Sugar, Digger, Gigger, Blogger...

   

SUGAR:
It's good to be a mum at this time of year.  I love all the fuss ...and the Mother's Day card...and the flowers...and the chocolates!!  Ah, SUGAR!  Love it.

   This year, I was invited to spend the night at my son's flat for Mother's Day too.  He doesn't know how lucky he is to have a flat overlooking the Tyne; watch the boats come in and out; watch the lights from North Shields to South Shields twinkling bright from dusk till dawn.  I never got a wink of sleep - it was all too magical to go to bed.  Thanks, Phil, for the best Mother's Day ever.




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DIGGER:

 

           
As the garden starts to take on all that lovely Spring colour, it's time for the cats and I to get out there, get the gloves on......and do some mucking out.

Oh, what a chore.  But it makes it all so much easier when I have the reds of the Pieris, the whites of the Ornamental Cherry and the pretty cerise of the Camelia to gaze upon as I go.

   

And I did enjoy (praise be to the heavens) a whole weekend of  unexpected glorious sunny weather, me digging out the weeds, me planting summer bulbs - and the cats, Mr Jim (the fluffy black/white one) and Rosie (the tubby ++ one), digging them back up again!
Within a couple of days, my lilac blossoms have made an entrance, my tulips have come into full orange, pink and red blooms - and the clematis is growing and budding at a mile a minute. So, now that my green fingers are working again: onward, Sheila, onward...

      
It's good to get me gardening head back on!       

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GIGGER:

The Gatecrashers were red hot when I caught them at the Rising Sun, Crawcrook, last weekend.  Not only were they fantastic, us girl partners did the 'biz' too!  We grooved together with the 'bum' dance, Nina and I, shaking our booties to increase the wild atmosphere of the gig - and we did - OH YES!

Nick (vocalist and guitarist), Ant (lead guitar and backing vocals), Dave (Bass Guiatar) and Maurice (drums) were on fire.  Nick sure knows how to get a crowd warmed up, sparks flew from that amazing guitar of Ant's, Dave's bass was like an electrical storm of deep thunderous tones - and Maurice was a live wire on those beautiful blonde drums. 

The crowd loved the Gatecrashers:

"Fantastic night - I hope they're back here soon," said one.

"Wouldn't have missed this gig - not for anything," said another.

At the end of the night, they wanted more, more, more - and the guys hit white hot heights with 'Sex on Fire', Nick right there gyrating on the bar to drive the audience crazy.

What a brilliant night - a great night to be a GIGGER, I thought....

*

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BLOGGER:

Invited to blog for the wonderful North East Magazine, 'North East Life', I have penned a couple of blogs containing super photographic footage for 'The Otters of Otterburn' and 'A Gaggle of Geese'. 

Photos by kind permission of Dave Hildreth and Dawn Boulton - thanks, guys.

The blog, entitled, 'TWIGS, GIGS, HAUNTS AND JAUNTS' is a diary of walks, gigs, favourite haunts and my travels around the locality of the North of England.  Give it a whirl - I hope you enjoy.

Here's the link:

Twigs, Gigs, Haunts and Jaunts

http://northeast.greatbritishlife.co.uk/community/blogs/entries/sheila-newton-twigs-gigs-haunts-and-jaunts/id/381/

Yet another feather in my cap, don't you think?  Another string to my bow!

WRITE ON!! and read on - there's more... 

^^^

I was commissioned by the fabulous Gatecrashers band, to ghostwrite their official website.  What an honour.  It was a real privilege to work with these great North-East musicians.

You can visit their website at:

The Gatecrashers Band

www.thegatecrashersband.co.uk

*



Talk to you soon, Constant Reader. 

Hope you enjoyed this installment. 

There'll be another one soon.

In the meantime...

HAPPY EASTER

Go to the link below to colour in your own Easter Bunny (!!)

http://www.toonworkshop.com/free/clipart/cartoon/easter/index.php

Leeds, Long-ago Liverpool and a Love of Language

LEEDS

We met up at the Travelodge, Leeds Central, to spend a night and a day taking in the atmosphere of Leeds.  There was just me and my best friend, Dawn, and we had a ball (except that I snored all night -allegedly!)

We wined and dined in 'La Tasca' - a great Spanish restaurant that served us perfect paella - and at  Wagamama.  Wikapedia says of Wagamama, 'a British headquartered restaurant chain, serving pan-Asian food in the style of a modern Japanese Ramen Bar'. And that's just about right. The food, in 'get it when it's ready' style, comes at you fast and furious, in bowls with chopsticks.  It was a huge treat.  I'll have to try out the one in Eldon Square, Newcastle, near to where I live.

We had breakfast in a super greasy spoon in the indoor market.  We strolled around the 'tat' stalls where I found a bag and a couple of bling watches.

 We wandered into so many arcades with cascading fountains, they all looked alike, blurring into one, except for the designer gear and jewellery in the shop windows. We strolled, mesmerised by the retro clothes shops until we came to the arts and crafts market - here every second Saturday apparently - where I found myself drawn to beautiful amber rings and things - and I bought one (a ring, that is!).
Dawn bought a hand-made framed clutch of hens in recycled metals (she'll correct me if I'm wrong in my description - but she won't dispute that it's simply gorgeous!)

Around the town hall were stunning statues and a tree of shoes (yes, you read it correctly!)


 Inside the art gallery were the amazing works of Henry Moore.  The Henry Moore institute, a collaboration between the Tate Gallery and Leeds Art Gallery, houses marvelous must-see sculptures.  I was enthralled.  This was a great week-end.  We'll do an away week-end again, for sure - and so should you, dear readers!  

WRITE ON

Love of Language:
Thanks a million to my writing buddies (and tutor, Kathleen Kenny, who introduced the activity) of the Wednesday writing group at Mea House Newcastle, for their involvement in the writing exercise that fuelled my 'about writing' article for - 

FLASH FICTION CHRONICLES

It was published on 24th March, entitled 'Waltzing with the Word'.  You might want to try out this great activity for yourselves.  Here's the link:

Flash Fiction Chronicles: Waltzing with the Word

http://www.everydayfiction.com/flashfictionblog/



Ghosts and Games of Long-Ago Liverpool

My manuscript for the 'Forget-me-Nots'section in 'This England'- a quarterly glossy magazine about life in England - has been retained.

How fantastic to be considered worthy by such a magazine.  I'm honoured!  Everything's coming up roses - a great big crimson bunch of 'em!       

That's all, constant readers, until next time...

...and next time, I'm likely to be giving my garden some much-needed attention!



Graceful Birds, Brilliant Gig & Gaudi's Barcelona

Cormorants Nest on River Tyne

Walking on the pier between the North Shields Fish Quay and Tynemouth last weekend, we saw the most amazing sight: cormorants in their hundreds, nesting on shallow protruding rocks in the river.I've seen cormorants many, many times, but usually, I've spotted one, or maybe a pair.  But this was astounding.
The cormorant is often described as almost reptilian - some say spooky or foreboding describes them best.  They are often seen with wings spread, drying out after fishing expeditions.

"They must nest here in the spring-time," I said, "Must make it my business to come here every March."  And I shall.  Oh, I shall.
When we set off, it seemed like a drab, miserable day.  It hail-stoned on the way down to the quay. 

But the sky became a magic mix of colour,the river sparkled silver light (making many of the photographs look like black-and-whites), limpets clung onto rocks in the shallows for dear life.  It was like they believed a tsunami was due.  And the statue of Lord Collingwood looking out to sea appeared dark and devillish.
    

A graceful bird in a gorgeous setting, don't you think?

A Gripping Performance from the Gatecrashers

The Brandling Villa in Gosforth, Newcastle, buzzed with excitement.  The place was packed to the rafters with fans as well as musicians from other local bands - all here to spend an evening with the fabulous Gatecrashers.

It was the first time I'd seen them with their vibrant new lead vocalist.  And I was impressed - so very impressed.  Nick (Saints of Arcadia) Jennison (below, left) has more than enough charisma to set a stage alight - and then some.  And he can sing - oh, can he sing! 

 

Sharing lead guitar with the amazing Ant Wright (below, left) who also provides great backing vocals, they had a ball while entertaining their discerning Geordie audience.

                   

Add to the flavoursome mix the brilliant bass guitarist, Dave Hildreth and talented drummer, Maurice Anderson (pictured together, above right) - and the Gatecrashers were a big green GO!

And the crowd roared. 

With pop numbers like 'Valerie' and 'Forget You', soul favourites like 'I Feel Good' and 'I Want You Back' and a dollop of rock an' roll in the guise of 'Sex on Fire' and 'She Was Just Seventeen' for good measure, you'd be pushing it to find a better cover band. 

 And the crowd roared.

A guest appearance from the singer of local rock band, Tommy and the Oddballs' added a certain Je Ne Sais Quoi to an already brilliant Gatecrashers performance. And the crowd roared.

On opposite sides of the stage, Tommy and Nick, up on chairs, bellowed and growled the lyrics to 'Dakota', while Ant took on superb lead guitar, jiggling his choir-boy golden curls, Dave (no curls, folks, but he does sport a mean curling lip) boomed the bassiest riffs ever - and Maurice sweated the drum-sticks and grinned over a beautiful Yamaha kit.  And the crowd roared.

It was a brilliant gig - brilliant!
View the Gatecrashers' rendition of 'Try a Little Tenderness' at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uxkORJxS8k

 WRITE ON

How Gaudi Taught Me a Lesson

Writing an article for Literary Traveler about Gaudi's architecture in beautiful Barcelona, I was taken aback by how much research was needed to get it right.  Gaudi was a complicated fellow - and his work is equally as complicated.  With a mix of Gothic and Art Nouveau, he took his work from nature. He famously said,

"Nature is my teacher."

When I researched Gaudi's sparkling creations, I realised I didn't know the half of it. His wavy lines, intricately forged sculptures and colours all portray something from nature. The balconies of Casa Mila (right) portray coral and kelp; the wavy lines, sea cliffs and caves. What a great deal I learned.

I also learned that ANY and EVERY piece of creative writing should be researched, from the point of view of history, perhaps - or geography - or just plain creativity: RESEARCH is the buzz word.

Now isn't that a GREAT BIG writing tip?



...and finally, some BLOODY GOOD news for me!  My 'about writing' piece, 'Waltzing with the Word', is to be published on Thursday 24th March in

FLASH FICTION CHRONICLES

http://www.everydayfiction.com/flashfictionblog/



NEXT TIME...A WEEKEND IN LEEDS

TALK TO YOU SOON, CONSTANT READERS

Red Letter Days

I haven't posted for a couple of weeks, but oh, those couple of weeks have been eventful.  I've had so many red letter days it's quite astonishing:

A SQUIRRELLY SORT OF A GOOSE-BUMPY DAY

First, I had a trip to Sheffield to stay with friends and managed to get photographs and a video of a squirrel, out from his lair to eat the bird food my friend had set out on a tree stump.
I have to call it a red letter day because I adore squirrels.  There were robins out there in the woodland of Graves Park too - and a larger version of a tree-creeper I can't remember the name of.  And then there were my favourites - the geese - all bad-tempered and hissy-fitting because Spring is here!

WRITE ON

SEX-DRIVE AND SWEATY SOCKS
http://www.wanderlust.co.uk/mywanderlust/forum/the-weirdest-thing-youve-eaten-on-your-travels_2930

The link, above, takes you to my comment about the fruit, Durian.  I tasted it on a trip to Kuala Lumpur.  It is famous, they say, for improving libido - increase your sex-drive!  I've entered this into my 'red letter day' posting, because it was the first time I had used the 'My Wanderlust' site on the Wanderlust website.  It costs nothing to join and it's amazing: a great place to post information, photos etc. about holidays and trips. 
There's also a members forum, which is where I posted my comment.  Have you ever tasted Durian?  It's an experience, I can tell you! Some people say it tastes like rancid cheese or putrid fish.  I rather liked it!

THIS RIGHT HONOURABLE WRITER

"Well, I never," I said, when I looked at the Writers' Weekly 24-hour Fall Contest winners page, "I got an honourable mention."  There was a first, second and third prize, followed by 20 honourable mentions - and I was one of them.  My 850-word story, 'Meet Me off the Train' had won me a year's subscription to 'The Write Market' magazine and an e-book of my choice. 

Any writer out there interested in entering the Spring 24-hour contest, here's the website link:
http://www.writersweekly.com/misc/contest.php 
Now that was a red letter day indeed!


COMMISSIONED FOR CASTELNAU - Moi? Bien sûr!

La Greze, Castelnau de Montmiral, is the location of the wonderful gite where we stayed with our friends in 2009 as part of a tour of Annecy, Provence and the Midi-Pyrenees in France.

The owners, John and Judi have invited me to pen an article about our stay at La Greze, including the romantic hilltop villages amongst the vineyards, the meadowland and forest areas surrounding it.
I'll be writing about their beautiful gites, swimming pool and gardens - and their wonderful hospitality.  I'll be publishing text and photographs of the villages around and about.  I'll give the reader tips and hints on the best places to visit for day-trips away. To view 'La Greze', go to: http://www.lagreze.iowners.net/


Barbeque at La Greze (the Grange) '09



 POETIC LICENSE

Below, there are links to my attempts at poetry.  I've written about HAIKU, SONNETS, the SENYRU and the SESTINA.  If you like poetry (or even if you don't and you just want to try it out for the heck of it!) 
Go to the links below for my published poetry pieces to date, with the publishers, Authspot and Bookstove - and the writing community, Fan Story.

                                                                              
 

Haiku

http://authspot.com/poetry/haiku-42/

Winter arriving (haiku)

http://www.fanstory.com/displaystory.jsp?id=375156

Spring Woodland (haiku)

http://www.fanstory.com/displaystory.jsp?id=407030

Dusk ‘til Dawn (haiku)

http://www.fanstory.com/displaystory.jsp?hd=1&id=377310

Setting the Scene for Sestina

http://bookstove.com/poetry/setting-the-scene-for-sestina/

Moon-Dappled Magic (senyru)

http://www.fanstory.com/displaystory.jsp?id=389390

Fan Story: Things that go Bump in the Night (sonnet)

http://www.fanstory.com/displaystory.jsp?id=406153

Of course, Shakespeare really knew what he meant when he said to me, 

'Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day'!

(Ah! Did I hear g-r-o-a-n-s?)

AU REVOIR - FOR NOW.
THANKS FOR READING ABOUT MY RED LETTER DAYS
TALK TO YOU VERY SOON, CONSTANT READERS

The Bottom Line | Authspot



 

CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW:

The Bottom Line Authspot

...for a fun piece of writing about the life of my rear-end, bum, bottom - whatever you want to call it!

If you have any comments at all - for example, if you want to tell me about your backside! - then you can comment here, on this blog, or go to the link above and comment there. 

Hope to hear from you soon, CONSTANT READER!