David L. Atkinson's Blog, page 88

Writing - St Patrick's Day and more

Happy St Patrick's Day to all those from Ireland or of Irish ancestry and anyone else who celebrates because of the love of Guiness.
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Guinness is an Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of 
Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin. Guinness is one of 
the most successful beer brands worldwide. It is brewed in almost 
60 countries and is available in over 120.


Facts about the life of St Patrick come from his own autobiographies. He was the son of a Roman couple living in the UK who, as a 14 year old, was then captured and taken to Ireland where he spent six years herding sheep. Eventually he escaped but returned to Ireland and began to teach the Pagans about Christianity.
The story is longer and I invite you to research more if you are interested. It does illustrate the importance of writing and makes me wonder where we would be if we hadn't written down what our lives were like in history. It is something that keeps me thinking about an autobiography. Well if a 25 year old footballer can have one written surely I can do my own.
I read a really good blog yesterday by Caleb Pirtle, one of the co-founders of Venture Galleries, which was entitled 'Why are writers so paranoid?' (Click on the link for the full article).
[image error]Caleb Pirtle III
To paraphrase - the article was about the gut churning feeling that I get when people ask me about my writing. The whole time I'm waiting for the veiled criticism, or the mocking, derisive dismissal of my work. When supporters suggest things like writing circles, reviews I can thing of dozens of reasons for not being involved, the concept is gut wrenchingly terrifying to me. Part of that is because of the psychological problems I have with self-esteem and depression but I feel that if I didn't have those issues I would still be reluctant to share.The article sums up with some real confidence boosting words that I will repeat.
Writers are blessed with ideas.Writers have stories.Writers have taken the time to put those stories on the pages of a book or the screen of a Kindle.They wrote.They published.They stuck it out.They have a gift.Whether a writer has one book or dozens they have the desire to do better, to write better and to tell better stories.
God Bless

Tuesday cookery - Roast lamb and boulangerie potatoes

I was interested in the story behind the potatoes I've cooked this week which persuaded me to attempt Tom Kerridge's roast lamb recipe.

Shoulder of lamb roasted on potatoes
Although the lead ingredient of this dish is roast shoulder of lamb it was the cooking of the potatoes that intrigued me. This is a slow roast dish and lamb shoulder is suited to this type of cooking. In preparation I cut deep holes in the meat and inserted whole cloves of garlic so that they were hidden by the lamb and therefore wouldn't burn. Roast garlic tends to be milder than other ways of cooking it and is a delightful flavour which permeates the meat from deep inside.The potatoes are cooked in a rustic French manner. In olden times when the local bakeries, boulangerie, had finished producing bread for the day the ladies in the villages would bring their roasting tins, containing the prepared potatoes and meat, to roast in the residual heat of the bakers ovens.The recipe is quite straight forward. Slice the potatoes thinly and chop an onion. Layer potatoes, onions, thyme and seasoning finishing with potatoes. Sit the shoulder of lamb on top and pour over quality chicken or vegetable stock and cook slowly on a gentle heat for several hours.
Plated lamb and potatoes with roasted rootsand green beans.
You could actually serve this with any vegetables of your liking. I roasted carrot and parsnip and sautéed green beans in butter and black pepper. 
Economically, a £3-50 piece of pork shoulder served 4 meals. The prices of the vegetables were negligible.
God Bless

Writing - Beware the Ides

The Ides of March famously the date when Julius Caesar was stabbed in the back by Brutus and Cassius was the 15th of the month 44BC.


In fact there were around 60 senators ready to stick the knife in on the day which, if you that unpopular, you would have thought that it was time to catch the nearest chariot out of Rome and not attend the fateful meeting. In fact the Ides of March was also a day for settling debts of a more fiscal nature, rather ironic.
In fact the date has been significant throughout history. I suppose if you selected any date you would find significant occurrences but the interest comes from the echo of Caesar's demise.
1360 - The French attacked the English south coast1493 - Christopher Columbus returned from his first New World voyage.1812 - First Russian settlement in California - Russian River1820 - Maine admitted as the 23rd state of the union1848 - Hungarian Revolution1877 - 1st Test Cricket match against Australia1906 - Rolls Royce formed1907 - Finland the first European country to give women the vote.1939 - Hitler invades Czechoslavakia1946 - India given the right to Independence1961 - South Africa withdraws from the Commonwealth1965 - 1st TGI Friday's restaurant opens
These are just a few of the date specific events occurring on the Ides.
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Of course it is Mother's Day in the UK this year which occurs in the middle of Lent and was introduced to be a moment of light in the dark times that were Lent.
Also, in two days, it will be St. Patrick's Day the patron saint of Ireland.
It's hardly surprising that dates in March are significant as it is also the onset of Spring and therefore the time when new projects tend to start. I even went into our church's graveyard, ostensibly to place daffodils on Mum's grave, but also to check the conditions in there with a view to beginning to begin tending the grass etc.
Whatever happens irrespective of whether it is on the Ides of March or not, enjoy yourself it is another day of your life. 
God Bless (to Mothers in particular)

Writing - My 10 views of the week's news.

I know over the last few months I've given myself an easy Saturday by creating a blogpost from the BBC Magazine's list of 10 facts from the previous week. However, this week they're not available so I began thinking about the news myself.
1. Terry Pratchett died this week aged 66.
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Natural for me to pick out this item as a writer. I was recommended, and in fact loaned the first book in the Discworld series many years ago but never read any more. However, I know many people who appreciated the humour and cleverness of these books and will undoubtedly dip back into them in the future.
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2. Remberance Service for all those who lost their lives in Afghanistan.

Friends and relatives have gathered together in St Paul's to celebrate the lives of over 400 people who died during the conflict.
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3. IS destroy historical sites in Assyria
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It was claimed this week that IS have bulldozed historical sites in Nimrud and that they are trying to destroy humanities history.
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4. Nigel Farage shot himself in the foot this week.
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The UKIP leader is really doing his best to drive voters away from his party. This week he suggested that he would get rid of employment law that mitigated against British job applicants and some other comments that would suggest that we have now 'got used' to the cultural diversity of the UK and don't need those laws anymore.
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5. Milliband in Salmond's pocket.
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An interesting poster produced by the Conservative party. Shouldn't they be putting forward their own case for election success?
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6. Golf hazard in Florida

Another reason for not playing golf.
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7.  Rembrandt's monkey

The world's newest primate discovered in the Democratic Republic of Congo and is called a 'lesula' monkey. It's mournful expression has earned it the nickname in the title.
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8. Irish Setter  dies after appearing at Crufts
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Twenty six hours after appearing at Cruft's this beautiful dog died. It is believed that it was poisoned.
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9. Smelly poo causes a flight to turn back

A flight only a few minutes into its journey from Heathrow to Dubai was diverted back to Heathrow on health and safety grounds when the odour from a particularly 'smelly poo' was upsetting the passengers. Staff tried to solve the problem but without success and the plane returned to Heathrow.
10. Cartoon of the Week

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God Bless

Writing - Time and tide wait.

I have written quite a bit about time this week and also to a lesser extent about language. One comment I received from Jack Durish on language was particularly relevant about the differences between languages. The bottom line was that idioms are fundamentally difficult to understand and create barriers to understanding a different countries version of even the same language.
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Of course the other truism about time and language is that over time language evolves, I gave many examples of that yesterday.
However, as humans, we have a serious attachment to time, and to appreciate how much all that is needed is to consider everyday speech,
hurry up or you'll miss the bus
no one can stop the march of time
time is like a never ending stream
a good time was had by all
a stitch in time saves nine
have a good time
time is a great healer
It would be possible to fill reams with examples such as the above but time requires that I complete this blog some time this century.
Naturally, selling books takes time and there are some signs that it patience is a virtue!

My 10 books as of December 2014
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 thin collections of poetry available solely through Amazon.
The Musings of a Confused Mind 
and
Words from the Raindrops 

God Bless
Visit David L's profile on Pinterest.

Writing - I love our language but!

I really do like our language - that's English - but over the years I've been unlucky enough to witness the attempts of pseudo-intellectuals to chew it up to the point of being unrecognisable. I heard an absolute cracker this morning!
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Morrison's announced their profits today and they came out with the following phrase as part of the statement,
'net new space will be negative'
You will undoubtedly work out that it means they are going to close some stores but then as a piece of English it was described as 'Corporate speak' which of course is a sector of industry trying to make their world exclusive by adopting a set of phrases or words, not in common usage, with meanings that are in fact quite plain. It makes you wonder why they feel the need to be so obtuse. I personally have more respect for plain speaking and have a positive aversion to jargon.

When in college and attending courses in years of work since there is always an attempt by groups to introduce the concept of exclusivity by excluding those not up-to-date with current jargon which is defined as,
language that is characterized by uncommon or pretentious 
vocabulary and convoluted syntax and is often vague in meaning.

Children play around with words when creating groups that friends 
belong to, but in that case it is understandable and temporary. For 
companies and corporations to 'play the same game' is rather silly. 
Another example,

'let me unpack that for you' - this is so demeaning suggesting that the listeners haven't the wit to understand something themselves, when in fact they have just had their ears assaulted by more pretentious and confusing garbage.
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When I left teaching and joined a well known high street bank the shock waiting for me wasn't just jargon but acronyms. In fact the people in the supervisory and training roles used acronyms so frequently I wonder in retrospect how they managed to hold normal conversations. Of course that was then compounded by the development of text speak!
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What really worries me is the development of language in young children. I can remember discussing the slow development in speech in some children, possibly because of too much baby talk by the parents, as only new young parents do. However, these days there is text speak, acronyms, corporate speak, American English, Australian English and so on. Kids have no chance these days.
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There are lists of acronyms and I'll share a few with you but just a word about thoughtlessness that are embodied in some of them. I was brought up a Christian, not overpoweringly so, but there were certain things you didn't say. For instance, you didn't take the Lord's name in vain when mum was around and yet today people OMG this and OMG that and I mentally cringe. Similarly, national newscasters seem unable to describe the little people in our lives as 'kids' when in fact they are baby goats. I don't know about yours but none of mine are of that species. Finally, a real pet hate 'cor blimey' which is derived from God Blind Me - no thank you!!!
Some common acronyms
AFK – Away From Keyboard
BRB – Be Right Back
BBIAB – Be Back In A Bit
BBL – Be Back Later
TTFN – Ta Ta For Now
BBS – Be Back Soon
BTW – By The Way
HAGN – Have A Good Night
KISS – Keep It Simple Stupid
KIT – Keep In Touch
NYOB – None of Your Business
OMG – Oh My God
God Bless

Poetry Thursday 151 - Now consider time

Where the inspiration has come from for my current preoccupation with time I am unsure. It could have been the film 'Lucy' or Will Smith's portrayal of Lucifer in 'A New York Winter's Tale.' Perhaps it is because I'm another month closer to a significant birthday. Perhaps all measures of personal time are significant.

Now
Now I’m childNow I’m waterNow I’m darknessNow I see the liesNow I’m the space between heart beatsNow I’m an event horizonNow I’m wavesNow I’m particleNow I’m successNow I’m infinite© David L Atkinson March 2015

The above is intentionally abstract and is intended to be read in the mind and the affect of each line considered. Some lines may bear no relevance, others may be shattering - read with care!


Consider Time
It only takes a second to make a mistake,and a minute to compound the error.An hour is a significant time to take,and in a day create real terror.
Some real creativity happens every day,and in politics a long time is a week.A month can chase the seasons away,and a good year on January 1st we seek.
When young a school day is so slow,even though it lasts just a few hours.When old, months faster than rivers flow,and time takes away our powers.
Time like sand flows through our hands,like running water we can touch only once.It never returns for a second night’s stand,but is gone forever without response.
Time is passive in one voice,and an unstoppable action in another.It provides the opportunity to make a choicebut is unmoved if we don’t bother.© David L Atkinson March 2015
God Bless

Writing - Procrastination rules ok

I reckon I could seriously reduce the time it takes me to write a full length story. Currently it takes around 6 months and I produce around 60 - 70k words. I write probably 2000 to 3000 words a week when I'm really trying!!! So what happened?
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I'm not extolling the virtues of procrastination but rather lamenting the waste of time. It's not just my bad - to use a modern idiom.
Really what I'm writing about is how I organise my writing process. As experience increases, my process has developed and I think I'm better able to describe how I write. Within that process is a considerable amount of thinking time which helps me avoid writers' block. I do believe that established characters lead the story but there is always a point when he/she needs a push in a suitable direction. One philosophy I adhere to is that if you are a writer, self-published or otherwise, then you should write something everyday. I believe that part of the reason for this is that writing is a physical and a mental process that you must stay fit to continue doing. So given the above I hate time wasting. Okay, there are times when I'll even dust the house before settling down to write but I always try and write something towards my longer works every week day. I find that if I'm mentally prepared to write then I write more quickly. 
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Time wasting is actually quite serious and expensive for the economy of countries. Here are some examples,
[image error]A car crash
So two cars collide at a junction and the police arrive. The drivers are not disputing who is to blame but because the police have arrived they start measuring, interviewing and recording information. It's a costly waste of time!
[image error]Pointless research
Have you ever stopped to listen to the results of research that are often broadcast in the daily news? I was watching an antiques programme today and a girl was describing her PhD studies which were on the feminist views in Victorian novels. I'm not against feminism or equality in fact I'm very much in favour of humans being treated fairly irrespective of sex, colour or creed. However, I'm against universities supporting studies that have little value and yet are taking the students money and saddling them with huge debts carried on in to their working life. Other research includes titles such as 'ducks can be necrophiliac homosexuals'; 'suicide rates are linked to the amount of country music played; and, 'Chinstrap penguins can shoot poo up to 40cm'.
The point is that time consuming activities can have detrimental affects if not managed appropriately. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to stifle creative thinking and objective research but there just seems to be a lack of pre-thought when planning such topics.
For a change I leave you with a biblical quote,
 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
I would add another verse, a time to write and a time to procrastinate.

God Bless

Tuesday cooking - Turkey and ham crumble

Once again a very cheap meal and also simple enough to make. 
Turkey and ham crumble
The crumble was easy to prepare but be aware of making the topping too thick. It was rather dry so probably not enough butter.

Duchess potatoes
My own attempt at duchesse potatoes. I used par boiled sliced potato, onion, garlic, salt and pepper and creme fraiche. Very good result even though I say so myself.

Crumble and potato plated up
This meal would go very well with any green vegetable.
The full recipe is on the Tab.


God Bless

Writing - A brief consideration of time.

It would be difficult these days for anyone to say that they are unaffected by the passage of time. We are often bombarded with comments regarding how much faster the world seems to be turning and how fast our lives are flying by. In fact the bottom line is that there are 50 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour, 24 hours in a day and so on. It's all about perception.
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Here is a remarkable man who knows about time and I would recommend his book 'A Brief History of Time'. It is very readable, has personal touches but there are some concepts which are difficult to grasp. I also believe that it has sold over 10 million copies.
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Even writing fiction stories has a time element because it helps the reader get a foot hold in the story.
I heard an interesting take on why time seems to pass more quickly as you get older. Consider!
When you are ten years old one year is 10% of your time on this earth. However, when you are fifty years old one year is only 2% of your life. Psychologically it seems that time is passing more quickly.
Stories have elements of time by design or as a result of need. There are stories about time travel, stories set in the future and stories set in the past. Cessation my dystopian novel, is set ten years from now. It seems that time is almost like a flexible spine giving support, in some degree, to the stories we write.
I recently watched a film 'A New York Winter's Tale' starring, Colin Farrell and Russell Crowe.
[image error]Will Smith as Lucifer
Will Smith takes quite a small, but nevertheless significant role, as Lucifer and during a conversation rounds on the luckless Crowe (Pearly) who drops the time related word 'now' into the conversation much to the annoyance of Lucifer. It is interesting that Smith only appears a couple of times in a windowless basement reading 'A Brief History of Time' and when his demon speaks the word 'now' responds with his tirade beginning,
'do not speak to me of time demon speech'
"You have no idea what now is. Now, I was flying... Now, I breathed fire and I ate them as they fled. Now, I whipped my tail and the winds trembled. Now, I am hidden in this pale shade of flesh and bones. Now, I am witness to men's eternal salvation. Now, I am witness to his demise. Do not speak to me of time, demon, it's simplest ebbs and turns elude your meagre understanding - Find another way, NOW!!!! " 

This relatively short tirade seems to me to embody the whole 
complexity of time and I believe is echoed in the well-known 
Salvadore Dali clock painting.

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The more you consider this painting the more, it seems to me, to be 
an excellent representation of the complexities of time. Do not 
neglect time in your writing.
I hope you have time to read this and consider the message.

God Bless