Time for your thoughts and comments on the March stories.
Kindly (if you feel that you really can), post them below. 🙂
Time for your thoughts and comments on the March stories.
Kindly (if you feel that you really can), post them below. 🙂
TCWG Short Stories 
With April flying by like there’s no tomorrow I have decided to concentrate my review (such as it is), on four of the stories at the bottom of last month’s pile in the hope that some light might be thrown onto why they only managed two points between all four of them.
So here goes …
THE LITTLE DARK HAIRED GIRL. Written by Capucin.
This story highlights the difficulty that a writer faces when choosing a subject for a short story, particularly in a competition. Do they write for the reader or for themselves? This story was topical, well written, and in my opinion deserved many more points than it actually received … so what went wrong?
The only thing that I can think was that it became a little too bogged down with the technical background to the accident at the expense of the human tragedy that so affected Gabriel, our main character. Yet as a piece of writing, say a background article in a reputable newspaper, it could hardly be faulted.
The story was only just out of my top three selections, and to be honest that was mainly for the reason that it championed the Trades Union side of an industrial dispute that had led to a number of strikes.
Strikes are anathema to me and should long since have been dispatched to the dark ages, though unusually in this particular case, I am firmly on the side of the Union.
So my reason for relegating the story was (perhaps unfairly), for the tone of the content rather than for the quality of the writing.
I would be interested to hear from other readers in the group what their reasons were.
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A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A MUM. Written by ExpatAngie.
Here again I am looking for an explanation as to why this story received just one single point in last month’s competition.
It bravely tackled a difficult subject without over-dramatizing the situation, and held the attention throughout. For what it is worth, I thought that the reason for Cynthia’s down-beat mood was not depression, but rather that she simply felt unwanted.
Just the fact that a stranger was interested enough to properly empathise with her was enough to spur her into taking an interest in herself and her surroundings.
But the point was well made and the story ended on an optimistic note … so what was there not to like?
My excuse for not including it in my points is that I am usually drawn to stories with a harder edge, if only to satisfy my latent cynicism.
But why did this tale get one solitary point … you can’t all be cynics.
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GOLDEN LIGHT. Written by Christophertrier.
Now to the position usually allocated to the UK in the European Song Contest, the ‘nul pointers’.
In this particular case it is most probably due to the fact that Christopher is a newcomer to the group. That is not to say that we like to make newcomers earn their spurs, but rather that when they look to have a distinctive style (as it seems to me that Christopher does), it can take a few entries before we begin to understand and appreciate the way that they write.
For instance, I chuckled when reading, ‘I’m yet to find the necessary ingredients for all my favourite Japanese noodle soups. Oh, to be in Goulder’s Green.’. But until I get to know Christopher’s style better I can’t be sure whether he is gently pulling our leg or whether Golder’s Green really has been taken over by the Japanese at the expense of the Jewish community.
Equally, I am sure that we will quickly learn, and with that learning will come the points.
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DEATH CORNER. Written by Lostinwords.
This ‘nul pointer’ is in some ways easier to understand.
Firstly it suffered in the same way as did ‘The Little Dark Haired Girl’ in that it read like an article in a newspaper or a magazine, and secondly it was something of a departure for Lost, who often specialises in whimsy or off-beat tales of piskies and hobgoblins … and the Pinslas and Le Balls were some way removed from either whimsy or legend.
However, we are all entitled to depart from the norm from time to time (or at least we should be), without suffering the ignominy of the dreaded ‘zilch’, so perhaps the real answer is that it comes around for all of us in turn.
But I would still like to hear what others have to say on the subject … pur-lease!
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Here are my thoughts on the March stories, although it seems a long time ago that I read them so they are very short and sweet. Well done everyone for their stories which were all good reads.
A tale of Two Weddings by Seadams
This story about Posh totty Fiona and Eck Zander in his lime green kilt held a lot of poignant truth about how society can make people ashamed of their origins and betray those they love. just recently i read an article in a British paper about how words can define people’s class, you mustn’t say posh, toilet, lounge etc and I felt very sad that people could be judged for such nonsense.. Luckily Eck Zander found out in time that Fiona considered him her bit of rough. Ithe quality of your writing is always excellent and flowing and easy to read.
The Little Dark.haired girl by Capucin.
A heart breaking story about a tragedy that could have been avoided. Beautifully told with great feeling and compassion, My heart ached for Charlene Libby and her mummy.
The Snowglobe by Colmore
A vibrant and intense story which kept a good sense of atmosphere and tension throughout. Laura and Peter in a hotel room with a spooky snowglobe that predicted gloom, showed a lot of imagination. Well drawn characters and situation. A very enjoyable story with a great ending.
Green Fluorescent Electric Cats by Charles Stuart
top marks for the intriguing title. A great story about cats that glow when happy and cat’s with laser eyes, wonderful entertaining and imaginative.
Number 92 by Danthemann
A beautifully written story about buying fish in Spain. Lovely detailed descriptions and with a lot of depth.
Golden Light by Christophertrier
Reflections on shopping in Germany. A very poetical and nostalgic story showing acute awareness of time. look forward to reading more of your stories.
Honourable Deception by Atilier
The first of two stories about Marcus and Many and infidelity. Believable and timeless in both circumstances and characters. As always great writing and a pleasure to read.
Death Corner by Lostinwords
An interesting and well told tale of a feud between LeBall and Pinsla families. Wonderful style and great descriptions.
A Bloodless Revolution by Araminta
What a wonderful imagination and a great read. A hopeful and inspiring story with depth and far reaching possibilities for a book or a film. Well described characters and fluid writing.
All Seeing by Fizzeerascal.
A whole life in a short story brought a lump to my throat. The lives of Sally and David with their children Kitty, William and Flora, told with the voice of their mirror..
Sad and melancholy at the end and as anyone who has had to sort out possessions knows, some objects do seem to absorb the essence of the people who have used them. Beautifully written.
The Cyclist by Giselle
Emma and Adrian, divorced and depressed, beautifully written and well described characters. the tension and gloom was kept up throughout the story, a sensation on impending doom prevailed. a well-deserved winner and great to have you back!
Burying Secrets by Atilier
Here we are again with the second instalment of Paul, Many, Marcus and Mark and a tale of infidelity told with upbeat humour and sympathy.
A very enjoyable read about the timeless dilemma of paternity and fidelity.
Mater semper certa, pater numquam.
the mother is always certain, the father – never.
Of course before there was such a thing as Dna and paternity tests.
Mrs. Joe by Americanmum
A well told tale with great description. Philip and Georgiana and their miserable marriage then when Joe comes to stay after Philip’s accident the daughter and he are left with the baby and get married, Well constructed and atmospheric.
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Thanks for your kind review and all the effort you put in to regularly provide us with reviews.
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Very thoughtful reviews as always, Angie. I’m very pleased you enjoyed my tale and thank you for your generous words. 🙂
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QED!! Thank you very much for YOUR generous review, Angie: you’ve got exactly what I hoped to convey. I was brought up with the maxim, “To thine own self be true, and then thou canst be false to no man.” This was no doubt a corruption of scripture, but hey. It has stuck with me and has proved to be excellent counsel.
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Thank you for your kind comments about my linked stories.
It is interesting that you found the second episode, ‘Burying Secrets’, a little better than the first (it certainly got more votes), I must have been warming to the task.
‘Honourable Deception’ was supposed to be my one and only entry, and had it not been for the fact that I had a lot of words left over and some time to spare, ‘Secrets’ would probably never have seen the light of day.
Now there is to be a sequel … I wonder if I can work Brenda into it somewhere ?
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Thank you so much Angie for the critique and kind words. The house move is still fresh in my mind… Treasured pieces of furniture with many happy memories just had to go – downsizing can be a difficult beast! Enjoyed reading all of the critiques
Fizz x
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Brave of you Bleda, to go where no man does and mention the non-scorers; we’ve all been there. I used to believe it was up to One to write, but somehow the pen goes it’s own odd way and is hard to stop, even if others aren’t keen on our writing. We all get stuck in our ways, and no matter what anyone thinks, it’s hard to change. I agree with Seadams that we learn most from reviewing, which is the main point.
The three stories you mentioned – I think Angie is our romantic fiction writer, she has plenty of fans as witnessed by the votes, We do know every time it will end happily, maybe a twist ending could up the score sometimes?
Capucin is a born swashbuckler, nobody can do sea stories, ships and Fine Women as well as he can. He’s in full cry on those subjects and very Hornblowerish. But he’s tried something different here…is it that we like consistency (having just said can we chuck that sometimes..!.)
Lost’s story gave me a deja vu feeling – I was SURE i’ve read it, even voted for it, some time back as I remember the ending and how stylish I thought it was. Or am I wrong on that and living in some parallel universe? quite possibly….
I was trying to decide if Christphertrier is a young writer or a weary old traveller, it’s original stuff, compelling in places, with the promise of intrigue.
Have been away for months so don’t have time to look at more, but take my hat off to you all for your consistency and great efforts. It’s lovely to read them all. Greetings, Pav
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Thank you Pav, and well done for persevering with WordPress, a cumbersome beast with a spiky skin. Do you have a lance and a white charger?
“St. Pav then looking round about,
The fiery dragon soon espy’d,
And like a knight of courage stout,
Against him did most furiously ride;
And with such blows she did him greet,
He fell beneath her horse’s feet.”
Apologies to the anonymous author, 🙂
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It’s great to hear from you again, Pav! I hope you will give us a story soon 🙂
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Bleda, St Pav? wouldn’t that be great…..it has a slight touch of Thou about the writing style……my Pav leans more towards Pavlov’s dogs than anything else, someone nicked my name on Word.com for the real thing, so I had to alter a bit…….waht a world….
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Dear PavQ so lovely to have you back in the throng 😊 Your stories full of travel and intrigue are sorely missed! I agree entirely how it is so difficult to sway from one’s writing style and habits. Indeed, learning from all of the positive critique – is the icing on the TCWG cake – and to be imbibed at regular intervals!
Look forward to reading your stories again
Fizz x
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Lovely reviews Pav and great to hear from you, looking forward to your come back!!
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Blast! Right, Golders Green. I don’t know how I missed that. There are some Japanese restaurants and shops there as a number of Japanese middle-managers live there.
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Ah So!
Then there are many Japanese resident in Golders Green.
I only realised that when I checked WickedPedia (the font of much fake news), but admit that it came as something of a surprise.
I hadn’t given much consideration as to whether Japanese people actually resided anywhere outside of Japan.
I thought that the sort that we see from time to time in the UK (often dressed from head to foot in Nikon), spend their life constantly passing through different parts of the world like migrating birds. 🙂
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It’s an easy mistake to make. The Japanese rarely emigrate. However, there are many Japanese multinational corporations and Japanese often spend a few years working in their employer’s foreign offices. The UK, Australia and Germany are among the most popular destinations.
You’re quite right — flocks of migratory Japanese tourists tend to descend with distinctive ornamentations. Very often their non-Japanese foreign guides will be seen in a state of absolute exasperation. Lacking any significant levels of crime, bar a handful of instances of petty theft, they are seemingly incapable of sensing danger or interpreting warning signs. This makes them popular targets for predatory creatures.
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Thanks Fizz, miss your madness and your story shocked me totally with the main character being a ….wardrobe! You’re as mad as ever, thank God!!!! mwa, Pav
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These are very kind and helpful reviews, thank you for spending the time to write them, they are always thought provoking and interesting.
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Hello seadamss, thanks for your generous comments and I can add no more about the complexities which rather hampered my story. However, regarding the timeline, it was americanmum who put me right quite a while ago now about having a clear timeline to work to, not only does it make the writing a bit easier but also makes the reading easier. Sometimes it makes you realise that something couldn’t have happened at that point in the story so all in all, work it out first and the rest will follow(sometimes!)
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Well – bravo to Mum, and bravo to you for taking her advice on board, because you have here really made it work.
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Hello, Angie: that’s my pleasure 🙂
I am always very grateful for feedback myself, and get very cross with myself when I don’t sign in and see critiques until way way too late. I’m aware that I can be very nit-picking (former teacher of English – old habits, and all that) but hope that specific observations are helpful. One of the great things about this group is our openness to reconsider our writing by being receptive and, I suppose, earnest in our quest to write better!
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Hello bleda – second time lucky I hope with this comment, I’d just about finished the first when off it went to who knows where? Like yourself, I had no truck with Unions until I joined the railway (in my early fifties). Then if one was ‘Safety Critical,’ it was compulsory so that one had access to the best lawyers if one was unfortunate to be involved in an ‘incident’ as the industry likes to call them. You picked up on the story becoming bogged down in the technical aspect of the accident and this I totally agree with. But, to me it highlights just how complex running a safe railway actually is, as opposed to who simplistically opens and closes the doors.
I had a rather strange role for three years in that I was still working trains but also attending Board Meetings of the franchise holder. I had many a discussion with senior managers across a number of the franchises and few of them actually understood the real safety issues of physically working a train on a wet freezing cold night along the north Wales coast, its a good job that those of us with that responsibility actually did!
Finally a word about the late Bob Crowe (please don’t choke on your wine). Dealing with ASLEF was dealing with a union so beset by internal political problems that holding a handful of live eels was much easier. Dealing with Mr Crowe was far simpler. He was totally about safety and rarely backed any proposed industrial action other than safety issues. Once he agreed a deal, he stuck to it, unlike ASLEF who were past masters of agreeing then having second thoughts. When Crowe shook hands one knew one had a sensible way forward.
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Hi Cap’n,
I’ve nothing against Trades Union per se, I was a shop steward myself in the old AEU at the ripe old age of 18 and had the greatest respect for many of the ‘old school’ members and local officials. I remember looking through his diary with our District Secretary back then and it is a mystery how he ever found time to get any sleep.
On the question of driver only trains I fail to see how it is possible to run a train safely and properly with only one one man on board, even if everything works like clockwork. Add to this the fact that many smaller stations are unmanned even during the day then I fail to see how the word ‘service’ can ever now be part of the description of any train operator. As for the way that they seem to be able to charge a multitude of prices for the same journey on the same train, that is something that I will never understand.
Fortunately, the last time that I had occasion to travel on a train was about 40 years ago and that was only about the third time in 25 years.
However, I still have fond memories of trips to the seaside as a kid, and sticking my head out of the window to be the first to see the sea only to get an eyeful of grit. 🙂
That was magical.
p.s. On the question of Bob Crowe and those of similar ilk, that is one thing that my early association with Unions taught me, and which stood me in good stead later in life as an employer when I was on the other side of the table.
There is a world of difference between the face that most Union officials show to their members and the world at large, and the face that one sees when negotiating across the table. Face to face In private I have invariably found the vast majority to be reasonable people with only the welfare of their members uppermost in their mind.
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Evenin all, and thank you very much, Bleda, for setting the ball rolling with such a thorough look at the lowest-scoring stories this month. I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling that the feedback is actually more important than the points, and I have often thought that, given that the points kinda speak for themselves, our critical efforts may be better spent concentrating on the contributions that do not score well.
Firstly, welcome, Christopher, to the group! Like everyone else, I am delighted you have submitted a story this month and hope very much that you will be a regular contributor.
Secondly, welcome back, Giselle: You have been sorely missed. Congratulations on your triumphant return!
Here are my thoughts for this month, in the order,in which I read the stories.
Stories from the Cedar Café, Rob 5 by expatangie
For a start, Angie, I love your titles this month – can picture quite easily the stylish anthology…!
A very satisfying romance, enhanced by your glorious descriptions of Bologna (deftly compared to Bristol/Bath) and oh, for the wisdom of Rob’s mother!
The Little Dark Haired Girl by capucin/ David Goodwin
Like Bleda, I felt that the background/technical detail detracted from the drama of Gabriel James’ loss. What I did find very clever and interesting was the way in which you structured your story, beginning with the accident itself, then moving back in time, then further back, returning us to the fateful date and finally propelling us forwards by 19 months. For me, this really added layers of dramatic tension and growing empathy for your characters, something I shall endeavour to pinch for future writing myself!
A Day in the Life of a Mum by expatangie
A compassionate and economical glimpse into Cynthia’s depression: for me, perhaps just a bit TOO economical – this is such a big subject, I felt a bit cheated, as if there should be at least another 1,000 words! One thing jarred: Cynthia’s husband explains to her that Harry is “my sister Kate’s son” – an explanation that she surely would not need (and nor does the reader) 🙂
The Snowglobe by colmore
I admire your ability to create a tense and increasingly oppressive atmosphere – absolutely super, right up to the point where Peter attacks the globe with the ice pick and we have the “black apparition with evil yellow eyes” – too much!!
Green Fluorescent Electric Cats by furryfeatures
Well, the foreword says it all: totally bonkers!!
Loved the “visual purring” and your very neatly executed ending. But I didn’t get the Confucian figures/zombies – had they too been lasered?
Number 92 by Dantheman
Really loved the elegant parallelism of your first two paragraphs; likewise the wonderful description of Carlos who “waddled…barrel-shaped” with his “sweaty cheeks” – for all the world like a cheese himself. The reader gets to share the narrator’s tantalising glimpse of the thrilling Spanish beauty and her erotically-charged knife-handling, and his hope-dashing return to his own life with the arrival,of a gloriously depicted “Duffers”. All this condensed into the time it takes for the electric display to move from 92 to 93, an utterly delightful device.
Golden Light by Christophertrier
You open with a great, arch tone: “My dear reader…Oh to be in Golder’s Green” and much of your description is touched with elegance: the sun is “filtered gold”, there are “strewn ruins of empires long fallen”. This is quality stuff.
For me, this piece is just not quite a story, but a section, opening, introduction, snippet, réfection, elegy…
But boy am I looking forward to more of your writing 🙂
Honourable Deception by Atiller
Perhaps you were too generous with your title, Atiller: I seemed to know what was coming from the off with this story, and so found it all a tad too predictable.
Death Corner by Lostinwords
I enjoyed the setting you created in this story; the bridge below the confluence and the corruption of “De’Ath”. It had a touch of the Brigadoon and Braveheart about it, in a good way. The “enter the devil”/ deus ex machina thing is never a good thing for me, so the “diabolical tempest” seemed a bit glib. But that’s just me, and I did like the tidiness of all combattants being swept to their watery death. That’s the grim Scot talking 🙂
The Cyclist by Giselle
As ever, your writing is highly accomplished. The “6 months of mist, and 6 months of midges” made me laugh out loud. There is no,question that you know how to crank up the tension – but I felt cheated that the story ended as it did.
A Bloodless Revolution by Araminta
I liked the split narrative, part 1 told by Melanie and 2 by David. I was also drawn in to the world you depicted of Alphas and Betas. I’m afraid sci fi is strictly not my thing though, and here I just couldn’t get past my prejudices 😦
Stories from the Cedar Café, Margo 1 by expatangie
This is one of those delightful, what-you-see-is-what-you-get stories, without guile or artifice. But there is no blandness; this is not an anodine tale. This is due, I think, to the characterisation: Margo is earnest and straightforward in her quest for creative self-improvement and this the writing is infused with an uplifting compassion and integrity.
All Seeing by fizzeerascal
The central device of cheval mirror as narrator is ingenious, a highly appropriate means of reflecting (!) familial changes over the years. The faithful mirror then consigned to auction adds pathos.
Burying Secrets by Atiller
If ever we needed a caveat about Facebook, here it is: P Baxter, “our watcher” has stalked his ex-mistress and so, knowing she’s been bereaved, makes haste to the burial. Here he watches her, and recalls their affair with a narrative and emotional sensitivity and sincerity that stirs real empathy. One wonders: has Atiller ever strayed…
Mrs Joe by americanmum
Wow – this is narrated with a seething anger: a raging sense of injustice and entrapment.
That said, and this may sound odd, I felt that the story itself lacked pace/energy (though of course that could be the whole point). The narrator seems ambivalent about her abusive father, at once conscious that her mother has been systematically battered (and has lost 5 male babies, one assumes consequently) and reverent: “The father I once admired”. This jarred somewhat for me, but I do love the final, furious sentence – makes me fear what this girl may do in the future.
Finally, thank you very much for the points for my story this month 🙂
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Good reviews, Seadams.
I understand about sci fi not being your thing. I became addicted at an early age and I still enjoy re-reading some of the classics. Pleased you liked the split narrative though. 🙂
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Thanks, Seadams for such a thoughtful review. I confess that I was not entirely satisfied with this story. The idea for the story came to me late, and I rushed through it a bit. (My original idea is suited to the “reunion” topic next month and so I decided to save it.) The ambivalence is deliberate. I think that at least some of those that grow up in homes where there is abuse cannot quite reconcile their feelings for both of their parents, and I wanted to definitely portray someone who “identifies with the abuser” because of what she will become. As to the woman’s future, she is the Mrs. Joe of Great Expectations who terrorizes her younger brother with the “tickler” and dominates her gentle husband. I wanted to imagine how such a kind and generous soul as Joe Gargery would end up married to such a tyrannical woman.
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Oho! Now that IS clever!
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Thank you for you interesting contributions to the review, seadams.
While you are in the writing mood, is there any chance that we might learn of your chosen subject for the May competition? Unless I am mistaken, as winner of the February competition the choice is yours to make.
You can post it either here below, or on the Bleda’s Bar facebook page, or even by carrier pigeon should you be so inclined. 🙂
In the event that you have already posted it somewhere and I have missed it, please accept my apologies for making a nuisance of myself.
And should the latter is the case, please don’t allow it to upset you … I have made a career out of being a nuisance.
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Good evening, Bleda and thank you this gentle nudge. For May, I suggest that the the central feature, theme or metaphor of our writing be a bridge. Or bridges, in the plural.
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Re. Honourable Deception.
‘PREDICTABLE!’ My middle name has always been ‘Contrary’ … dry-rot must be settling in. 🙂
I’m sorry that you saw through my tale early on … that must have been because I was adrift in alien waters.
For my part I was goggle-eyed at the twists and turns of infidelity and was veritably panting with expectation at what was likely to happen next. Obviously I am a novice when it comes to devious sexual shenanagans … either that or I must have led a very sheltered life.
I did once find a page of ‘O’ that had blown in through an open window, and also a well thumbed copy of Lady Chatterley’s Lover once passed through my hands, but to be honest I found John Thomas to be a very boring character.
I must have been missing something.
Now with ‘Burying Secrets’ we are obviously more on the same wavelength.
I can only assume that my hours spent in a variety of cemeteries taking ‘rubbings’ of gravestones was not the waste of time that I then thought that it was.
Thank you for your encouraging words about this one, though I’m not so sure about your suggestion that it might have been in some way based upon a measure of personal experience.
We are supposed to be writing ‘creatively’ after all, and I do have a vivid imagination.
For April there is to be a sequel.
When it is finished I shall cut it up into pieces, throw them in the air, and re-write them in the order that I pick the bits up from the floor. If you find that predictable I promise you that my short writing career will be binned, and, (if my back permits), I will apply to the local Council for a grant to enable me to take a crash course in Mud Wrestling.
Unisex of course. 🙂
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Thank you for your comments. I’m glad you liked the ending of my story. My feeling about the Confucian figures/zombies was that they were what I saw in my dream and were taken straight from it. Perhaps I should have said a bit more about them. They were stealthy and slow-moving, perhaps not to disturb the cats they were carrying in their sleeves. I looked at them and got an impression in the dream and that’s what I put into writing – you know the way that you look at a person and think that he or she reminds you of someone else. Or it might be like when I was passing through Barcelona Airport to catch a connecting flight and it was the first time I had seen Spanish Civil Guardsmen. Their caps/helmets/hats reminded me of upturned bedpans!
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Seadams, all of your reviews make for interesting and positive reading. Thank you so much for your kind words and critique of my tale of All seeing.
Fizz x
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Thank you for your kind and generous reviews, a pleasure to read them all and very helpful and insightful x
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Thank you for your very generous critique, Angie 🙂
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A comment a bit out of sequence, but as long as it gets your attention seadams, it will serve its purpose.
BRIDGE or BRIDGES for May. No problem … except that it is open to many interpretations.
If I suggest a few of them perhaps you could advise which kind of bridge you had in mind.
a) Bridge as in The Firth of Forth, the one over troubled waters just downstream of The Bridge of Sighs, or the one on the River Kwai etc.
b) The bridge of one’s nose, or a dental bridge, or even that claw shaped thingy that snooker players with short arms use from time to time.
c) One or all of the Bridges, Lloyd, Jeff, or Beau.
d) An esoteric game played by people with a Mensa score just shy of 130.
or
e) Any one or all of the above.
How predictable is that? 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
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Hahahahaha – bravo, Bleda!
Yup, think that just about covers it.
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Me, too, Seadams! great that you’re still here, Aberdeen comes back in technicolour every time I see your name…….
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Christopher.
Many years ago I travelled up to London(Millbank) to give a presentation of one of our products that had raised some interest in this Japanese company that at that time I had never heard of … Hitachi. (It was a long time ago).
I eventually found myself in a room facing a semi-circle of around fifteen young eager-beaver Japanese men, each with a note book thick enough to contain ‘War and Peace’ five times over. The answer to every question was eagerly scribbled down to a chorus of ‘Ah So’s’,
They really did say that. 🙂
On leaving after about six hours (that included a lunch), the Chief Tito solemnly presented me with a box just about the size and shape that might have contained a wrist watch. I thanked him profusely (after six hours with any group of Japanese one tends to fall into their over-elaborate way of doing things), and left clutching my precious gift.
In the taxi that was to take me to Paddington, I feverishly opened the box to claim my reward.
It was a small painted paper fan with a bamboo stand that must have taken some back street sweatshop all of about three minutes to make.
I still have it displayed at home as one of my treasured possessions. 🙂
In case you are interested, we never did receive a follow up order.
p.s. One of the highlights of the day was when we went out to lunch at a rather swish London restaurant … a party of about twenty.
For the only time in my life I felt rather like Gulliver minus the ropes … and I would not be six foot in five inch heels.
Every time we passed through a doorway it took around five minutes with everyone giving way to the other in a chorus of ‘Ahfter yoo’ … No, Ahfter yoo’, … No, Ahfter yoo’.
Hilarious!
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Reminds me of a story from years ago when SHARP set up a factory near us. The security men (all English) couldn’t understand why they kept finding Japanese bosses in the factory at the dead of night after the intruder alarms had been set – ultra modern laser beam detectors. Then they eventually twigged, they’d set the beams at average English men’s height, need I say more…………….
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