Torrevieja Twits?

I´ve just been watching the English news - a depressing thing to do. It seems that we, the great unwashed, really don´t get to say much about stuff and always end up getting done over. I thought the picture says it all.

However, Wednesday came - my favourite day of the week, with yet another meeting of TWC- and I ended up being really quite cheered-up and positive.

The meeting began in glorious pre-summer weather after taking coffee OUT-OF-DOORS(!!!) at poolside for the first time this year.

Our illustrious Chairman, Nik, handed over briefly to our illustrious in-training sub-chairman, Rob, (did I mention that he was voted in by a spontaneous, unanimous vote last week? - actually, Glynn voted against as a matter of form rather than any show of dislike or disapproval- but I digress), related a few interesting pieces of news:that there was now a new Poet Laureate who was not only a woman, but also a Scot who is going to give away her salary!!! Slight tremours and indrawn breaths were heard from the far end of the table - we shall not say from exactly whence and whom they came....

He also brought along some more info on the proposed gaddabout to see the eagles and a list was passed round to establish what interest there might be. A possible date was 28 May. Watch this space.

Chris reminded that she was away for a couple of meetings and someone else was needed to do the blog. Volunteers, please!!

The topic for the day was The Secret or The Tower.

Four people wrote on this

Mary K wrote a poem in the style of Christina Rosetti about a woman whose illegitimate child is her secret, a secret which she has always been afraid to tell. However, when it is revealed by a jealous would-be lover, she is freed and is able to live without fear.

Chris wrote a very short poem about a deep secret which was never to be revealed. Needless to say, the nosey Writers were gravely disappointed not to be let in on it!

Brian´s prose piece was from his writing on Spain and told of Jose de Rivera and his servant Manuel going to a cave Jose discovered earlier. It provoked quite a bit of discussion and advice given included that there needed to be more interaction between the chacters.

Cynthia´s piece was about a secret she´d kept for 60 years! How she´d kept quiet and let her brothers take the blame for her eating their precious late 1940´s- bought-with-ration-coupons chocolate Easter eggs. She still feels guilty!!

The remaining pieces were on different subjects:

TJ wrote a funny poem (to balance the doom and gloom of his previous week´s pieces) called
Inflation, which compared life to a punctured tyre and how it needed to be pumped up now and again.

Maureen´s piece was a debate as to whether or not we should change the name of our group from boring old TWC to TWATS or TWADDLE or even TWITS or TWERPS. She explained what the acronyms stood for and I must say, one or two were quiteappropriate....

Ian´s poem The Rescue was also meant to balance his usually more serious output and it certainly did! I hope certain people close to our canny Scot don´t look in his wrting notebook.

Douglas read 2 pieces; one serious poem about grief after a bereavement and the recovery which can take place when another person enters one´s life and one about good intentions which never seem to get put into action.

I have just had the most awful feeling!!! Nik , Our Illustrious Chairman wrote something and I can´t remember what it was !!!!! Dooooom!!!! But it was very good, whatever it was !

After the break, it was decided that we do a Hot Pen, much to the trepidation of members. After all, we hadn´t done one for yonks.

It turned out to be a word Currently/currantly which was chosen and despite much muttering in the ranks, people came up with some ingenious pieces, both prose and poetry. Well done, everyone!

Finally, a discussion took place about what to do in the Workshop. It was decided that it would be about short story writing and would aim for us all entering a competion in one of the writing magazines in the autumn.

A final piece of news - Rob informs us that we have won 8 euros on the lottery. Yipppeee!!!!

See you in a couple of weeks,

Chris J