Meeting summary

Last night was another 'down on numbers' meeting but not to worry, we turned it into a great evening of stories; more than the numbers attending the meeting was a social success.

Members attending were Dave, Tony, Les, Beryl, Carolyn, Ray, Suzie and yours truly.

Apologies were from Martin, Dick and Caz.

The subject for todays renditions was 'Chickens'

Ray read first with London Bridge 15 miles that concerned his youth in the fifties when he and his family arrived in Orpington to find fields and farmyards plus an ancient roadside sign declaring it to be 15 miles to London Bridge. He told of his house and subsequent investigation years later when Orpington had come of age. The sign still was there. 15 miles to London Bridge.

Next was Beryl with Ginger Rogers Lays an Egg, a tale about how a young girl walks up the garden path with food for the chickens who seem not to be laying then finding the first under a bird her father had named Ginger Rogers.

Carolyn attended and we were glad she did but after her recent travels had not been able to raise any chickens for homework but treated us to a few anecdotes.

Suzie gave us a story of a young reporter trying to elicit the scoop of the year The chickens that saved my life and failing miserably as the old lady recounting this tale constantly interrupted the tale and eventually left, promising to tell all at a later date.

Les has not written a story but gave a masterful example of total recall, not easy at our age, of a time he and Joan house sat for a family in Essex and on arrival found it was a beautiful old house but populated by three dogs many farmyard animals and a crowd of chickens with a particularly nasty minded bantam that attacked at every opportunity. He was sure this bird gave instructions to the hens to only lay their eggs in stinging nettles.

My contribution was a story (fictitious) was It's Dinner Time about a young DC who had been terrorised by chickens on his fathers farm and on an investigation found that chickens must have an inner sense and know the people that dislike them.

Dave gave us For the Love of Jodie, a story of a young lad who courted a girl from the other side of the railway, and the story, based on truth told of the dangers of trying to cross a busy railway line by means of anything but the recommended bridges or crossings.

Tony gave us Awakening, a part of his first chapter of an intriguing sequel he is writing.

Our next meeting is in One Weeks Time. There is no homework but you should all bring in your four little words on separate slips of paper...

Keep Scribbling.

Barry