Snowdrops and Snippets

 

Alpine Meadows
Angela Hanson gave a wonderful, illustrated talk to our gardening club on Alpine Meadows.  These are the upland pastures where the cattle are taken in the summer to graze, leaving the lower areas for the winter.  These meadows are home to a wide variety of flora and fauna; gentians, cowslips, orchids, golden hawksbeard, mulleins and yellowrattles.  Many of the flowers are hairy to keep them warm.  The skiing industry has left its toll, but now these meadows are recognised as important areas to be preserved.

It reminded me of my favourite story; Heidi.

Launch of The Chapel

The local writing group and radio station with which I am involved has received a huge grant to restore the old chapel which serves as their base.  It is a beautiful building with polished, wooden pews, an organ and a balcony held up by ornamental pillars.  The acoustics are amazing, allowing recitals without the need for a microphone.  The Lord Mayor attended and we heard poetry, songs and prose.  It will be a couple of years before the work is complete, but Rome wasn't built in a day!

Healthy Writers Club

Some voluntary gardening afforded strenuous exercise, managed a bit at home and Pilates.  I am also doing the 5:2 diet, where 2 days are on reduced calories leaving you to eat what you want for the rest of the week.  It suits me as you can pick your days and because you have been so careful of those days, you don't want to undo the good work on the normal days.

Someone I was at primary school with sent me this picture of when I was nine.  The lollipop lady was crossing us the road, a dual carriageway.  I was, and am, smaller than my classmates.  I am behind the  pole.  These were the days when you walked to school without parents.
 

 
Story Published on CafeLit

 
http://www.cafelit.co.uk/TheColleagueWhoCameToStay3.html



Flower arranging

The theme this month was Spring Treasures

Holocaust Memorial Day

On Sunday I accompanied my aunt to the local event to commemorate the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau  on 27 January 1945.  This year’s theme was Communities Together:   Build a Bridge.

My aunt came to the UK as a young girl on the Kindertransport after Kristallnacht to flee the Nazis.  She and her sister managed to escape but her parents and many other members of her family perished in the death camps.  Members of my family died in the Warsaw Ghetto.

Other camp survivors and their families attended.  The fact that these people have reached a grand old age and have been successful in their fields shows that, despite the holocaust, Hitler failed in his plan.

Unfortunately, many people in the world still suffer from persecution because of their race, religion, disabilities or sexuality.

One of the projects of this scheme is to keep alive the music of the death camps and a choir sang a Czech folksong composed by Gideon Klein (1919-45) while in the Terezin Concentration Camp.

Dr. Dolf Mogendorff spoke about his parents who survived the Holocaust in Holland and a group of young people acted out the story of Anna, a recent refugee w

ho fled to the UK from Eritrea.

Liesl Carter, who has only recently tracked down her father’s grave in Germany, lit candles and recited the commitments of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust and Rudi Leavor sang the mourning prayer El Male Rachamim and led the minute’s silence.

 

 

***********

 

 Written:        

 

I am keeping up with the weekly challenge and have had one short story accepted, one rejected (well send back for re-editing) and read out two of my pieces on local radio.



 

Watched:        Borgen, The Shrine, episode 1 of the new series of the excellent Moving On plus  cried my way through Call the Midwife.

Went to see the National Theatre production of The Magistrate screened locally.  Academy Award nominee and Tony Award-winner John Lithgow (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Shrek, 3rd Rock from the Sun) takes the title role in this uproarious Victorian farce, with Olivier Award-winner Nancy Carroll (After the Dance) as his wife Agatha. The director is Olivier Award-winner Timothy Sheader (Crazy for You and Into the Woods, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, London).

With his louche air and a developed taste for smoking, gambling, alcohol and woman, it's hard to believe Cis Farringdon is only fourteen. And that's because he isn't. When Agatha dropped five years from her true age and that of her son when she married amiable magistrate Posket, it sparks a series of hilarious indignities and outrageous mishaps.Read:              Very little

Healthy Writers Group

 

Shovelled a load of snow in the past week, Pilates and some indoor exercise.  It's a start!

Busy doing nothing

Gardening

A couple of dry days gave me the opportunity to hack back a cotoneaster which was making a nuisance of itself to passers-by and had dropped its berries into my wall and produced clones; prickly thug!  I replanted the wall with more bulbs and colourful polyanthuses and vowed to keep the wall in flower all year.

At the Gardening Club, members filled a table area (8ft x 2ft approx.) with examples of what is flowering or showing interesting foliage this month.  It was amazing, to say we complain there is nothing in the garden at this time of year.  One member brought some frankincense which he had purchased while on holiday in the Middle East.  It is made from the resin of a tree and is available in three grades; for medical purposes, for cosmetics or perfume and for incense.  

Out and about

Our team did not perform well at the Quiz, where we usually hold our own.

Ate with friends at the Red Hot World Buffet, which I can’t rate highly enough.  Three courses from a menu offering Mediterranean, Thai, Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Italian..... need I go on?  You can choose your dream menu and refill as often as you like!  I chose Mediterranean salads, followed by rice noodles and vegetables which were cooked in front of me and ended with a selection of Italian desserts.  For me, a vegetarian menu made in heaven!

 So that feast in addition to a 30^th Birthday Party hasn’t helped me to lose those pounds.

Writing

I am now in week 2 of the W1S1 weekly challenge which spurs me on to complete and submit my work. 

 

I recorded a couple of pieces for a local radio programme which I help plan.

Weather

We were forecast snow and it actually arrived.  Not a lot fell in our area but, for we Brits, it’s a main topic of conversation; will it, when, how much?

 And finally, check out this Facebook page for quotes by writers:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?set=a.511989498828376.128819.175634409130555&type=3

 

 I’m trying to choose one for my motivation.  Which do you prefer?

 

First footing

 

Happy New Year!

A swift look back at 2012 in no particular order

The ups:

Swam in North Sea

Completed a full year of the Write 1 Sub 1 monthly challenge leading to short stories being published.

Joined a writing group and wrote for a read some pieces on local radio.

Started Flower Arranging classes and won the trophy for best beginner out of two classes

Held a party at the coast.

A healthy new grandson

Special people treated successfully for cancer

Spent a weekend away with my sisters and an afternoon tea with many of my female cousins; ideas which had been talked about for ages.

The downs:

Lost close relatives and friends.  The downside of being blessed with a large family is that lots of celebrations are balanced with worries and losses.

I have much to be thankful for.

So what of the coming year?  While I subscribe to the Yiddish proverb which translates to “man plans, god laughs”,  I do believe in trying new things, so:

I have taken up the weekly W1S1 challenge.

I aim to complete my novel/novella

Finish those projects on my to do list.

The eat healthy, keep fit, watch weight are givens!

What would yours be?

James, from my writing group, is doing a survey and asked me my 5 best authors and 5 best books, which are not the same thing.

It wasn’t easy but this was my reply:

Authors:
Penelope Lively
Anita Shreve
Faye Kellerman
Anne Tyler
Nora Ephron

Books
The Millennium Trilogy:
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Girl who played with Fire
The Girl who kicked the Hornets' Nest
by Stieg Larsson

Heidi by Johanna Spyri

and

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

 

Reading:

Just read The Colonel and his Daughter by fellow blogger Teresa Ashby.  Great read, funny and pacy.

My next read will be by A life of two halves by my friend and ex-colleague Tom Murphy.  The title refers to the years being brought up a catholic and becoming a priest then leaving the priesthood to marry and a change career to teaching.

Watched:

Quartet.  Lovely film with great acting.  Apart from the main actors, other parts were taken by real musicians and artists.

Absolutely nothing on the TV over the holidays to mention. 

Writing:  As much as I can to keep up with the weekly challenge.

I leave you with the thought that the days are getting longer and shoots of bulbs can be seen in the garden.  Make your year a good one.

 

 

December Solstice

 

Well, we’ve made it so far.  Things can only get better as the days start to lengthen again.  At the moment it’s pouring down and flood warnings are out for some areas of Britain.  I shall move on to something less depressing.

Parties

The advantage of going to parties with different sets of guests is that you can wear the same outfit for all.

My grandson shared a football party with his friend for their 7th birthday.  The kids, dressed in football kit, were organised into teams by a coach at the local gym.  Everyone joined in and enjoyed pizza for tea.  A good time was had by all.
 

The Birthday Boys

Football party

 

 Birthday tea at Grandma's



Then came the party with a twist; the online Writers’ Office Christmas Party hosted by Sally Quilford on Facebook.  All the usual elements of the party were there, only virtually.  It was attended by loads of people from all over the globe and lasted all day.  It was a really good do and not a hangover in sight.  This led to the spin off The Writers Office set up by Val Bonney, which promises to be equally successful.

Today I attended a party at my gardening club and won a prize for the Quiz!

Watched:  Silver Linings Playbook at the cinema; well acted and a good story.

Just got news that the Yorkshire Film Archive may be including a few seconds of my 89 year old Uncle Jack's old cinefilms from the 60s, which will be used in part of a documentary all about Blackpool in its heyday - to be aired at 8:00/8:30 p.m. on Boxing Day (next Wednesday) on BBC2

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01pm7zk
That’s one in the eye for his two great nephew film makers!

For those of you who are interested in old footage on all subjects, but mainly social history, go on to the Yorkshire film Archive website and you will not be disappointed.  A good source site for writers.

 

Reading:  The House on the Shore by Victoria Howard; a good light read.

Written:    A few pieces for local radio and a short story.

 

Best wishes

I would like to wish all my readers a happy holiday and a peaceful and succesful new year

 

 

 

Crafts, curiosities and candles

Completed a year’s course in flower arrangement with this festive decoration

 

and, to my utter astonishment, I was presented with this beautiful silver cup for best newcomer!  I was really chuffed as this is the first trophy I have won in my life.

 

John Hobson gave a fascinating, illustrated talk entitled Curious Yorkshire.  I thought I was pretty clued up on this part of Yorkshire, but he proved me wrong.

From coast to moors and inland towns, he told us tales from the area, some to be taken with a pinch of salt.  If you are local and have the opportunity to hear John speak or visit the area, you will be enthralled.  Here is just a taster.

The talk began with the birthplace of Captain Cook, Staithes, where the women wore special padded bonnets to protect the head when carrying baskets full of mussels for fishing bait. Each day they would make up the bait with the mussels and attached them to a fishing line for the fishermen. The bonnet, gathered at the neck with a frill to allow the water to run away, differed according to the age and marital status of the person who wore it.

 

At nearby Port Mulgrave where the cobles (pronounced cobbles), replicas of the Viking boats, are still used for fishing.

The ancient Mulgrave Castle was once inhabited by the Maharajah Duleep Singh who was a great favourite with Queen Victoria. This much is true, but the well known story of how the Indian prince built a road so he and his entourage could travel from Sandsend to Whitby on the backs of his elephants without the animals getting sand between their toes could well be a tall tale.

 

 

And on to Whitby, home of Bram Stoker's famous story, which is steeped in history.  If you can climb to 199 steps, the church, its graveyard with a pirate's grave and the jade stone at the foot of the three tiered pulpit for adulteresses (as opposed to adulterers!)to sit during the service, is absolutely fascinating.

And the talk continued with the abbeys of the region:  Fountains Abbey claims the oldest flush toilets in the country, Jervaulx with its ancient embalming stones, Bolton Abbey for the carving of the dog which inspired nursery rhyme Hey Diddle Diddle and Grace Priory where the monks took the vow of silence and lived pretty much as hermits and their vegetarian food was delivered to their cells through a right angled tunnel so no interaction occurred.  That has a certain appeal for short periods of time if a laptop was included in the deal.

 As I said, this is only a taster.

On television I am enjoying the Last Tango in Halifax written by Sally Wainwright with main parts played by Anne Reid, Derek Jacobi, Sarah Lancashire and Nicola Walker and I am intrigued by a new drama The Town.

 

Maybe I should be exercising while watching!

 



Celebrating Chanukah with family and friends.  Made my best potato latkes yet.

 First night of Chanukah 2012
 

My gifts included an everyday watch and some pieces of wood for a project I have in mind.  

 second night

 

 

 

 

Shorter Days and Longer Nights

  Waterloo Lake, Roundhay Park

Weather

Long hours of rain, the sun setting by 4pm and waking up to the cold and dark are all signs of winter which usually brings on the winter blues.  We have fared better than many parts of the UK who have been hit by floods and not for the first time this year.   The weather remains cold but bright with blue skies and I have even spotted the odd poppy and rose daring to put on a display.  I planted Iris Sunrise bulbs; some in a pot for a payback scheme to my gardening club and some in my garden.

The Good, Bad and the Ugly

I attended the Bar mitzvah of my friend’s grandson.  A lovely celebration and Sam sang his piece beautifully.  

Unfortunately, I have been to a few funerals lately, and this week was the consecration of the gravestone of my late brother-in-law who died very suddenly in January.  I feel he would have appreciated the large numbers of family and friends who attended and even the congenial atmosphere at the gathering afterwards.

My laptop developed a horrific virus which took the form of a police notice with my photo, taken through my webcam, demanding a fine to be paid by PayPal to be able to use it.  I felt as if someone had invaded my personal space, never mind the cost of having it removed.

Out and About

A trip to Harlow Carr Gardens at Harrogate reminded us of the contrast of the seasons,



 The grasses still add interest

 The Winter Walk

 

Listened to an interesting talk on Cedric Morris (1889-1982) Sir Cedric Lockwood Morris, 9th Baronet was a British artist, art teacher and plantsman. He was born in Swansea but worked mainly in East Anglia. As an artist he is best known for his portraits, flower paintings and landscapes. Wikipedia

Had a run out to Ripon,  where I had a bowl of  Beetroot and Parsnip Soup for lunch at Booth’s.  The soup was raspberry coloured and tasted delicious.  Just the job for a cold, miserable day.

 The Town Hall, Ripon

 

I had a meeting at Cannon Hall in Barnsley and have made a mental note to return here next year when the gardens can be fully appreciated.   The Hall, which is also a museum, stands in 70 acres of rolling parkland and gardens.   There are splendid original features in the hall and an exhibition of Moorcroft pottery. 

A school party were cooking in the Victorian kitchen. You can also visit the Farm, the Farm shop and Garden Centre. Admission is free to all venues except for the farm, but parking fees must be paid.



 You can get versions for children too

As I arrived early, I had a cup of tea at the Pavilion Cafe, next to the car park.   The waitress was friendly and knew everyone by name.  The decor was interesting and the tablecloths were maps of world. 
 
After the meeting, I had the opportunity to see more of the grounds

 

 

 The view from the Hall

For almost 300 years Cannon Hall was home to the Spencer-Stanhope family who made their fortune in the local iron industry. In the 1790’s the architect John Carr of York enlarged the hall and redesigned the interior. The hall also houses ‘Charge’, the Regimental Museum of the 13th/18th Royal Hussars, Queen Mary’s Own and the Light Dragoons, it illustrates the part played by the regiment in many major battles such as the Charge of the Light Brigade and includes memorabilia dedicated to Lord Baden Powell.

 Part of the walled garden

 View from the walled garden

The historic walled garden dates from the 1760s and an annual event in September celebrates the pear trees, which were first grown here in the early eighteenth century.The Pear Tree collection is one of the most extensive in the North of England and has over 40 varieties.  One of the greenhouses is home to the 200 year old Cannon Hall vine, which was grown from a seed brought back by John Spencer-Stanhope from the continent in 1802. A cutting of the vine was exported to Australia, cultivated, and its descendants produce today’s fine Australian wines.

Watched:  Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris at the local Arts Centre; had me smiling throughout.  On TV I’m a huge fan The Killing III (Danish  version) and The Hour.

Written:  A short dialogue The Birthday Party for local radio and a short story which is, as yet, unfinished.  I can proudly wear my badge for achieving the Write1Sub1 challenge for November!  Another month will complete the year.  I am considering upping my production rate for 2013.

Thanks to all of you who advised me on whether, when writing, you can mix 1^st person with 3^rd person.  The jury is still out.

Reading:  Just finished Painting by Numbers by Sally Patricia Gardner and can recommend it.

Healthy Writers Group

 

Ashamed to report that apart from my weekly Pilates session I have not managed any sort of exercise regime – and it’s showing.