I feel these show a definite progression in my painting. They form a continuation of my Birkenhead Park series of paintings and sketches, and yet they differ greatly from previous work - less representational, more expressionistic, perhaps.
Anyway, I invite you to let me know what you think of them.
At the moment, I have four short stories out for consideration with different magazines. I hardly ever send anything out, as I can't be bothered jumping through hoops for people. However I have a backlog of unused stories which are just sitting on my shelves, so I might as well try and do something with them. I'll keep you posted, should any get selected, which is a fairly long-winded process usually.
The two photos above show the fuchsias which had seemingly died over winter. Look at them now, in full bloom. Looking at the lower photo reminds me that I must rescue the house leeks which are in the grey Japanese bonsai dish, and which are getting swamped by self-seeded aquilegia. I've had that dish for decades - bought it from The Old Police Station, as it was then called, in Lark Lane, Aigburth, something like 30 years ago, back when Sunday craft fairs were held there.
Below is a photo of the lovely hibiscus, which had previously been in a pot where it produced one or two flowers a year. Following an intuitive whim, I replanted it in the ground and added three or four spadefuls of fresh soil from the compost heap around its feet. And look what's happened! It is covered in huge, purple and red flowers, with yellow stamens. I intend to extend this little flower bed fairly soon, as one of my crocosmia lucifer plants is desperate for new soil too.
 |
| Hibiscus and Aquilegia |
An interesting bit of synchronicity has occurred. I had already drafted this blog post up to that last paragraph about me needing to submit stories, then I received a phone call inviting me to Riverside Writers' 25th Anniversary Meeting, which was a lovely surprise.
Before moving to this house some eight years ago, I used to attend regularly. I even Chaired the meetings for around 13 years. But with the house move and with not driving, there is no way I would be able to arrive on time or attend as I once had, and so I voluntarily stepped aside and proposed that Peter Caton be voted in as the new Chair, which was agreed upon unanimously.
It was a pleasure to see some familiar faces, and there were quite number of new members in the group too. The group remains friendly and welcoming, encouraging rather than overly critical, which is how Tim Hulme and I had planned things to be from the outset.
Tim and I weren't entirely the originators of the group, which had existed a few years before we joined some time in 2000. It was a very different group then, run on much more formal lines, with minutes being carefully maintained and printed for each consecutive meeting. One lady even used to hand deliver these minutes to each member's house, walking many miles in the process.
The man who was newly-made Chair at that time seemed to miss being in business. He arrived at the next meeting clutching a printed plan to "really galvanise" the group with a rigid program of work-like activities, and enthused at great length on the need for structure, goals, and productivity. One other person, another retiree who was missing corporate life, waxed lyrical about forming committees and sub-committees. The group only consisted of about half-a-dozen regular attendees, and most of the people listening were aiming only to have a bit of fun with their creative hobby. It all seemed a bit silly.
This theme carried over to the following meeting, with more of the same gung-ho nonsense. This was the only time, in all the years I've known him, that I've seen Tim lose his temper. He threw his pen down onto the table, and said, "I'm bored!"
Anyway, within months everything changed. All the original members either moved way, passed away or drifted away. This left Tim and I as the only remaining members of Riverside Writers. This state of affairs dragged on for months, despite our poster advertising the group on the wall of West Kirby Library, where we then met. There was even one meeting when only Tim was present, so at the following meeting Tim and I began discussing disbanding the group altogether.
At that exact moment, a man nervously entered the closed-for-the-night library and hesitantly asked if we knew where Riverside Writers were. This was Peter Caton, and as he seemed so keen Tim and I hadn't the heart to say "hi, goodbye" - and so Riverside Writers survived.
Over the years, the group's had workshops, speakers, public readings, and published several anthologies. Many of its members have been traditionally published - novels, short stories, and poetry. At one point we had a monthly spot on local radio. We also combined efforts with actors from The Little Theatre, in Birkenhead, who read aloud our stories to an audience. Also, and to my mind more importantly, along the way friendships have been forged and a lot of fun has been shared.
So, 25 years later, the group's still going strong. Peter is still Chairing the meetings and has obviously done a great job. Andy Siddle is still the Treasurer, and he proudly showed me that the same plastic tub for storing group funds remains in use.
The group meet at Newton Village Hall, Wirral, once each month. If you're interested in attending, you can contact Riverside Writers via their website.
Comments