the writer is a lonely hunter

writing by Gail Aldwin and other authors

Aug 14

A bit of luck

by gailaldwin

Just when I thought I had to return to the office for three more days of work after taking leave next week, I discovered that I’m actually owed some days. As a result, my last day of employment with the County Council will be Friday and I’m madly trying to get everything done ready for a holiday in Edinburgh starting on Saturday.  We’re flying from Southampton and taking hand luggage only, so decanting liquids has been the order of the day. Fortunately, the flat that we’re staying at in Stockbridge provides shampoo and shower gel, so it’s only face creams that I need to worry about.

I’ve packed a couple of paperbacks including The Coward’s Tale by Vanessa Gebbie and The Polish Boxer (which was recommended by Sarah Bower) and you can read a review here. I’ve downloaded two audiobooks to my ipod: Catch 22 and The Unbearable Lightness of Being. So when I’m not attending sessions at the Book Festival or the Fringe I’ll have plenty to keep my busy.

Have a good week.

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Aug 10

Blogging happy…

by gailaldwin

You don’t find many teachers complaining about their work during August and even though I don’t get school holidays working for the local authority, I am happy. This is because I have provided a good end to the service I’ve worked for during the last seven years. All has gone according to plan with the mainstreaming of good practice through training and partnership working.  As I approach my final days, it seems that the voluntary sector are likely to be able to pick up some of the work through the development of a bid.

As far as my future goes, I have a new job. It’s a one day a week appointment with an educational charity. I’ll be working with local schools to promote the achievement of the most vulnerable pupils including those with special educational needs and disability. I’m looking forward to the challenge of a new position and, as I’ll be working part-time, I’ll have more time to commit to writing. My creative writing studies start in October and I’ll have renewed energy by then. In the meantime, you might like to take a look at collaborative writing project that I was involved with, called ‘Hot Potato’.  Artipeeps has brought together eight writers to develop one story. Take a look here.

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Jul 30

Anniveraries – who’d have them?

by gailaldwin

This time last year I was offered the post of Service Manager for a teaching team working with Dorset County Council. Now my colleagues, who are all on teachers’ pay and conditions have finished and I’m left  with no-one to manage. It’s not too bad – I am allowed to work from home during the summer and the end is in sight. I’ll receive my final salary and redundancy package on 30 August.  With the end to a new position only one year after starting, it makes the anniversary something of a bitter-sweet event. Bitter owing to the end of a career in local government that I’ve loved  and sweet due to the new beginnings it provides. I’ve secured part-time work with an educational charity to start in September and I’ve the MPhil in Writing to begin in October, so things are looking positive. A new start and studies that may lead to a new career.

My wedding anniversary falls in August but we’re long past the point of celebrating with cards and gifts. Indeed, this year we’ll be travelling to Edinburgh for a family holiday with our teenage children. I’ve visited the Edinburgh Fringe and the Edinburgh International Book Festival previously and enjoyed my time so much, I decided to return again with my family. I have tickets for a couple of events at the Book Festival including a session offered by Ronald Frame. He was a tutor at an Arvon course I attended in 2011 and he’s been wonderfully supportive of my writing. So it’ll be a pleasure to see him again, especially as he’ll be talking about his most recent book, Havisham (read a review here) which imagines the life of Catherine before she appears in Great Expectations. It’s well worth reading.

The anniversary that I’ve most enjoyed of late came at the weekend. We we unexpectedly offered tickets to attend the Anniversary Paralympics where Hannah Cockroft and David Weir won their races and Richard Whitehead amazed the crowds on his golden blades.  The wonderful achievements of the athletes from 2012 was certainly an event worth celebrating.

Paralympics 008 (2)

Which anniversaries do you celebrate?

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Jul 16

Guess which restaurant we ate in at the weekend

by gailaldwin

J at Waggamamma

Here is my son seated in a popular restaurant chain recently opened in Dorchester’s Brewery Square. So, where did we eat last weekend?  Look at the decor, look at the furniture. There are chairs where usually there are benches! There are cushions! There is no need to eat at a communal table. For me, something of the Wagamama experience is lost in this Dorset-ised version of the restaurant. Instead, next time we eat out, we may try another chain.

The days of hankering for a decent pizza are over with the arrival of:

Pizza Express

Front door Zizzi

If neither of those suit, you could always try:

Carluccio

Or when all else fails, there’s always:

Nando

I hardly know what to do with all this choice! Any one fancy fish and chips?

Dorset visits

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Jul 10

How many pens does a writer need?

by gailaldwin

No wonder my handbag was feeling a little heavier than usual. When I turfed out the contents I found the following lurking at the bottom:

Pens

Bearing in mind that I can only use one pen at a time, there surely is no need to lug around FIFTEEN! And what a motley assortment of biros! I may have to purchase a rather more distinguished writing implement once my redundancy pay comes through. Any suggestions for a posh brand?

In the meantime, I have a task to complete for 21 July when I will be returning to the Bridport Arts Centre for the second part of a two-day writing course delivered by Paul Dodgson. The first session included the following:

  • a warm up exercise: write about an incident that happened within the last year. Take turns to give your name and the first line of your writing. Does the writing contain a hook that makes others want to know more?
  • discussion about what a short story should include
  • writing task: tear a sheet of paper into four rectangles. Write a first name, a family name, an incident and a lie on each piece. Redistribute the papers and use your collection to create a character and the first part of a story.
  • This story forms the basis for a longer piece of writing that will provide material for the next workshop
  • Short stories shared included: A painful case, James Joyce (Dubliners); Birds of America, Lorrie Moore; The Turning, Tim Winton; Fat, Raymond Carver

I very much look forward to the next workshop and thank Paul for a wonderful day of literary stimulation, lots of laughter, fun and sharing.

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Jul 2

A walk through the fields

by gailaldwin

Anyone who has visited me in Dorchester, is likely to be familiar with this walk. It’s one that we take regularly owing to the proximity to our house. Only a little way down the hill lies the River Frome, the starting point for a circular walk.

1. Starting point We walk along the path, with the river on one side and water meadow on the other. Currently the farmer is busy making hay (probably silage is a better description).2. Cutting hay

Further along we come to the Blue Bridge, a landmark that can be seen from our bedroom window, and suitably assigned a plaque. Over on the river bank, children fish for tiddlers.

3. Blue bridge plaque4. over the blue bridge5. by the water

Walking through the fields we meet the animals: cows taking to the shade and sheep freshly sheared.

6. cows in the field7. Shawn

Where the path turns we head back towards the town and make a little detour.

8. back towards town10.Into a shop

We browse the old and the refurbished. We’re not quite sure what to make of this chair. I think it might be a rocket to reach outer space but in disguise.

11. Iz takes a break

Then there’s a strange looking duck swimming back towards our house. (At least this one has not found a home in our pond).

13. Strange looking duck

We walk by the allotments and admire the produce.

12 By the allotments

15 Back to our house

Only a little way further and we’re back at home.

Anyone fancy a walk through the fields?

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Jun 25

Best of CafeLit 2012

by gailaldwin

Product DetailsWhen I received an email on New Year’s Day from Debz Hobbs-Wyatt saying that my story The Shallows had been included in The Best of CafeLit 2012, I was delighted. Now I’m looking forward to receiving my copy of the anthology which is available through Amazon. The ezine CafeLit is a fantastic place to submit stories up to 3,000 words. Each year Debz selects 15 of the stories she’s most enjoyed for inclusion in a trade book and contributors receive a share of the profits.

I’m really pleased to see my work appear alongside that of Patsy Collins. Patsy has had considerable success in having her stories published in women’s magazines and now has a number of print and ebooks available. She writes regular blog posts which are well worth reading and you can find the link to her blog here.

Interestingly, Patsy was made redundant earlier in the year and I’m taking inspiration from the writing she’s undertaken since she’s been liberated from paid employment. In the meantime, the date of my dismissal through redundancy approaches and I’m making plans for a refocused future. When everything is confirmed, I’ll let you know more.

 

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Jun 18

Pen Pals, a reminiscence project in Purbeck

by gailaldwin

A new project titled Pen Pals will be offered in Purbeck by members of the Dorset Writers’ Network. The project has received funding from Dorset Community Foundation and will be delivered in three care settings for older people. The aim of the project is to offer creative and enjoyable learning experiences for older people by drawing upon memories. Volunteers will be trained to work with older people and will help in recording personal stories. Session facilitators Helen Pizzey and Pat Yonwin are experienced in delivering reminiscence projects and understand the health benefits of encouraging older people to becoming involved with creative arts. A range of prompts and artifacts will be used to engage and interest participants in sharing stories from their personal history.

I am pleased to be involved with this project as a volunteer and look forward to the first of six sessions that will be delivered at Gainsborough Care Home in Swanage. Sessions will be delivered fortnightly from the end of July to October. If you would like further information or are interested in joining the project as a volunteer, you can find further information here. (Scroll down to find the information on Pen Pals.)

Have you been involved with any creative initiatives that support vulnerable groups?

Dorset writing

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Jun 11

A week in the Mani

by gailaldwin

I was fortunate to spend a week at the beginning of June with Sarah Bower and  Carol McGrath at a house that Carol has taken for a year in the Mani area of Greece. Stoupa is a delightful village with a harbor and sandy beaches at the south of the Peloponnese, quite the best spot for a writing retreat owing to the literary connections. A little way along the coast at Kardamyli is the home of Patrick Leigh Fermor, which was bequeathed to the Benaki Museum following his death. Patrick was made an honorary citizen of the village  following his participation in the Cretan Resistance during World War 2. He wrote about the area in his book titled Mani, Travels in the Southern Peloponnese and he is regarded as one of Britain’s greatest travel writers.

Bruce Chatwin is the other notable writer with links to the Mani. He finished writing The Songlines while staying at the Hotel Kalamitsi in 1985. The book records his experiences of traveling in Australia and his ideas about the necessity of walking to human development. For my undergraduate dissertation I wrote about the works of Bruce Chatwin and I’ve always felt that he had a hand in securing me a first-class honours. So, when the opportunity came to visit the place where his ashes are buried, I was delighted.

Most references to where Chatwin’s ashes are buried refer to a tiny, Byzantine church in the mountains above Kardamyli. Some name Exochori as the nearest village and others refer to Chori. Without definite directions, we set off early in our search, visiting several villages situated in the Taygetos mountains that provide the backdrop to the glorious coastal area. The road took us into Chori where there was a white-washed church beside the road. From there we looked across to the golden stones of a church perched amongst olive trees. We found the path that took us alongside residential houses and out onto a grassy strip of land. The view from the church showed the wide expanse of aqua sea and the land spilling down from the mountains. An ideal final resting place for Bruce Chatwin, someone who loved broad horizons.

The church in Chori

The church in Chori

A picture of Bruce marks the spot where his ashes are buried

A picture of Bruce marks the spot where his ashes are buried

After the excitement of this discovery and the time spent absorbing the atmosphere and the wonderful views, we headed for Kardamyli. At a restaurant beside the beach we enjoyed a mezze of salads for lunch.

My companions at the restaurant

My companions at the restaurant

Cheers to Carol and Sarah for your great company and a big thank you to Carol for being such a brilliant host.

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Jun 7

The Notebook

by gailaldwin

Please find The Notebook below, my entry to FLASH MOB 2013. This is a blog competition celebrating International Flash Fiction Day on 22 June. To join the carnival all you have to do is post a previously unpublished piece of flash fiction (300 words or fewer, not including title) to your own blog before the 10 June. Not long to go, so you’d better get cracking! Find more details here.

listing books read notebook           The Notebook

            ‘You’ll have another one?’ Paul drained his pint glass and nodded towards Jane’s tumbler containing only water from the melted ice. ‘One more G and T won’t do you any harm.’

            ‘I guess not,’ she said.

            While he was at the bar, Jane took the pad from her handbag and made a note of jobs for the weekend: woollen wash, change sheets, dismantle wardrobe, take to dump.

            ‘What’s that you’re doing?’ He ground the base of her glass against the table and leaned over, trying to read the words.

            ‘It’s to stop me forgetting the one or two things I need to do.’

            ‘You and your lists.’

            ‘Indeed,’ Jane closed the cover.

            Paul weaved his fingers through his fringe and Jane’s spine contracted with a stab of irritation. He’d always worn that ring on his right hand, as if he never was sure about being married. A shaft of light through the stained glass made a kaleidoscope of colours on the carpet, a torch through the fug.

            ‘Of course, if you really had your priorities right, my name would be at the top of your list,’ said Paul.‘That would show you believe in me.’

            ‘I do Paul,’ sighed Jane. ‘You’ll get a job soon enough.’

            ‘I worked 20 years for that firm and what do I get for my loyalty?’

            ‘They made the whole department redundant. It’s not as if they were picking on you.’

            ‘Less of the lecture, Jane.’

            By ten o’clock Paul’s shoulders were hunched and he jabbed Jane’s notebook. ‘Come on then. Put me at the top of the list.’

            Jane took the ballpoint and scrawled across the page: I be-leave-in you, Paul.

            She passed the paper over and he squinted, trying to decipher her writing.

            ‘That’ll do,’ he said.

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