Wednesday, 29.9.10

Present: Melissa, Mandy, Terry, David C, Cathy, Jo, Robyn

Brag:
Terry read the prologue and first chapter of a story by one of us (Jo actually), the beginning of a book she has been looking at for some time. (It was so good that I felt I had to read it out). All agreed it is a terrific standard. We encourage Jo to focus on getting this story finished. Make us proud Jo.
Jo expressed opinions on community aid.
Cathy's grandson Rudd's band is in another grand final. Good, good luck.
David C discovered that garlic bread slices are better if they are put in the sandwich maker.
Melissa talked about her teaching efforts and frustrations with poor response to her efforts.Also spoke of her lyric works and recent competitions she has entered. We were awfully glad to see her and wish her luck.
Mandy is editing her memoir competition entry of many, many thousands of words.
Robyn said goodbye to her son's house. Before she came back she tried the bidet for the first time, well, said goodbye to it. This excited her as she had never used one before. It had 'Hyundai' on the back of it. ?? For fast women?
Well, that started up a feast of for instances, what about ... Terry drinking from a finger bowl in a restaurant when he was l6 and didn't know better, Mandy washing her feet in the bidet of a side-by-side suite when she thought that's what everyone did. (Oh, to be young - I don't think!).

Words

Mandy: eunuch, castrated male usually caring for a harem.
Terry: conundrum: no origin of this word is known...a conundrum in itself
contumacious: stubbornly rebellious
Jo: insolation: exposed to sunlight, sunstroke
jardiniere: a stand/pot,
crestfallen: disappointed at failure, dejected.
tryst: suspicious meeting
Cathy: mactation: killing of a sacrificial victim
David: mercurial: quick, electric
wraith: a ghostly figure

Homework

'The Sign of Virgo': Robyn. Nanna's house, including animals and Joey the cockatoo. Her house smelled as old houses do. Nanna told her about her dressing table things, old things - she wishes she could travel back to Nanna's time.
David C: 'Sibling Rivalry':At his grandma's funeral on a rainy day. He expected tension as from old. His twin brother and he are different. David goes in, has the key to his grandma's house. Fond memories, yet sadness. In the drawer is a parchment. 'I leave the cottage to the boys ....' to be continued.
Cathy: 'Memories': Lisa had to act upon Nanna's death. Money left to charity. Lisa opened a drawer. Nothing special - but wait - an envelope drops out, addressed to Lisa. A card from Nanna, thinking of Lisa even now.
Jo: 'Inside My Grandmother's Drawer': a real life drama, one which would never have been written if this subject had not been set for homework, and it is gratifying that it is written: it should have been.
Mandy: 'The Drawer': Found a diaphragm, other items in the drawer, her grandma told her why everything was there. Very earthy old lady. She is old and near the end. Everything comes out, so the heroine thinks that she will go the way of her grandma and she makes a good living and inherits money also.
Terry: 'A Life Unknown': His grandma, when he was a child - genealogy was the drawer opener and disclosed a strong woman who never bent under her considerable load. She raised great children.

It was obvious from what was written, whether real or fictional, just how hard life was for women once, and what women did to earn money to feed their families - no judgement can be made, they did what they had to do.

Exercise: Slang words.

Good fun, especially for Melissa so we could tell her the .. mmm...more lively slang words...she's learning fast(Melissa is from USA). She is such a good sport too.

Next: Exercise: 50 Things Everyone Should Know. Now that was interesting.

One of them is incorrect. Discussion followed upon the scanning of the pages, and the papers were taken home to provide ideas for next week's homework. This is going to be interesting. Also sharpen yourselves because we are going to give Mandy's General Knowledge acquisition a good investigation.
See you all next week
Jo

September 22, 2010

Present: David R, David C, Wendy, Cath, Mandy, Robyn,Vala, Jo.

Brag:
Robyn showed beautiful photos of grandkids.
David C's brand new car goes too fast - got booked.
Vala went to gym-plank position, couldn't be a spider.
I wasn't there so that is the image I got.
Wendy got a new MP3 player for her birthday.
Mandy is no longer a scrabble addict. Is talking about the recipe book we never finished before .. provided information re writing contest, children's books writing. Bernadette is pregnant.
David R has finished moving from his old house.
Mandy has solved the problem of the club's printer.
Jo had a fainting fit - doctor asked her if she heard voices - no one laughed. She told them about the first 78 rpm records, that they were made from paper. I think they all waited for Jo to answer 'yes' to the doctor's question. Mmmm ... just wait ....
David R's battery went bung.

Word of the Day/W/Y

Cath fatuity - feeblemindedness, obstinate.
David C suffuse - to thaw out, facial blushing, eyes watering
Wendy quaggy, adj. - swampy
Mandy journey - from 'journeyman' (source), hired workman.
David R taxonomy - branch of science concerning something, a scheme of classification

Homework: 'The prickles on his neck told him ........'

Cathy: A man went through a field and was covered with thistles (the Scots kind) trying to get through his clothing.
David C: 'Six Hours to Live': A dirty bomb was exploded in the Warragamba Dam. Contaminated water. Disease. Waiting for 2M people to die. Looting occurred. Sydney's multicultural population were dying. But it had all been a joke.
Wendy: 'My Excuse': Poem about trying to write about a subject she can't cope with. She did cope very well with no idea of what it was she was doing well at.
Mandy: 'Brown Sugar' A part of a romance she is writing whereby one of the characters got prickles at the back of her neck when she really contemplated marriage.
David R; Poem 'Hair-raising moments'. An animal wants to eat a man - the gunslinger kills the beast - the bounty hunter was then under threat from the victim, who was still alive.
His second poem: 'The Briar Patch'. A former priest fights the outer world. Falls into a briar patch then St. Peter called him up. That didn't work either, he ended up in the prickly briars for good.
Jo: 'Can't You Understand That!' About men and their hairiness.

Then on to the Exercise. 'A Child in a Crib'.

This was so good and each person's so different that we should put them into a book. David R, Wendy, Vala and Robyn did it in poetic form.

On to another exercise, 'The Journey of a $5 Note'.

Vala was born then became redundant. David C went from the Mint, went with a lady whose purse was taken. Robyn was given back and forth. Cathy came from an ATM, wanted to be out and about. David R, a poem about passing around a note, risky business. Mandy, new note, springy, so experienced everything in the world. Jo ended up in a drug dealer's home and carried on financial dealings there.

Homework: 'You open a drawer in your dead grandmother's house. What do you find there? What emotions do you feel?'