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|   | Subject: Alphabet: A to Z
Posted Jul 19, 2005 by frontiersman | | Post: 1
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Hello Helen,
Just a little observation.
During my perusal of some recent Entries I have learnt a lot about your taste in music and the fact that you once held a position on the BBC World Service.
I have had a passion for all forms of music and literature, indeed all the arts, including architecture, for as long as I can remember.
My main love, apart from writing, is classical music, and in the widest sense of the term.
All English music, Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Delius, Britten, Tippett, and a number of others, leave me emotionally elated. I love the settings of English poetry for tenor, baritone and base, and for soprano, mezzo-soprano and contralto.
Our eldest son has a fine baritone voice, trained by a professional operatic baritone who has sung with most of the great names in the modern operatic world. Neil sings as a hobby with his local operatic society, and has played principal baritone parts in a number of productions.
He is a science teacher by profession in an independent school. He also sings solo in church, and performs many other roles in his local community.
The BBC World Service is arguably the finest organization in the corporation, indeed, in the world! It would be interesting to know what you were involved in there; I imagine with it being mainly a news gathering and broadcasting medium you were either a radio journalist or a production assistant/ producer.
You had a much more glamorous profession than myself, a boring accounting job in an equally boring company!
Why does that make me a little afraid that you may 'find me wanting' when it comes to our little writing project!!?
Ron  
hullo ron - hope you found my recent reply on our other thread, where I told you that your words to me are quality --
yes, my friend, I can tell that you and your family, are extremely cultured people, - which is why I feel most shy and somewhat lacking myself ..... the way I write must, at times, be rather peculiar to you, but I hope you don't find that it offends your cultural roots -
- I worked at Bush House in London - from about 1974 or 5 - from the age of 19 till 27 - my chronology is a little rusty - with a year out working for BBC Radio Scotland in Edinburgh -
the BBC was my chosen career - I trained as a secretary and I was very good - I work hard at whatever it is I am doing -
I worked for the World Service because I loved radio and communication.
I was a secretary in various offices of the Far East Department ....and then I was a production secretary for the BBC Scotland Schools programmes in Edinburgh -
Ron, I loved every minute of working for the BBC - I could tell you so much about it - the people, the sheer complete magic of it all -
I was in fact, on the up, as they say - but around 1980? fate decided that life was going to be different for me - my acute sensitivity and nervousness was starting to get the better of me -
I held it together for a while by working as a night-typist in the World Service newsroom - which was, paradoxically - the BEST part of my whole career there - I met so many fascinating people - I remember a beautiful jewish poet and this strange man who used to look into my eyes and say "most extraordinary Helen, most extraordinary" hmmmm - kind of freaked me out at the time - think he was seeing my future
I stray from the path - I was in the newsroom the night that John Lennon was shot .... I was right where the action was ......right in it, Ron ---
Then Chris got a job as a librarian in Torquay, and we came to Devon.
then my other life started .....
that's another story - the way I write comes from my other life - you could call it the breakdown years, or the breakthrough years - -- depends which way you see it ---- I went with breakthrough - eventually .....
by the way - we don't have to do this poetry thing! I just love playing! we could just remain as passing h2g2 visionary voices!
helen
maybe we should start a BIOGRAPHY thread on h2g2 - now that would be interesting!
- and farewell to you, sir,
I am to depart this h2g2 heaven here on Monday 25 July - and look forward greatly to reconvening in the cool days of September -
I have most greatly enjoyed working with you, Ron, in my first few, rather crazed weeks here on h2g2 . I have been through a lot and am constantly reinventing - amongst other things, your writing syle reminds me of my cultural roots - and that's important -
come the Autumn, my output will probably be completely incoherent, but not lacking in inspiration - I am just beginning in some ways - I'll most definitely be looking for an editor or someone to guide me back onto the page - as I have a deep desire to write in pure pattern .....
so A-Z collaborator or just fellow poets, we shall see who we have become when we do meet again -
all the very best to you and your family with the new addition to the family, and it all
till we do meet again
Helen
Hello Helen,
Since we last spoke, as you may have seen, I've been preoccupied trying to fight for my 1st (and main) Peer Review Entry, and to resolve the question of 1st or 3rd person usage.
Some good reviewers have commented and advised me on the Entry, but, I suppose inevitably, much of it is contradictory; depending on the individual reviewer's personal standpoint and interpretation of the PR rules.
I fear that in some of my forthright responses to their advice I may have trodden on a number of sensitive toes!
Your reply to my question about your BBC career was very interesting; you met John Lennon and many other celebrities...Wow!
Chris and yourself come over as very interesting people, with your particular skills and artistic endeavours.
I have been writing some verse relating to our little joint 'project', but they are too contrived and utterly artless! One cannot set out to write good material with a self-bullying mind. The result comes over on reading, even to the writer, as a sort of faux-esotericism.
I attempted to write 4 or 5 verses on the origins of the letter 'A', and while they are factual, the rhymes and rhythm are abominable. I wrote them in Microsoft Word with the intention of pasting them to AWW, but not without refining them; that's if I don't delete the lot and try something else. So, you see how confident I am in my own ability!
I am looking forward to speaking to you again in September, when we can exchange news and I can update you on our new grandchild! There will never be any pressure or obligation for you to contribute to the verse if you feel disinclined, Helen, but don't think I will abandon our on-line friendship for one moment!
Do have a lovely time in Greece; I hope you meet some very interesting people to enhance your sojourn there.
Ron
  
tuesday 30 august 05
morning Ron -
how are you? and your new grandchild?
Greece was a thousand sensations in every moment - Chris did his work brilliantly and I drank coffee and wrote notebooks - we did our best ever performance with him on Shruti box and me on rambling vocals and we also hosted a soiree for forty people - poems, songs, jokes, thoughts etc - which was a most satisfactory enterprise -
now I am trying to remember how to think, but when I have done that, I will be in touch
till then
Helen
Hello Helen,
You sound as though you have both had a really interesting and formative time.
And you appear to have come back fighting!
Elizabeth Louise is fine from what we hear. She's putting on weight after first losing her birth weight, as is the norm, they tell me!
You'll remember, she is 181 miles away from us, in Cambridge. We are going down in about 2/3 weeks time when Philip gets back from Geneva.
I look forward to talking to you when you are fully settled in back home.
Ron
morning Ron - Elizabeth Louise - a grand-daughter - congratulations!
how're you doing then. I'm OK. Grappling with the fever effect of the creative process - trying to just let it roll whilst worrying about being seen as a mad mongrel. Experimenting with the unedited river - - -
its the process rather than the end-product that I have to keep on the right side of -
I love the late summer colours in the rowan berries and in the yellow and purple flowers - and the apples and pears and blackberries - late summer is so juicy fruity is it not -
talk to you later
Helen
Good Afternoon Helen,
Yes, late summer/early autumn is a lovely season!
I love those rusty reds, yellows and browns of many subtle shades in the leaves of our native trees before they drift elegantly down to the lush grass and pasture. Our region has not reached that point yet though, as we are in an area known for its damp climate, on the plains of Cheshire. That is one of the reasons why our pasture is so agriculturally rich (Cheshire cheese!) with both dairy and arable farming sustained by the dark brown loam soils that hold the moisture well. Autumn, the true seasonal 'fall' comes around mid to late October in this region (around Delamere Forest) because the trees are always well hydrated and keep their leaves a little longer perhaps.
I cannot remember now whether you knew about my receiving a little purple badge, or whether you know that my first piece has reached the Edited Guide.
Good to see you back though. I shall look forward to reading whatever you post when you feel so inclined.
Ron
congratulations! for your piece reaching the Edited Guide - I shall have to peruse the site and check you out -
also will have to find out what the purple badge is - well done, Ron - sounds like you are really going for it!
Helen
Hi, sorry to interrupt or intrude.
I read your poem "Stories" and then followed the link with your nickname, which intrigued me because there is a place called that in Austin, where I used to live.
What prompted me to communicate was this phrase in your account above:
"my acute sensitivity and nervousness was starting to get the better of me"
This rang a little chord.
As an Aspie, I find that very similar to some of my experiences.
I also am a poet of some noet.
I have scattered many a versification across this site and even won a couple of little prizes in my youth.
I have a regular column in the Post called Escape Pod Dreams and a regular comic called Platypus Dancing.
Hullo TonsilRevenge -
This is a ray of light - how good to hear from you!
I connect your name with an extraordinary poem, which you wrote to someone in a conversation, and I have had you bookmarked in my brain ever since - one or two personal things have taken my time over the last few weeks, so I am very glad to be awakened by your communication!
In fact, one of the situatons I mention was a situation in my family - I was discussing it with my dear friend Ron, but decided to encrypt the journal entry (I think its still around - under a conversation entitled Strange Atmosphere -) point is, I have two family members who are Asperger sensitives - and it seems that I might have a few sensory wires crossed in the brain also - - -resulting in this acutely nervous white light that fills my head, just when I am supposed to be stepping out into the world in a confident and certain way!
I was therefore most interested to read your Personal Space Intro - love all your graphics also -
Like you, I am learning to accept my situation with grace and gratitude - not like I'm ill - the opposite in fact!- just finding ways to live it. I am fifty now, and live a quiet life with my (also sensitive)husband. Finding h2g2 six months ago was brilliant for me, as I could - somewhat delicately - start to really bring out my writing, without fear of being laughed at or attacked - and have met wonderful people!
So! there we are then. I am going to check your column in The Post - and your poetry. - is Platypus Dancing an on-line comic?
Have to go for now, but I'll be back! Really appreciate you getting in touch -
Helen is my real name - I do all my writing in cafes, and I love cacti, Arizona, shamens, seers, mad people and Mexico - hence Cactuscafe. Curiously, though, I am an English rose by birth.
Helen
PS strange you got back on this thread, as it reminded me that Ron and I were going to collaborate on some alphabet poems --- hmm -- time, where is time?
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