It was a simple thing, today my writing friend Fenja Hill was collecting something from somewhere, and needed a bigger car so enlisted the aid of the Poet Macaque. I had seen Fenja yesterday at the writing group get together but Macaque had not been able to join us. In the writing group, as well as writing something for each meeting inspired by a specific suggestion, we have also started something different. We each found a note book and started to write a story taking just one page (or thereabouts) We bring our notebooks to the meetings and exchange them and carry on the story already written in them. We have been doing this nearly ten times – some of the stories hang together, some are really weird! At yesterday’s get together, I had forgotten to bring my notebook although I had written in it – and I was due to exchange it with Macaque. Knowing they would be together this morning, I dropped by to give it to Mac.
I pulled into Fenja’s carpark as they were getting ready to collect the item, so I hopped into the car, and off we set. It was only round the corner, and the item we were collecting was a beautiful little bureau which she would find useful for writing, and keeping various documents, stories, and bits and pieces. We picked it up and returned to her place and she very kindly invited us in for coffee. We helped bring up the lovely little bureau and sat admiring it while she provided refreshment.
As ever, our conversations ranged over many things. Our own writing (of course) writing competitions we intended to enter, the writing group and group plans for a writing day out, plans and projects, and books we had read/were reading. We have so much in common, and share so many interests, but we also have very different loves and tastes in reading. and it’s always interesting to compare notes. We had a discussion about the “Rivers of London” series which I love but Fen didn’t enjoy, Terry Pratchett’s work of which she is a great fan and I’m only just beginning to read, and Robin Hobb (née Margaret Astrid Lindholm Ogden) who writes what sounds like an extraordinary series, what’s described as an “epic traditional fantasy“.
We weren’t together long, but as ever, being together prompted many writing thoughts, some reading suggestions, gossip and natter. A very satisfactory few hours!
You can find Fenja here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=fenja+hill&i=digital-text&crid=3BIM2XLMO446D
and Macaque here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=the+poet+macaque&i=digital-text&crid=1Y0QZQBB2EAEF
and here:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=%22hamish+macneil%22&crid=HG67U2AINTYQ
The image of us, Fenja, Macaque and me, was taken in the garden of Coleridge’s Cottage in Nether Stowey when we were out on an adventure!
Lois Elsden 