Phone

Sorry I haven’t been blogging but I haven’t written anything new until today. Now I have to put a story on computer so I know how many words it is, for a competition.

Meanwhile, I keep missing phone calls. I hear the texts but I don’t hear the sound for calls so I have changed the ring tone. Maybe the old one was too musical. It was certainly nicer than the new one , which is rather plodding but lower, not so tinkly. I’ll keep it for a while but I suppose I should do as the boys do and find a sound from somewhere else and use that, instead of choosing one from the phone.

I took it down town to take pictures of the advertised Octoberfest, only to find it was a ticket only affair and not the food festival that we expected. No bratwursts and we couldn’t hear the band as it was sold out! To top it all the bus didn’t come, and they are only once an hour, so we had to get a different one after a 45 minute wait and get off further away from home. I’ll add a Worthing picture , just for a change.

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Two hundred up!

I know it isn’t many for most people but it seems a lot to me. Thanks to the 200 folk who follow me. I’ll try to make it worth your while.

At present it is a waiting game. For all the writers out there. Isn’t it difficult? We send off material and then try not to be impatient for a reply. The answer is to start something new so I’m hunting through the competition pages to see if anything inspires me. I tried one and then realised my angle was too childish.Who wants to read about aliens when the title cried out for a story about immigrants?

I had to change the names in my book as one had already been used by a manufacturer. It’s odd what makes one consider a name for a character. Often it is the sound of the word – Simon sound thin and sly and George sounds heavy and slow, or does it, to you?

Is Peter trustworthy and Martha homely? Are Rick and Steve young and careless? J. 

Charity Variety Show

The mayor of Worthing organised a Variety Show at the Assembly Hall  on Saturday night. The place was packed, not surprisingly as there were choirs, dancers, pianists, a comedian and Elvis! The charities were the NSPCC, Care for Veterans and Mind. Everything went smoothly, including music from a great band. until the dancers came on. Then the coloured lights strobed across the audience and flashed in our eyes. It might be OK in a disco but many of the audience were elderly and some probably had medical problems that make flashing lights cause headaches, dizziness or worse. Sitting with one’s eyes shut against the glare meant we missed the dancing.

Amazingly, when it was pointed out to the management that this could be a problem such lighting was eliminated from the second half of the programme and the producer apologised for the changes. He really deserves thanks for such a quick and helpful reaction. I don’t believe it would have happened anywhere else.

Worthing is beginning to be a great place for the arts. It’s just such a pity that the internet has taken the place of posters as advertising. Not many people buy the local paper and we often find we have missed something because we haven’t seen it on line.

The Sea Scribes are hoping to have another Tunes and Tales event before Christmas, maybe a tea party.

Meanwhile, I have 199 followers. Guess what I’m hoping for?

Summer Sunday

Three of the Sea Scribes had an enjoyable day at Salvington Windmill on Sunday. It was a craft fair and we were selling our books. I managed to sell two copies and gave out a lot of leaflets about my talks so I hope I get some more bookings for 2020.

The windmill is run by volunteers and actually does mill flour. I was quite pleased with myself as the climb up from the Gallops is very steep and I got to the top without too much effort, mainly by going very slowly. I was helped by the fact that the path had been improved and there is a metal handrail all the way to the top, although it changes sides on the zig zags,

I have no reply from the people I was hoping would be interested in my next book but as I keep thinking of ways to improve it I don’t really care. If it gets much longer it will be long enough for me to publish it as a novella. Meanwhile we are finding poems about ageing for the next folk night at Woodies. It won’t be difficult as we have written so many on the subject! I did have a great photo of the windmill but it won’t come up, even though I’ve tried to crop it.

First draft

At last I have completed the first draft of my new novel. Now the hard work starts. It needs to be a few hundred words longer, which shouldn’t be a problem as I do tend to skimp on description and my typing skills are so poor that the spacing is often out.

The rest of the Sea Scribes are listening to it and I’ll be able to ask one or more to be a beta reader. There’s no way I will think it completed until I have a full edited manuscript. I can’t edit on the computer.

I have also written a poem for the folk club tonight so I must be in a creative mood. I hope it lasts. It’s too long to use here but will add to my collection for the next time I am asked to recite verses.

The new website is getting discovered. I had a typing error which I have corrected. Now to proofread my manuscript. Not my favourite occupation!

Family Day Out

One son and his wife brought our granddaughter to see us yesterday. She is six. We went down to Worthing sea front where there was a fair and the new Big Wheel. I hoped we could get a family ticket but that only included two adults and up to three children not three adults and one child! Eventually the little girl went on with her father ( that cost £12) and the rest of us waited behind and then we all went for ice creams.

Later we went to the Wimpy for tea. The youngsters were surprised we suggested it but we know what they provide and we are always satisfied with the service and the cost. Worthing was busy for once, with people sitting on the cobbles, although I didn’t see anyone in the sea. I remember it in the 1950’s when it was our family holiday destination. Now it is concerning to see the big shops closing, the post office moving into Smiths and the proliferation of charity shops. Still, the pier and the sea are still there!

website building

At last I decided to try to improve on my favourite website. I had two, the first having been designed and hosted by the designer but it was such a hassle getting him to change things and add stuff that I went elsewhere and made my own, with a template that seemed to offer the spaces I needed. Then, when the first website disappeared, I realised it had sections that were missing from my new one and I couldn’t combine them as I did not own the first one. So I’m back trying to design a completely new one that has everything that was in the two of them.

Once it is ready I’ll need to add the necessary links, including the one to this blog and to Goodreads but, at present, the old one is still operational and , if it isn’t, there is a business card telling folks I am having a redesign. There is a blog option on the new website but I don’t want to lose all the connections I have here so I’m hoping it will all work out together. Time will tell! Maybe then I can get a link back to the website from here, something I haven’t had because I’m so ignorant about computers.