Arvon Blog Visitors
Hello! We are looking at my blog!
…which was my shortest, and, I like to imagine, shittest post ever, outdoing by far the poll where I asked people to choose between Uriah Heep and Nat King Cole; and even leaving the post where I put up a link to Judy Tzuke nowhere in sight in terms of straightforward shitness.
But it marked an extra-ordinary week with an extra-ordinary group of people. I was tutoring at the Arvon centre at Lumb Bank with my good pal Catherine Fox on a Writing From Life course. Several of the writers seemed like obvious bloggers; and as they get going over the next few weeks, I hope that their blogs will be linked here. In an attempt to encourage them to get going, I ran a ten minute tutorial in front of the only interweb ready computer at Lumb, on how to set up and run a blog; ironic, when you think of the sporadic nature of my posting. Anyhoo, the post ‘Hello, we are looking at my blog!’ originated in that ten minutes. Ten minutes in which I clearly forgot the first thing you teach in writing school; never use exclamation marks.
The 15 students were a wonder and a revelation, and all much too good to single anybody out. So the fact that I am singling anyone one out is just so that you visit her website and listen to the legendary Carol Grimes. Her book will be worth reading too….
People, you were fab. Thank you for everything.
Hi Ian
I may have bribed a co-operative son-in-law, (He owes me plenty) to help me set up a blog in the coming weeks, I was an instant convert up in the Lumb Bank office.My thanks for that, and a wider thanks for the great week, I’ve come home, head buzzing, and frankly annoyed that other things (Sainsburys, growing grass, sleep etc) are getting in the way of the serious stuff, writing (and reading). I really did learn so much from you, Catherine, and the lovely gang of ladies,over that week, realising how far I have to go to be able to call myself a writer, and yet,how many tools I’ve now got to go along that road. Whoever said you can’t teach was wrong, unconventional maybe, but…well I learnt plenty. And as for the midnight concert under the stars…..!
Thanks once again, and good luck with your Night
Rob
Actually, Gina, you’d make a top blogger….
I returned home to find that my (6′ 7″, 22 stone) Dad has got a date to get his new knee and he has eschewed the additional handrail and free shower they wanted to put in for him, my (rock god) son has packed his job in but he didn’t tell me until after I’d done the transport to Rammyfest and cheered and whooped like a much younger person all through the gig. My mother keeps leaving BOC’s (Bags Of Crap) on the doorstep, eg stale bread and stewed apples in a pyrex “it’s a pudding, love” newspaper cuttings “for Eleanor, love” Elle hasn’t lived with us for six years and nobody knows why she of the four kids is singled out for this munificence. In short, situation normal. I had such a good time last week, I keep telling everyone I feel like I went to uni for a week.