Shirley's blog on her writing and on living in Egypt etc

I am absolutely devastated I have learnt today that Thames Water intend digging up Broadfield park and making a sewer!

How can they be allowed to do this? This is a nature park full of wildlife and beautiful old trees some over a hundred years old. Thames Water say that they will replace everything but duh you can't replace old trees!

Here is a letter I have written in protest, which I am told by the editor will appear in next weeks Crawley Observer.

 I was mortified to read Ian Irvines letter in todays Crawley Observer re the proposed sewage facility at Broadfield park.

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Yes, it was that time of year again.

This is a week long writing conference held every June at the University of Winchester.

The opening speaker this year was Colin Dexter, famous for his Inspector Morse character.

He led a team of more than sixty novelists, poets, literary agents and professional writers who gave talks and seminars on writing and publishing. There were also various work shops to chose from.

There were fifteen writing competitions to enter in the months preceding the conference.

Last year I had two books commended.

This year I had a story commended in the four to seven age range, so I am pleased about that.

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( Mauresmo)

I went to Wimbledon yesterday with my son.

I had to get up at 4 15am. We took the train from Dorking, which is a direct route and was just thirty minutes.

There are always plenty of buses from the station , they are especially laid on to take you to join the queue! (£3.50 return)

This year standing in the queue was a lot more pleasant, as it was in the park and not on the pavement by a busy road.

There were various refreshment places and every now and then people distributed free soft juice drinks from dispensers hanging on their backs. They reminded me of the 'kakaday' drink sellers in Cairo!  Free bottles of Evian water were also given out.

Everyone in the queue is always very chatty and it wasn't long til we struck up friendships with the people around us- albeit brief ones as once we reached the security check everyone was sent to different queues, as when you travel by plane.

I had a body search too!

Then after this we had to walk over a footbridge into the stadium.

We had just missed out on the free wrist bands that would have allowed us to sit on number two court so we bought tickets for the outside courts. They cost £20.

We had to wait a further thirty minutes until the grounds opened at 10.30am.

Then we went on Henman Hill and had our picnic 'brunch' facing the big screen.

There were people from a tennis club sitting near us who bought an iced bucket of champage for £50.

I was quite content with my free bottle of Evian water-never have liked champage, which is just as well given the cost.

We had a browse in the shop. Things were quite pricey there.

I didn't buy anything as I had bought Wimbledon souvenirs on a previous visit.

After lunch we watched a match between last years finalist Marion Bartoli ( FRA) and Taliana Perebylynis (UKR)

I was fascinated by Bartoli's service action- the lead up. She seemed to take a while to get it going sometimes and one woman next to me muttered 'Get on with it will you'

Whilst another behind said to her friend.

'Does she know we are waiting?'

Personally, as a former tennis player and Captain of the college tennis team I know how hard it is to get your serve right and those prelimary actions can make all the difference!

Bartoli went on to win.

Mauresmo came on the court next. ( former Wimbledon champion 2006) She is seeded 29 this year and it was clear she is not playing that well at the moment.

We drifted to various other courts and then had a walk to view the new number two court, which will open next year.

It was a great day. There is something about the atmosphere at Wimbledon that is unique.

Perhaps one day I will be able to watch a match on the centre court, that is still my dream.

(Highlight of the day Belluci ( Brazil) was told to change his tee shirt:) )

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On Friday night I met up with five 'old' school friends.

We had organised a reunion via The Friends Reunited web site. We had all met at Southgate Primary School in Crawley-were in the same class and then gone on to Thomas Bennett Comprehensive School. It was one of the first comprehensives built in the country and made the Guiness Book of Records for having the highest number of pupils-over one thousand.  No wonder I felt lost all the time and I never saw the Headmaster!

I hadn't seen four of my friends for thirty nine years! We met up at 'The Tilgate', in Crawley.

This pub used to be called 'The Grasshopper'.

Incidently, what is with people changing the pub names in Crawley? The Black Swan at Pease Pottage was changed a few years ago to The James King, but was recently changed back to The Black Swan. I think pub names should never be changed, they reflect a villlage or town's history. Anyway, I digress.

I hadn't been to 'The Tilgate' since my teenage years. There was a group playing called 'The Gas'. One of my friend's sons sings and plays guitar. They were very good. myspace.com/thegasband

The music was a bit loud for us girls to talk much, but we eventually drifted into the other bar where we sat and reminisced about our school days. This wasn't much quieter as there was some sort of poker game going on, which meant that every now and then some guy stood up and shouted out instructions.

 As well as finding out what my friends had been up to since our 'pig-tailed days' I found out that a teacher, who I thought was brilliant and really loved, was really disliked by one friend. I also heard that a couple of my old school pals have sadly died- both from breast cancer.

Anyway, it was a great evening, but next time we will try and meet up somewhere a bit quieter and get all the old photos out.

( In the photo above I am third from the right)

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I had a really good laugh this week. There was a report in the newspaper saying that they have found that children do best in classes where they sit in rows of desks, facing the teacher, rather than grouped at tables! Give me a break! I have known this for years as I suspect have most teachers.

I remember a teacher once moving his desks in his classroom like this, only to be told by the then 'trendy' head to put them back in groups. This meant that many couldn't see the blackboard either. We both thought it was ridiculous.

He and I knew that when children sit in groups all they want to do is chat and do not concentrate on the lesson at all. You also find the lazy ones copy from their neighbours and that is one reason why a lot of children get through the system without knowing much themselves-having always relied on others to do their work for them.

I get sick and tired of these stupid reports coming out.I knew this thirty years ago for goodness sake.

Why don't people in charge of education listen to the teachers?

They do know best. Everything went wrong in schools in this country when people decided they knew better than teachers.

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I was shocked to learn last week that the Manuscript Publishing agency ( it was previously known as Mallams) has closed down. They published my first book Scarab Eyes. I spoke to Christine Smeeth by phone last week. I thought she was in charge of this company, but she told me she was the editor and that she was just as surprised as me when she learnt about it's closure-sometime last year. It seems I was sent a letter about this, but I never received one. I think that such an important letter as this should have been sent recorded delivery and I also think that I should have had an email anyway about this.

Most of my correspondence with Christine was done by email.

I think I should have been given the chance to buy any copies of my book left.It seems they were pulped!

I am still looking into this matter as I believe I am also owed money anyway from book sales last year.

If any other authors have books with them please email through my web site.

Writing friends say there is nothing to be done, but why should we let people get away with things like this? I entered into a contract in good faith.

I am fed up with people riding roughshod over other people.

I am still trying to get a P60 and pay slips from PDM Personnel of Kent for my husband.

He did some work for them back on February. It was a job advertised on the jobcentre plus web site. Despite phoning and writing to PDM Personnel they have still not sent them.

So I wrote to the job centre ( Horsham) asking if they could ring up and ask for them on our behalf. Surely firms that advertise with them should be monitored? Oh, no the reply came back we can't do that you'll have to go to the Citizen Advice Bureau.

Why? says I we're not looking for advice just the pay slips and P60!

Anyway, they wouldn't help so I rang CAB and they have tried to get the P60 and pay slips without success.

Why should firms get away with things like this?

Well, I am a great believer in Karma and what comes around goes around so I console myself with the fact that these firms and the people who caused the problems will get their dues later!

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Received my copy of 'The Writing Magazine' today and was pleasantly surprised to see that I had been short listed in the poetry competition- theme paradise today.

This comes just a week after my first prize win in the Swanwick Poetry competition. What with the first prize win in The Writing Magazine in Feb I am well well chuffed!

Now all I have to do is make some money out of this poetry writing!

The Writing Holiday in Swanwick will be cool, but I wish there was a cash equivalent in a way, as I am stony broke.

Oh, well, guess most poets were/are poor.

And as the title of my winning poem in the Swanwick comp says 'Who needs diamonds anyway? '

Lets face it you come into this life with nothing and you certainly don't take anything out.

Anyway re the comp what do you think paradise is today?

Somewhere where there are no mobile phones would be nice! I went in to my local newsagent to buy my Daily Mail and the shop assistant was on her mobile phone.

She carried on her conversation while serving me. What has happened to customer service? I think this is downright rudeness.

I'm not going back there again.

People do not seem to be able to manage without their mobile phones.

The world has gone mad!

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Amie, from the Crawley Observer, just phoned and it seems that they are not going to convert Broadfield House into flats now, as English heritage say they can't!

This is fantastic news. I like to think that my article that appeared in last weeks Crawley Observer helped with this too!

I just hope that someone will now think about preserving this old house properly and not leave as it is- boarded up in places with a huge green fence around it. If I won the lottery I would buy it and make sure that it is well looked after.

I really do think that it would make an ideal place for the Crawley Museum, but the planners for that have somewhere else in mind  I believe.

Anyway here is a poem I wrote about how I feel about Broadfield now. I wrote this a while ago after one of my visits there.

My Lost Paradise.


When the ration books were needed no more,
And the architect’s town plans were complete.
With their dreams and Consul cars they came,
To build a life, far from the city smoke.

I stand and gaze with melancholy air,
At what was once a much loved place; our home.
Where one house stood a score now sprawl,
Where child’s swing swung and fragrant flowers grew.

Tap roots wither like worms beneath the steel,
Sap tears cement my snap-shot eyes, now shut.
This was my paradise, sadly, no more.
Half turning I sigh like a Moorish King.

Copyright Shirley Elmokadem. May 2008

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A miserable rainy bank holiday day has been cheered up by the fantastic news, from Richard Bell of The Writing Magazine ( they fund the Swanwick Summer Writing School) that I have won first prize in the Swanwick Poetry Competition!

I had forgotten entering it and so it was quite a shock. The theme was 'diamonds' as it is Swanwick's diamond anniversary. My poem is called, Who needs diamonds anyway?

I win a weeks writing holiday in August, in Swanwick, which is in Derbyshire. I also get a trophy! I am still on cloud nine as you can imagine.

Read about Swanwick Writing School here.

http://www.wss.org.uk/aboutuz.htm

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( This is me taken when I was about ten. Yeah, I was mad on rabbits and thought this one ( Flecky) may like a ride on the see-saw. Behind me is Broadfield House and the beautiful lawns, which dad cared for so fervently and which today look like a war zone)

I am angry, very angry and also very sad. Today is the nineth anniversary of my dear father's death. Yesterday I went over to Broadfield Park, in Crawley, where we lived.

Dad was caretaker and gardener there for nearly forty years.

Of course this is not the Broadfield it was when I lived there. Most of the beautiful woods, fields and trees have all sadly disappeared under new town houses-Broadfield neighbourhood. But amidst all the devastation I always consoled myself with one thing. Broadfield House, being grade two listed, would never be touched. Yeah right! I was mad to think that. Yesterday I saw an application notice on a lamp post by the front door that said that they are going to turn this splendid building into twelve flats!

I am so annoyed about this and have been on to the local paper 'The Crawley Observer'.

They do not know anything about this and are looking into this matter for me.

They have recently been running a campaign to save Nightingale House from destruction (in the old part of Crawley-not many old parts left thanks to Crawley planners)

What are these planners thinking? Why are they so intent on erradicating every vestige of out heritage? And how can they do this to a listed building?

This is madness and I am out to do as much as I can to stop this.

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