Minutes: 21.10.09

Present: Mary, Kathy, David C, Helene, Terry, Robyn,Jo,Wendy.

Brags: Kathy spoke with pride of her grandson's musical debut in Nowra - Tzar Bomber.
Helene: Saw whales up close on the weekend. Lovely.
Wendy: Wendy went away and saw koalas in their habitat in Strathmerton, Victoria. Koalas very friendly, or else they think we are koalas too??
Robyn's friend, who has been battling cancer for a few years, has been given a ray of hope. Joe has had a good report on his test again.
David went to see Toni Childs at the Country Club, reported it to be extra professional and not to be missed.
Jo won a $20 lottery voucher from local shop for being a loser.
Word of the Week
Kathy's: 'Antipathy': instinctive air of dislike, emotionally-based meanings for this word.
Helene's: 'Mosh': to move as a crowd at a musical function.
Wendy's: 'Uxorious': excessively fond or submissive to one's wife. (mm, a couple of comments from the male gallery).
Robyn's: 'Socialism': pertaining to differing theories, a most untidy word, with discrete connections, some of them dangerous.
Mary's: 'Volcano': odoriferous fumirole, pyroclastic flow.
David's: 'Caucasian'; one from the Caucuses - pertaining to European Aryans.
Terry's: 'Felicitous': one who has gift for speech. Promoting happiness.
Jo asked, who had an explanation of 'tarmac'. Different ideas.
Talk, show, etc: Mary read out a list of probabilities - e.g. drop a screw, it will roll to an inaccessible place. Jo showed two unfinished beadwork slippers and a cardboard picture depicting frame and subject all in one.

Homework was predominently about Lawson's 'The Post Splitter', read and write about the man suggested by the poem. Flesh him out a bit more.
Kathy painted a picture of Lawson's bush in prose. Helene wrote a poem but peopled with newer Australians. Wendy wrote a poem about gen X language. Robyn read out a draft of a story about country life, warts and all and the man's sorrow at the death of it anyway. David read a poem 'Lars', the Scandinavian woodcutter in Lawson's forest - a second migrant experience. Terry, also a poet, wrote about 'Clarrie', a dinky-di Aussie. Cedar cutting, later generations blame these men for forest devastation. Jo read 'My Old Age', a humorous look at getting old. Tongue-in-cheek.
Exercises: Terry outlined the advisability of pleasing all members if possible. This is not easy but commendable.
First exercise: Write a paragraph without using the letter 'e'. Oh, fun, fun, shoot me in the head please. Hard to do. But we tried and there were a couple of paragraphs that actually made sense. It's a good mind-bender and we should do it often. It sharpens.
Then, thirdly, a sentence was given by Terry and each word had to start a sentence. Trying to make a story? Not b.. likely, but of course a couple of clever little things did a good job.
It's all fun sometimes, and we love being silly anyway. Such an homogeneous group. Note 'homogeneous' all, note 'an'. Do you know there are moves about to get rid of 'ans' before 'h's'? I don't know who does these moves but I heard it on TV..SO IT'S GOT TO BE TRUE! 'Bye 'til next time. Jo.