This is a little tale generated to answer the question set at our Writers’ Circus group, “Why does this/it always happen to me?”
I hope it will feel almost real to denizens of Glasgow.
For others from further afield you may have to interpolate/guess to understand the dialogue.
“Clatty Pats” (Cleopatra’s) is a nightclub which features in Glasgow’s very busy night-life. A few years ago I read that on an average weekend there can be over 300,000 revelers in Glasgow city centre.
This is a boy meets girl tale set in 1962/63 at the start of the Swinging Sixties.
The main action takes place in Benidorm, the new Costa Clyde of its day.
This is a story written in response to a Writers’ Circus challenge: “She’s not like that.”
It is a rather dark story about a famous person who ends her days in a nursing home.
This is another Maisie Kaywood romp.
It introduces David Abernethy (aka Biscuit aka The Ferret) and other members of Maisie’s XCD Team.
It is set in Scotland, near Aberdeen.
Give it a try for a few pages, you my get hooked!
This is a compilation piece, written in part by my son Stuart when he was a schoolboy.
As a teenager Stuart interviewed my Dad as part of a school history project.
There is also a wonderful chap called Mike Kemble who is an amateur naval historian.
The additional material in this piece is from his website:
May I suggest that you also read “Sybil’s War” which is based on the ‘facts’ of what the submarine HMS Sybil did during WW2.
This is a fictional account of a real incident involving the WW2 Submarine HMS Sybil.
From what we know about my father, Ordinary Submariner Jack Bonthron, he must have been aboard.
Like many who survived WW2 my father found it difficult to talk of his experiences but, as he got older, they did dribble out, piecemeal.
He did mention to me that most of what the Sybil did was drop off and pick up spies. The phrases “Black Ops or Special Ops” were not mentioned.
This story is accompanied by another piece called “An Ordinary Submariner” which gives some ‘factual’ information about Jack Bonthron’s War.
At The Writers’ Circus we were asked to write about “a Dream”.
Louisa, our oldest member, normally writes poetry, very brilliantly!
Tragically Louisa lost her husband prematurely to asbestosis.
She wrote a piece called “Home”, a very poignant short story.
For our next assignment we were tasked to write a “sequel” to one of these stories.
Assignments were allocated by lot: I was lucky enough to choose “Home”.
This is a tale about elderly men trout fishing on the Island of North Uist.
I have hoped to catch the Hebridean ‘lilt’ in my words.
It is suitable for older children of all ages.
It complements another tale called “Murphy’s Midnight Manuevers” about two dogs.
If you find yourself on North Uist do try “Langass Lodge” for excellent food and comfortable friendly accommodation.
This is a simple tale of a Labrador called Murphy.
Murphy is led astray, by another dog called The Corgi, who is his brother.
It is set on the Island of North Uist, where I go fishing each June.
It complements another different tale, also set on North Uist, called “Three Men and a Minnow”.
Both stories are suitable for children of all ages.
I unreservedly recommend “Langass Lodge” as the place to stay/eat, if you are in this area.
This a classic People’s Friend type short story.
I still love it! It makes me feeling ‘gooey’
Go on, try it!
It’s only a ten minute read!