You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion
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Watcha Doin' - 2016.1
Sorry to hear you are sick, Sandra. Get well soon!I still haven't entirely shaken off my flu. I'm a lot better than I was but I've still got a cough and a sore throat.
Ugh, sorry Sandra. Hope you are feeling better soon. I am finally recovering from my virus, so there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Thank you everyone. I'm glad to know you are feeling better too, both Lisas. :) Cough takes for ever to go away, and it's so annoying.
Hope everyone that is ill gets better soon :) We were supposed to have snow here over the weekend but none came, thank goodness! Now that spring is here I'm ready for sunshine!!!! And no snow!!!!
Hope you all feel better soon!Thanks for the birthday wishes, but it isn't until Sunday :)
I just heard on the news about a terrorist attack at the airport and several subway stations in Brussels, Belgium. Some reports say one dead, others say 14. This is really close (well, still quite far away, not next-door, but a neighbouring country) to home.
Peggy wrote: "Hope you all feel better soon!Thanks for the birthday wishes, but it isn't until Sunday :)
I just heard on the news about a terrorist attack at the airport and several subway stations in Brusse..."
I have just heard about the Brussels terror attack too. The latest reports are saying "at least" 13 people have been killed. It's absolutely dreadful. Literally nowhere is safe anymore :(
I don't know if we have any group members who live in Brussels but if we do, I hope you and your families are all safe.
That's what I heard too. 13 at the airport and 13 in one of the subway stations. And lots of injured people obviously.I'm following a live blog on the situation and my Belgian colleague is giving updates too, and it seems the situation is getting worse the more time passes. All of Brussels is now in lockdown, suspicious packages have been found in Antwerp train stations, in all of Flanders (basically half of Belgium) children cannot go out of school. Like they are expecting more to come, and apparently some of the attackers are on the run.
What is happening to our world :( Hope the attackers are caught!
I just read it too. It's terrible.
The latest report is 26 people dead, 136 injured and some of them (at least 10) are critical. It's just getting worse and worse.
It's horrible.
Just checking in to say I hope everyone's family and friends are safe in Brussels. so horrible, and such a nice place. Hope all of yours are safe.also hope your winter illnesses are all beginning to start leaving you alone.
currently in Port of Spain in Trinidad. one wedding (the big Hindu one) down, one more to go. off to Tobago tomorrow.
hope everyone is well!
Yes it's bad about Belgium. Is Ariane in Belgium? And again I notice how the European/Western attacks are mentioned loads in the media (social media in particular) yet all the recent bombs in Turkey go unreported.
I'm finally back to health after a crippling migraine at the weekend. I went climbing yesterday and my muscles are feeling it right now.
Sarah wrote: "Yes it's bad about Belgium. Is Ariane in Belgium? And again I notice how the European/Western attacks are mentioned loads in the media (social media in particular) yet all the recent bombs in Tur..."
I didn't know about Turkey until a few of our family members that are currently living in the area mentioned it on Facebook (they are ok). Scary and sad.
we heard lots about turkey.
I found the news about turkey in many online news portals, but I'm sure Brussels will have much more impact in media coverage.
When the attacks happened in Paris, the day before there were attacks in another country (can't remember which now). Paris was plastered all over news etc, other one wasn't. It was a Muslim country. Same now with Belgium and Turkey. One gets airtime, one doesn't. I guess it's not just the lack of airtime but it's the FB status updates for Belgium and not Turkey which get me most. It really frustrates me. Isn't all life sacred? Aren't all terror attacks savage? Good to hear your family are safe in Turkey, Stephanie.
Yes, you are right, Sarah. I've heard excuses like "but they live like that" when the attacks are in Muslim countries.
I think it's not just with attacks, but with all news, good or bad. The further away (not necessarily in distance) something happens, the less coverage it gets. There was a plane crash in Russia a few days ago with over 60 dead, but except for one short news item, I didn't read anything about it. Had this plane crashed in the UK or in Germany or France, there would be much more of it on the news. I guess people more directly identify with Belgians then with people from a Muslim country, and when you identify more you care more. I get where it comes from but I agree that especially those sentiments of Je suis Charlie or changing your facebook profile to the flag of a country (France, now Belgium) but not doing the same for Turkey or other countries is a bit hypocritical.
Maybe it's comparable to if something bad happens to someone you know very well, and you show a lot of empathy and feel sad too. But if that same something would happen to the sister of your brother's friend, whom you only know by name and have never met, you feel less affected. It's sad, but isn't on your mind so much. Belgium would sort of be your friend, close and well-known, while Turkey is the sister of your brother's friend. It's still bad, but you're less affected and don't feel such a strong need to do something.
Before Paris, was Beirut, Lebanon.
I didn't hear about the attacks in Turkey either, just saw a report on Brussels. It's so shocking, and scary.
We have had a lot of news coverage in the US about the Brussels attacks but not so much about Turkey, etc. My heart goes out to all of the individuals (and their families) who were caught in the midst of these horrible events.
I think the lack of coverage of the attack in Turkey is down to the fact that attacks like that are unfortunately becoming an almost daily occurrence in the Middle East. People pretty much expect attacks to happen there now and when they do, they are viewed as less shocking. Sadly, when things become fairly common, they are often deemed to be less news-worthy. It shouldn't be the case but it feels like it is. That's probably why there are hardly any positive or uplifting stories in the media. The shocking, unexpected and sensational stories seem to sell far better than anything positive or more commonplace.
Stephanie wrote: "My husband I went and saw an Elton John concert tonight. It was fun. I'm pretty tired and the concert didn't start till 8pm but I was able to stay awake ;)Elton John puts on a great show and his p..."
Yes, I saw him about three years ago. He is awesome
Sandra wrote: "How is everybody doing? We had some snow yesterday, but it is already melting. I don't know what's wrong with me this year, but I', sick again. :[ So far 5 days of sore throat, some fever, running..."
Get better, Sandra!
Crazy things going on around .. Explosions and airplane crashes all over the world!
I like your analogy Peggy!I'm at work today but this evening I'm off out to watch an independent film which has been made about boaters on the K&A canal (the one I'm on). It's looking at a couple of families who have been refused a license for the canal and face having their boat removed, leaving them homeless. The CRT who license our boats is becoming increasingly fascist for want of a better word. Their aim is to please the walkers, cyclists and holidaymakers and make everything perfect for them. They changed the rules this last year. We now have to have a range of 20 miles cruised over the term of our license otherwise they won't reissue a license. We've done way over that so I think we'll be ok but we have friends who have done 20 and in some cases just over who have still been refused a yearly license. For now, they've been given a 6 month license as a half way measure and if they don't do 20 miles in that shorter period, they will then be refused a license. No license means you can't have your boat on the water meaning they will loose their home. The thing is, they can't legally tell us how far or in which direction we have to travel. It's just guidelines as the law only states that we have to move every 14 days. It's very complicated and very worrying. We put all our life savings in to our boat as have many of our friends and for the CRT to threaten with not renewing licenses is so out of order. They just want liveaboards off the network, or at least that's how it looks.
That sounds very unfair and stressful Sarah. I hope you and your friends will not experience any troubles, but it sounds horrible for people who are forced to leave their boats this way. What is the problem with boaters according to the CRT? Do they think having boaters along the canal interferes with the pleasure of people who are hiking or cycling along the canal?
As in all walks of life, there are a very few people who ruin it for everyone. There are some boats on the system who do not move every 14 days, hogging prime positions for months on end. Some people are messy. But the vast majority are considerate, clean up after themselves and follow the law of moving on a regular basis. The CRT makes a lot of money from the hire boat companies and these boats make use of the visitor moorings dotted along the canal. These get very busy in the summer and you can only stay on them for 24-48 hrs as opposed to the usual 14 days. They want more visitor moorings and less 14 day spots I guess which squeezes us liveaboards out leaving less mooring spots to go around. This stretch of the canal is very clogged as is London as you can imagine.
There is a big us and them mentality on the canals. Generally, marina dwellers don't like constant cruisers (which is what I am) because they perceive we get something for nothing, marina dwellers and constant cruisers don't tend to like hire boaters because they are reckless, inexperienced, crash in to our boats and can often be very confrontational/abusive towards us (although no one has said anything to us yet), hireboaters don't like constant cruisers as they think we're all either hippies, gypsies, unemployed, benefit scroungers who pay no tax and should live in a real house (which is what the abuse tends to be about). It's ridiculous. I truly believe that those in the CRT also have this same view of constant cruisers. And the way they word their guidance rules suggests they really want us all to live in a marina so they can make more money. It makes me laugh because they have it so wrong. There are many families who live on the canal, most of the people I know work, whether that's employed or self employed, some are nurses, archeologists, electricians, plumbers, university lecturers etc. Yes some are hippies (and I can hold my hand up to this one), yes some wear bright colourful clothes and have dreads, yes some are of gypsy origin, and maybe there are some unemployed people too but no different to those that live in houses.
What's interesting is that to most of the walkers and cyclists who come along here, they love the vibrancy of the boats and the people who live on them. It' often why they've chosen to walk down the canal. We've had some great conversations with passers by. And it is the liveaboard constant cruisers who give it this.
There is a "Boats are Homes" protest next month in London which I think we're going to go to and a petition is being taken to parliament about how the CRT are treating constant cruisers. Whether it will do much or not is a different matter.
Best go, I could probably spend hours talking about this but I have to go to work now.
The culture of the boats on the canal is very interesting, Sarah. I had no idea it would be that political.
I can see how upsetting this can be, Sarah. It's always the same story. Instead of punish the people who doesn't follow the rules, everybody ends paying. It's unfair.
Sarah wrote: "We now have to have a range of 20 miles cruised over the term of our license ..."What is the meaning of this? (I'm afraid I do not understand too much about boats...)
What I understood is that the boat must have done at least 20 miles in order to have the license reissued.
Sarah, I wonder how much of the hostility you get from moored folk is due to jealousy because you are doing something the rest of us dream about.
@Janice - I didn't realise about the poltics either until we got the boat and started living the life.@Mariab - All boats have to be licensed in order to be able to use the waterways, just like a car has to be taxed (here in uk anyway) to be able to use the roads. Conditions of the licenses are we must move every 14 days, at least 1km. Then over the year's license, we have to have moved a total of 20 miles or more. We like moving and we are able to do this. But the CRT who issue licenses and run the waterways can't legally state how far we have to travel. But they are. And they are refusing licenses based on these additional guidelines they've imposed on us.
@Joan - I agree.
I went to see the film and it was well done. There were well over 100 boaters there. It was lovely to see everyone all in one place. We have a great community. We also heard that a lot of local house dwellers support us which is great. I think we wil move forward with a campaign to the CRT. When the film is uploaded to the internet today I'll post a link for it.
I love hearing about your boat life, Sarah. Like Janice, I never would have expected it to be so political and I'm sorry you have to deal with such unfairness and red tape. Best of luck with the protest and petitions! I hope everyone that has been sick is finally on the mend. Spring has sprung in my little corner of the world so I'm trying to keep from getting my yearly sinus infection. In other words, pollen season has officially begun. Everyone's cars and anything that is left outside unmoving for more than 10 minutes has turned yellow. I saw an ecard the other day that summed this time of year up perfectly: "Pollen is the snow of the South!"
Sarah wrote: "@Janice - I didn't realise about the poltics either until we got the boat and started living the life.@Mariab - All boats have to be licensed in order to be able to use the waterways, just like a..."
Ah. OK. Now I get it.
I signed up for a creative writing course at our local college and the first class was last night. I've always thought I'd like to write. I think I'm going to really enjoy the course. We wrote a flash story last night (a short story around 55 words). My story was about a rock and blade of grass fighting over the same space. Homework this week is to write a flash story every day. Our textbook? On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft! I was clapping. My friend was frowning. She informed me today that not everyone is a Stephen King fan. ROFL!
I kind of feel bad. My friend was the one who suggested we take a writing course. There were a couple available. One was journal writing and the other was creative writing. I said I'd rather do the creative writing one and she agreed. It was pretty evident last night that her preference was the journal writing course, and now she's unhappy. My motto is that you need to speak up if you want something. Don't be silent and then complain later because you didn't get your choice. I hope that she doesn't feel like I ramrodded her into the creative writing course.
Babbling here!
Sounds like fun Janice! A flash story sounds hard. It seems easier to write 500 words than just 50!I agree about your friend. If you don't want something but don't say so, you can't complain afterwards.
the course sounds like great fun and perhaps in a few years YLTO will have a group read of you first novel!
That's great, Janice! Is it too late for your friend to switch courses?
Enjoy your class, Janice. I agree, your friend should have spoken up earlier. I had the same thought, she could probably still transfer over to that class since it just started.
Have fun, Janice! Hopefully your friend can add the journal writing class, or if not perhaps she will have a change of heart as the current class progresses.
@Peggy. I'm enjoying writing the flash fiction. It's a challenge to create a story in so few words. It's a good starting point on which to build a larger story.As for my friend and transferring to the other course, I did think of that myself. I don't know if she will.
Happy Birthday, Peggy. :)
Thanks girls! It's tomorrow, but I already had friends over yesterday evening. Tomorrow afternoon family will drop by :)I decided to be creative because I had the day of yesterday for Good Friday, and I made 'appelflappen' (Google says 'apple turnovers' but I have no idea if that makes sense. It's puff pastry folded into a square with apple and raisins inside). Anyway, the recipe was for 16 of those, and I ended up with 34! And today I made soup for tomorrow. I thought I was making 4 litres, and I ended up with 7. Something's off...
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You'll love this one...!! A book club & more
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Daniel O'Malley (other topics)Daniel O'Malley (other topics)
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I don't know what's wrong with me this year, but I', sick again. :[ So far 5 days of sore throat, some fever, running nose... Fortunately nobody else here seems to have caught it. The worst is that I lost my voice almost completely. Can you imagine me "screaming" to my kids in signals language??? :)
@Peggy, happy birthday! One of my sons turns 5 on Friday.