Issue 326 7th MARCH 2014

http://www.risingbrookwriters.org.uk/DynamicPage.aspx?PageID=81

On our Facebook main page and http://www.issuu.com/risingbrookwriters

Ghost stories, romances,

Sci-fi, murder, stories to make you

laugh

and make you cry.

2

So the Hospital was sold down the river, despite all the marching and all the public

consultations. Was anyone surprised? Will voters remember the taste of betrayal?

Watch out for scammers pretending to be from age related charities offering senior

citizens a „good deal‟ in a scheme backed by the govt for installing solar panels. There

is no such scheme, there is no charitable link, people fooled by these scammers can be

left with outrageous bills for inappropriate installations for which they will never live

long enough to see a reimbursement of outlay.

Poetry in Emulsion ... sign on a painter and decorator‟s van

Politicians! Bah! Humbug! Why is it the people who are quickest to demand more work

from others are often the least inclined to do any themselves? The old saying is still true:

there are two kinds of people: those willing to work and those willing to let them.

Random words : festival, dog, spring, mythology, compre-hensive, herd, apricot, chef Assignment : Food for thought Word of the day: anacrusis n An unstressed syllable at the start of a verse (poetry)

In music an unstressed note or notes before the first strong beat (or downbeat) of a phrase.

4

Ghost Town Assignment (CMH) Drifting silently past the thatched cottages on the green, two defunct brew-eries, and The White Lion Inn, past Morton's Grocery shop, purveyors of

the best Cheshire Cake in town, I come to the fire ravaged remains of an ironmongers shop backing onto the remnant of the British Restaurant, opposite a darkened cinema. The iron bridge across the river beside the garage should give me some protection from the spirits that surround me, they can't cross running water so I should be safe, but no; other spirits await me on the far side. The smell of freshly baked bread drifts from the baker‟s oven alongside the river and the clang of the bell on the fire engine as it pulls out of the Town Fire Station and heads towards the Town Mill to attend a conflagra-tion gets my attention. Where are the people? Past the Post Office, the Alexandria Hotel, the gap-ing coach doors of the 12th Century Inn, a glint of copper shines from the giant copper kettle hanging outside Dales Ironmongers, beside the sadly reduced Norman Church yard of St. Chad‟s, the 16th Century Ancient High House and Marston‟s shop, Woodall‟s drapers, and the shoe shop Market square looms clear. An errant wind picks me up and blows me across the square into the cor-ner by the Guildhall door slamming me hard into the wall of Woolworths. The glitter of the brass windowsill of Mummery's Jewellers, Watchmakers and Silversmiths, the well polished name plates on the Banks and Building Societies contrasts with the grimy stone of the Shire Hall and the newly in-stalled gas lantern outside Zeeland the bakers. Peering around the corner at Jeffs the drapers and the Liptons grocers, I step out into an ancient world, the world my Norman and Saxon forefathers knew well. Crowbury Lane, Gaol Street leading to Gaol Square, Back Walls, Vine Street, Stafford Street, Bull Hill and others, a street that has the ghosts of a dozen pubs and many more failed businesses in it. Disembodied I follow processions of animals, some decorated and exotic, and heading towards the Circus tents on the Stone Flats, and terrified ple-beian herds of cattle heading towards one of the slaughterhouses. Mixed in are the stories of pain, hardship, joy, triumph, pageant, life, and death. Being the spectre at the feast isn't fun.

http://www.poetrybusiness.co.uk/

Annual Poetry Competition

Publishing, Book Sales, Poets etc

A website with lots to see endorsed by Andrew Motion

Health Secretary announces Trust merger to secure Stafford Hospital future Pledges to see if consultant-led maternity can be retained

The Secretary of State for Health, Jeremy Hunt, yesterday published his decision on the proposal to dissolve the Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust. The decision will see Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust dissolved. Stafford Hospital will merge with University Hospital of North Stafford-shire (UHNS) under a combined Trust; while Cannock Hospital will merge with Wolverhampton. This has undoubtedly been a difficult process for everyone in Stafford. But we have come a long way from the original proposals that would have seen A&E, Maternity and Intensive Care all closed. The community came together in a fantastic way and I would like to thank everyone who has been involved in a large or small way in the fight so far. My thanks especially go to Support Stafford Hospital, who have stuck with this through thick and thin and continue to do so. Jeremy Hunt has commended the passion and commitment of the community to the future of Stafford Hospital. He has listened to those voices and matched them up with the clinical and financial recommendations to ensure the sustainability of the hospital to deliver safe patient care. I am pleased therefore that he has asked NHS England to look again at whether consultant-led maternity can be retained at Stafford. This service and those which go with it, such as paediatrics, are essential for the people of Stafford, Cannock and the surrounding areas and I look for-ward to continuing to make the case. In the meantime, those services will continue. I agree with the decision to dissolve the Trust. It could not have continued in a financially sustainable way. The dissolution of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust is a matter of governance not service delivery. However, we must now see a merger with UHNS and Royal Wolverhampton and not a takeover. A lot of work must now go into the governance structure of the new Trust going forward to ensure that the people of Stafford get a fair voice on the board. I am pleased that the Secretary of State has made it clear that no services can be transferred until patient safety can be absolutely guaranteed. As I have made clear throughout this process, patient safety and the safety of my constituents must be at the heart of any changes. That is why I will continue to make the case for services at Stafford. Our local population needs a consultant led maternity unit, paediatrics and other services that go along with it and I intend to continue to fight for them. This is about the future, not the past, and our first priority must be to the patients and staff. The process has created instability in a hospital that is becoming one of the best in the region. As Jeremy Hunt has recognised we must now ensure this merger goes ahead without delay to protect the future of Stafford and stabilise local health services. In accepting the TSAs' recommendations, the Secretary of State rightly recognises the need for local decision making in provision of services and has highlighted in his Statement today that the CCG has a critical role and freedom to build on the TSAs' recommendations, where they are sus-tainable and in the interest of patients. This provides us, the local community, with the chance to continue to continue to fight for services to be delivered locally and help Stafford Hospital get back on its feet and performing to the high standard that we know it can achieve. The coming days will be important as we digest the statement in full, I will be keeping you up to date via my website, facebook and twit-ter. www.jeremylefroy.org.uk Following today's announcement, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to email me. Yours sincerely,

Jeremy Lefroy MP

27th February 2014

Felicity, the younger sister, ever the bystander at the feast, was lost in the

tinkling notes of the harpsichord being played so beautifully by her sister the

Lady Anne. Papa called their music master, Monsieur Ricardo, a charlatan

and a scoundrel who was never to be allowed to be alone with either of his

daughters. Mother said he was brilliant and all the best families in Bath were

employing him and so would they. Papa capitulated as he always did when

Mama stamped her foot: she was there this afternoon, of course, seated by

the window, a picture in a weave of saffron silk which shimmered between

magenta and crocus yellow. There could be no danger of impropriety if

Mama was playing chaperone to her girls, or was that the other way around

wondered Felicity, the family mouse whose big sad eyes missed nothing.

IDENTITY THEFT - a word of warning. A parcel is correctly delivered to your door by a reputable carrier, it has your name,

address and details on it, but, you haven't ordered anything, you don't know the sender and the whole thing's a mystery. What's going on?

Minutes later you get the phone call, “Sorry, but we wrongly delivered a parcel to your address. We will arrange for it to be collected in a lit-

tle while.” However, the parcel was correctly delivered to the right

address. What's going on here?!

After all, it could just be a case of computer error. Al-though just how that could occur in the circumstances is

worrying. By this time, you know you've got your hands on a mys-

tery and you ARE going to attempt to solve it, so you dust off your Sherlock Holmes head.

So you carefully open the parcel and checked the con-

tents, you're looking for the paperwork to tell you where it came from - the external label's not much use - who ordered it and what it is.

The documents seem to say that this hasn't been charged for on your credit card - yet - but will be shortly. Safety first! Your account could have been raided, so your first port of call is your Bank where you put a block on payments from your credit and debit

cards. This is a nuisance because it'll take a week for the new one's to come through and you may need cash before then. Okay, that's why you've got a cheque book; it's

old fashioned and slow and you may have hidden it away somewhere, but you've got one and the banks still honour cheques.

Then a phone call to the company who sent the goods. They won't know that you may have had your identity stolen until you tell them, and they'll want to get their goods back.

The Police need to be informed as well as the Fraud squad may be interested. It's obvious that the cheaters tactics rely on speed; on not giving you a chance to

think about it. A genuine mistake you may well say, and you could have handed the parcel over to another carrier without really bothering about it, the goods could be on

their way to somewhere else, possibly a cover address, and you're left holding the sticky end of the wicket.

Your phone bill may be being hammered but that's better than your Bank Account

being raided. Cheated and unsure? Yes, you will feel those, together with bewilderment as to how

the details you've been careful not to divulge without good reason found their way onto these documents. Of course, it could just be a 'Spoiling Exercise' where someone is trying to make trouble; but that doesn't improve things and it certainly succeeded as

far as you're concerned.

Latest News: New £5,000 first prize for Troubadour Poetry Prize 2014

sponsored by Cegin Productions http://www.coffeehousepoetry.org/prizes/

Coffee-House Poetry are delighted to announce that Cegin Productions are now sponsoring a top

prize of £5,000 for the Troubadour International Poetry Prize 2014. Second & third prizes have also been increased as have 20 additional prizes. Judged by Amy Wack & Neil Astley. Prizes: 1st £5,000, 2nd £1,000, 3rd £500 plus 20 prizes of £25 each plus a Spring 2015 coffee-house-poetry

season-ticket plus a prize-winners‟ coffee-house poetry reading with Amy Wack & Neil Astley on Mon 1st Dec 2014 … Submissions, via e-mail or post, to arrive by Mon 20th Oct 2014 6

http://www.amazon.co.uk/At-Risk-Story-Stephen-Harvey-ebook/dp/B00HSSBSHG/ref=sr_1_1?

s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1390333030&sr=1-1&keywords=at+risk%2Bstephen+harvey Available on Kindle NOW for 97p

A book from STEPHEN HARVEY the accomplished author of Echoes of Pain - A life of violence.

At Risk is the FULL story of a family held in the terror of a violent and un-caring father and the everyday battle of 'making ends meet in North Staffordshire, England in the 1970s.

This latest edition features the missing chapters removed from the first edition of Echoes Of Pain because they were thought to be 'too real' for publication. If you haven't read the first instalment: you're in for a roller coaster of emotions

ranging from laughter to sadness, from chuckles to utter despair at the ferocity that domestic violence and poverty can bring. If you have read Echoes Of Pain - sit back for the hidden chapters too gruesome first time around.

8

Harvesting The Vegetables

Last year gave us a fantastic crop of Tomatoes, the

best ever, but unfortunately we were again infected with Blight from the Potatoes that was still around from previous years. However, this time most of the Tomatoes had chance to get to a decent size before they needed to be picked as the plants became in-fected. Just another couple of weeks and a lot more would have ripened. Never-the-less I picked six big bucketfuls of healthy green Tomatoes that were ideal for green tomato chutney. Yet again it was time to make a few friends!!! I have already been rewarded with a little as-sortment of jars of different types of chutney in return! If I grow any Toma-toes next year I have decided to make a determined effort to grow an out-door variety that is Blight resistant. Looking through the catalogues I have only found one suitable variety so far called “Ferline.” I am only going to

put the Gardeners Delight and yellow Golden Sunrise that I usually grow in-side the greenhouse. With the idea of a “Work Day,” on the allotments a small group of us man-aged to build our new communal compost heap out of old pallets. It has also been lined with old compost bags and is now finished. Two compart-ments seem to have been co-opted for use as a store for chicken manure that a local chicken farm brings occasionally, but at least they keep it tidyish and there are two more compartments for waste. There has been a lot of talk about the ins and outs of composting tops from the Potatoes as they have all had Blight on them and one allotment holder has put up a notice to discourage others from contaminating the compost. My thoughts are that

the Blight is all over the site anyway so it won‟t really make any difference and anybody making raised beds will be grateful for what soil they can get. As long as neither Potatoes, nor Tomatoes are grown in it for a few years no harm will come from using it. The tops from my Jerusalem Artichokes will have to be removed in a few weeks and composted. The stems look almost like tree trunks and need breaking up into short lengths before they can be composted properly, but being very fibrous will put some “Body,” into the compost as they will take longer to decompose to nothing in the ground. I have actually got to try and do the impossible and eradicate them from the spot where they have been grown for the last three years because I have some of the new, im-

proved Fuseau variety. This new type is not lumpy and bumpy like the old and is therefore much easier to clean properly before cooking. The old Arti-choke patch is next to my new fruit bush plantation, so I am going to trans-plant my Blueberries from home and put them in their place as they are do-ing no good where they are. Hopefully, the soil will prove more suitable for

them on the allotment. At the same time as putting in two Blueberry bushes I am go-ing to plant some of the new Pink Blueberry bushes that one or two mail order compa-nies have been promoting this year and a Yellow Gooseberry as all the rest on my al-lotment are red. A week or two ago I was forced to harvest my Yellow Beetroot that seem to have a tendency to bolt and go to seed. The crop was good, but would have been better if gathered a little earlier as they were starting to get woody from bolting. The Red cylin-drical ones that I grew next to them, on the other hand, were superb with none of them bolting at all. Being cylindrical they all cooked through at the same time with none of them being undercooked and some well cooked. They were such good, healthy, long, beetroots that some were too long to fit in our biggest saucepan to cook them!! I am reminded of a distant relative who is long gone now, but was well known where he lived for his enormous vegetables. One year he proudly showed us his pick-ling Shallots that were as big as large Onions and we asked how his wife got them in the pickling jars. He replied, “That is not my problem – I just grow them!” Several times I have spoken about making an old fashioned “Clamp,” to store my ex-cess root vegetables in and have recently come across a couple of different methods for storing vegetables. Apparently some farmers these days, shear the tops off Carrots before covering them in straw and then leaving them in the ground to harvest later in the Winter. An idea that seems to work with my Beetroot is to store them in dry potting compost in some of those large plas-tic packing crates that are used everywhere these days. They do re-shoot a little, but are kept from drying out and going soft. The plastic crates seem to be good for storing Potatoes as well if they are well lined with old newspapers to keep the light out. The crates are strong, are perforated to let the air circu-late and have the advantage of being able to stack them up to save on storage space. One of the better uses for plastic pack-aging!

-o0o-

http://www.poetrystation.org.uk/poems/miracle-on-st.-davids-day/ Miracle on St. David’s Day by Gillian Clarke Editor: Gillian‟s reading of her poem of a 1970s mental home poetry

session when an elected mute man stood and recited „The Daffodils‟ made the hair stand up on the back of my neck ... Well worth a listen.

The memory is definitely not what it was, but I could have sworn that, two and a half years ago, Don backed out of a space in a hospital car park and nudged a stationary taxi in the line behind. The driver got out, agreed there was no apparent damage, so we took photos, as you should, then returned to our cars and resumed our lives. Don didn't even bother to report the incident to our insurers so we were amazed to hear from them a few months later that the taxi driver was claiming for whiplash. 'Don't worry,' said our insurer's solicitor. 'We'll sort it out.' So we forgot it for about a year, and then received a letter from Northampton court saying the taxi driver had been awarded £5,000 against us in our absence. 'Why weren't we asked to attend?' we asked, and, basically, they said oops. And that there would have to be another trial. I was asked for a witness statement which I gave as well as I could - surely it couldn't have been such a small bump if it caused injury? But we were only backing... Anyway, everything went quiet for another year and then we were informed of the new trial. 27th Feb. Telford County Court. 9am. 'Do you stand by your statements?' we were asked. 'What were they?' we said. 'I'll send them.' said the solicitor. 'And his.' Well, the poor man! We had in fact shunted him two feet, pitching him violently backwards and forwards, causing subsequent prolonged and excruciating pain. He reported his symptoms at the medical examination four months after the - I suppose I have to call it a crash - and it did not make pleasant reading. 'He's blagging,' said my friends. 'Biggest scam ever.' Yes, I know all about that, but it doesn't mean people CAN'T suf-fer whiplash. The photos our solicitor sent convinced me. They showed the taxi about two feet from the edge of the parking bay. Obviously we had shunted him. And, having looked up whiplash, I knew it often did-n't show for hours after its cause. Guilt overwhelmed me like a tar-paulin. Night after night I lay awake imagining being cross examined by a barrister. You only have to watch 'Silk' to realise how devil-ishly clever they can be, how foolish, even criminal, the witnesses are proved. I wanted to call a halt to the whole thing but Don said he would be more irritated than he could say if the man was awarded a single farthing (we are of that age). So the hearing, creeping nearer and nearer, at last arrived. We decided to go down on the 26th and stay overnight. It was a four star place because I knew the plastic alternative would have floored me completely. I tried to concentrate on the snowdrops and smoked salmon, the log fire and the Russell Flint limited editions, but even the duck down duvet couldn't soothe. We arrived at court at 8.45 the next day and waited for our bar-rister. I was now feeling the additional guilt of having thrown money away on self indulgence. Whilst trying to deny this poor taxi driver... Eventually the barrister arrived. 'Have you heard?' he said. 'What?' we said. 'They've withdrawn,' he said. 'Had a phone call at eight o'clock last night. They knew they'd got a rubbish case.' 'Yes,' said Don. 'These photos aren't even the ones he took at the scene. Look, they're on a road.' Anne Picken 10

The poet Sebastian Barker died | 18th February 2014 Poet Sebastian Barker has died at the age of 68 from cardiac arrest only

two days after reading from his latest book of poetry „Land of Gold‟ in Trinity College Chapel, Cambridge. Celebrated for lyrical poetry with a dis-

tinctive voice and sense of place, Barker also championed poetry as a cul-tural art form: from 1988 to 1992 he chaired the Poetry Society. He was on the executive committee of Pen and editor of The London Magazine from

2002 to 2008. Obituaries: The Guardian:

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/feb/11/sebastian-barker The Independent: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/sebastian-barker-poet-born-into-a-literary-dynasty-whose-own-distinctive-voice-was-inspired-by-a-sense-of-place-9134577.html

Dear March - Come in

by Emily Dickinson

Dear March - Come in -

How glad I am -

I hoped for you before -

Put down your Hat -

You must have walked -

How out of Breath you are -

Dear March, how are you, and the Rest -

Did you leave Nature well -

Oh March, Come right upstairs with me -

I have so much to tell -

I got your Letter, and the Birds -

The Maples never knew that you were coming -

I declare - how Red their Faces grew -

But March, forgive me -

And all those Hills you left for me to Hue -

There was no Purple suitable -

You took it all with you -

Who knocks? That April -

Lock the Door -

I will not be pursued -

He stayed away a Year to call

When I am occupied -

But trifles look so trivial

As soon as you have come

That blame is just as dear as Praise

And Praise as mere as Blame -

Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)

Born in 1830 in Massachusetts, Emily Dickinson lived in isolation from the outside world.

http://www.poets.org/poet.php/

prmPID/155

12

Year 1589 : The Cast : The Queen‟s Men : a group of strolling players thrown out of London where the theatres have been closed due to an outbreak of plague. Elizabeth I was on the throne. Kit Marlowe (wordsmith/detective), Harry Swann (the murderer of the-first victim who first found the chal-ice) Samuel Burball (Owner), Peter Pecksniff, Daniel Alleynes, young Hal who plays a girl‟s role very badly. Vesta Swann, Rosie Ripp-sheet. The Boar‟s Head Tavern, Trentby: Bertha landlady, Molly Golightly, Martha Goodnight wenches. Ned the bear keeper. The Trentby Abbey of St Jude : Abbot Ranulf knows something about the missing Roman hoard of silver plate/chalice etc The Manor of Bluddschott : sodden Squire Darnley Bluddschott, wife Mis-tress Anne, daughter Penelope about to be sold off into matrimony, Mis-tress Hood seamstress, sister to Penny, Mistress Tatanya

The Sheriff‟s Castle : Magistrate Squire Humphrey Pettigrew, Black Knight, the Sheriff Burrowmere Lord Haywood, man-at-arms Richard of Hyde Leigh, a constable Daniel Smithers and a scribe Modern Day: Rick Fallon and Tommy Tip-Tip McGee** Private eyes in Trentby on case for Sir Kipling Aloysius Bluddschott (Sister Christobel) to locate silver chalice and Roman hoard of Trentby Abbey + corpse Jago Swann DI Pete Ferret and Lavender Pomeroy and Rose Rippsheet PLEASE NOTE: It is imperative that those writing for the storyline read what other writers have already written before they add a new piece. AND the year has been changed and Moll Rippsheet has become Rosie. (In case anyone is concerned „Tambourine‟ will not be a contender for the Hoffman Prize see page 13. Is the prestigious world of academia ready for the romp Kit Marlowe Private Eye? ... perhaps not ... )

THE CALVIN AND ROSE HOFFMAN PRIZE

“for a distinguished publication on Christopher Marlowe”

entries are invited for the prize, to be awarded in November 2014. The closing date is September 1st

2014. Further details from the Hoffman administrator, Kings School 25 The Precincts Canterbury

CT1 2ES.

The Kings School, which was Marlowe's school, does not judge the prize but appoint a scholar with relevant

expertise to do this. Calvin Hoffman believed Marlowe wrote the works of Shakespeare, but only the first

section of the prize relates to this. The second section, the Annual Prize, is the one which is on offer and will

be awarded in November.

The Hoffman bequest:

The Calvin and Rose G Hoffman Marlowe Memorial Trust is a registered charity (No 289971)

dedicated to research into Marlowe. The Fund is divided into two section, the Principal Prize and the Annual

Prize

The Charity Commission site notes that the Bequest is aimed at “the promotion and encouragement of schol-

arly and investigative research into the life and works of Christopher Marlowe and into the authorship of the

poems and plays now commonly attributed to William Shakespeare with particular regard to the possibility

that Christopher Marlowe wrote some or all (sic) the poems and plays or made some inspirational, creative

or compositional contributions towards the authorship of them”.

The Trustees gloss this as leading to a division between the “Principal Prize” and the “Annual Prize”.

Thus the Principal prize is awarded to anyone who “has in the opinion of the King's School furnished ir-

refutable and incontrovertible proof and evidence required to satisfy the world of Shakespearian scholarship

that all the plays and poems now commonly attributed to William |Shakespeare were in fact written by

Christopher Marlowe”. This has never been done.

Until this happens the Calvin and Rose G Hoffman prize for a distinguished Publication on Christo-

pher Marlowe is offered annually. This is for an essay that “authoritatively and informatively examines and

discusses in depth the life and works of Christopher Marlowe and the authorship of the plays and poems

now commonly attributed to William Shakespeare, with particular regard to the possibility that Christopher

Marlowe wrote some of those plays and poems, or made some inspirational creative or compositional contri-

butions towards the authorship of them”.

The problem of the Principal Prize

The issue posed by the Principal Prize is at its deepest level the technical question of whether it can be

won. It has been argued that the prize is unwinnable. The Marlowe Society comment “Even if the King's

School were satisfied that a competitor had produced the irrefutable evidence required, how should Shake-

speare scholarship be convinced? If evidence is 'irrefutable,' but highly inconvenient, it is normal practice to

dismiss it with lofty scorn – not try to refute it. It would surely take a generation or two, and possibly more

than the value of the prize itself, before the sceptical world of Shakespearian scholarship – to say nothing of

the interested world of Shakespearian commerce – would abandon its claims in the face of 'irrefutable evi-

dence'.”

The Annual Prize is in practice the relevant award, and is given to any scholarship that throws light on Mar-

lowe and if relevant Shakespeare. One year an award was given to a computer expert who devised a pro-

gramme for examining the characteristics of style to establish authorship. Though his research tended to

show Marlowe's style was so different to Shakespeare's the work could not be by the same author, the re-

search won the Annual prize.

Information provided by Trevor Fisher 24 02 2104

Kit Marlowe. Investigator of Matters Privy. Kit Marlowe carefully wiped his pen and sat back to ponder on the state of affairs at Trentby. „There's only one thing for it Kit,‟ he said to himself, „you've got to go and ask some questions. Some private questions about Harry Swann, and the first question is:

'Where to start'?‟ Samuel Burball bustled in from the street as he was putting the lids on his inkhorn and

sandbox. „Found you at last Master Marlowe. I've been looking all over the place for you. How is the new play coming along, is it finished yet? Need it soon Kit, very soon, all the yokels have seen what we've got, and the takings have dropped like a stone. Any chance of it being finished?‟

Typical, thought Kit, the fat fool is worried about trivial things when there are real problems to be solved. His answer of, „All finished Master Burball. There'll be some changes when we get into rehearsal of course; but that's to be expected, a great direc-tor, such as yourself, always changes things‟, did much to calm the worried look on Bur-ball's face.

„Great! You've given Hal a good part I suppose?‟ The question was asked more in hope

than anticipation. Hal, busy being a pain in the posterior, was something they could both do without.

„I think so, Master Burball. At least he isn't a simpering silly in this one‟. „Oh! What is he then? Something meaty with plenty of lines I hope.‟ Kit prevaricated, slightly, „Nothing he can't cope with, Master Burball, nothing at all.

He's the victim of a horrible murder plot and dies in the first scene; also in the second scene of act two and at the beginning of act three.‟

„Dies you say? He'll not like that, not at all, and it'll cost a fortune in blood.‟ „Not if he's poisoned it won't, Master Burball, it's bloodless is poison. Low cost murders

written particularly with you in mind.‟ „He'll be writhing and rolling about no doubt, he's good at that. Mind you the fool will

probably fall off the stage and break his neck.‟

Kit smiled, „You never know, Master Burball! You never know when fortune will smile on you. But with our usual luck he'll just break his pate and knock his-self out and then you'll have all the blood you could wish for, and free as well!‟

The laughter as they left the room said that neither of them wanted that as an out-come.

Kit went to find what passed for the forces of law and order in the City. He found him in one of the most dismal alehouses imaginable. It's not that he was drunk, he'd long since gone past that stage, it was that he was nearly sober, again, or at least as sober as he ever got.

He was greeted with, „What do you want? You're one of them nosy interfering players; I've a good mind to throw the lot of you out of the city 'cos you're master less.‟

Kit sighed. As long as they had lodgings within the pale and paid their dues, he could-

n't do anything. He'd been over this with the drunken sot before, but obviously, it hadn't lodged in the oaf's skull.

„And a good morn to you Constable. I've had some thoughts about that body in the river: the one we think was Harry Swann. What happened to it?‟

„Buried, what else! In the paupers‟ graveyard by the abbey ruins 'tis. The vicar; him wot calls hisself a Abbot an' likes to think he's a monk, an' there ain't no monks left

since the King threw the thieving lot out. I got my eye on 'im, 'e could be a secret Pa-pist an' 'm not 'avin' that round Trentby.‟ The drunken oaf was rambling as usual. „He buried him an' he wasn't half the man he used to be, the half on him what was left.‟ He chuckled at his supposed humour.

Kit supposed he'd better humour the man, and gave a half hearted chuckle. „Any idea what happened to the clothes he was wearing, Constable? Not that there was much left of them but you never know he may have hidden some coin in a seam or something.‟

„Nothin' in them seams, or I'd 'ave foun' it, play actor. I does a proper search o' corpses I does. That's 'cos it's all suppos'd to go to the Crowner an' I knows m' duty.‟ He winked.

Kit knew that what went to the Crowner often went no further, and that whatever was actually found didn't all go onto the official records.

„Nothin' on 'im at all,‟ the Constable continued‟, apart from that there foreign tattoo on 'is leg there wa'n't a mark on him, so to speak.‟

After sharing rooms with him for some time, Kit knew that Harry didn't have a tattoo, foreign or otherwise, which meant that the body wasn't Harry Swann. So who was it?

„What sort of tattoo, Constable? Oh, how careless of me, would you join me in a pot of something to keep the cold out while we're speaking?‟ As he spoke, he waved to the slattern by the barrels who brought across two jugs of the worst scrumpy that Kit had ever tasted.

„Oh nothin' mush. It were a red circle wi' a funny looking blue cross in't. The sort of cross wot them foreigns uses at them basil-eekas wot they 'as in foreign parts. All sort o' blobby 'roun' th' sides and wi' th' top in a sorta loop.‟

Kit had never seen that particular sign but he knew some-one who had. The cross with the looped top was from Egypt, although what the red circle meant was a poser. Could this have been a spy from the mysterious lands of the Mediterranean? Maybe the oaf had it right after all, secret Papists around Trentby? That sounded … tasty. Maybe he'd got something he could use after all.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Historical note. Witch-hunts for Roman Catholics {Papists or Recusants}

where a fact of political life during the Tudor dynasty. The 'looped cross', is the Ankh of the times of the Phar-

aohs, and is a symbol used by Coptic Christians - another branch of Christianity - who had, and have, their own equivalent of the Pope.

In the 16th century, the 'Popes' weren't exactly friendly towards each other, or the English Church for that matter.

16

Being brought up to be tough as boot-leather has advantages ... But then in my formative years I was lucky, I was never bullied at school. Over the dec-ades a couple of knuckle-dragging male employers tried verbal bullying but once realising I was a nastier piece of work than they could ever hope to be, they gave up and sank back into the slime at bottom of their pond ... But,

some are not so fortunate as I ... And some are dying ... writes SMS

Research seems to be saying that ... physical bullying increases in primary school, peaks then de-clines in high school. Verbal abuse remains a constant. With the online community now being so

demanding of social interaction our youngsters can be victims of bullying 24 hours a day 7 days a week. There is nowhere to hide and, being young, they do not yet possess the sense and mental ability to switch the bl**dy thing off and say „Up Yours Sunshine! Get a life!‟

Bullying is a widespread problem. Globally patterns of behaviour seem similar. Typical bullying behaviour encompasses physical aggression, threats, teasing and harassment. It can lead to vio-lence and self-harm. Unacceptable anti-social behaviour is often learned through influences at

home, school, films, DVDs, games and social media. A victim is anyone who‟s repeatedly exposed to aggression through physical violence, verbal assault or psychological abuse.

A typical bully directs physical or psychological aggression, with the expectation of gaining power and domination over a weaker victim. Violent bullying is more usual in boys than girls, as girls usually prefer indirect aggression i.e. verbal threatening: the „mean girls‟ are really there in

the corridors and jabbing away in social media which means via phones, laptops, chatrooms and websites. Texting! ... Just don‟t start me on the damage texting and emails can do!

Bullying is learned in response to multiple factors. There is no one cause of bullying. Contribut-ing factors include neglect, poor quality parenting and a lack of adult supervision, what we used to call “latchkey kids”: bullying behaviour is reinforced when it has no consequences. Families at war

at home: children, who see and hear their parents fighting and bullying each other will see them-selves as victims: they will bully. Seeing physical punishment and/or violence at home, children often develop a negative self-image and have low expectations. Terrified and confused, they may

attack as a form of self-defence before they are attacked: bullying gives a sense of power and im-portance in a frightening world.

Who are the most likely victims? The weak sub-consciously signal they are insecure, passive and, most importantly, they will not retaliate. Consequently, bullies target children who appear physically or emotionally weaker than themselves. Victims may have failed early on to develop so-

cial coping skills. They just want to fit in. Victims often develop weird love/hate relationships with their bul-lies and their cowardly acolytes.

Bullies have a total lack of respect. They resort to violence without considering the implications. If teachers ignore bullying, psychologically damaged children get away with intimidation. Bullying thrives in some schools where negative feedback is the norm rather than in a positive climate that

sets high standards for expected behaviour. US research shows installing metal detectors for knives/weapons, or surveillance cameras, or police to patrol the corridors have few tangible re-

sults. (And, yes, I‟ve personally been in schools in Scotland where there was a police presence maintained on the premises to keep a lid on the violence.) Anti-bullying policies of „Zero Tolerance‟ which rely on exclusion and suspension can have long-term negative effects. There is a school of

thought that advocates prevention programs that promote a positive school community. Early in-tervention: does it work and how early is early? Researchers advocate intervening as early as pre-school. Group social skills training is highly recommended, as well as counselling and aggression

intervention for both bullying and victim behaviours. In a perfect world, where there is money for such programmes, school psychologists are there

to promote prevention programs. BUT, mostly, academic thinkers say parents must learn to rein-force their children‟s positive behaviour patterns. Is it likely this will happen anytime soon? If all a bully needs is better skilled parents ... What about teacher training too? Bullying can be reduced!

Teachers should never ignore bullying, but they do. “Anything for a quiet life ...” But in schools with enforced rules of conduct, small class sizes and strong discipline there is less violence. It is

obvious, good parenting and good schools reduce bullying and victimization. But that still leaves the internet, social media and mobile phones ... Parents need to wise-up on social media and find out who are the ones doing the verbal bullying ... And, how likely is that? Parents also need to

confiscate phones etc and turn the bl**dy things off if their vulnerable offspring can‟t/won‟t do that for themselves. Too many young victims are dying at their own hand and too many are being psychologically damaged for society not to take bullying very seriously.

Message sent out by 38Degrees action team ...

Very soon Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt will try to push plans through parliament which will give him a

new power to close any hospital in England - even if local patients and doctors are totally against it. If

this law passes, no hospital is safe.

So far, David Cameron and Nick Clegg have kept their distance from the proposals, even though ulti-

mately the buck stops with them. Why? Possibly because elections are won and lost on the NHS. The last

thing any politician wants is to be personally associated with local hospitals closing.

If hundreds of thousands of people sign a petition asking them to scrap this clause, they could decide

that the political pain of pushing this through isn‟t worth it.

Our NHS is precious - please help us to force politicians to drop the Hospital Closure Clause from the Care

Bill. No government should have the power to close any hospital without listening to local people. It‟s im-

portant that these decisions aren‟t made against the wishes of the local community, patients, and experts

like doctors and nurses.

Hospitals are there for us when we most need them. Please don‟t let the government take them away.

This wouldn‟t be the first time Jeremy Hunt‟s plans were stopped through people power. Twice last year

local people and 38Degrees members successfully defeated plans in the courts to close services at Lewi-sham Hospital. And today Lewisham is still open for business, saving lives and delivering babies.

When governments lose court cases, they shouldn‟t change the law. And after losing twice, that‟s exactly what this government is trying to do. Recently, over 150,000 members of 38 Degrees voted to try to stop

this law, that could close hospitals everywhere against the wishes of doctors, patients and the public.

For more information ... [1] The law clause is 119 of the Care Bill, aka the hospital closure clause. The bill as a whole is currently

going through the House of Lords. More information here: Parliament website: Care Bill documents: http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2013-14/care/documents.html 38 Degrees blog: NHS: What is the hospital closure clause?:

http://blog.38degrees.org.uk/2014/02/20/nhs-what-is-the-hospital-closure-clause/ You can read the full text of clause 119 of the Care Bill on the Parliament website here: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbill/2013-2014/0168/cbill_2013-

20140168_en_12.htm#pt3-ch4-l1g119 [2] 38 Degrees blog: Lewisham: An incredible victory:

http://blog.38degrees.org.uk/2013/07/31/lewisham-an-incredible-victory/ 38 Degrees blog: Jeremy Hunt has been beaten in court… again!: http://blog.38degrees.org.uk/2013/10/29/jeremy-hunt-has-been-beaten-in-court-again/

[3] 38 Degrees blog: NHS: Hospital closure clause poll results: http://blog.38degrees.org.uk/2014/02/24/nhs-hospital-closure-clause-poll-results/

http://stanzapoetry.wordpress.com/2014/02/27/a-guide-to-online-events-at-stanza14/

Scotland's International Poetry Festival : THE STANZA BLOG for info ...

Poetry Alight 9- Lichfield a Review by Gary Longden Blog posted on February 26, 2014 by garylongden

After two happy years at The Spark Cafe in Lichfield “Poetry Alight” found itself having to find a new home for

2014. A change in the Cafe’s opening hours, and its repositioning in the evening for Bistro business, meant that an

association which had benefitted both parties when the Spark opened, now no longer suited . I will always be grateful

to Sejal and Della, the owners of The Spark, for their support when they

opened their business, and wish them well for the future.

The Kings Head, Lichfield new home of Poetry Alight

Fortunately, The Kings Head, Bird St, Lichfield, found the prospect of fifty or so thirsty and hungry poets an attrac-

tive proposition, and made their first floor function room available to us, an arrangement which had several advan-

tages. Firstly the room is self contained and private, affording performers ,and audience, a performance which is unin-

terrupted. Secondly, normal licensing hours mean that there is plenty of time to eat and drink before and after the po-

etry, with no onerous time pressure on the event.

Moving poetry venues always comes with a risk. Will the audience follow? Will there be any hidden gremlins?

Will the venue be friendly? Fortunately my fears proved groundless as a full house assembled for a top poetic bill.

The formula at Poetry Alight has been consistent. Put on a free event. Drag in the best poets in the region to perform

to a new audience, around three or four headliners, then offer three minute open mic slots to the floor, offering emerg-

ing performers the chance to perform in the same space as the stars. I always ensure there is a male/female balance,

and wherever possible, that ethnic, gender and physical diversity is championed.

Poetry Alight kicked off 2014 in style with past National Director of Poetry Day, and current National Canal Poet

Laureate, Jo Bell, and multi published poet Matt Merritt sharing the top billing. An audience member whispered in

my ear that she could not believe that she had listened to Jo Bell on radio 4, and now she was listening to her in Lich-

field, whilst Matt regaled us with poems of elephants in the room, droll, intelligent and engaging.

A standing room only crowd gratefully bought books, a modest material thank you to Jo and Matt who gave their time

so generously. Support headliner was Michelle Crosbie, a glamorous, emotional, flamboyant and compelling per-

former, as yet unpublished, who seized her chance to impress in some style.

Poetry Alight is next lit on Tues May 13th, then again on July 8th, 2014. At the

Kings Head, Bird St, Lichfield, first floor function room, 7.30pm start, sign up

on the night for open mic slots.

Links:

Jo Bell http://belljarblog.wordpress.com/ Matt Merritt http://polyolbion.blogspot.co.uk/

Michelle Crosbie

http://shakespeareweek.org.uk/

Shakespeare Week is a new national, annual celebration to bring Shakespeare to life

vividly for millions of primary school children.

Starting 17th to 24th March 2014, Shakespeare Week will be celebrated in schools, theatres, his-

toric sites, museums, galleries, cinemas, and libraries all over the U.K. From the first Shakespeare

Week in March 2014, every child will be given the chance to be inspired by Shakespeare‟s stories,

language and heritage.

Snippets from Shakespeare Celebrate Shakespeare week at Moseley Old Hall with mini-scenes from the Bard‟s plays

enacted at various times throughout the day in atmospheric spaces. 17, 18, 19, 22 and 23 March. Info about Moseley Old Hall

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/moseley-old-hall/?campid=Email_Central_Newsletter_March2014_NT13009SJ02 Details of the event at Old Moseley Hall

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/moseley-old-hall/things-to-see-and-do/events/

Latest Competitions: Buxton Poetry Competition 2014 | Closing Date: 07-Apr-14 http://www.poetrylibrary.org.uk/competitions/?id=1519 14th International Poetry On the Lake Competition | Closing Date: 28-Apr-14 http://www.poetrylibrary.org.uk/competitions/?id=1522 The John Betjeman Poetry Competition for Young People | Closing Date: 31-Jul-14 http://www.poetrylibrary.org.uk/competitions/?id=1521

Latest News: Exhibition of artworks commemorating the Great War | 28-Feb-14 http://www.poetrylibrary.org.uk/news/poetryscene/?id=1154 Now easier to add your own events to our listings! | 26-Feb-14 http://www.poetrylibrary.org.uk/news/library/?id=1149

Send us your Poetry Library event proposals! | 19-Feb-14 http://www.poetrylibrary.org.uk/news/library/?id=1148

http://www.forwardpoetry.co.uk/

competitions.php

Competitions An Ode To. . . - Win £25

Best poet wins £25 (as chosen by the editorial team) An ode is typically written in praise of, or as a dedication, to someone or something that captures the poet's interest or is an inspiration for their ode. You can choose any subject, from someone you know, to your idol or your pet. Get your pen to paper and dedicate a poem that praises and celebrates the won-ders of your chosen subject! Closing Date: 28th March 2014

Love Is In The Air - Win £25

Best poet wins £25 (as chosen by the editorial team) Love is something that touches all our lives. Whether it comes from our family, friends, pets or that special someone we choose to spend our lives with, love is the emotion that shapes our exis-tence. What are your experiences of love? Closing Date: 28th March 2014

A Mother To Me - Win £25 Best poet wins £25 (as chosen by the editorial team) We’d like to read your poem about the inspirational female figure in your life, and what they mean to you. A mum is always looking out for you, helping and guiding you, full of advice and pearls of wisdom no matter your age! Closing Date: 28th March 2014

If you are a subscribing email recipient to leave RBW Online is easy just email and say ‘unsubscribe’ and you will be immediately removed from the list. If you have any suggestions for improvement to this service please let us know. You don't have to take an active part to receive this workshop bulletin you can just sit back and enjoy the ride, but if you could send feedback, it is greatly appreciated. RBW Privacy Promise: A few simple contact details are all that are required and they will only be used for this bulletin service. RBW promise to:

Only send you details via the newsletter.

To never pass on your details to anyone else.

To always allow recipients to opt-out and unsubscribe at any time.

www.risingbrookwriters.org.uk

To contact RBW please use the website contact box.

PATRON Ian McMillan www.ian-mcmillan.co.uk

Present and Previous Memberships and Funders.

Rising Brook Writers strives to be compliant with the requirements of the Data Protection Act. RBW strives for accu-

racy and fairness, however, can take no responsibility for any error, misinterpretation or inaccuracy in any message

sent by this mode of publishing. The opinions expressed are not necessarily in accordance with the policy of the char-

ity. E-mails and attachments sent out by RBW are believed to be free from viruses which might affect computer sys-

tems into which they are received or opened but it is the responsibility of the recipient to ensure that they are virus

free. Rising Brook Writers accepts no responsibility for any loss or damage arising in any way from their receipt, open-

ing or use. Environment/ Recycling: Please consider carefully if you need to print out any part or all of this message.

To the best of our knowledge and belief all the material included in this publication is free to use in the public domain,

or has been reproduced with permission, and/or source acknowledgement. RBW have researched rights where possible,

if anyone’s copyright is accidentally breached please inform us and we will remove the item with apologies. RBW is a

community organisation, whose aims are purely educational, and is entirely non-profit making. If using material from

this collection for educational purposes please be so kind as to acknowledge RBW as the source. Contributors retain the

copyright to their own work. Fiction: names, characters, places and incidents are imaginary or are being used in a ficti-

tious way. Any resemblance to actual people living or dead is entirely coincidental.

This bulletin is produced by volunteers. The editor’s decisions are final and not open to discussion.

© Rising Brook Writers 2014 — RCN 1117227 A voluntary charitable trust.