Minutes of Our Meeting of 11th January 2024. Venue Corral Star Taverna Pegeia Cyprus.

At Venue:Rick, Mike, Jackie, John E, and June.

On Skype: Bobby, John G, Bob and Irene

 

Another book from a PWG member.

Well done Jennifer

The meeting started with readings:

Bobby -Trains.

The strange party of the fox, rabbit and the three magpies follow the Siamese cat to find the train that they want. The big folk carry on as normal but there are posters about the missing Siamese all over the station and somebody calls the number. The cat shows them the train but says that shw won’t come with them because her mistress might be looking for her. However a man turns up to collect her and she has second thoughts. When they sneak into the parcel van she is with them……..

 

Irene – Winter.

Tales of winters past, from childhood to family get together’s in Scotland for Burn’s Night. An Aunt who went to Canada, returning years later for New Year celebrations in Scotland.

She had a trip to London buying clothes, one year. Then of course winter foods, games in the snow, hot drinks, all happy times. Then later in life, trips to Switzerland. A very full and happy life for young people.

 

John E. – Winter.

Stories of Army life abroad at Christmas time, when most soldiers are on leave. Prisoners taken for a run around the town, and maybe for a drink, Norwegian girls bored with the local boys looking for excitement with the worldly soldiers………….

And

A highly amusing episode of a police under-cover operation, two officers dressed as builders wait in McDonalds for a raid on a jewelers shop to happen. The pin drops out of a stun grenade and falls into the lining of his jacket. Clutching the arm of the grenade they run into the toilet and search for the pin between them, the misconstrued conversation gets them thrown out of the restaurant. Very funny true story.

 

Rick – Ch 6 Stane Street

Ricks U Tube journey along Stane Street reaches Alfordean to Oakwood Hill this was a Roman settlement, which was a very busy area, based around a windmill. It has all gone now and the land reverted back to farming. However the wind mill was reconstructed in the 1960’s as a tourist attraction.

 

Jackie – Winter.

Memories of childhood winters, picking a Cairn Terrier puppy out of a litter, ready for her birthday in January. Her mother going into hospital, home for Christmas then back to hospital only to die three days later. Sad memories.

Then becoming part of her father’s newspaper shop business, standing in for absent paperboys then finally having to do the BIG round herself in the snow, sliding down the long snowy hills in the newspaper delivery bag.

In Cyprus had the luxury of Christmas Day doing exactly what she wanted to do on her own. Emerging on Boxing Day to meet up with friends and party.

 

Ah nostalgia – It’s not what it used to be is it?

 

Mike – Winter in the Mediterranean

Comparing the world’s population shift looking for warm weather in wintertime, where will it all end? Just stay where you are and put up with it, you might even enjoy it!! Rose coloured memories have a habit of dissolving into reality. HUMBUG!

 

June- Winter A Musical Study.

Winter is described in the form of music, snowfall, blizzards, all beautifully painting pictures in your head and transporting you to far off lands. June describes these pieces exactly using her in depth knowledge perfectly.

 

This then prompted a discussion as to how music was taken to the population hundreds of years ago compared with today’s instant worldwide availability. Different times indeed.

 

Bob – Property Checks

A semi auto-biographical story of his personal life as a fresh faced young copper out on the beat with the people on the streets. Night shifts were scary times physically checking properties were secure was part of the job, if you found anything YOU had to deal with it.

 

Bob is going to produce a couple of novellas about this time in his life looking forward to reading them.

 

John G – Almost winter  Part One.

Geoffrey and the Chief.

A stormy night and Geoffrey is watching out of his bedroom window, He gets dressed and sets of on an adventure, a willow tree is waving threateningly at him, he pretends he is on horseback in the wild west. Spotting a light he heads towards it to discover…an Indian camp……… PART TWO NEXT WEEK>

 

A very nostalgic meeting this week, we might try to bring things more up to date or maybe not:

The theme for next week is RAILWAYS TOOT TOOT..

 Jennifers Book is available on: https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?