Stop What You're Doing and Read This!

I am one of the lucky ones. I discovered the joy of reading at a very young age and even though I wasn't encouraged to read by parents or carers, somehow I learnt how to do it when I was 5 years old. A teacher at my first primary school encouraged this ability and was without doubt an important influence in my young life. Perhaps she was a passionate believer in what 'The Reader Organisation calls 'the transformative power of reading'.
I remember when she told us the tiny story about two little birds': Two little dicky birds sitting on the wall, One named Peter and one named Paul, Fly away Peter, Fly away Paul...and magically the two little birds (bits of paper on the end of her forefingers) would disappear...Come back Peter, Come back Paul...and just as amazingly would reappear. I was enthralled by those vanishing birds and thought and thought about how it was done. She brought that same magic into the stories she read to us, from the Three Billy Goats Gruff, or the Ladybird Books, to the story about a child who was colour-blind and whose parents only discovered this when the small boy spoke about an Irish Red Setter as the 'Green Dog'. There were many more books and stories that she introduced us to.

So I was lucky, others were not so fortunate to have reading as their friend - we know this to be even more so today in 2012 when there are low levels of literacy and a widespread apathy towards books and reading.

Vintage Books have just published a collection of ten essays called Stop What You’re Doing and Read This! by authors from the worlds of science, publishing, technology and social enterprise.

Jane Davis, is one of the authors and describes how The Reader Organisation‘s Reading Revolution began. Others include: Mark Haddon, Michael Rosen, Zadie Smith, Carmen Callil, Jeanette Winterson, Tim Parks, Blake Morrison, Dr Maryanne Wolf, Mirit Barzillai, and Nicholas Carr.

The writers are all from very different backgrounds. Some were lucky and grew up with lots of books in the home, for others books were banned or hard to find. But all ten agree that reading is a powerful pleasure that inspires us, allows us to escape to other worlds, improves our wellbeing, and how important it is for us now and for the future of humanity. Reading is a wonderful and unique experience, so Stop What You're Doing and Read This and this and this and this.....

Happy New Year

It's that time of year again - halfway between Christmas and New Year. All things have to end and at the end of this year, I'm beginning to think about 2012. What do I want to leave behind this year? Is there a situation that I want to change? What do I want to concentrate on this year?

I want to leave behind all the negative influences in my life. I would like to be valued by my employees and offered more hours as I am finding it increasingly difficult to manage on part-time hours. This year I want to concentrate on finishing my novel and submitting it to a publisher. I want to also illustrate the children's story that I'm working on and really get going on the autobiography.

Wish me luck!

Happy new and creative year to everyone.

Wishing you all a peaceful Christmas

Here are this years Christmas stamps.

They represent the original meaning of Christmas, something we have all forgotten over the self-indulgent, materialistic years. Putting up decorations, posting cards, buying presents...what does it all mean? For some, spending time with family, though there will be many who for whatever reason cannot be with theirs. For others it is just about buy, buy, buy. My partner and I will will go to the Carols by Candlelight service at my local church, we will try to visit St Albans Cathedral and even go to church on Christmas morning. Is this enough? I don't know. I would love to have enough money to only buy presents from Oxfam or some other worthwhile charity but I have to confess, I, like many others, am feeling the pinch and finding it hard to make ends meet, so some of my presents will come from not so worthwhile shops. I visited my local Christian shop earlier today to buy cards and a few other little bits including The Grumpy Shepherd (for my grandaughter not partner) and The Spirit of Christmas for one of my sons. I also got a lovely photo frame and wedding candle for another son who has recently married. When I got home, I cut out M E R R Y C H R I S T M A S and stuck it on the wall, I felt I was taking part in the celebration of the birth of Christ and this seemed to give what I was doing, a bit more meaning. I'm lucky, I was brought up in the Catholic tradition, so I have some idea of what Christmas means but children today have no idea of God or the church. Our schools have become so politically correct, that they've become frightened of even mentioning Jesus.

Maybe this years stamps will add that special something to our lives when we buy our stamps and post our cards. The stamps illustrate the theme of the Nativity. The seven new stamps are inspired by verses from the Gospels of Mathew and Luke, and recognise that 2011 is the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible.

2nd Class – Joseph visited by the Angel
Inspired by Matthew 1:21 where the angel tells the sleeping Joseph: ‘And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins’

1st Class – Madonna and Child
Inspired by Matthew 1:23, ‘Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us’

2nd Class Large – Joseph visited by the Angel
Inspired by Matthew 1:21 where the angel tells the sleeping Joseph: ‘And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins’

1st Class Large – Madonna and Child
Inspired by Matthew 1:23, ‘Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us’
The wider format of the Large stamp reveals the stable in the background.

68p – Baby Jesus in the Manger
Inspired by Luke 2:7, ‘And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn’.

£1.10 – Shepherds visited by the Angel
Inspired by Luke 2:10, ‘And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people’.

£1.65 Wise Men and Star
Inspired by Matthew 2:10: ‘When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy’.

And I hope these stamps will bring joy to all those who use them.

God bless everyone.

A small article published in Mslexia

Greenacre Writers Anthology

Our first anthology!

Co-editor Lindsay Bamfield and I are very proud to announce the publication of our first anthology. There are six prize-winning stories from our recent short story competition and nine stories from members of Greenacre Writers.