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Gladwin
Gladwin
402 posts

New short story published
Nov 26, 2016, 17:45
My short story 'Pond Life' is featured as a guest post on Helen Day’s fascinating Old Ladybird Books blog.

Click here to read:

https://dlgladwin.wordpress.com/2016/11/25/pond-life/
Monganaut
Monganaut
2365 posts

Re: New short story published
Nov 26, 2016, 22:37
That's beautiful...reminds me of hot summer days of my youth spent trawling the woodlands and rivers in Warwickshire, jam sandwich and bottle of squash and maybe 50p for chips or chocolate if I came across a shop, not a care in the world or a map to follow. Not rocking up at home till tea time, weirdly, my parents were unconcerned about the miles I wandered, sometimes alone, sometimes with friends. I'd just get told to wash my hands before tea and if I'd had a nice time. Ahhh, a seemingly lost age of innocence.
Gladwin
Gladwin
402 posts

Re: New short story published
Nov 26, 2016, 22:49
Monganaut wrote:
That's beautiful...reminds me of hot summer days of my youth spent trawling the woodlands and rivers in Warwickshire, jam sandwich and bottle of squash and maybe 50p for chips or chocolate if I came across a shop, not a care in the world or a map to follow. Not rocking up at home till tea time, weirdly, my parents were unconcerned about the miles I wandered, sometimes alone, sometimes with friends. I'd just get told to wash my hands before tea and if I'd had a nice time. Ahhh, a seemingly lost age of innocence.


Pleased you liked it, but THAT ^^^ is beautiful! We all carry our childhoods inside us, which is something those of us with such idyllic memories should remember when we meet others, whose experiences have been as negative as ours were positive.
Monganaut
Monganaut
2365 posts

Re: New short story published
Nov 27, 2016, 01:19
Re: the negative. I experienced a bit of both, as at the time of my country ramblings, I lived in the middle of Chelmsley Wood, one of the largest council estate in Europe at the time. I think we just wandered miles cos' we could. I have mixed memories of living there, obviously concrete and system build tower blocks were king in our neck of the woods, though I do recall light and airy primary/junior schools, and a surprising amount of greenery in amongst the houses and estates. I guess we were lucky, as we moved in when it was all new, in fact, I seem to recall they were still building Area 3 when we moved in, and we didn't have a garden for years as the grass took an age to grow. Also luckily, we lived about 500m from one of the oldest woods in Warwickshire, it's still there, Alcott Wood, I had to walk through it to get to school from the ages of 5 till 11 or so. Guess that's were my love of nature and general adventuring was born. The 'estate' changed for the worse in the mid 80's under Thatchers regime, but by that time we'd moved to Tamworth, and back into the green belt. Luckily, my kids had a similar upbringing, the river is only about 500m from our house, full of trout, tadpoles and tiddlers, and the area is puddled with parks, lakes, canals and green spaces, even though we're still only 2 miles from Birmingham city center and about 1/2 a mile from Sarehole Mill (allegedly Tolkein's boyhood stomping ground, though I gotta say the link to him is played up a lot in Birmingham, but is tenuous at best). I won't say they rambled as much or as far as I did, they have different distractions these days, but they say they've enjoyed a more out-doorsey upbringing than many of their mates. They are 19 and 22 now, and both still love the great outdoors, as well as all the techy pastimes we've embraced since they were younger. So those days and experiences are still available to those who seek em' out.
Gladwin
Gladwin
402 posts

Re: New short story published
Nov 27, 2016, 13:16
My landscape was post-industrial, too. Old abandoned brickworks and quarries behind the trees close to home, railway bridges with no tracks by which to cross the Amber valley unseen, tracks through the woods where the carts used to feed the lime works. But all that was part of the experience - as children, we just accept what's there and get on with exploring it. Canals, now, are seen as places for leisure and wildlife, but they were dug for industry, which is why many still offer corridors into nature from towns and cities. Whilst studying in Loughborough, I would walk along the canal towpath to the River Soar, going from red bricks to green rushes in half an hour. There was a pub called the Albion (it has another name now) on Canal Bank, which was just far enough out of town not to be full of noise and racket, and just near enough for a regular visit, coupled with a walk. Was only talking about that place last night, as it happens, in a Beverley pub, with two neighbours.
Gladwin
Gladwin
402 posts

Re: New short story published
Apr 28, 2017, 17:12
I have now posted a commentary piece on my Pond Life story, in case anyone would like a little background.

https://dlgladwin.wordpress.com/2017/04/28/commentary-pond-life/

Might also appeal to any fans of Ladybird books, and nature writing in general.
NickittenPierre
2 posts

Edited May 03, 2017, 07:35
Re: New short story published
May 01, 2017, 10:50
I have read your short story ... its interested and good .. thanks for sharing
Gladwin
Gladwin
402 posts

Re: New short story published
May 02, 2017, 10:40
Thanks...I think. Haven't read your dissertations.
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