striking distance of a number of northern towns which could prove useful for supplies. Initially the group is small and live on a farm called Serendipity but as time passes the size of the group waxes and wanes for a variety of reasons.
I'm not pretending that this book is a great philosophical work but it is a commentary on aspects of our modern lives, and in part a warning.
God Bless
[image error]Freud, Nietzsche and Marx
We might not realise it, but we all live with a 19th-century male philosopher in our lives. Karl Marx, Friedrich Nietzsche and Sigmund Freud are towering thinkers, men with the wit and the will to question the status quo.Their ideas shaped the lives of millions in the 20th century and in the 21st they still have exponential influence. From pop songs to global economics to our attitudes to sex, the theories and aphorisms of these three dead, white males underpin everyday experiences.
‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,’ opined Nietzsche; ‘the pleasure-principle’, ‘wish-fulfilment’ and ‘anally retentive’ are all Freud’s coinages, while Marx’s condemnation of religion as the ‘opium of the people’ is trotted out to condemn everything from arranging church flowers to ISIS attacks.
Terrifying when you consider how people fight against stereotypes. Social media gets things 'out there' so rapidly but perhaps in that fact lies the problem.
[image error]
In fact it is rather like the tortoise and the hare. Our three philosophers have been dead for tens of years and yet their thoughts, attitudes and ideas are way ahead of modern thinking. My own personal view is that it is the very speed of life and education that get in the way of considered studying of our lives.
The three worthies above had time to consider how we live and relate to each other. Freud was an experimental psychologist and had time to work through his theories, searching for evidence to support those ideas. Nowadays, people seem to have moved on to something else before ideas have been thought through or tested. That is why these three still have so much influence years after their demise.
Even in the late 60s and 70s there were others, Jung and Pavlov for example, whose contributions have been considered. In the realms of education Piaget was in favour when I was being educated to educate. No longer apparently.
Writers, such as George Orwell, who produce works that are principally commentaries on life, are signposting how we are engineering our own demise. That was one of the reasons why I broke off from writing Steele novels to produce the dystopian novel Cessation.
The story is a speculative journey into a possible future that may lie ahead of us all. There is evidence that such a future may not be impossible. We have been warned that unless we increase the ability to produce electricity there could be power cuts in the next ten years. Our modern day lives are permeated through with the need for electricity and its production.
Although Cessation could be categorised as a dystopian story I find that rather a negative word and the purpose of writing the tale is to allow elements of hope in a seemingly desperate situation.
The story begins in 2023 a couple of years after the lights go out for the last time. Our group of survivors are thrown together on a farm in the low Pennines north of the M62 motorway and within striking distance of a number of northern towns which could prove useful for supplies. Initially the group is small and live on a farm called Serendipity but as time passes the size of the group waxes and wanes for a variety of reasons.
I'm not pretending that this book is a great philosophical work but it is a commentary on aspects of our modern lives, and in part a warning.
God Bless
