@knickylaurelle
Active 4 months, 1 week ago-
Athelstone replied to the topic Monthly Competition – December 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 3 months ago
Thanks Alex. We don’t get many entrants to the competition any more, so winning can be, if not a poison-chalice, a hot coffee-cup. Your prompt was perfect for Christmas and I had fun writing about it.
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Alex replied to the topic Monthly Competition – December 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 3 months ago
@athelstone, that was an enjoyable story. I liked how you interpreted the prompt. A deserving winner to end the year. Over to you.
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Athelstone posted an update 2 years, 3 months ago
A very happy, prosperous and successful New Year to all Denizens.
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Athelstone replied to the topic Monthly Competition – December 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 3 months ago
Not sure what exactly is happening. Maybe old age is catching me up but I posted this already. There was an amusing intro about how it’s too long and how I’d have to take my chances. And so on. Anyway, it is too long (by loads), so I will have to take my chances.
The Stoggy
I’m a magical creature called a stoggy. Don’t get too excited bec…[Read more]
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Athelstone replied to the topic Season's greetings in the forum Podium 2 years, 3 months ago
Libby, I thought I’d replied, but I was also looking at some site updates that need to be done soon, so my mind was obviously elsewhere and I didn’t press the button.
Absolutely. I quite agree. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and the same to all other Denizens.
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Hi Ath, you did reply! I received an email on Christmas Day: “And to you, Libby. And a very happy Christmas to all of us.”
It never appeared here on the site. I put this down to a computer glitch.
Thank you for this reply and the next one. Happy new year 🙂
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RichardB replied to the topic A Corporate Crime Scene: Lac Mégantic, 2013 in the forum Blogs 2 years, 3 months ago
Burkhardt’s first reaction to the disaster was to lay the blame on Harding (now there’s a surprise…). This, after Harding had expressed concerns about the locomotive, which were dismissed, and made his offer to go and check on the train, which was also dismissed. The transcript of the phone call makes his anxiety plain. After he’s told he’s not…[Read more]
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Athelstone replied to the topic A Corporate Crime Scene: Lac Mégantic, 2013 in the forum Blogs 2 years, 3 months ago
Mr Burkhardt is an interesting character who has, it seems, been profoundly interested in trains his entire life. Your blog inspired me to research the man a bit and it does seem that he knows best in matters of running a railroad. Of course, he had “previous” for being the manager of a railroad that allowed a train to run down a sloap while…[Read more]
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RichardB started the topic A Corporate Crime Scene: Lac Mégantic, 2013 in the forum Blogs 2 years, 3 months ago
All my previous railway accident stories have concerned British trains in the steam age, since that is my area of interest and expertise, but the Lac Mégantic disaster, which happened in Canada as recently as 2013, is interesting partly because of the contrast in railway practices between here and North America, but mostly because the usual…[Read more]
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RichardB posted an update 2 years, 4 months ago
Seen by MrsB today somewhere, I believe, on Facebook:
‘We used to have empires, ruled by emperors. We used to have kingdoms, ruled by kings. Now we have a country…’-
Just so.
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At the risk of inflaming any anger about this just before the season of peace and goodwill (unless you live in Gaza) here’s an article about the £billions spent on dodgy PPE from people with personal connections to the governing party https://democracyforsale.substack.com/p/michelle-mone-disease-corrupting-british-politic
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Athelstone replied to the topic Monthly Competition – November 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 4 months ago
Well done Alex. Also, sorry Janette – I had half an entry written when I glanced up and noticed it was all over. Not good enough ????
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Alex started the topic Monthly Competition – December 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 4 months ago
Giving or receiving gifts is a part of this time of year for many people. On that note, have a gift form part of your story. What, who, why etc. is all up to you as long as the story involves a gift.
500 words maximum, by December 31.
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Alex replied to the topic Monthly Competition – November 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 4 months ago
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Seagreen replied to the topic Monthly Competition – November 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 4 months ago
A worthy story, Alex. ☺️
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Janette replied to the topic Monthly Competition – November 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 4 months ago
It’s hardly fair to say ‘by default’, because @Alex, your story merits more than that. I loved the uplifting ending, and the thread you chose in the challenge, which was a pleasure to read. It is with the same pleasure I pass the baton over to you.
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Alex replied to the topic Monthly Competition – November 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 4 months ago
He had seen the changing colors of the leaves which autumn requested. Felt the temperature fall. Of course, he had to haul himself on a plane years ago to experience this. Where he was from, it was hot all year round. No changing colors of leaves where he was from.
This year, he would experience autumn again. See the leaves change. Feel the air…[Read more]
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Seagreen replied to the topic Monthly Competition – November 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 4 months ago
Sorry, J. I have the visuals – i.e. can picture in my mind what I want to say, but it appears I have lost the ability to string words together on a page.
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Athelstone posted an update 2 years, 5 months ago
Been watching telly today and I have this to say: NEW CLEAR. that is NEW CLEAR. Two words, new and clear. Not, I should point out, three words: NEW QUEUE LAR.
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New Queue has a hint of birdsong about it. A distraction in these ghastly times? :/
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It’s one of those words. I hear it mispronounced almost as often as it is pronounced correctly. The curious thing about it is that it really only has two parts, both of which are simple word-sounds in their own right: new and clear. I even hear people who work closely with things nu-cue-ler get it wrong.
There’s a theory that the British, and a…[Read more]
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I’d not heard of that one. Do people really say that? Yuck…
I’m always fascinated by the way words change pronunciation and meaning, for example Beaulieu becomes Byoolee but Beauchamp becomes Beecham.
And, speaking of lieutenant, I can see how a word that must have originally meant ‘place holder’ became used like ‘Lord Lieutentant of Wherever,’…[Read more]-
Pronunciation is a curious thing. I expect the list is very long and finds a home amongst both the well-heeled and the down-at-heel. So we have Magdalen College Oxford which we are admonished to pronounce in the medieval way “Maudlin”. This pronunciation evolved over time, but at least the middle-English speakers had the sense to spell it…[Read more]
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I’ve heard the new-queue-lar version. It does sound odd but I’ve wondered if, unlike me, the speaker isn’t old enough to have grown up with nuclear as a familiar word and a consistent threat.
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Hah, that did occur to me. Hardly a day went by from the late 50s to the 80s when somewhere on television, radio, or simply in conversation, the word nuclear didn’t crop up.
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Perhaps it’s the same. Place holder for the captain under whose command the lieutenant is acting. Does that make sense?
Re pronunciation, here’s the OED:The origin of the βtype of forms (which survives in the usual British pronunciation, though the spelling represents the αtype) is difficult to explain. The hypothesis of a mere m…[Read more]
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Speaking of the nuclear threat, I’m reminded that Aldermaston, where the Canpaign for Nuclear (never new=queue-lar) Disarmament used to march to when Ah were a lad, is in Berkshire. Now I wonder when we started pronouncing that Barkshire, because a certain piece of rhyming slang suggests that Cockneys, at least, used to say it the way Americans still do.
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Janette posted an update 2 years, 5 months ago
Only ten more days to go for the November Monthly comp.
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Um, fingers crossed and a fair wind …
It might be more of a description than a story. My brain is full of other stories at the moment. But I’m interested in the task you’ve set @Janette
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Janette replied to the topic Monthly Competition – November 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 5 months ago
Just to make clear – this just relates to autumnal references. You can use sight in other parts of the story.
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Janette started the topic Monthly Competition – November 2023 in the forum Monthly Competition 2 years, 5 months ago
Autumn is upon us in all its savage glory, but it is so much more than a paint pallet. I’d like you to theme your story around Autumn, including every sense except sight. I’d like this to be within a 450 word limit, please.
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Sorry I didn’t manage to do a story, Alex. I had work to finish, and it’s a busy time of year.
Congratulations, Ath. A lovely story, exactly right for the season.