MEETING REPORT FOR TUESDAY 18th JUNE 2012

MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE FELIXSTOWE SCRIBBLERS ON TUESDAY 18^th JUNE 2012 AT THE ROOM AT THE TOP FELIXSTOWE LIBRARY

Apologies were received from Martin, Ray and Beryl.

Those in attendance this evening were Dave, Barry, Dick, Liliane, Tony, Carolyn, Les, Barry, Rani and myself.

After the successful Writing Festival, Dave felt that the various workshops over the weekend had been a great success and the sponsorship that the Scribblers had paid was very worthwhile.

There is to be a Creative Writing Workshop commencing on the 5^th September at Arlington’s Brassiere in Ipswich run by Mai Black details on our weblog..

Our Homework theme this week was on geographical places .....

Tony -  THE DAY I TAUGHT OLA

This was a day for a perfect beach on a perfect island in the Caribbean.  Totally undisturbed, isolated, away from the crowds. There were two more other bays Truck Bay ad Brewer’s Bay that had been suggested but this was perfect for contemplating my latest novel. Taking the scenic route I decided to stroll over to the harbour to JW Kingdom Hall in Shangri-La. There was not a soul on the beach again and I sat down and placed my cards on the sand to take a tarot reading.  Suddenly there was a movement and I looked up to see the vision of the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.  Long golden hair, long, slim, legs that went on forever.  Where had she come from? Was she just a mirage or was I dreaming.  With a smile as broad as the Pacific Ocean she asked, “Am I real or part of your over active imagination”.  Then this beauty asked with a voice like silk, please teach me to play Bridge. It was so strange playing Bridge for one and a half hours and when I relaxed back exhausted I looked up and she had completely disappeared.  I will always be thankful for the lesson from Ola, a story not in my own hand.

 LILIANE – SEARCHING FOR THE HAMPTONS

  

On the underground ten minutes walk from Preston Road there is Hampton Jewish Cultural Centre. Tricycle Theatre. Redcar Shopping Centre in Barnet. Hampton – Tam and Tong from Anglo Saxon times. Hampton Court in Richmond.  USA has two Hamptons one in Virginia and the other in New Hampshire.  Is renowned to be the cleanest beach in the USA.  1938 Rev Stephen Blackchild . The Railway came in 1850 making it popular for visitors.  Doomsday Book shows Hampton Manor with 35 households approximately £39,00 to purchase.  Teddington, Hounslow, Saxon Eldsgar.  Warwickshire Hampton. The Hamptons multiplying like rabbits.

RANI – SHORT STORY

A woman travels from India to England. we then move to 1930. Little Raj hopes to go to  England to meet King Arthur and the knights of the round table.  This is in fact a reference to the first of the round table conferences held in England and relating to the bid for Indian independence. ( not that this would be clear from the opening part of the story)!
 Drama! Minnie the Minah Bird has found a body in the bushes! Minnie shrieks " Murder, rape! Pillage!" Little Raj is horrified! He fears that his trip to England will be delayed. Is the body alive or dead? Little Raj is assured that he will go to England as Ghandi leads little Raj away to the safety of the villa..

  

DICK – DIAMONDS ARE FOR NEVER

Ray Coulson had a murder to his name with or without help and many other misdemeanours.   Stretched out on a sun lounger, with Passion flowers all around and lots of cobbles.  It was all about gold and Sexy Stacy and the Amsterdam Diamond Parade, Diamond Merchants and their gem stones.  Always moving small amounts of gem stones, inside a tea or coffee maker.  Streets were narrow.  Phil Collingwood investigated the long time theft of stones Herbie told Stacy to “Piss Off”  Charming but then left Cole and Macey to their conversations.  You must use the instructions to the letter.  A very worthwhile investment but I need all the facts.  This is a big job Herbie retorted.  We’ll need a high powered speed boat.  Accountant was shocked at the potential cost to getting these Diamonds from Amsterdam...

BARRY M - ISLE OF WIGHT (GODSHILL)

There have always been many visitors to Shanklin Village with its famous figurines.  There are many favourite parts where you can just sit and enjoy the view with scones and cream or ice cream.  There is Margaret the Manager always there to oblige. Face-booking, balloonist, achery – Then maybe take yourself off to the Village’s only Pub ‘The Griffin’. There is even a topless streaker for all the dirty old men. Wedding Parties can be catered too..  There is a Scout Camp behind the train station, where you will find  the ‘Isle of Wight’s Borstal Exhibit’.  The boys having taken over the miniature train and were throwing coal at the windows, then the train ploughs through Farmer Giles’s Barn. After another long day Margaret finds the cricket team in the pub, along with slouching musicians. Then Mary the Stripper found naked with the Conductor, Margaret the Manager at the end of another very long day wishing she was a figurine as they had much more fun than she ever did. Before she managed to get her lips to her well earned cup of tea, Margaret turned into a figurine.  Be careful what you wish for.   

DAVE – FIGHTING OPRESSION –

Living in terror and mayhem.  Austerity Communist regimes, while leaders live in luxury in Romania, the people live with malnutrition, with Secret Police making it into a Police State. Informers making it an organised dissent.  Leaders bending the people to the State’s will. Students rally against oppression and propaganda. Dissidents see a transformation when unexpectedly Parishioners, religious students also joined in fighting for their rights.  Tőkés. The police beating rioters but demonstrators re-group to riot.  Writings were thrown from Communist building and protestors started more fires.  The Army presence was to establish good order.  Tanks were employed to stop protestors.  In the aftermath of apparent war the next morning the City Mayor declared martial law. In orthodox Cathedral they sang a National song. ‘Wake Up Romania’. City Workers put down their tools and  train loads joined the protestors.  The situation worsened when Ceausescu addressed 100,000 people in downtown areas.  There were many deaths, people crushed, stabbed, even clubbed to death.  The crowds worked hard and managed to swamp the barricades

.BARRY D – AN EASY RIDE

The trip to Barcelona.  a thousand miles of motorway driving with views of beautiful architecture.  The crossing was calm and uneventful.  I slipped into the longest part of the journey. Two rest stops, a meal, drink, customs, then, my head down for the night. Unfortunately all not well in Barcelona.  The Customs Officer barely raised his head. “There is a strike on – park in a field”.  There were no facilities, all in a bad state of repair. A night’s sleep and then I woke to the smell of bacon frying in a lorry from Stoke on Trent.  I was invited to share and we ate our rolls in silence.  “Two days I’ve been here in this bloody customs compound”.  No doubt another two days, right oh mate.  My neighbour, our breakfast chef. dropped his trailer and we headed off to a bar.  We ended up in a long, narrow tapas bar with snacks on the counter. Then we went up this rambling street with sex shops.  Full of transvestites, who were better looking than the prostitutes.  We eventually went to sleep at four.  At Nine o’clock we were awoken to shouting.  A driver had had his cab broken into and we all helped the Dutchman find his belongings – which were scattered all over the bushes.  What a trip!

CAZ – WHERE IN THE WORLD – AMERICA – INDIA AND PORTUGAL

My homework was inspired by news articles about children.  One Father had left his baby nine month old son on the doorstep, while he walked around the back to get in the house. When he came out the baby was gone.  Then it took him two weeks to report the abduction to the police, that’s if it really was an abduction.

Another part of my homework was a woman who went into hospital age 60 with stomache cramps and had a baby. The article suggesting that all women should carry on taking contraception well after menopause!

 Finally I observed that the case of missing Madeleine McCann is to be re-opened. I was originally shocked by parents who would go out to dinner and leave their children alone in their holiday apartment.  So much time was spent by the police because they were accused of abducting their daughter that all the evidence was gone by the time they decided they were not involved. I’ll be interested to know what evidence can now be found to help find their beautiful Madeleine.  I pray that she is found safe and well.

Having only had one son in my fortieth year (some said at the time I was too old then!). I would never have missed the chance to have spent that time with Jack, I would do it all again in a heartbeat but never would I have left him unattended, under any circumstances. He was just too precious. My point in my piece was just that.

Dave asks that anyone who attended any event at the Book Festival and was impressed and found them to be helpful to their writing to send details to him (or direct to Meg Reid the festival organiser) as positive comments will aid funding applications for next year’s festival.  

Also Dave is being interviewed by Felixstowe TV on Monday next so we’ll have to see what he has to say about the Scribblers!

Our next meeting will be held on 2nd July 2013 in The Room At The Top in the library. There is no homework as it will be a short writing exercise next time.

Hope to see you all there, in the meantime ‘Keep Dancing’ sorry Writing...!!

Caz Wilkinson

Joint Secretary