Archives for: 2008
Irish Water Spaniels
A Christmas Bird
North Yorkshire Village Dogs (6)
Accelerated Learning
Christmas Craft Fair
Yarm School's Christmas Fair was held on Saturday. I didn't go, but remembered what I wrote last year.
Centenary Portrait - Daphne du Maurier
I wrote this in early 2007 before her centenary. It's past it's sell-by date. But this is what sparked my Houses in Fiction piece.
North Yorkshire Village Dogs (5)
Dogs of Troy
An illustrated story where the photos are as important as the text. It's a bit of an experiment. Please let me know what you think.
Apples Galore
October 21 was Apple Day - the day to celebrate British apples. I was to darned busy to celebrate. I was peeling apples..
Flop or Success
A piece written for a meeting of Yarm Writers Group. Can you identify the quotations used? {20 in all} To help you I have added numbers in the appropriate place.
Something For The Weekend
It all started because my wife had decided to change her car. The new car would not be ready until the middle of this week. As usual she could not wait…
North Yorkshire Village Dogs (4)
Butterflies
There have been very few butterflies in our garden to admire this year . Hardly any tortoiseshells, cabbage whites were the most common, a peacock or two on the buddleia and then last week this appeared.
Poetry Reading
I went to listen today to John Watson, a poet from the Yorkshire Dales, reading and explaining the stories behind his favourite poems.
Help Wanted from Poetry Buffs
I am trying to find out who wrote a poem I vaguely remember from my school days.
I believe it started like this...
More Passionate Affairs
Paola’s comment on my earlier blog about Twenty-four Hours of passion started me looking for more information.
By chance I came across an article by Ali Barwani in a recent issue of The Lady about the passion fruit and passion flowers.
So put away those thoughts about erotic pastimes and concentrate on the connection between the flower and the Crucifixion.
The structure of the passion flower was used by early Catholic missionaries to teach people about Christ’s suffering on the cross.
The three spreading stigmas represent the nails, the five stamens symbolising the wounds. The stalk supporting the male and female parts is said to be the flagellation column and the double row of filaments of the corona are either the crown of thorns or Christ’s halo. Ten petals are the disciples (without Peter and Judas) with the leaves standing for Christ’s five fingers or the grasping hands of the Roman centurions. The scourges are represented by the tendrils of the flower.
Having read the full article I am now waiting, I hope not in vain, for my plant which this year has had more flowers than ever before to produce some juicy passion fruits.
North Yorkshire Village Dogs (3)
How many beans make five?
Can't Write. Won't Write
Bob's your uncle!
On The Garden Path
Twenty-four Hours of Passion
North Yorkshire Village Dogs (2)
Born on a moor land farm it seems right that the second in the series on dogs in a North Yorkshire village should have the name of Bracken.
Sam - Refuge Update
Flamboyant or Reserved
Sam's Refuge
Dancing in a Pink Tutu
If I had written this I would have posted it in the Arena.
My American son-in-law sent me this 'true' story
100 Words Clear a Writer's Block
Lucky Dog
Lucky Dog
Kathy, who is ninety next month, is the oldest member of our writing group. One week she read us her story of her visit to see her latest great grandson.
North Yorkshire Village Dogs (1)
Yarm Writers Group
I have been a member of Yarm Writers Group (YWG) for just over a year.
The group meets once a fortnight in the library at Yarm. The group aims to be fun and I can vouch for the friendly atmosphere. It has been in existence for 25 years
Doris Perley, who writes family and local history,chairs each meeting. Doris says we may not be the most talented writing group, we write because we enjoy it.
At each session a topic is set for members to write about and read from at the next meeting - it's not compulsory. Criticism is rarely harsh as the aim is to provide support and build confidence in what we write. If one person in the group enjoys the writing then that's a successful piece.
People visiting the library have been heard to say, "I go on a Thursday because of the laughter from the meeting room.
Each year there is an outing - last year to Alnwick Castle. Next month we are to visit Eden Camp which claims to be the only modern history theme museum of its type in the world covering WWII and military history of the 20th century. The camp held Italian and German POWs during the war.