<p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning /> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas /> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables /> <w:SnapToGridInCell /> <w:WrapTextWithPunct /> <w:UseAsianBreakRules /> <w:DontGrowAutofit /> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]> <span class="mceItemObject" classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id=ieooui> </span> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;">North Country Theatre Artistic Director: <strong>Nobby Dimon</strong>&nbsp; <a href="http://www.northcountrytheatre.com/artdir.html "><span></span></a></span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning /> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas /> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables /> <w:SnapToGridInCell /> <w:WrapTextWithPunct /> <w:UseAsianBreakRules /> <w:DontGrowAutofit /> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.northcountrytheatre.com/artdir.html ">http://www.northcountrytheatre.com/artdir.html</a></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;">has directed yet another play which was absolutely <em>oar-</em>some.<span>&nbsp; </span>The matin&eacute;e production was staged, once again, at the Hutton Rudby Village Hall on Saturday 5 March 2011 at 2.30 pm.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;">The last time I reported on a Nobby Dimon play, that was held in the same rural location, can be read here: <a href="blogs/entry/Home-on-the-Range">http://www.writelink.co.uk/community/blogs/entry/Home-on-the-Range</a>, only this time <em>Skallagrimson Keeps His Head</em> was specially commissioned by the Yorvik Viking Festival.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"> </span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;">Before the play began Nobby asked the audience who had heard of the main character: Egil Skallagrimson. Perhaps ironically, few hands were raised as opposed to many being raised when asked who had heard of King Eric Bloodaxe.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;">Whereas Egil Skallagrimson could be viewed as a mythological character, in Iceland he is still very much a folk hero and children there are still taught about him in school.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"> </span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;">Egil&rsquo;s epic 10^th century Icelandic saga centres on the life of Egil Skallagrimson, an Icelandic farmer, Viking and skaldic poet.<span>&nbsp; </span>Here is an excellent link to learn more of the saga entitled: </span><span style="font-family: times; color: black; font-size: small;">Egil Skallagrimson and the Viking Ideal by Christina von Nolcken:</span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"> <a href="http://fathom.lib.uchicago.edu/1/777777122294/">http://fathom.lib.uchicago.edu/1/777777122294/</a></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"> </span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;">Nobby went on to claim that skaldic poetry is a bit like today&rsquo;s performance poetry as the tales passed on can be folksy, accompanied by music (see picture of six stringed liae) and images &ndash; the poets may even dress-up etc.<span>&nbsp; </span>The tales of war were probably passed on by rote for the bards to epically perform from the spoken word.<span>&nbsp; </span>The big difference is that poetry then was often referred to as Odin&rsquo;s Meade and for this culture, poetry and war went hand in hand.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;">He further added that the strength in word-weaving often conjured up an image by linking words together such as: <em>swan-necked-ship</em>;<em> arrows feel like hail they say</em>;<em> bitter-battle-deed</em>; <em>shields were shattered in the fray</em>.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;">&ldquo;When the ice-fast fjord</span></em></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;">Fractured into floes</span></em></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;">I went aboard</span></em></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;">my wooden whale-road rider&hellip;&rdquo;</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"> </span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;">Overall, the play was a fast moving tongue-in-cheek version of Egil&rsquo;s epic Icelandic saga: a classic that proved to be an educationally informative and entertaining mix of murder, mayhem and mirth in equal measure.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"> </span></p> <p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 </xml><![endif][if gte mso 9]><xml> </xml><![endif][if !mso]> <span class="mceItemObject" classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id=ieooui> </span> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif][if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I was at the Theatre Royal in Newcastle last Thursday evening, waiting for Madame Butterfly to begin, when I turned to my friend and asked if she'd been watching Coronation Street recently.&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Yes I have she replied, even though some people deny watching it on account of them being snobs.&nbsp; It's like watching Shakespeare she continued, or something like that anyway, and I agreed.&nbsp; And what was it Shakespeare said in: <em>As You Like It</em>:</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">All the world's a stage,<br /> And all the men and women merely players:<br /> They have their exits and their entrances;<br /> And one man in his time plays many parts,..'</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Sounds like a clich&eacute;, but then, that's life - a play within a play.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Norris, you know the one, he owns the newsagents in Coronation Street, or does he joint own it with Rita Fairclough.&nbsp; Hang on though, isn't her surname Sullivan these days?&nbsp; She's had that many husbands, one of them a serial killer if I recall correctly - whatever, it doesn't take long to catch up.&nbsp; And what about that whatsoname - the one pursuing Audrey Roberts, the cad - Lewis Archer - oh well, he's company I suppose, Audrey.&nbsp; Hang on to your inheritance though, pet.&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It's an English institution Coronation Street - I used to watch it with my Nana and remember the hairnetted Ena Sharples having a stout in the Rovers Retrun with her friend, Minnie Caldwell. Hilda Ogden singing whilst dusting; those 3 flying ducks on the wall, and her husband the pigeon fancier...</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Where was I, oh yes, the Theatre Royal in Newcastle has had a makeover and looks amazing - reupholstered Georgian seats with plenty of leg room. Overall the building and d&eacute;cor are classical and not too overstated.&nbsp; They have unobtrusive screens on either side of the stage so that the audience can read the libretto.&nbsp; A must, especially if you're not Italian. There's an ample sized bar with plenty of space behind it.&nbsp; There's plenty of space in front, too, for theatre goers to chat and drink without feeling you're in the way for either being nudged or shoved. It's the first time I've been to an opera and Madame Butterfly was, I thought, a good introductory experience.&nbsp; Hoping to see the Ballet: Nutcracker next (unfortunate name, don't you think?)</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">As for Norris saying we live in a self-congratulatory world and that every day seems to be a celebratory day for something or other, I think he's right.&nbsp; Well, things do move on Norris, and here is my self-congratulatory news.&nbsp; </span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">After winning Writelink's Love Divine Poetry Comp with my poem: <em>April's Foolish Tryst </em>with a cash prize of &pound;20, I was further delighted to have my poem: <em>Absence </em>selected to celebrate the naming of Tomas Transtr&ouml;mer as the Nobel laureate for literature at the end of 2011. It can be read here: <a href="http://t.co/lBr4Fsl" title="http://www.nftu.co.uk/2012/03/14/poetry-response-2-%E2%80%9Cafter-someones-death%E2%80%9D-by-tomas-transtromer/">http://www.nftu.co.uk/2012/03/14/poetry-response-2-%E2%80%9Cafter-someones-death%E2%80%9D-by-tomas-transtromer/</a></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This is just between me and you, Writelinkers, but I hadn't a clue who Tomas Transtr&ouml;mer was, but after seeing a call-for-submissions in response to his poem: &lsquo;<em>After somone's death</em>' that I read via @poetryresponse, it inspired said poem.&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Tomas Transtr&ouml;mer was born on 15 April 1931 and is a Swedish writer, poet and translator, whose poetry has been translated into over 60 languages. Tomas Transtr&ouml;mer is acclaimed as one of the most important Scandinavian writers since the Second World War. Critics have praised Transtr&ouml;mer's poems for their accessibility, even in translation; his poems capture the long Swedish winters, the rhythm of the seasons and the palpable, atmospheric beauty of nature.&nbsp; (Wikipedia)</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Gosh, how proud am I, and of course I'll be reading his English translations of published poetry.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p>

<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Transient Tainted Whispers was my first poem to receive payment and was published here, on Writelink. This really needs to be read out loud to appreciate the onomatopoeia, sometimes called echoism.&nbsp; The line count had to be a minimum of 12.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Transient Tainted Whispers</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;">Slicing wind-fringed rain snuffs out heat-baked</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;">landscaped memories of swizh swizh sounding whispers</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;">frisking through ripened corn...</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;">stealing in with a cool-cast dawn is a grey-gauze mist</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;">that drips solaced vapours on fizzling dreams</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;">of longer lasting days.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;">Abandoned hedgerows display elastic-anchored</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;">spider webbed veils adorned with chandeliered drops</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;">of soft shivering pearly glitz...</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;">deepening shadows of dusk eclipse with </span></p> <p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;">a hushed overspill of sizzling gold smudged onto</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;">a transient sky tinged with iridescent feathered wisps...</span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;">Writen by Marilyn Sylvester&copy;</span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;">September 19, 2006</span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><span style="font-size: medium;">It's not my style to brag, but then what can I do, as it would seem that if I don't make a posting, I'll soon be below the top ten blog spot. Here's the trumpet blow then: I'm thrilled to announce that my poem entitled: <em>Melancholy Waltz </em>won the Writelink Quarterly, Poetry Challenge.</span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><span style="font-size: medium;">Now what, well, it would seem that this year, I really need to pluck up enough courage to submit my efforts to other poetry competitions. More easily said than done.&nbsp; Cheers!</span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p> <p>All this week on the BBC Radio 2 show, Jeremy Vine invited listeners to phone, or email any poems that they felt had changed their lives.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>On each day the poems have been based on themes of: love, war, children, places and death.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>I'm hoping to catch-up and listen to the &lsquo;children' and &lsquo;places' poems etc., via Podcast.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>Resident poets Lucy Berry and Mr Gee have written poems based on the themes and they can be read on this website.&nbsp; </strong></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/jeremy-vine/poetry/">http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/jeremy-vine/poetry/</a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><span style="font-size: medium;">Congratulations Caroline!&nbsp; Your poem the: <em>Wishing Woman of Seal Bay</em> is beautifully executed and what a worthy winning poem.&nbsp; When I realised that Jenny was to be the judge, I tried&nbsp; so hard to finish a poem in the hope of being placed in the top ten somewhere, just for her feedback alone.&nbsp; I so admire her work. &nbsp; </span></p> <p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p><span style="font-size: medium;">Alas, my poem was nowhere near ready for the deadline. &nbsp;&nbsp; Nevertheless, her feedback on the Grape and Grain poetry competition has more than made up for my disappointment. &nbsp; </span></p>

<p><span style="font-size: small;">The children's winning poem: <strong><em>Cross-eyed cat</em></strong> has been announced in The Plough Prize 2010 results and is delightfully funny: <a href="http://www.theploughprize.co.uk/" title="The Plough Prize 2010 results">http://www.theploughprize.co.uk/</a><br /></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">Carol Ann Duffy claims that: Poems are a form of texting.&nbsp; I knew this texting lark would come back to haunt me:</span> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning /> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas /> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables /> <w:SnapToGridInCell /> <w:WrapTextWithPunct /> <w:UseAsianBreakRules /> <w:DontGrowAutofit /> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--><a href="http://tinyurl.com/45xj28d"><strong>http://tinyurl.com/45xj28d</strong></a></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>