Meeting Report...

Hi there everybody

Once more an excellent meeting.Those present included; Dave, Les, Caz, Carolyn, Liliane, Jane, Beryl, Dick, Tony, Martin, Ray and yours truly.

The subject for tonight was 'Motorcycling', a subject groaned about when it was suggested but which evinced some pieces of the usual good quality, funny, sad and downright different. Thanks to everybody for their efforts.These efforts catalogue as follows:-

DICK with A HILL TOO MANY. A story that kept us guessing until the end about a chap who had an accident in Dorset on his Brough motorcycle and was fatally injured while avoiding two young boys on their bicycles. The man was Lawrence of Arabia.

TONY gave us a rendition in song of his contribution PLENT OF GAS the wording of which gave rise to much hilarity.

MARTIN took us for a journey across many states of America on Route 66 with BIKER GIRL.

RAY showed us that we are NEVER TOO OLD TO ROCK AND ROLL with his story of a supercharged, hand painted motobility scooter.

BARRY tried to wring a few tears from the audience with an account of a family losing a beloved daughter through a motorcycle accident and the healing time needed for the mother and father. ALSO KNOWN AS.

DAVE treated us to a part of a novel which is work in progress with MEMORIES, where we met Pauline once more , looking through some old photographs and remembering the motorbikes she had owned and ridden.

LES had us chuckling again, as he always does, with his tale of CHARLIE MATES, an old, old friend he used to work with and who was a motorcycle fanatic.Charlie can be found under his name as a Google entry.

CAZ recounted her recent pillion ride (her first ever) with a rider she met also for the first time on the day of a memorial bike event in memory of Jack, her son. This was called HELL - ANGEL.

CAROLYN gave us an insight into the convoluted way families expand and split throughout a child's life. Uncle Pete turns out to be dad.This was entitled TWO FATHERS NO DAD.

LILIANE's story was another family based one called MOTORBIKING WAS TABOO. A story telling how Francis became the first to purchase a motorcycle going against mother and father's wishes.

JANE took us to the depths of Hades with THE HELL FACTOR. This story took us on a rather warm journey through the hell of life with a funny thread running through it, telling us of all the really nasty people of history in a competition with Simon Cowell as it's promoter.

BERYL, last but not least in an extraordinary coincidence, separated by ten others reading from Dick, her seating companion she gave us a ghostly story of George Bernard Shaw, who still rode Motorbikes at the age of 94, and his connection to Lawrence of Arabia with the Brough bike he sold him. G.B.S.

An addition to the readings was a long distance contribution from Chris Shaw, an interested party (ex Felixstowe resident and now of Cairns, Australia.) As we had a few minutes to spare Dave kindly read Chris's thoughts of his love of motorcycling round the lanes of Suffolk. I know he reads the blog for Scribblers so apart from my personal e mail we all say thanks to Chris for his piece..

And finally, as they say, I asked Les to read out his poem entitled Rule Britannia, words of wisdom that caused the meeting to end with a discussion that must be repeated throughout the country. More power to your elbow Les.

Once again it is difficult for me to compress the writing of all involved to give a report that justifies the quality, in just a few words.Suffice it to say that an awkward for some subject was dealt with in the Scribblers inimitable style.

The next meeting will be on the 20th of this month (September) and will be The Bill Budner Trophy night. For those not aware it is a night where all members present bring a story of one thousand words or less, written on any subject and handed in anonymously for another member to read on the night. It is yet to be confirmed but two completely independant actors are expected to act as narrators and read all the stories out. Here's hoping!

Everyone listens to each story and awards it marks which are collated at the end and a new winner is found for the trophy. Details of the competition, together with a gallery of winners can be found at the top of this weblog.

See you at the next meeting.

Barry.