WriTING my Way Through Lockdown.
‘Cause the Writing’s on the Wall.
pop quiz: the lyric above is from what song and artist? clue: my brother by other parents, spies a ghost.
WriTING Task Thirteen: Make a list of your six favourite brews. What made them special and why do you remember them?
As those of you who have read more than one of my blog articles will suspect: I quite like writing. So, with lockdown rules putting paid any plans for a ski trip this side of ‘sometime never’, I signed up to an online writing course.
It may surprise you to know that I haven’t written anything before where I’ve made it up. All my writing comes from facts and research and my opinions of it; to write something completely made-up, that’s a first for me.
The course was online and twice a week, for eight weeks, we were set a writing task. Sometimes long, sometimes short, sometimes odd. None were compulsory, but being someone who tends towards ‘completer/finisher’, I generally went for quantity over quality and tackled them all.
Here’s one…
I decided it wasn’t really about the drink, more about the memory.
My WriTING Effort:
Tea: First one at Home after any Foreign Holiday.
Lipton’s tea is not proper tea. Beyond English shores a proper cup of tea is an enigma. The journey home from any holiday is always tense and tiring; you just want to get there. Airport security, endless waiting, children screaming, search for your car among thousands, drive home in the dark and rain. Unlock the front door, kick off your shoes, slump into the sofa, “do you fancy a cup of tea?” … oh yes!
Glass of Red Wine on my Birthday 2015.
I’d not had any alcohol for about 6 months as I was driving, a lot. Back and forward to my Mum and Dad’s, to my brother’s and to the hospital. My brother was an alcoholic, a week before his birthday, which happens to be two days before mine, he died. Nothing we had been able to do helped him. It was about 9pm on my birthday that I finally got back to my Mum and Dad’s after a day of running death related errands. Dad says, “do you fancy a glass of wine?” … oh yes!
Curry Monsters Manchester Beer.
Every year, first weekend of October a group of us get together in Manchester. The common thread is time spent in Manchester in the 1990s, a love of hiking, a love of curry, a love of beer and a deep, but not necessarily close, friendship. Some of the group we see regularly, some only once a year, some can’t make it every year, but we all try. We catch up, we laugh, we have a good time. After consuming too much of Rusholme’s finest we make a toast; “Absent Friends”.
Skiing with a Brew.
I love mountains, summer or winter, but winter has an extra dimension – skiing. Our normal ski day is an early start to catch the first lift in order to get fresh snow. We then ski hard until about 11am, when we stop for coffee. Hopefully, I managed to get up early enough to make a flask. We search out a bench or picnic table by the side of the piste; one that’s got a perfect view of blues skies and snow-capped mountains. The coffee out of a flask is never the best, but the location more than makes up for that.
Macky Ds Thick Shake.
A guilty pleasure, when suffering with a hangover; an Egg McMuffin accompanied by a banana thick shake. Ordinarily revolting, but when your constitution is delicate nothing beats this combination. I don’t think about what’s in it to make it so thick, I just delight in the fact that it’s cold and creamy and settles the stomach, allowing me to face the day.
Red Wine in the Cupboard.
Many moons ago we hosted a ski chalet in La Tania for the season. 14 double beds. We were responsible for cleaning, cooking and hosting, seven days a week. It took its toll, especially as we were trying to ski every day too; the guests just got in the way of our fun. The kitchen was tiny and ill equipped, but it had one redeeming feature, a walk-in pantry. Strategically placed, out of the sight of all guests, we each had a mug of red-wine, when either of us needed anything from the pantry, it was an opportunity for a sneaky sip.
pop trivia: ‘Sam Smith’ co-wrote and performed ‘Cause the Writings on the Wall‘ as the Bond theme for 2015’s outing, ‘Spectre’. The single made it to number 1. Who knows when we are going to see Bond’s next outing.
The writing course was called Zoom with a Brew, if you’d like to read more of my efforts, they can be found here.
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