Escape To The Country

Ok, so I love living at the seaside, but for the last 2 days I've been enjoying vivid images of curly haired farm hands driving shiny red tractors and yanking damsels in distress outta of their welly boots.

"Just when I really need a hay barn..." 

Ooh er! Kerr-wivering in me furry slipper booties, I was! 

"Patience Woman", he said...

You gotta be kidding, I couldn't wait to get to that bit.  

Thank you, Patsy Collins, for sending my mind on a brief Escape To The Country.

Inspired by Real Reality TV

When I was just a wee little lass, I was hugely inspired by Granada Television's World In Action series, 7 Up.

Back in 1964, World in Action looked at the Jesuit saying: “Give me the child until he is 7, and I will show you the man“, or woman, and they did. 

My introduction to the Up series of documentaries was through school, with much of my "O" Level Humanities coursework based on watching the programmes made in the sixties and seventies. It is still, without a doubt, my all time favourite documentary. Even though I have been but a mere trespasser in those peoples lives, each and every one of them has encouraged me to open my mind and appreciate life from different perspectives.

Today, much of the increasingly popular reality TV is nothing more than a centre stage to emulate illusion and delusion in a wannabe fame seeking section of society with subjects morphing into media marketed beings.

I guess everyone is entitled to their 15 minutes of fame, but the 7 Up programme started something very real and truly special, in my humble opinion. Something that many reality producers and stars may not even comprehend today. The series mapped out changes in our society, highlighting how preordained projections based on stereotypes and social status may make assumptions that do not always materialise, for many different reasons. The snippets of those different peoples' lives have shown evolution and individual growth according to an ever changing world of challenges, opportunities, circumstance and personal abilities, not by media hype.  

Every 7 years I have eagerly awaited an update, and despite knowing that an instalment was due to be aired this year, I missed it. Thankfully, I was able to catch up on 56 Up - Part 1 on ITV Player

Real people inspire me. I appreciate the insight that life is not always about what you have, or don't have, but what you do with those variables. And with that in mind... I'd like to thank all the people who took part in the Up Series over the years, in front and behind the cameras, for being a big part of my real life education.

Never Seconds

How inspiring!

Just picked up a feed about a school girl winning her right to free speech...

Go check out VEG, if you haven't already done so!

Congratulations And Jubilations

Doesn't time fly when you're reigning on the throne?

To some, it doesn't seem that long ago. Although, living in a digital multi-media playing era we've certainly evolved, for better or worse, since Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, became our ruling monarch.

Congratulations, Ma'am, on maintaining one's head through the highs and lows of British evolution.

The Time Traveller’s Wifi

Have I got your attention? Then I’ll begin.

Seeing as I’m now acquainted with more than one published novelist, Patsy Collins being one, I couldn’t let World Book Night slip by without mentioning the book I picked up: The Time Traveller’s Wife, a first novel by Audrey Niffenegger. It was the Evening Standard’s recommendation on the front cover, “Here’s the next The Lovely Bones… A rare book”, which caught my attention! You see, I read the Lovely Bones only a few weeks ago and was swept into the eyes of a child who told her tragic tale from a world beyond the physical. I read it from “My Name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie” right through to “I wish you all a long and happy life.”

It was a real treat to attend a literary event, on both Shakespeare’s birthday and  St George's Day, and it set me a pondering as to what books those two boys would have picked up! Me finks George would have been lured by I Capture The Castle, by Dodie Smith, and there’s much a do with Roald Dahl’s Someone Like You, for William to peruse.

What book did you, or would you, choose? 

http://www.worldbooknight.org/ 

Let's Play Tag

I been tagged by Patsy ... again, tsk!

Once again, she's disclosed more vital information about a published novelist , and now I gotta do the same. No professionally produced claim to fame, as yet, but it appears my writing is intriguing! So let's see if I can shed a little glimmer of spring-light to the delightful Potty Patsy's questions: 

1. Do you have a favourite word or phrase?

Beer before wine is fine. Wine before beer, oh dear!

2. What do you like on your pizza?
Pineapple, sweetcorn and olives. 

3. Where do you get you books from?

The library or charity shops, usually, but I do buy some, especially reference books, and tend to get given books as presents. I will buy a new copy of this novel, though, so I can get it signed by the author.

4. Favourite drink?

Champagne, of course!

5. Who would you most like to meet?

Mister Valance

6. And why?

'cos he's an interesting character!

7. Favourite colour?

Erm... This is a tricky one, but me finks I'll go with red! 

8. Where have you never visited but would like to go?

The Great Wall of China.

9. Do you like hats?

Oh yes... 

10. What weather do you like best?

Anything but rain, cos it makes me fink the angels in heaven are crying!

11. Were these questions random enough?

Yup!

 

And these are my questions to Mister Valance, Kracken, Miss Hawk, Miss Cecile, Dom:

1. What is the best thing about where you live?

2. If you could be anyone you wanted to be, other than yourself, who would you be?

3. What is your favourite item of clothing?

4. Who, or what, inspires you the most?

5. Do you use public transport?

6. What is most likely to set off the fire alarm at home?

7. What do you do to stay healthy?

8. If you could pass one new law, what would it be?

9. Pondering about uniforms, as I sometimes do... Is there a uniform that grabs your attention?

10. If you had to choose between who you love and what you love doing, what would win?

11. What is your best time of day?

I'll do me best to pop by, at a later date, to see the answers!