Tottie

I re-watched this video last night and researched the 1980s children’s TV series. (I used to love Tottie, and had a little wooden doll in a dress I pretended was her.) I found out the series was based on a book – Rumer Godden’s “The Dolls’ House”, first published in 1947. It’s on Kindle, so I intend to read it. In the meantime, I wrote a poem about the dolls.

* * *

a Scottish gent
content with his place in life –
subservient

a charming boy doll
only the size of your thumb –
rolling down the stairs

a wooden doll
purchased for a farthing –
nurtures everyone

a singing doll
ethereal and bright –
extinguished too soon

a china doll
pretty to look at but cruel –
havoc in the house

MATE

I had seen acrostics before (where the first letter of each line spells a word), but never two-dimensional ones, so of course I had to try.

MATE

Most amazing, truly empathetic
Ambles the extra mile
Time, effort, mutual admiration
Extraordinary memories are treasured

Like Bangers and Mash

Over the last month or so, I’ve found out a bit about Christian science. You could be forgiven for thinking it is, as it says, Christian. That was my assumption too before I read about it.

But one thing I discovered was that its founder (Mary Baker Eddy) rejected the Christian belief in the trinity, calling it polytheistic. Poly means many. She viewed the trinity as three different Gods, which isn’t what Christians believe at all. We believe the trinity is three people – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – one God with three different facets.

I hope you won’t think this irreverent, but the trinity’s a bit like bangers and mash. (In Britain, sausages are called bangers because of the popping sound they make as they cook.) You wouldn’t put the bangers, the mash and the gravy on three different plates. That would be weird! You put them all on the same plate (one meal, three parts).

Now if you eat the bangers but don’t have enough mash, what happens? Mashed potatoes fill you up, so you’d probably leave the table still hungry. Jesus said we should give Him the same honour that we give to God the Father (John 5:22-23), so don’t stint on the mash!

And if you eat your bangers and mash without a good, luscious gravy? Well, you might say: “That was a bit dry. Not very satisfying”. It’s my understanding that when Paul talked about being filled with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18-20), in the Greek, it’s in the continuous tense – be being filled. We need the Holy Spirit constantly to enrich our lives and increase our knowledge of God, so we don’t become dry or stagnate.

So, the next time you have three different things on your plate, maybe think about the trinity and how vital each person is.

Extra, Extra!

I wanted to write a poem on the theme of “Extra” for our poetry group this month. As I thought about the press, my mind went back to April last year when Paul Bishop (a councillor in Queensland) and his community said farewell to their local newspaper after almost a decade. He shared a video from its launch, where one of its co-ordinators said: “Every negative story we run has to have some long-term positive benefit for the community”. I found that inspiring, so I used it in my poem.

* * *

“Extra, extra! Read all about it!”
Latest scandal thrown in our face:
Why do you have to scream and shout it?
Can’t you show some kindness and grace?

“Extra, extra! Read all about it!”
Big celebrity, taken ill:
Won’t you try to act compassionate?
Don’t make their misfortune a thrill.

“Extra, extra! Read all about it!”
What if there was another way?
Why can’t every negative titbit
Teach us something of worth today?

“Extra, extra! Read all about it!”
Shoulder responsibility:
See how all the news could benefit
Many in your community.

Happy 30th, Blue Heelers

The first episode aired 30 years ago today. Of course, that has to be celebrated!

In a Kyrielle, the lines have eight syllables with one line repeated in each verse, usually (but not necessarily) the last.

Happy Place

For thirty years, he’s been the boss –
Tom knows the locals and their ways:
At-home in favoured fishing spots –
Made Mount Thomas my happy place.

Dead body or an autopsy,
Seen firstly through the eyes of Wayne:
Spotlighted the role of police –
Made Mount Thomas my happy place.

Roz reneged spectacularly
By executing her escape:
She hadn’t glimpsed what we could see –
Made Mount Thomas my happy place.

For thirty years, we’ve known of Nick;
Grieved from his wife and daughter’s fate,
Yet received a lovely exit –
Made Mount Thomas my happy place.

Starts the series playing around –
Cynical, unattached PJ:
In Maggie Doyle, his soul-mate found –
Made Mount Thomas my happy place.

At the Imperial Hotel,
We give ourselves some breathing space,
And Chris knows all her patrons well –
Made Mount Thomas my happy place.

Adam Cooper never quite gone,
For he could never walk away:
Had to confront his greatest wrong –
Made Mount Thomas my happy place.

Deirdre? A cringe-worthy name;
Displeasure screwing up her face,
So Dash McKinley she became –
Made Mount Thomas my happy place.

A late arrival into town,
Ben and his children, we embrace:
Though booze and women brought him down,
Made Mount Thomas my happy place.

A confidante we all should meet,
Who’ll bat for you and plead your case:
Jo’s the best friend everyone needs –
Made Mount Thomas my happy place.

He always yearned to wear the blue;
First of his clan to relocate,
And Jack a skilful horseman too –
Made Mount Thomas my happy place.

Ben’s promotion off the table
When Tess appeared with profile raised:
Battle-hardened, vulnerable –
Made Mount Thomas my happy place.

Holding his lollypop in style,
Clancy would keep the children safe:
Brain damage never dimmed his smile –
Made Mount Thomas my happy place.

Holy Trinity did employ
Conscientious reverend Grace:
Forgiveness was her greatest joy –
Made Mount Thomas my happy place.

The fascination never ends,
For Aussie small-town life is great:
Not just characters; more like friends –
Made Mount Thomas my happy place.

2023 Heroic Sonnet

I always try to keep my blog-posts under 700 words, but since writing my roundup of 2023, the Winter Writing Sanctuary suggested we write our year as a poem.

So, if you love the detail, you can read my ramblings, but if you want it in poetic form …

* * *

A trip up north for Celebration Tour,
We met and greeted six of Neighbours’ cast;
One spoke of Christmas-time and snowy walk,
And all of them made memories to last.

The launch of debut novel by a friend –
A story set in World War ii; “Love Wins” –
It’s certainly a book I recommend,
The forest and its characters therein.

In May, within our town, we saw it dim –
So gentle and encouraging, his light;
A number came to thank our God for him,
And tell of how he influenced their life.

Through Neighbours groups on Facebook, I since learned
About a company of volunteers,
Who fly a bunch of actors ‘cross the world
To bring their stories to our waiting ears.

Elaine – who once played Daphne – got a flight,
And meeting her was truly a delight.

2023 – A Very Neighbours Year

March was the start of a very Neighbours year. Off to Manchester with Tasha for “Neighbours – the Celebration Tour”. I managed to get Meet & Greet tickets, and I’m glad because it might have been a disappointment otherwise. Interviews with the six cast-members, interspersed with clips from the TV-show – but a lot of the dialog was overdubbed with music, which meant for a blind person, it wasn’t as good as it could have been. The Meet & Greet more than compensated though. We met Paul, Jane, Karl, Susan, Toadie and Chloe (if you know the characters). Alan (Karl) talked about being in our hometown one Christmas, and Jackie (Susan) seemed to radiate warmth. When people meet me, I’d like them to feel how she made me feel. They gave us each an autographed poster (which Dr. Karl personalised with our names), and a Ramsay Street sign. We said if we lived on the same street, we could have put one each end and confused the postman!

In April, my friend Lou (Lorraine Beard) released her debut novel – a World War ii story called “Love Wins”. I later read a similar book about a rural farm in that period, “The Girl with the Yellow Star”, which I’d also recommend.

In May, we lost an integral part of our town. Pete and Carol always welcomed me as if I was part of the family. They introduced me to Compassion. When I was leaving home, they prepared me by inviting me to supper every week and letting me help with the meal. Pete would be doing the crossword or worshipping on his guitar. He was a gentle preacher, a great encourager and a wonderful songwriter. At the celebration of his life, so many gathered under one roof to thank God and tell stories of his positive influence.

June saw me journeying to North Wales. The intention was to support a couple of author-friends, who were organising their first Kingdom Story Writers retreat. I wish I’d known the premise of the retreat beforehand, but they valued every member of the group, and one task I enjoyed was writing a parable in a modern setting.

After the Celebration Tour in March, I joined a couple of Neighbours groups on Facebook. Through these, I heard about a company called Screen Star Events. They’ve been going 15 years, so it feels like I’m late to the party, but they bring actors to the UK to ask them questions and give us an opportunity to chat. Amazingly, they’re all volunteers, juggling fulltime jobs and arranging these events in their spare time. In September, their celebration of Australian television covered Neighbours, Prisoner Cell Block H and the more recent Wentworth. I met the two Beas – Val Lehman (Bea in Prisoner) and Danielle Cormack (Bea in Wentworth), as well as Glenda Linscott, Anne Charleston, and (my favourite) Elaine Smith. Elaine used to play Daphne in 1980s Neighbours, and I vividly remember watching the episode where she slipped into a coma after her car crash. Elaine said how nice it was that people still remembered. She also said it was a delight to meet me, and I definitely feel the same about her. She was lovely.

I ended my Neighbours year in October when I met Colette Mann (who played Sheila Canning). Only 120 tickets to this event, so I grabbed a couple, thinking it would sell out quickly. Wrong! It was a Sunday and when I looked at the trains … five changes! I did wonder if I should bother, but I’d been reading her tweets. She’d not long come to London and I wanted to make her welcome. My local taxi firm got me there in the end (hurray for taxi-drivers!). I enjoyed hearing her speak, but it wasn’t well-organised. The host didn’t explain the format of the event, and talking to her afterwards felt rushed because of the queue of people behind me. The photos weren’t professional either. It was an experience, but I’m sticking with Screen Star from now on.

Thanks for reading this year. I’m grateful for the memories I’ve made in 2023, and wish you lots of lovely memories of your own for 2024.

Today’s Visit

This year, a friend of mine (also called Sarah) recommended an online Winter Writing Sanctuary. In today’s class, we were encouraged to write wintry Haiku. I didn’t realise Haiku rarely feature the word ‘I’, and they usually contain some kind of seasonal reference (E.G. snow). As today’s lesson was all about noticing, I focused on the visit we had earlier.

* * *

Christmassy delights
tiny child grasping a hand –
her sweet voice brings joy

sitting on carpet
for her December party –
she knows what she wants

chatting on sofa
some might call it laziness –
brightens uncle’s day

from the other room
festive songs skilfully played –
Notes from piano

well-remembered toys
not enough snow for the sledge –
precious time with kin

Musical Monday: Christmas Day!

Yes, it’s on a Monday this year, so I thought I’d post a song here for you.

Zechariah (an elderly man) doubted he would have a child. The angel Gabriel struck him dumb because of it, but he did get his voice back when his son was born, and those first words he spoke (about the future coming of Jesus and how He would lead us in the path of peace) were beautiful.

Enjoy the title track from my latest album, “Path of Peace”, and I hope you have some lovely moments today.

“Faf-Faf-Faf-Faf” – a Quatrain on Trains

We climb up on the train that’s running late,
But oh, it’s down the other end – our seat:
We jostle; wobble; get in quite a state –
How glad we are when journey is complete!