8.9.10 meeting began l.l5 pm.
Present: Helene, Cathy, Wendy, David R., Jo, Vala, Mandy.

Brag.
David told us of a neighbour who was blown over by the wind in her ugg boots, trying to retrieve bunting. It isn't every day you can see this.
Mandy will get a wished-for shed as hers lost its roof in the wind. Her caravan went for a walk.
Wendy is going to Nowra Players to see a play.
Helene going on a cruise, not yet.
Cathy is wearing a very stylish boot because she would climb ladders to clean windows. She has broken a bone near her ankle, very yukky when you think of it.

Word of the week, or day, or year:
David: loquacious - talkative.
lascivious- feeling an overt sexual desire, lecherous, ribald, lewd.
Mandy: parsimony - mean-spirited about spending money.
Wendy: spinster - a woman who remains single beyond the usual age of marriage, or
a spinner.
distaff - a staff for holding wool.
Helene: feminism: advocacy of equal rights for women, esp. in politics, or presumed 'man's' domain.
Cathy: slake - satisfy an appetite, thirst, pertaining to lime.

Homework: 'Six hours to live'

David: a meteor is coming - a poem - colourful and mysterious - oh dear, he was drunk and didn't die.
Mandy: a story of the effects of the bombs as they advance across the country. Prime Minister Gillard seems to be there already.
Helene: Justin hears the news about a change in the law through a monitor. He packs up to go to Swanhaven. He finds he has 6 hours left. The world keeps turning as if nothing is happening.
Vala: A poem, what will she do in the six hours she has left? Decides that no one will remember her doings so why do anything. She ends up writing at the last minute about the last minute.
Cathy: An atomic bomb has been exploded. Everyone rushing around to find shelter and water and food. They pray. They embrace but the radio is on and the news is all bad. There is no escaping.
Jo: A reporter who reports the end in advance of it, describing what is ahead of him and all mankind - the last tree will be the last earth-like thing to go. Oh, oh, Prime Minister Gillard was there too. I should've said 'womankind' ... personkind ... phooey.

Cup of tea time ended up in picking out a man with a titty on the cover of a romance book, can't remember who has the kind of sight as to notice such things ... mmm

Then there were quik-rites. 'But that's not my real name'. All efforts as usual, very differently presented.

Then there was the exercise: 'Write a story in one line'. Everyone had a good idea of what had to be done. Interesting.

The homework was presented by Jo, and it was in the form of an excerpt, what is science fiction, that is, that science fiction is present each moment of your life. It was explained in the excerpt how that comes about. However, the writing parties have decided to do work of their own or do the s.f. which is not s.f. really, that is the point, everything at some time in history and future is s.f.- think of the wheel - once it was also.
Well, we will see what else comes about next week, but we are going to treat ourselves to a game of trivial pursuit which is apt, as we are all interested in keeping the brain active and games are excellent practices. We are going to divide into teams, wow, that'll be interesting. Hope we survive the afternoon!

Meeting 1 September 2010

Present: Terry, David R, Jo, Mandy, Wendy, Robyn, Helene, David C, Cath

Brags: David C could not master the blog, he won’t be here for the next couple of weeks, has laid storm water pipes in his front and back gardens. Robyn is no longer crazy. Terry had a wart not skin cancer. David R met Jo in the doctor’s surgery at Basin View and is seeing a skin specialist in Nowra about a skin cancer on his back. Wendy has a $3 note and her dog died. Helene had the poem “A view so pretty” printed in About.

Word of the day:

Cath – vituperative – scolding, berating, objective, vice
David C – iniquity – not equal
Jo – focused – now spelt with two s’s, advisable and wrath – angry about something you have been holding in. The name of the Australian rat is bogul
Terry – hush puppy – a small ball of corn meal to keep a puppy quiet
David R – penchant - a strong or habitual habit, liking, inclination
Eschew – abstain from Old English and German
Mandy – metathesis – transposition of letters in a word
Wendy – enervate – to weaken or destroy the strength

Reading from homework:

Cath – was slothful so didn’t do her homework
Robyn – Chocolate licorice stick
David C – Brian - The gormandizer
Jo – The sensible way to end anger
Terry – Anger at everything
David R – The Trail blazer - poem from his great, great grandfather’s life
Mandy – Sins in paradise
Wendy – I’m a sinner
Helene – Seven deadly sins

Two exercises: Annoying words and phrases and word exercise.

Homework: The radio has reported that you have six hours left before a catastrophe is about to happen in Australia. What will you do?

Meeting 25 August 2010

Present: Vala, Wendy, Helene, Mandy, Terry, Cath, Jo, Robyn, David C

Brags:
Mandy cruising the pacific and experienced an earthquake.
Terry found a site that linked his wife to her siblings
Cath broke a bone in her foot
Jo has posh broken glasses and a different car and has finally arranged insurance and rego
Robyn has a healthy heart and a cat scan and diagnosed with a migraine without pain
Helene has driven the Neriga Road to Canberra, the road is not yet all sealed
Wendy her dog was bitten a paralysis tick

Word of the day
In depth discussions about everything from fluvial to osculate

Homework
Reading of lots of short stories from our childhood very interesting, cross section of upbringing

Exercise
Lots of short writes taking the subject matter from the names of race horses – Redfern waltz, Apollo Drive, Mister Anthony

Homework – The seven deadly sins.

Record of meeting 17 August 2010

Present: Terry, Robyn, Helene, David C, David R, Vala, Jo, Cath

Brags: Jo brought two brushed aluminum knives they are very light. Jo also showed a book with illustrations. Jo also told us she had been to the specialist had an x-ray and two scans and a broncoscophy and does not have cancer but still needs further investigations on her lungs.
Terry – has written a nonsense poem.
Robyn – had success with the council and now has no stopping signs outside her house.
Vala – lasted her first one hour Pump class.
David C – was digging and found he could kneel on his new knees and explained his surgery.
David R – sold all his house in the Blue Mountains and all his furniture ( a lot he had made) - he now feels liberated.
Cath – has cleaned all her windows.


Word of the day

Helene – Triskaidekaphobia – fear of the number 13
David C – metaphor is a figure of speech in which transfers a meaning to something
David R – countermand – to revoke an order, origin middle English, old French and Latin.
Vassal – a holder of land by feudal tenure, a person in a subordinate position to another- origin Celtic.
Cath – passive being the object rather than the subject.
Terry – Gaberdine – mans long loose outer garment or cloak.
Robyn – furphy – unfounded rumour.

Homework

Robyn – Second hand Rose
Helene – Second hand valve - poem
David C – Any second now
David R – Me life is made up of seconds – poem of a Scotsman
Cath – A mathematical story - Don’t waste another second
Terry – Just seconds - A poem
Jo – Second cousin etc

Exercise Nonsense poem

David R – E-sex
Cath – Curtains in the trees
Jo – Lady on a knee
Terry – Racked with Ian
Robyn – No intelligent words there
Helene – The horny toad
Vala – The lady from Nantucket
David C – The crow

We were having so much fun we decided to really unwind and wrote a second nonsense poem with even more creative results.

Homework – Recall the first house you lived in when you were about five. Include your memories including the layout, furniture, colour, smell, people who lived there.

meeting 11/8/2010

present were Terry, Wendy,Dave, Jo, Robyn, Helene, Cath.
Brags.Terry offered J. Gash help with a strategy package.
Dave, Knees are great, walked up a mountain at Berry.
Cath, mastered the blog, easy peasy.
Word of the day.
Magni, Large, great, magnify.
Absquatulate, to flee.
Liripoop, Tasses found on a graduates cap.
Desultory, Passing, Erratic.
Cutler, Knife maker.
Fraught, Loaded, full.
Homework was about Jesus.
Helene, Jesus' new friend, very funny.
Wendy, cynical poem, I hate Jesus.
Terry, In the Bag, A tale about Jesus' new life.
Dave, Charmaigne, Gender problems?
Jo, The busy man. A tale of armadillos', Nazis, combi vans, zumba, hilarious.
Exercise, passing along sentences, some strange imaginations.
Quick write was; Everybody else was laughing.
Dave, comedian of the year, corny jokes, but funny.
Jo, the last laugh.
Royn, Romper Room, the sad little clown.
Helene, keeping warm, however silly you look.
Wendy, revenge at the school social.
Cath,
a boating mishap.
Terry, Funny animals, a nonsense poem.
Homework is; My life is made up of seconds.

meeting on 4.8.10

Members present were:- Vala with news of her daughter's appointment as Assistant to Secretary of Treasury. Congratulations & good wishes also to Vala for her 60th birthday: Jo had some news of a North West tree octopus???, Robyn recently celebrated her husband Joe's birthday. We welcomed Helene wearing a new Pandora bracelet which she obtained whilst visiting her family in Canberra. Wendy had nothing new to report & Mandy is excited about her forthcoming cruise of the Pacific. David returned from finalising his house move, he read a witty poem he composed for Vala's birthday. Terry has been assisting one of the speakers in a mental health forum prior to a Meet the Candidates election meeting.

As usual the Word of the Day caused some discussion:-
Wendy's were internet related - blamestorming - working out who to blame
ego-surfing - looking up your name on the internet
swiped out - credit card overuse
mouse potato - internet user
starter marriage - first marriage (practice?)
David puzzled us with nonet, explanation - uneaten
Jo's word could be used to describe some of our meetings - persiflage or joking chatter. Another word of Jo's was negatory - worthless: of no value
Terry:- Prognosticate: Predict or forecast
Helene:- Gravitas: substantial. serious demeanour
Cath:- Brabble: Quarrel noisily over trifles: discord: brawl
Vala:- Capacious: Roomy

There were interesting ideas on the subject from last week:- Three shades of white - in verse and prose.
Mandy wrote a moving tale of a poor family and a Peace rose.
Terry's poem covered many shades of white, from clouds to snow & surf
Robyn had researched white, how it is used as an example for purity, cowardice etc.
Helene used the subject to add another chapter to her novel
Wendy wrote an amusing poem of ladies obsessed with laundering sheets
Cath's piece involved wedding dresses worn by three generations of a family
David read a heartfelt poem relating to war experience, he then made fun of being on a diet with another poem, followed by a witty piece regarding laundry and three shades of white

Terry suggested an exercise which kept everyone occupied, silence reigned as the words, ivy, squat, mizzenmast, iguana, rivulet, muzzle, xerography, twosome, foyer, decibel, were woven into a sentence with top marks if they could be used consecutively. Hilarity was caused when the results of these efforts were read by the composers. It is amazing where a mizzenmast could be placed.

Next weeks's subject is A 60yr old transvestite man who loves Prada,favourite colour mauve,works at the Zoo, has an athletic build, speaks 3 languages with a lisp, has white, pointed teeth, teaches Zumba at a retirement home for old transvestites, drives an old Combi van, is South American, his name is Jesus and his hobby is writing poetry. We hope to hear some interesting stories about Jesus next week.

Wednesday 28th July

Mandy, Wendy, Melissa, Terry, Cathy, Jo, Robyn, present.

Brags:
Cathy: Rudd's band came second in the grand final. Well done!
Mandy: Did a good job giving the service in church. Provided a sugar scuttle for inspection.
Wendy; Had a 60's party for friend - went back in time in all ways.
Terry: Ran a Memoir course in Berry, was enthusiastic about his reception and the actual day. Is talking about doing the same in nursing homes.
Jo: Went to the doctor - again. Bronchiotomy next Wednesday...good luck Jo.
Melissa: Later, said she was working, teaching at TAFE, and is enjoying the work.
Robyn: Found a new convict ancestor.

Word of the Day

Cathy: Nebulous: hazy, perplexed.
Robyn: Terse: polished style, economy of expression, free of superfluity
Succinct: The exclusion of extraneous detail.
Wendy: Flout: mock, disregard rules.
Mandy: Tintinnabulation: ringing of bells.
Terry: Hubris: overestimating one's confidence, esp. for people in power.
Jo: Vituperative: to censure abrasively, to be severe
Focused: a word not spelled to her satisfaction in different dictionaries.
Dilettante: modern meaning: frivolous, old meaning: pretentious.

Homework - The Key

Robyn: Pam finds a note inside a teapot from a convict woman, who was sent to Australia. Pam finds a key in an old shed. The key was set with diamonds and made of silver, it was worth a lot of money.
Wendy: Poem about Karaoke at the RSL.
Mandy: 'Keys to Life'. Lyn met Tom. Tom makes their relationship seem difficult to continue. The key to the continuation was something she had to discover that was important about her.
Terry: 'Michael'. Poem about a homeless man who discovers the key to his new self.
Making a start on rejuvenating himself.
Jo: 'Moskeytoe Land' about a bush rover who encounters a locked door and with the key opens it to meet a giant chook, Colin, who spends a lot of his time swatting moskeytoes, viz. black crows.

Much talk about the art of songwriting, Melissa's playing field, with a paper presented by Jo re Dicken's illustrator, Phiz.
Quikwrite: We had to write a resume as a fairy tale character applying for a job. We chose different characters, which was interesting.

Homework: Write a short story about "Three shades of white."


Jo