Christmas poem from David R

INTEGRATION

 

I’m grateful for benefaction

It’s a simple way of saying

You make a difference in my life

The love we’re all conveying

Christmas is for families

For friends and close acquaintances

To get together share a plate

And be granted second chances

Integration is the cornerstone

That glues us all together

The writers group’s a family

In bright and stormy weather

Another year has slipped away

Are they really speeding up

We’re here today to celebrate

And share a cake and cup

There’s Terry Cath and Jo Jo too

Margaret Trish Helene and Garry

David C Wendy Geoff and Melissa

And my god and Holy Mary

There also is Leonie

Lynn and Robyn K

Elizabeth and Fifi

And others that got away

To every single one of you

Each and every treasured friend

You make my life complete

And sometimes drive me round the bend

 

Ó

 

David Rudder

14^th December 2013

 

 

 

Record of meeting 18 December 2013 - Christmas meeting

 Words of the day

Benefaction = donation or gift

Eleemosynary = charitable, philanthropic

Impromptu = unrehearsed, without planning

Kismet = destiny fate

Sorority = US society for female students

Coterie = small select group of people with a shared interest

Instil = infused, or put into liquid or put into the mind gradually

Innate = deeply imprinted

Bask = exposed to gentle heat, revel in something pleasant

 

Writing from words of the day

We created a great range of stories with the themes - The meeting of the sisterhood, Reading out aloud, Deserving of selection, The loopy society, Poorer people, Polluted by blokes, No sport on TV, Marcia’s Mercedes and the One dollar donation.

 

Reading of homework

We heard Christmas stories with the titles - Standards of Christmas from Helene, Increase the dose next time – a funny poem from Wendy, The shopping list from Cath, Santa Clause sleigh update from Terry, Integration – a poem of appreciation from David R, The night before Christmas from David C, Christmas in Tokyo 1970 from Geoff and Uncle Rudolph from Garry in Thailand.

 

Christmas afternoon tea

We shared a yummy afternoon tea including sausage rolls, pies, dips, cheese, cakes, mince pies and fruit while we shared details of our most memorable Christmas gifts.

 

Reading

More of Charlie the detective from David C

 

Exercise

We participated in progressive write starting with “What I want for Christmas”. Stories included rabbit eradication, Lotto wins, the circus, the real thing, the perfect husband and other weird tales.

 

Homework

Predictions for 2014

 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Bay and Basin Writers Group

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas lunch 12 December 2013

Cath, Jo, Melissa, Geoff, David C, Trish, Helene, Terry, Margaret, David R and Wendy at DDs

Meeting notice 18 December 2013

 

 Please bring a plate of goodies to share for our Christmas meeting on 18 December 2013

 

Also bring ideas for a Christmas writing exercises to share

 

Sadly there will be no meetings on Wednesday 25 December or 1 January.

 

See you back on 8 January with some new writing ideas for 2014

 

 

 

 

 

 

Record of meeting 11 December 2013

 Speedy Get well wishes to David R from the group.

 

Words of the day

 Embarrassed = feeling self conscious or ashamed

Vagary = an unexpected change

Impecunious = poor or a broke person

Mews = stables converted to housing

Simian = ape like

Acrimony = sharpness of temper, caustic words

Astute = cunning, crafty

Dowager = a widow of property or title from her husband or a dignified older woman

Stories from the words of the day

We produced a great range of interesting stories in 10 Minutes - Managing the estate, I used to live in Sydney, A monkeys uncle, Swinging from the trees, The business card, The Dowager’s lover, The gambler and Her own son.

 

Reading of homework

Great homework stories on neighbours on the topics of In my cul-de-sac; Nosey neighbour in a southern voice from Melissa; Eves dropping on the neighbours; Mitch’s Mow; Neighbours in Chiang Dao; Stuffing up next door; and Charlie’s mother.

 

Reading and discussion

Reading of a - Three word story - Follows the alphabet - from David C.

We discussed the email from Diana M Thomas Community Information Directory Librarian Shoalhaven City Council on behalf of the Shoalhaven Writers’ Festival planning team about a proposed Writers Festival in 2014. Helene will prepare a draft reply for comment from the group.

 

Exercise

From Melissa – the action of a sentence exercise - two examples

Dinosaurs (noun) marinate (verb) in the earth. 

The fiddles (noun) boiled (verb) the air with their music.

We each created lists of 10 nouns, and then listed 15 verbs describing an occupation. From this we created

surprising sentences. We hope to be motivated to think of different ways to combine verbs and nouns.

Christmas lunch

Don't forget Christmas lunch 12 noon, 12 December, DDs

 

Homework

A Christmas theme (think about combining those nouns and verbs in unusual ways)

 

 

 

 

Record of meeting 4 December 2013

 

Present with News

David C built a shed next door (what a neighbour), Geoff had water pipes burst and flooded the floor, Trish’s voice is coming and going, luckily she has good bone density, Helene saw “The Butler” and wrote to Aeroplane Jelly, Wendy had her operation and it didn’t work and waited in hospital 3 days for a scan and had to share a shower with three men, Cath sort of broke her middle toe and then danced, Terry’s cataract surgery was successful, Jo’s laundry flooded, Margaret woke at 3 am and remembered she hadn’t read the second page of her homework last week, Leonie’s children are visiting for Christmas, the projector broke down and while she had an MRI and a medical appointment her partner bought new equipment and he has given up artificial sweeteners and his health has improved.

 

Words of the day

Hindsight = the ability to understand after something has happened or rear sight

Adhere = stick to or follow a cause

Chronic = a length of time

Enigma = a puzzle or riddle

Halteres = a weight held in the hand, the balance of insects

Politic = likely to become advantageous, astute

Enclave = a district surrounded by another district

Anaphora = repetition of a phrase for emphasis

Felicitous = pleasing, happy

Frolic = run and play in a lively way

Writing from words of the day

The well worded group produced a range of stories on the topics Remain in your place, The green slopes of Parliament house, The long jump frolic, I was a clown, On the beach at Bondi, Tell a friend about it, Education policy, Jaws, Out with the tyrant and Over the cliff.

Homework reading

 We read a variety of great homework from those present and those on leave; including A vision from a hidden room, Charlie returns, I grew a tail (from fishy David R), The Bondi tip, Seeing and learning, The dental bill (from Garry in Thailand), You silly old goat, A reading from Dillon Thomas, The second page of Margaret’s homework from last week about a discarded phone and pitch blackness a murder mystery in the bush.

 

Discussion

Jo bought a rocky thing to ask if it was a fossil. No decision was reached.

Helene gave some more information about ABC Open and the fact that Sarah Moss our Regional Producer will visit us on Wednesday 19 February 2014 to give the group information about the program.

David C read a poem by A B Patterson’s grandmother- looks like he had inspiration there.

 

Events

Geoff reminded us about two launches on Saturday 7 December

Deb Benson’s book Gallipoli Dog in Ulladulla and

The Kitchen table poets film in Nowra.

 

Three word sentence quick write

We stemmed our verbosity to create stories containing three word sentences. The stories covered the topics of Shakespeare the bard; Three little words; Are we there; Clean car tomorrow; Eat this stew; Tourist masses come; Pitch a tent; I don’t know; and I was ill.

 

Homework

Neighbours (Fifi and Garry - please no singing from the neighbours theme song)

 

 

 

 

Tribute to our Writing Group

Wednesday

By Terry McLafferty

Wednesday is our day of days…it’s when we writers meet

Either scribing on an iPad…or just a plain white sheet

With topics quite eclectic…and pasts diverse and wide

We pen our thoughts in rapid fire…our minds are never dried

Take Jo our latest scribe of note…turning words out by the score

Just when you thought she’d penned enough…out come volumes more

And Cath…our happy matriarch…so succinct in quickwrite mode

Her brain still sharp as any…a gift she’s been bestowed

Now Helene can be relied upon…to keep us on our toes

But where she gets her ideas from…I guess only Fifi knows

And Garry now living across the sea…in the land once called Siam

Enjoying Thai cooked delicacies…except the great Tim Tam

Our Melissa hails from Phoenix…that’s a long long way away

Her lyrics flow like liquid gold…just like a verbal ballet

Of course Scotty can’t be overlooked…he invented Charlie Wu

A copper borrowed from China way…where the pandas eat bamboo

Leonie is our quiet one… but oh so very clever

Her writings deep and meaningful…a lifetime long endeavor

David R our bard of rhyme…ideas thought while near the brine

Inspired words and phrases…in his poems…all combine

Geoffrey keeps us thinking…penning thoughts of a political bent

His writings well considered…no excess verbiage in his vent

Wendy is our comic scribe…only tall when on the stairs

With quick fire wit and cleverness…she’s our local Pammy Ayres

Elizabeth comes from Orange town…once a farmer and a flier

Now living in our coastal town…she could be a pen for hire

Trish is our worldly lady…telling tales of London Town

With a cheeky sense of humour…she’s fun to have around

Lynn, I knew from years ago…she writes like a writer should

But if the muse abandons…her paintings are very good

Margaret’s been here just a while…The Watermelon Farmer’s Daughter

Away from the country she’s long known…now living by the water

Robyn, Robyn, good old mate…been here a quite long time

Calls a spade a shovel…but her words are quite sublime
Now Trevor's just a newbie...and while computers have been his thing
He's now enjoying wordsmithing...making those letters sing

I guess that leaves yours truly…but I won’t beat my chest

‘Cause this group of budding writers…are the friends I call my best.