Posts Tagged ‘neil-hammerton-jailed-sex-offences
Hello Out There …
Blog 16 – Hello Out There … Paige Turner is giving A Free Glass of Bubbly at the Creative ink Book Launch for being the first to spot the intentional fib …
As I was sending out the press releases for the Old Croydonians Centenary Exhibition taking place on Saturday 2nd July at the BRIT school – formerly the Selhurst Grammar School for Girls and next door to us – the BOYS – I did some Googling as you do. It’s the equivalent of Doodling. You should be doing one thing and off you go elsewhere. Anyway, my fingertips stumbled on the Croydon Advertiser’s feature re: Croydon Youth Theatre Organisation. CYTO. It was my dwelling place when I was in my teens and I graduated from fourth gargoyle to a lead in a lovely little play by William Saroyan called ‘Hello Out There’ and from thence to being a paid tutor at the tender age of nineteen whilst I was still polishing the floorboards at drama college. Anyway, sadly, CYTO loses its paid staff at the end of July and that is a sad story as it was my first professional job and I do believe professionals should be paid.
The other sad little story is that one could never be sure if the guy who hollered ‘Hello out there …’ from a hole in the wall Texan prison ever committed the rape he was imprisoned for or if ever loved the cleaner Emily – whom he called ‘Katie’ or was just buttering her up, promising he would take her to San Francisco, so that she would get him a gun which he could use against the lynch mob coming to shoot him. That was such a long sentence but not as long as the young man in the play was about to serve.
I’m changing the subject now. We’ve had a lot of takers for the Book Launch of Patricia Sentinella’s collection ‘Dear John, Dear Anyone …’. It’s on Thursday 16th June at 12.30pm at the Fitzwilliams Centre, so we’re buying more cheese for the free lunches we are giving. Email me if you want to come. Keep sending in the 600 word missives for the ‘Dear John’ competition – the fiver goes straight to the Heart Charities.
Scriptwriting – on Saturday 11th June at Beaconsfield is going ahead so call 0845 045 4040 if you would like a place.
That’s enough for now. I do sometimes feel like that guy hollering ‘Hello out there …’ He would holler and holler and holler and then suddenly a small voice (Emily’s) goes – ‘Hello’. Anyone reading this blog?
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Last week’s intentional fib was ‘Space Oddity’. It should read ‘Space Odyssey’.
Bread Pudding Days
Blog 8 – Bread Pudding Days …
Fiction is a fusion of truth and lies …
This bi-month there are no porkie pies …
For Muriel 10.6.22-14.2.01
With love.
Bread Pudding Days by Jan Moran Neil
On soggy days
when the rain spits
my mother’s house is filled
with the warmth of cinnamon sticks,
rich dried fruit
and softly sifted sugar.
She folds and wraps our words:
- the bargain cost of my orange gloves
- the price we paid for our lost loves
- our woeful tales of wicked hate
- our splendid plans to be great.
All are measured, sieved, considered
for their mixed worth
baked into something sturdy,
crusty, spongy and deeply palatable.
And in that cooking fragrance
- the weight and varied textures
touching half remembered edges -
my mother’s syllables and smiles stretch on:
a balm against the greying bits,
a refuge against the rain which spits.
