David L. Atkinson's Blog, page 45
May 27, 2016
Writing - History and tales
It strikes me that what stories we write today will be the tales of history in years to come. Here are some from the Land of the Prince Bishops
[image error]Penshaw Monument
Penshaw Monument officially The Earl of Durham's Monument,[1] is a folly built in 1844 on Penshaw Hill between the districts of Washington and Houghton-le-Spring, within the City of Sunderland, North East England. It is dedicated to John Lambton(1792–1840), 1st Earl of Durham and the first Governor of the Province of Canada.The 136-metre (446 ft) hill on which the monument stands was presented by Charles Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry. The monument dominates the local landscape as a half-sized replica of the Temple of Hephaestus in Athens. It is floodlit at night.
[image error]Door knocker - Durham Cathedral
The knocker on the Cathedral’s northern door, known as the Sanctuary Knocker, played an important part in the Cathedral’s history. Those who ‘had committed a great offence,’ such as murder in self-defence or breaking out of prison, could rap the knocker, and would be given 37 days of sanctuary within which they could try to reconcile with their enemies or plan their escape.
When somebody did seek sanctuary in the Cathedral, the Galilee bell would be rung to announce it. The sanctuary seeker would be given a black robe to wear, with St Cuthbert’s Cross sewn on the left shoulder to distinguish them as one who had been granted sanctuary by God and his saint.
[image error]Lambton Worm
The Lambton Worm in the picture is wrapped around the monument and the hill upon which it is situated. There are stories about the worm and even a song.
The story takes place around the River Wear, and is one of the area's most famous pieces of folklore, having been adapted from written and oral tradition into pantomime and song formats.
The story revolves around John Lambton, an heir of the Lambton Estate, County Durham, and his battle with a giant worm (dragon) that had been terrorising the local villages.The story states that the young John Lambton was a rebellious character who missed church one Sunday to go fishing in the River Wear. In many versions of the story, while walking to the river, or setting up his equipment, John receives warnings from an old man that no good can come from missing church.John Lambton does not catch anything until the church service finishes, at which point he fishes out a small eel- or lamprey-like creature with nine holes on each side of its salamander-like head. Depending on the version of the story, the worm is no bigger than a thumb, or about 3 feet long. In some renditions it has legs, while in others it is said to more closely resemble a snake.At this point, the old man returns, although in some versions it is a different character. John declares that he has caught the devil and decides to dispose of his catch by discarding it down a nearby well. The old man then issues further warnings about the nature of the beast.John then forgets about the creature and eventually grows up. As a penance for his rebellious early years, he joins the crusades.
Eventually, the worm grows extremely large and the well becomes poisonous. The villagers start to notice livestock going missing and discover that the fully-grown worm has emerged from the well and coiled itself around a local hill.After seven years, John Lambton returns from the crusade to find his father's estates almost destitute because of the worm. John decides to fight it, but first seeks the guidance of a wise woman or witch near Durham.The witch hardens John's resolve to kill the beast by explaining his responsibility for the worm. She tells him to cover his armour in spearheads and fight the worm in the River Wear, where it now spends its days wrapped around a great rock. The witch also tells John that after killing the worm he must then kill the first living thing he sees, or else his family will be cursed for nine generations and will not die in their beds.John prepares his armour according to the witch's instructions and arranges with his father that, when he has killed the worm, he will sound his hunting horn three times. On this signal, his father is to release his favourite hound so that it will run to John, who can then kill the dog and thus avoid the curse.John Lambton then fights the worm by the river. The worm tries to crush him, wrapping him in its coils, but it cuts itself on his armour's spikes, the pieces of the worm fall into the river, and are washed away before they can join up again . Eventually, the worm is dead and John sounds his hunting horn three times.Unfortunately, John's father is so excited that the beast is dead that he forgets to release the hound and rushes out to congratulate his son. John cannot bear to kill his father and so, after they meet, the hound is released and dutifully dispatched. But it is too late and nine generations of Lambtons are cursed so they shall not die peacefully in their beds. That is how the story ends.This curse seems to have held true for at least three generations, possibly helping to contribute to the popularity of the story.1st generation: Robert Lambton, drowned at Newrig.2nd: Sir William Lambton, a Colonel of Foot, killed at Marston Moor.3rd: William Lambton, died in battle at Wakefield.9th: Henry Lambton, died in his carriage crossing Lambton Bridge on 26 June 1761.(General Lambton, Henry Lambton's brother, is said to have kept a horse whip by his bedside to ward off violent assaults. He died in his bed at an old age.)
A fine and bloody tale. Let's hope that our stories are ascribed such notoriety.
God Bless
[image error]Penshaw Monument
Penshaw Monument officially The Earl of Durham's Monument,[1] is a folly built in 1844 on Penshaw Hill between the districts of Washington and Houghton-le-Spring, within the City of Sunderland, North East England. It is dedicated to John Lambton(1792–1840), 1st Earl of Durham and the first Governor of the Province of Canada.The 136-metre (446 ft) hill on which the monument stands was presented by Charles Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry. The monument dominates the local landscape as a half-sized replica of the Temple of Hephaestus in Athens. It is floodlit at night.
[image error]Door knocker - Durham Cathedral
The knocker on the Cathedral’s northern door, known as the Sanctuary Knocker, played an important part in the Cathedral’s history. Those who ‘had committed a great offence,’ such as murder in self-defence or breaking out of prison, could rap the knocker, and would be given 37 days of sanctuary within which they could try to reconcile with their enemies or plan their escape.
When somebody did seek sanctuary in the Cathedral, the Galilee bell would be rung to announce it. The sanctuary seeker would be given a black robe to wear, with St Cuthbert’s Cross sewn on the left shoulder to distinguish them as one who had been granted sanctuary by God and his saint.
[image error]Lambton Worm
The Lambton Worm in the picture is wrapped around the monument and the hill upon which it is situated. There are stories about the worm and even a song.
The story takes place around the River Wear, and is one of the area's most famous pieces of folklore, having been adapted from written and oral tradition into pantomime and song formats.
The story revolves around John Lambton, an heir of the Lambton Estate, County Durham, and his battle with a giant worm (dragon) that had been terrorising the local villages.The story states that the young John Lambton was a rebellious character who missed church one Sunday to go fishing in the River Wear. In many versions of the story, while walking to the river, or setting up his equipment, John receives warnings from an old man that no good can come from missing church.John Lambton does not catch anything until the church service finishes, at which point he fishes out a small eel- or lamprey-like creature with nine holes on each side of its salamander-like head. Depending on the version of the story, the worm is no bigger than a thumb, or about 3 feet long. In some renditions it has legs, while in others it is said to more closely resemble a snake.At this point, the old man returns, although in some versions it is a different character. John declares that he has caught the devil and decides to dispose of his catch by discarding it down a nearby well. The old man then issues further warnings about the nature of the beast.John then forgets about the creature and eventually grows up. As a penance for his rebellious early years, he joins the crusades.
Eventually, the worm grows extremely large and the well becomes poisonous. The villagers start to notice livestock going missing and discover that the fully-grown worm has emerged from the well and coiled itself around a local hill.After seven years, John Lambton returns from the crusade to find his father's estates almost destitute because of the worm. John decides to fight it, but first seeks the guidance of a wise woman or witch near Durham.The witch hardens John's resolve to kill the beast by explaining his responsibility for the worm. She tells him to cover his armour in spearheads and fight the worm in the River Wear, where it now spends its days wrapped around a great rock. The witch also tells John that after killing the worm he must then kill the first living thing he sees, or else his family will be cursed for nine generations and will not die in their beds.John prepares his armour according to the witch's instructions and arranges with his father that, when he has killed the worm, he will sound his hunting horn three times. On this signal, his father is to release his favourite hound so that it will run to John, who can then kill the dog and thus avoid the curse.John Lambton then fights the worm by the river. The worm tries to crush him, wrapping him in its coils, but it cuts itself on his armour's spikes, the pieces of the worm fall into the river, and are washed away before they can join up again . Eventually, the worm is dead and John sounds his hunting horn three times.Unfortunately, John's father is so excited that the beast is dead that he forgets to release the hound and rushes out to congratulate his son. John cannot bear to kill his father and so, after they meet, the hound is released and dutifully dispatched. But it is too late and nine generations of Lambtons are cursed so they shall not die peacefully in their beds. That is how the story ends.This curse seems to have held true for at least three generations, possibly helping to contribute to the popularity of the story.1st generation: Robert Lambton, drowned at Newrig.2nd: Sir William Lambton, a Colonel of Foot, killed at Marston Moor.3rd: William Lambton, died in battle at Wakefield.9th: Henry Lambton, died in his carriage crossing Lambton Bridge on 26 June 1761.(General Lambton, Henry Lambton's brother, is said to have kept a horse whip by his bedside to ward off violent assaults. He died in his bed at an old age.)
A fine and bloody tale. Let's hope that our stories are ascribed such notoriety.
God Bless
May 26, 2016
Writing - Shakespeare and Potter
As it is a significant literary event for this country (UK) I felt that sharing the information about Shakespeare was relevant.
[image error]
A selection of work by William Shakespeare considered the "Holy Grail of book collections" is to go on display.The first four folios of the Bard's plays will appear at Blackburn Museum.
The exhibition includes a copy of the 1623 First Folio - the first printed collection of the plays - of which there are only 234 surviving copies.
It will join copies of the second, third and fourth folios bequeathed to the town by industrialist Edward Hart.
Blackburn councillor Damian Talbot said the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death gave "an opportunity to shine the light on some of our cultural gems".
Shakespeare's First Folio
The Bard wrote 37 plays, 36 of which are contained in the First FolioIt was compiled seven years after the writer's death by two of his fellow actors and friends, John Heminges and Henry CondellIt is believed about 750 copies of the First Folio were printedWithout the First Folio, 18 of Shakespeare's plays - including Twelfth Night, Macbeth and The Tempest - might never have survivedThe 1623 First Folio is on loan from Stonyhurst College-----------------------------
Useful information about the Bard - you're never too old to learn. However, he is not the only literary colossus to have a significant anniversary.
[image error]Beatrix Potter
It is the 150th birthday of the great lady who could well be one of the great inspirations to self-publishing authors.
On December 16th 1901 the 35 year old Potter was so fed up with receiving rejection letters that she decided to take matters into her own hands and self-publish 250 copies of her first book The Tale of Peter Rabbit.
The Tale of Peter Rabbit was printed with 41 black and white woodblock engravings and a colour frontispiece, and proved so successful that, within a year, it had been picked up by one of the six publishers who had originally turned it down. By Christmas of 1902, Frederick Warne had sold 20,000 copies of the book, with Potter's own watercolour illustrations, at 1 shilling, and 1/6d for a luxury clothbound edition.
Beatrix was still a person who wanted to retain control over the look of her work and couldn't agree with Warne and so self-published her next work. A real inspiration. The important point for all self-published authors is to keep writing. Breaking into the establishment world of publishing may never happen in the normal way, but producing a popular book without their input is always worth the effort. If you have something to say then say it.
God Bless
[image error]
A selection of work by William Shakespeare considered the "Holy Grail of book collections" is to go on display.The first four folios of the Bard's plays will appear at Blackburn Museum.
The exhibition includes a copy of the 1623 First Folio - the first printed collection of the plays - of which there are only 234 surviving copies.
It will join copies of the second, third and fourth folios bequeathed to the town by industrialist Edward Hart.
Blackburn councillor Damian Talbot said the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death gave "an opportunity to shine the light on some of our cultural gems".
Shakespeare's First Folio
The Bard wrote 37 plays, 36 of which are contained in the First FolioIt was compiled seven years after the writer's death by two of his fellow actors and friends, John Heminges and Henry CondellIt is believed about 750 copies of the First Folio were printedWithout the First Folio, 18 of Shakespeare's plays - including Twelfth Night, Macbeth and The Tempest - might never have survivedThe 1623 First Folio is on loan from Stonyhurst College-----------------------------
Useful information about the Bard - you're never too old to learn. However, he is not the only literary colossus to have a significant anniversary.
[image error]Beatrix Potter
It is the 150th birthday of the great lady who could well be one of the great inspirations to self-publishing authors.
On December 16th 1901 the 35 year old Potter was so fed up with receiving rejection letters that she decided to take matters into her own hands and self-publish 250 copies of her first book The Tale of Peter Rabbit.
The Tale of Peter Rabbit was printed with 41 black and white woodblock engravings and a colour frontispiece, and proved so successful that, within a year, it had been picked up by one of the six publishers who had originally turned it down. By Christmas of 1902, Frederick Warne had sold 20,000 copies of the book, with Potter's own watercolour illustrations, at 1 shilling, and 1/6d for a luxury clothbound edition.
Beatrix was still a person who wanted to retain control over the look of her work and couldn't agree with Warne and so self-published her next work. A real inspiration. The important point for all self-published authors is to keep writing. Breaking into the establishment world of publishing may never happen in the normal way, but producing a popular book without their input is always worth the effort. If you have something to say then say it.
God Bless
May 25, 2016
Poetry Thursday 214 - To Frack or Spin
There's been a number of contentious issues on the political scene this week including fracking and EU referendum. I confess Shakespeare gave me a helping hand.
[image error]Hamlet
To Frack
To Frack or not to Frack?That is the question.Whether it is right to take allfrom the Earth for increased revenueor to bend to the will of thosewho care more for our noble planet than money. But those who oppose the Frackmay not take up arms against themand so end it – as they may feel.They are the ones to suffer the results,the trembling planet, and poisoned waterthat result in future deaths.
The Frack will not suffer the future troublesthat they will instigate by their actions.They will sleep safe in their luxury bedsperchance to dream of bigger profits.Aye! There’s the rub.They will sleep safe.Yorkshire’s councils will sail the sea of troublesthey have allowed in their naiveté.Not the Frack that bears the whips and scorns of time.The oppressors are wrong.The protesters grunt and sweat under a weary lifeand with unheard voices,but live with the dread of early deaths of offspringand those under the Frack’s thrall.The Frack will deflect blame on to other shoulders,but by some all their sins remembered.© David L Atkinson May 2016
[image error]Spinner
Spin
When is the truth true?Do we have to wear ear filtersso that we don’t ruesuperficial interpretation of matters.
Why do politicians disrespect,hiding the facts with spin.The people have a right to expectto be given all truths within.
What is the purpose of the media dancewhen it causes such confusion?Those who represent take a chancein misleading the voting population.© David L Atkinson May 2016
This second poem is a protest against the wall-to-wall humbug that
we are suffering at the hands of politicians and the media.
God Bless
[image error]Hamlet
To Frack
To Frack or not to Frack?That is the question.Whether it is right to take allfrom the Earth for increased revenueor to bend to the will of thosewho care more for our noble planet than money. But those who oppose the Frackmay not take up arms against themand so end it – as they may feel.They are the ones to suffer the results,the trembling planet, and poisoned waterthat result in future deaths.
The Frack will not suffer the future troublesthat they will instigate by their actions.They will sleep safe in their luxury bedsperchance to dream of bigger profits.Aye! There’s the rub.They will sleep safe.Yorkshire’s councils will sail the sea of troublesthey have allowed in their naiveté.Not the Frack that bears the whips and scorns of time.The oppressors are wrong.The protesters grunt and sweat under a weary lifeand with unheard voices,but live with the dread of early deaths of offspringand those under the Frack’s thrall.The Frack will deflect blame on to other shoulders,but by some all their sins remembered.© David L Atkinson May 2016
[image error]Spinner
Spin
When is the truth true?Do we have to wear ear filtersso that we don’t ruesuperficial interpretation of matters.
Why do politicians disrespect,hiding the facts with spin.The people have a right to expectto be given all truths within.
What is the purpose of the media dancewhen it causes such confusion?Those who represent take a chancein misleading the voting population.© David L Atkinson May 2016
This second poem is a protest against the wall-to-wall humbug that
we are suffering at the hands of politicians and the media.
God Bless
May 24, 2016
Writing - Significant moments
It is true that there are times when the ideas don't flow as smoothly as at others but I find that conversing with ones characters helps.
[image error]
Someone, I forget whether it was a writing friend or a famous author, once said that writer's block occurs when the characters stop talking to you. I can see that after a number of years of writing, but wouldn't have known what was meant prior to being involved in the art. In fact I might have gone further and said that people talking to their fictitious creations were nuts! In which case I joined that clan 7 years ago.
[image error]
Of course it must be remembered that a conversation is a two way street and if you don't talk to them they won't reciprocate. Quite often our side of the conversation is about significant moments.
[image error]
Those moments can be as diverse as a proposal, ranging through to to theft or murder but whichever you choose causes your characters to react. In Cessation the significant moment upon which the whole story was based was the failure of the production of electricity across the whole of the UK. Now that was only the beginning in fact there were many more 'moments' before the book was finished.
What I have found is that having these points in your story can speed up or slow down the flow of your writing. These points in your writing are forming characters reactions and their history so that reality is bred into something that you have created. I chose Cessation as an example because all of the characters were new to me, unlike the 9 previous Steele novels. The moments I created were not centred on crime, well not all, but on human relations and hardships, but the reality was in the closeness of the basic premise of no electricity, to what was happening in the country at the time of writing.
The Steele novels present a different challenge in that the links between the books and reality were, in the beginning, more tenuous and so were the 'moments' of significance. Of late, with my tendency to adopt a more cynical view of authority and therefore lean towards the possible truths hidden from the world, the adventures of Patrick Steele have become closer linked with reality. Even so, when in doubt, I can always throw in a creative spanner that energises the story.
I have never considered myself an analyser of stories and the literary art, but as one wades through the shadowy corridors of writing understanding of what you are really doing deepens. It is a fascinating journey.
God Bless
[image error]
Someone, I forget whether it was a writing friend or a famous author, once said that writer's block occurs when the characters stop talking to you. I can see that after a number of years of writing, but wouldn't have known what was meant prior to being involved in the art. In fact I might have gone further and said that people talking to their fictitious creations were nuts! In which case I joined that clan 7 years ago.
[image error]
Of course it must be remembered that a conversation is a two way street and if you don't talk to them they won't reciprocate. Quite often our side of the conversation is about significant moments.
[image error]
Those moments can be as diverse as a proposal, ranging through to to theft or murder but whichever you choose causes your characters to react. In Cessation the significant moment upon which the whole story was based was the failure of the production of electricity across the whole of the UK. Now that was only the beginning in fact there were many more 'moments' before the book was finished.
What I have found is that having these points in your story can speed up or slow down the flow of your writing. These points in your writing are forming characters reactions and their history so that reality is bred into something that you have created. I chose Cessation as an example because all of the characters were new to me, unlike the 9 previous Steele novels. The moments I created were not centred on crime, well not all, but on human relations and hardships, but the reality was in the closeness of the basic premise of no electricity, to what was happening in the country at the time of writing.
The Steele novels present a different challenge in that the links between the books and reality were, in the beginning, more tenuous and so were the 'moments' of significance. Of late, with my tendency to adopt a more cynical view of authority and therefore lean towards the possible truths hidden from the world, the adventures of Patrick Steele have become closer linked with reality. Even so, when in doubt, I can always throw in a creative spanner that energises the story.
I have never considered myself an analyser of stories and the literary art, but as one wades through the shadowy corridors of writing understanding of what you are really doing deepens. It is a fascinating journey.
God Bless
May 23, 2016
Tuesday Food Blog - Chilli with crushed potato topping
On my continuing search for variety and the need to use up, not because I'm strapped for cash but more as a result being born shortly after the Second World War.
Chilli with crushed potatoes
The meat layer in this 'pie' is a standard chilli sauce with no hidden or extra tricks other than a couple of squares of dark chocolate. However, I was looking for a use for a bag of Jersey Royal new potatoes that had been in the cupboard for a couple of days and researched potato toppings. There were several uses of crushed new potatoes and so I opted for that as opposed to serving with rice.
Crushed new potatoes
Place the potatoes in salted cold water, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Drain, crush with a fork, and then stir in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.Pour the meat sauce into an oven proof dish then carefully place the potatoes on top of the meat, rather than packing it on top. Drizzle the topping with a small amount of olive oil. This allows the potatoes to crisp up. Place in a preheated oven 200 degrees C.
The nature of this meal is more Anglicised with the potatoes but every bit as tasty as in the more Mexican version.
Food Bollocks
A Balanced Diet
This is the sort of balanced diet chart that I was educated to believe was correct. All quite simple and based upon the biological nature of humans. Now of course we are warned off the fats which includes dairy products, and proteins in the form of meat are seriously frowned upon. UNTIL TODAY!The National Obesity Forum, great name for a food centred charity, have come up with the idea that promoting low-fat food has had 'disastrous health consequences'! Of course Public Health England are up in arms about the report calling it 'dangerous and irresponsible' but I refer you back to the pie chart (what a name!) above. Human beings need fat in their diet, we are biologically capable of digesting or storing the stuff.The fuss that has been created is quite funny with all of the pinch faced, half starved health nuts trying to muster the energy to huff and puff over the report. There is a collection of evidence that there is some truth in what the NOF have produced. At a surgery somewhere in the darkest north of England doctors have reduced the carbohydrate, and increased the fat intake of some diabetic and blood pressure patients who have lost weight and are off the meds. It has saved the practice £45 000 in one year in the medications bill.In this part of my blog I have featured items that would support the NOF as what they are actually against are artificially enhanced foods supposedly better for you than natural stuff. I judge that they would prefer you to use butter rather than margarine for example. If you recall the latter is only 3 molecules different from plastic. I believe that my mother's advice of everything in moderation just about covers the whole situation.Personally, I know that the only time I lost weight was when I ate normally but cut out potatoes and bread. Even then, and I was running 25 miles a week, I only got down to 12.5 stones which was still over a stone more than recommended by BMI. My point is that all of these bodies are promoting the average when in fact we require individual attention if we have a problem not medication to get us to that average.
God Bless
Chilli with crushed potatoes
The meat layer in this 'pie' is a standard chilli sauce with no hidden or extra tricks other than a couple of squares of dark chocolate. However, I was looking for a use for a bag of Jersey Royal new potatoes that had been in the cupboard for a couple of days and researched potato toppings. There were several uses of crushed new potatoes and so I opted for that as opposed to serving with rice.
Crushed new potatoes
Place the potatoes in salted cold water, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Drain, crush with a fork, and then stir in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.Pour the meat sauce into an oven proof dish then carefully place the potatoes on top of the meat, rather than packing it on top. Drizzle the topping with a small amount of olive oil. This allows the potatoes to crisp up. Place in a preheated oven 200 degrees C.
The nature of this meal is more Anglicised with the potatoes but every bit as tasty as in the more Mexican version.
Food Bollocks
A Balanced Diet
This is the sort of balanced diet chart that I was educated to believe was correct. All quite simple and based upon the biological nature of humans. Now of course we are warned off the fats which includes dairy products, and proteins in the form of meat are seriously frowned upon. UNTIL TODAY!The National Obesity Forum, great name for a food centred charity, have come up with the idea that promoting low-fat food has had 'disastrous health consequences'! Of course Public Health England are up in arms about the report calling it 'dangerous and irresponsible' but I refer you back to the pie chart (what a name!) above. Human beings need fat in their diet, we are biologically capable of digesting or storing the stuff.The fuss that has been created is quite funny with all of the pinch faced, half starved health nuts trying to muster the energy to huff and puff over the report. There is a collection of evidence that there is some truth in what the NOF have produced. At a surgery somewhere in the darkest north of England doctors have reduced the carbohydrate, and increased the fat intake of some diabetic and blood pressure patients who have lost weight and are off the meds. It has saved the practice £45 000 in one year in the medications bill.In this part of my blog I have featured items that would support the NOF as what they are actually against are artificially enhanced foods supposedly better for you than natural stuff. I judge that they would prefer you to use butter rather than margarine for example. If you recall the latter is only 3 molecules different from plastic. I believe that my mother's advice of everything in moderation just about covers the whole situation.Personally, I know that the only time I lost weight was when I ate normally but cut out potatoes and bread. Even then, and I was running 25 miles a week, I only got down to 12.5 stones which was still over a stone more than recommended by BMI. My point is that all of these bodies are promoting the average when in fact we require individual attention if we have a problem not medication to get us to that average.
God Bless
May 22, 2016
Writing - 10 things from last week
There are some seriously crazy ideas in this weeks news, plus the mundane of no interest variety.
[image error]
1. British artists accounted for one in every six LPs sold worldwide last year
Quality always floats to the top
-------------------------------
2. Green light can help migraine sufferers
Wouldn't that depend upon the type of green light?
-------------------------------
[image error]
3. The Chinese government fabricates nearly 490 million social media posts every year
So that's what they're all doing!
-------------------------------
4. Google is patenting a "sticky" technology so that pedestrians who get hit by self-driving cars will stick to them rather than bounce off
A little like a 'person vacuum'
-------------------------------
[image error]
5. Heathrow airport has an annual points-based "noise budget"
Which it overspends upon everyday.
-------------------------------
[image error]
6. Mars was once devastated by 50-metre high tsunamis
Until God pulled the plug on the water
-------------------------------
[image error]
7. The spice turmeric may help stave off dementia
You'll end up with a lot of yellow sane people.
-------------------------------
[image error]
8. Fifty percent of 30-year-olds in Greece and Bulgaria live with their parents
We're getting there!
-------------------------------
[image error]
9. People who watch porn more than once a week are likely to be more religious than those who watch it only a couple of times a month
Is that because they watch it religiously? I'll never look at our congregation in the same light ever again.
-------------------------------
[image error]
10. Artisanal marijuana crab cakes have been developed in the US
At last I can cut down on the sweet stuff man!
-------------------------------
God Bless
[image error]
1. British artists accounted for one in every six LPs sold worldwide last year
Quality always floats to the top
-------------------------------
2. Green light can help migraine sufferers
Wouldn't that depend upon the type of green light?
-------------------------------
[image error]
3. The Chinese government fabricates nearly 490 million social media posts every year
So that's what they're all doing!
-------------------------------
4. Google is patenting a "sticky" technology so that pedestrians who get hit by self-driving cars will stick to them rather than bounce off
A little like a 'person vacuum'
-------------------------------
[image error]
5. Heathrow airport has an annual points-based "noise budget"
Which it overspends upon everyday.
-------------------------------
[image error]
6. Mars was once devastated by 50-metre high tsunamis
Until God pulled the plug on the water
-------------------------------
[image error]
7. The spice turmeric may help stave off dementia
You'll end up with a lot of yellow sane people.
-------------------------------
[image error]
8. Fifty percent of 30-year-olds in Greece and Bulgaria live with their parents
We're getting there!
-------------------------------
[image error]
9. People who watch porn more than once a week are likely to be more religious than those who watch it only a couple of times a month
Is that because they watch it religiously? I'll never look at our congregation in the same light ever again.
-------------------------------
[image error]
10. Artisanal marijuana crab cakes have been developed in the US
At last I can cut down on the sweet stuff man!
-------------------------------
God Bless
May 21, 2016
Writing - Should you try to measure success?
The above title is about the third I've thought of since the subject of the blog came to mind. Hopefully, I will go some way to answering it whatever it is.
[image error]
Sadly, I've nothing new to add to the plethora of information that is out there about selling your work. In many ways you have to write to tell, not sell! (Jonas Eriksson). However, it is good to share one's success no matter how small and I've had some small pluses.
Cessation is the latest novel to sell so I enclose the synopsis.
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.
In fact when I wrote this which was the fifth novel I felt at the time, and still do, that this was my finest effort. I believe that my technique has improved further since but it remains one of my better stories. It is available on Kindle and in paperback at,
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cessation-David-L-Atkinson-ebook/dp/B00H1XL58A/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1463843273&sr=1-1&keywords=david+l+atkinson
So that was the beginning of a good couple of days then there was Forward Poetry.
https://www.forwardpoetry.co.uk/
[image error]
As many of you will be aware by now - I write poetry. There are two books being published by the above on August 1st and two of my poems are being published in them.
One of the books is entitled Poetic Forms and the poem is below.
Stars
Scattered on a black velvet cushionPoints of brilliance demanding your gazeToo distant to discern total functionVisible through an emotional haze
Shining in the eyes of friend or loverRomanticising a chill winter's nightHand in hand discovering each otherHeart deep warmed by sparkling pinpricks of light
Stellar noises tease tender emotionsWaken the yearning in young persons' mindsRoars through psyche demanding devotionCarves into the heart of men of all kinds
Romantic allegiance comes from afarIs it simply light issuing from stars?
This poem qualifies for Poetic Forms in that it is an example of a sonnet.Then there is the second - a love poem. Valentine's Day is being published in Love is in the Air
Valentine's Day
It shouldn't be about how much you payfor the cellophane-wrapped flower bouquet.It shouldn't be about the cards you sendfor the postman to deliver to your friend.It shouldn't be about the size or quality of giftthat you've bought perchance to heal a rift.
Valentine's Day is a chance to expressthe love you feel within your chest.An opportunity to please the oneyour whole being is dependent upon.Take the chance to show your emotionto the significant subject of your devotion.
So this weekend I feel successful. I won't make a shed load of money but I have been noticed and if you're noticed by one person then you have achieved success.
God Bless
[image error]
Sadly, I've nothing new to add to the plethora of information that is out there about selling your work. In many ways you have to write to tell, not sell! (Jonas Eriksson). However, it is good to share one's success no matter how small and I've had some small pluses.
Cessation is the latest novel to sell so I enclose the synopsis.
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.
In fact when I wrote this which was the fifth novel I felt at the time, and still do, that this was my finest effort. I believe that my technique has improved further since but it remains one of my better stories. It is available on Kindle and in paperback at,
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cessation-David-L-Atkinson-ebook/dp/B00H1XL58A/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1463843273&sr=1-1&keywords=david+l+atkinson
So that was the beginning of a good couple of days then there was Forward Poetry.
https://www.forwardpoetry.co.uk/
[image error]
As many of you will be aware by now - I write poetry. There are two books being published by the above on August 1st and two of my poems are being published in them.
One of the books is entitled Poetic Forms and the poem is below.
Stars
Scattered on a black velvet cushionPoints of brilliance demanding your gazeToo distant to discern total functionVisible through an emotional haze
Shining in the eyes of friend or loverRomanticising a chill winter's nightHand in hand discovering each otherHeart deep warmed by sparkling pinpricks of light
Stellar noises tease tender emotionsWaken the yearning in young persons' mindsRoars through psyche demanding devotionCarves into the heart of men of all kinds
Romantic allegiance comes from afarIs it simply light issuing from stars?
This poem qualifies for Poetic Forms in that it is an example of a sonnet.Then there is the second - a love poem. Valentine's Day is being published in Love is in the Air
Valentine's Day
It shouldn't be about how much you payfor the cellophane-wrapped flower bouquet.It shouldn't be about the cards you sendfor the postman to deliver to your friend.It shouldn't be about the size or quality of giftthat you've bought perchance to heal a rift.
Valentine's Day is a chance to expressthe love you feel within your chest.An opportunity to please the oneyour whole being is dependent upon.Take the chance to show your emotionto the significant subject of your devotion.
So this weekend I feel successful. I won't make a shed load of money but I have been noticed and if you're noticed by one person then you have achieved success.
God Bless
May 20, 2016
Writing - Leaving a record
As I have said oft times before keeping the writing muscle flexed is essential and one way is to write a daily diary. Of course, those diaries, and they have been going for 20 years now, represent a factual record of events. In years to come they will be an indicator of aspects of our culture.
[image error]1656 Complete Midwives Practice
Down through the ages people have kept similar records and how our culture has changed in comparison. The Complete Midwives Practice would have hygienists and health and safety nuts spinning in terror.
When babies were born it was believed they could still be moulded. Giving them wine raised the body temperature allowing easier manipulation. Similarly rubbing the poor child with butter also helped and promoted defecation. It was also believed that baby had been doing nothing but feeding for 9 months and so breast feeding should be put off for a week. The waxy and flexible nature of a babies bones should be protected from damaging movement by swaddling them tightly.
All very authentically recorded in the handbook. I suppose it should be said that writing records for prosperity should carry a health warning.
Please 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]1656 Complete Midwives Practice
Down through the ages people have kept similar records and how our culture has changed in comparison. The Complete Midwives Practice would have hygienists and health and safety nuts spinning in terror.
When babies were born it was believed they could still be moulded. Giving them wine raised the body temperature allowing easier manipulation. Similarly rubbing the poor child with butter also helped and promoted defecation. It was also believed that baby had been doing nothing but feeding for 9 months and so breast feeding should be put off for a week. The waxy and flexible nature of a babies bones should be protected from damaging movement by swaddling them tightly.
All very authentically recorded in the handbook. I suppose it should be said that writing records for prosperity should carry a health warning.
Please 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
May 19, 2016
Writing - Never too young (or old)
Since I began writing seriously I've received a wide variety of comments from friends and relatives about what I do, not all complimentary. Occasionally, there has been a reference to age and how long I have been writing. In point of fact it doesn't matter.
[image error]Mary Shelley
Mary Shelley was merely 18 years of age when she began penning Frankenstein. It was in 1816 in the Villa Diodati near Geneva and at her tender age she could never have foreseen what a massive influence her story was going to have on popular culture.
The circumstances that brought Mary Shelley to the Villa Diodati were worthy of a novel in their own right. She’d travelled to Switzerland with her young lover, the Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley.
They’d been invited here by Mary’s stepsister, Claire Clairmont, who’d eloped here with another brilliant poet, Lord Byron – notorious for his numerous love affairs, most infamously with his half-sister (he’d been forced to flee abroad to escape this scandal, and the rabid interest of the British press).
Byron came here in the footsteps of his hero, Genevois writer Jean-Jacques Rousseau. And now the Shelleys followed Byron, kick-starting the Swiss tourist trade.
Like Byron, Percy had left a wife - and two children - back in Britain. Mary had also borne Percy two children of her own. However instead of ending up on the Georgian equivalent of the Jeremy Kyle Show, Byron and the Shelleys channelled the charged emotions of these tangled trysts into art.
Some would say that to write well one has had to have experienced extreme emotions in their own lives and for three of the foursome that was certainly the case. I would say that all is required is an active imagination.
It reminds me of a reported conversation between Laurence Olivier and Dustin Hoffman when making the film Marathon Man. Hoffman had stayed awake for three nights so that he could portray being exhausted. When the great old man heard the explanation of why his co-star was looking so dreadful he responded with, 'Dear boy, why not try acting?'
[image error]
It wasn't just the presence of the two great poets that inspired the girl but also the place. The village in which they stayed was spectacularly beautiful surrounded by mountains and greenery, when the sun shone, but when the weather changed to stormy as it frequently does in mountainous locations, the location became spectacularly bleak and violent.
In fact 1816 was known as the year without a summer. There were several reasons for this one of which was the eruption of a massive volcanic eruption in Java which threw billions of tons of dust into the sky. The weather was so bad that the quartet were stuck inside for days and Byron suggested that they write ghost stories. None of the resulting efforts were particularly good apart from Shelley's Frankenstein.
If you only know Frankenstein from the movies, Mary’s novel is a revelation. It’s a compulsive page turner, but it’s also brimming with ideas. Her father, William Godwin, was a leading radical. Her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, had been a feminist pioneer. She’d grown up surrounded by artists and intellectuals. Her writing wrestles with the great philosophical issues of the age.
Strictly speaking, Frankenstein isn’t actually a ghost story. There’s nothing supernatural about it. Like all the best Science Fiction, it’s about the here and now. Subtitled The Modern Prometheus (after the Titan of Greek mythology who stole fire from the Gods) it grapples with ethical dilemmas which still trouble us today.
Do we have the moral right to create artificial life? Are scientists creating a brave new world we can’t control? Mary anticipated the danger of separating science from morality. In 2016, the genetic engineering she foresaw has become everyday reality. Blade Runner is a direct descendant of Frankenstein.
So it doesn't really matter about your age, your location or your circumstances, what does matter is responding to those external stimuli that trigger your imagination to see things that are otherwise everyday and mundane, in a different light.
God Bless
[image error]Mary Shelley
Mary Shelley was merely 18 years of age when she began penning Frankenstein. It was in 1816 in the Villa Diodati near Geneva and at her tender age she could never have foreseen what a massive influence her story was going to have on popular culture.
The circumstances that brought Mary Shelley to the Villa Diodati were worthy of a novel in their own right. She’d travelled to Switzerland with her young lover, the Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley.
They’d been invited here by Mary’s stepsister, Claire Clairmont, who’d eloped here with another brilliant poet, Lord Byron – notorious for his numerous love affairs, most infamously with his half-sister (he’d been forced to flee abroad to escape this scandal, and the rabid interest of the British press).
Byron came here in the footsteps of his hero, Genevois writer Jean-Jacques Rousseau. And now the Shelleys followed Byron, kick-starting the Swiss tourist trade.
Like Byron, Percy had left a wife - and two children - back in Britain. Mary had also borne Percy two children of her own. However instead of ending up on the Georgian equivalent of the Jeremy Kyle Show, Byron and the Shelleys channelled the charged emotions of these tangled trysts into art.
Some would say that to write well one has had to have experienced extreme emotions in their own lives and for three of the foursome that was certainly the case. I would say that all is required is an active imagination.
It reminds me of a reported conversation between Laurence Olivier and Dustin Hoffman when making the film Marathon Man. Hoffman had stayed awake for three nights so that he could portray being exhausted. When the great old man heard the explanation of why his co-star was looking so dreadful he responded with, 'Dear boy, why not try acting?'
[image error]
It wasn't just the presence of the two great poets that inspired the girl but also the place. The village in which they stayed was spectacularly beautiful surrounded by mountains and greenery, when the sun shone, but when the weather changed to stormy as it frequently does in mountainous locations, the location became spectacularly bleak and violent.
In fact 1816 was known as the year without a summer. There were several reasons for this one of which was the eruption of a massive volcanic eruption in Java which threw billions of tons of dust into the sky. The weather was so bad that the quartet were stuck inside for days and Byron suggested that they write ghost stories. None of the resulting efforts were particularly good apart from Shelley's Frankenstein.
If you only know Frankenstein from the movies, Mary’s novel is a revelation. It’s a compulsive page turner, but it’s also brimming with ideas. Her father, William Godwin, was a leading radical. Her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, had been a feminist pioneer. She’d grown up surrounded by artists and intellectuals. Her writing wrestles with the great philosophical issues of the age.
Strictly speaking, Frankenstein isn’t actually a ghost story. There’s nothing supernatural about it. Like all the best Science Fiction, it’s about the here and now. Subtitled The Modern Prometheus (after the Titan of Greek mythology who stole fire from the Gods) it grapples with ethical dilemmas which still trouble us today.
Do we have the moral right to create artificial life? Are scientists creating a brave new world we can’t control? Mary anticipated the danger of separating science from morality. In 2016, the genetic engineering she foresaw has become everyday reality. Blade Runner is a direct descendant of Frankenstein.
So it doesn't really matter about your age, your location or your circumstances, what does matter is responding to those external stimuli that trigger your imagination to see things that are otherwise everyday and mundane, in a different light.
God Bless
May 18, 2016
Poetry Thursday 213 - Sing of Spring
Having produced words on the major sections of the orchestra last week, and having been involved in music as a singer since my teenage years, it would be remiss of me to omit singing from the suite.
[image error]
from Lungs
The capability of every person,a ubiquitous facility to produce sound,not always in successful fashion.
No rules on size or shape,the sound floats out on the breath,carried into the musical landscape.
Capable of soporific gentleness,or strident and piercing power,control is part of our humanness.
Songs and arias composed to entertain,singers are unlimited in their choice.The end product as varied as drops of rain,and the subtlety of the human voice.© David L Atkinson May 2016
Then of course it is the season of Spring and it would be remiss of me to not make some comment.
[image error]
Spring
Pollen beetles thrive,new life in the hive,more work in the cemetery,even more than in memory.
New chicks stretch wings,green shoot awakenings,farmers moan over extra work,never a time for labour to shirk.
New lambs and kids gambol,the thirst for life a mad scramble.People long for the warmer weather,but beware of its changeable nature.
It feels like a new beginning,beating Winter – a sense of winning,the glorious start the sun can bring,as the eyes open upon the Spring.© David L Atkinson May 2016
God Bless
[image error]
from Lungs
The capability of every person,a ubiquitous facility to produce sound,not always in successful fashion.
No rules on size or shape,the sound floats out on the breath,carried into the musical landscape.
Capable of soporific gentleness,or strident and piercing power,control is part of our humanness.
Songs and arias composed to entertain,singers are unlimited in their choice.The end product as varied as drops of rain,and the subtlety of the human voice.© David L Atkinson May 2016
Then of course it is the season of Spring and it would be remiss of me to not make some comment.
[image error]
Spring
Pollen beetles thrive,new life in the hive,more work in the cemetery,even more than in memory.
New chicks stretch wings,green shoot awakenings,farmers moan over extra work,never a time for labour to shirk.
New lambs and kids gambol,the thirst for life a mad scramble.People long for the warmer weather,but beware of its changeable nature.
It feels like a new beginning,beating Winter – a sense of winning,the glorious start the sun can bring,as the eyes open upon the Spring.© David L Atkinson May 2016
God Bless
