Behind The Barred Window

A Moan, A Change of Title, A New Cover - and a Chance for YOU to Contribute some Ideas

2011-10-14T11:54:00.004+01:00

I have had to take on some desk research for a market research company to earn a crust (which is now grinding to a halt) and in between there have been bouts of depression during which I haven't done much at all. Quite a lot of the latter has been due to LULU messing around and f*%*ing everything up. I had hoped to just finish and get out INSTITUTIONALISED volume 3 (A CONTINUUM of DISCIPLINE) and then dump everything and get on with a new project and never think about any of it ever again.
But even as sales were taking off LULU was hard at work in the background putting a halt to it: "We are unable to distribute volume 1 as its title comes to close to the edge of the cover to print correctly" But INSTITUTIONALISED volume 1 had been distributed through Amazon et al via LULU since May 2008!!! (I have 3 printed proof copies myself). Then they came out with: "There are too many characters" in the full title of volume 2. But once again this was near-on two years after it had been published. Now they have removed all the PDF downloadable versions.
I am not sure how successful their new strategy is going to turn out commercially though, either for LULU as a company or their authors, at least insofar as my experience to date. Now I know we are not exactly talking 'Harry Potter' here in terms of sales but I had been shifting 2 or 3 most days, but since all the changes they have made at LULU I have yet to sell one single copy of any of my three volumes. In fact, sales just stopped dead after 21st of September (other than two print copies of the first title via distribution – Amazon or whatever - which obviously date to a much earlier time as they take a while to filter through).
And there are other concerning issues too:
My first volume in particular once had several really glowing reader reviews, all of which – bar two - have disappeared (and I had about eight on volume 1 including one that said "destined to be a classic of the genre" which I was particularly proud of!). Admittedly most of these reviews vanished a long time ago, after a previous reshuffle at LULU (about the same time that the ranking device seemed to cease to function and the hit counter that used to feature on their site disappeared).
Secondly: When I use the LULU book search facility, entering the usual keywords pertaining to books in the same genre as mine, I am hard pressed to bring up my own books, despite the fact that I know what I am looking for. In fact only my second volume surfaces at all now. And it is not just me that thinks there is a problem in that department, either. Several folks have emailed me saying that if not for following the links from my blog they would have never have stumbled across any of my books from a random search of LULU (though they had come across and bought others via LULU previously).
But all is not necessarily negative; I have a strategy of my own: What with my paid work now coming to an end and there being no sign of anymore in the pipeline for the foreseeable future I am at a loose end. I plan to spend a little time fixing the cover of volume 1 to keep LULU happy, but using it as an excuse for a cover redesign since my skills have come on somewhat since 2007 when it was created and I'd like to make it appear a little more like Volume 3 (volume 1 is apparently occasionally mistaken for a psychology text book!!!). While I am at it I plan to change the title: It will still say ‘INSTITUTIONALISED: BEYOND THE STANFORD EXPERIMENT’ on the front cover but will be recreated on LULU under an alternative title – one hopefully more eagerly grasped by their picky search engine.
Now this is where you - my readers and other visitors - come in to the equation. If you were given the task of re-naming this, my first ever book (or had you been its author) what would you call it? All suggestions welcome. Please bear in mind that from as far as I can tell LULU’s search engine looks for keywords in the title. So words such as ‘spanking’, ‘caning’, ‘corporal punishment’ and so on need to be incorporated as early as possible in the title but without it becoming too ‘cheesy’. Perhaps do a search on LULU with a few key words and see what crops (Ha, Ha!) up? Meanwhile I am going to carry out a quick (I hope) experiment involving volume three.

Deviant Art for Deviant Days (or something like that)

2011-09-28T14:12:00.009+01:00

Hello again! Less than a week since last time – blimey!Well, here we are, almost October and it's blazing here in London like a chubby teen's well-whipped backside. What a deviant, you are probably thinking, even applying spanking metaphors to meteorological phenomena. But the weather has been pretty deviant in recent years, so why not? And talking of deviance (a gossamer-thin link at best) having finished with the commissioned piece I was writing I have at last begun to turn my attention to exploring photo manipulation and computer art, albeit in the evenings as I am presently tied up earning a crust in the daylight hours.

All of which brings me to DeviantArt.com (there's a link in the sidebar somewhere I'm sure, listed under 'Useful Resources' ). It's a great vein of inspiration waiting to be explored. As a starting point try these examples drawn and produced by 'Jogbol' (not to worry, you legal minded types – I have the artist's permission). What I like about these images is the plethora of tales that pop into the imagination, partly because of the built-in uncertainty of the context, by which I mean the lack of background detail. By focusing on the subject and the more immediate surroundings greater scope is opened up for what I would call 'personalised imaginative embellishment' (Ok; fantasizing – if you must!). Anyway, if you like what you see just click on the artist's name to visit and then surf from there.

As for that commisioned work, in case you were wondering; I am pleased to be able to tell you that, from the feedback I have recieved thus far, the client seems happy – even delighted - and is apperently enjoying the piece, which is what it's all about! I have to say I was somewhat releived. It turned out to be not at all easy to avoid drifting into my own areas of interest and those other areas I have grown more accustomed to accomadating in my writing over the years. For the latter reason I had become a little concerned towards the end that I might not have placed sufficient emphasis on the client's more specific personal interests. All in all though, it turned out to be a rewarding and inspiring experience! Bye for now!

A Back-to-School Adult - An Anonymously Penned Tale

2011-09-23T17:01:00.011+01:00

Hi chaps and chapesses ! Well, I finally finished the piece I was especially commissioned to write, at least in so far as I could take it under the present circumstances. Who knows, some part of it may someday see the light of day in book form as a short novelette, although I very much doubt it. I have become a little disillusioned when it comes to publishing – at least as far as publishing through LULU goes! I have plenty of unfinished, part-written fragments, though, that might be of interest to some and which in due course (perhaps with a little additional 'polishing') I will be putting out on here.
Meanwhile an anonymous contributor sent in the following piece, inspired by the tabloid appearance of one Christine Bleakly, a UK television celebrity, back in school uniform. Originally appended as a comment to my last posting I decided to give it an airing here as not everybody reads through the comments added to blog entries (I know I often don't on other people's). Consequently I have deleted the corresponding comment to avoid duplication. I have also done a little judicious editing to make it clear it is a work of fiction based on a fictional character and merely inspired by the antics of the well-known newsreader – one cane never be too careful and it doesn't do to blatantly refer to a living character directly by name, not even in an obviously fictional context! They often don't take to kindly to it.
And if you are wondering what all the fuss is about here are a couple of the pics that are currently bouncing around all over the blogasphere – and now on with Mr (or Miss, Mrs, Ms) Anonymous’ tale of sting-in-the-bum delectation. But where should it go from here? Why not add your suggestions? There's plenty of inspirational potential in those shots, I think. Perhaps our anonymous might then incorporate the best into the next part (I hope there is a next part!).

.....

BACK TO SCHOOL

Christine – now 'Chrissie' blushed slightly under the Headmaster’s appraising stare, rolling her eyes up and smiling in that special way she had before straightening her tie and folding her hands behind her back.
The Headmaster’s eyes twinkled as he watched the anxious schoolgirl “polish” the front of her left shoe on the back of her right calf. Three weeks before Christine had sat with her producer in this very office. In her smart red dress Christine had been the very picture of professional self-assurance: poised, confident, and in control.
In contrast, the nervous schoolgirl fidgeting in front of his desk looked like the gangly and awkward teenage daughter of the young woman who had arranged her visit.
The Headmaster smiled. Poor Chrissie! She had been so confident, so cocky! And now she was just another teenager, trying to look her best for uniform inspection!
“Your uniform is acceptable,” he said stiffly, secretly relishing the chance to grade the once self-assured ex-celebrity as if she were one of his pupils. “Assuming of course you don’t rub shoe polish onto the back of your socks!”
Chrissie froze, horrified at the thought, and the Headmaster’s chiding. She frantically twisted her to look at the back of her sock, afraid of what she might find, almost falling over in the process.
Pleased to have knocked her off balance, the Headmaster quickly issued his next command as he turned to finish mixing his drink. “For goodness sake, sit down before you break something. The last thing I need is another clumsy schoolgirl busting a lamp!”
Christine looked around the massive study for somewhere to sit. She was standing next to the incredibly comfortable and leather wingchair. But somehow, it didn’t seem right…
Much to the Headmaster’s surprise, when he turned around he found that Chrissie had selected the simple Windsor chair he kept against the wall, moving it across the room so that she could face him as they talked. It was a simple but sturdy low backed wooden chair, unpadded, with wooden spokes and a hard wooden seat. Clearly a relic of years gone by, somehow it seemed appropriate.
Chrissie squirmed awkwardly in her chair, clearly uncomfortable at the way the unbending seat was pressing into her tender bottom. The Headmaster considered offering her the other chair, but decided instead to simply sit back and enjoy the sight of her wiggling on the hard wooden seat.
“Rather uncomfortable, isn't it?” he said, chuckling in amusement as she fruitlessly attempted to shift her weight to one of the large armrests. “It’s the “naughty girl” chair. Of course in your day, girls usually used it for kneeling, not sitting!”
Seeing her puzzled look, the Headmaster crossed the room and opened the cupboard door. the one-time celebrity’s jaw dropped as the Headmaster revealed a razor strap and cane hanging on the inside door.
“You still have those?” she gasped.
“No, but I keep them here, on display, so that pupils know they are present. Scares the heck out of the little devils, even if they’re only for show, and to keep the little miscreants in line."
“It certainly kept ME in line!” Chrissie admitted, swallowing as she stared up in awe at the naughty schoolgirl’s nightmare. “The whole time I was here, I was terrified I was going to be caned! Fortunately, I was clever enough never to get caught.”
“Or lucky enough,” the Headmaster said, bristling at Chrissie’s absurd suggestion that somehow she had repeatedly outsmarted him. Chrissie grinned back at him, flashing him her best “cat-that-ate the canary” grin.
The Headmaster did not return her smile. Christine was a visitor, but she was also a student, even if it was only for the day. As a condition of her return she had cheerfully promised “to obey all of the rules” and there were certainly rules about impertinence and disrespect.
There was a certain cheekiness about this TV favourite, an impudence in her manner and tone, that suggested the need for an old-fashioned correction…

Eggs and Bacon, Trials and Tribulations on the Line

2011-09-08T12:16:00.008+01:00

Hi Orage and others who may have been wondering about my protracted absence from the bloggersphere! No, I’m not being lazy, far from it! I'd got the date of my return from the Greek island of Kos (yes, I'd got the spelling wrong) wrong - it was 14 nights, not 10 nights. This meant I was scheduled to join my kids at their grandmother's place (just outside Clacton, by the sea on the east coast) more or less immediately on my return, having spent an additional night in a hotel in Gatwick due to a delay occurring to my return flight which meant I got back to the UK too late to travel on. Since then I have been pouring all my creative energies into fulfilling the commission I have spoken about previously having fallen behind schedule due to various other commitments. This latter endeavour has been complicated a little by the fact that my kids were scheduled to return to school later than I had been led to believe they were supposed to - and so for a few days the privacy I need to work in has been somewhat limited (they went back for the first time since the summer school holidays yesterday. The other problem I encountered upon my return home was a severely limited broadband internet connection, with the connection intermittent at best and failing completely to connect at worst!

Now it wasn’t my intention to update the blog again until I had completed the commissioned piece but I am visiting a friend’s place today who has a good fast broadband connection as I needed to quickly look up something for that piece. As I blundered into a blog I had not come across before I thought I’d take the opportunity to add it to the blog list (see right hand sidebar) and briefly update you all as to my progress. Called ‘Domestic Discipline Digest’ you can visit by clicking on the above picture taken from the blog, clicking on the blog title here or checking out the sidebar blog list. By the way; I have also added a reply from yours truly to a comment made on the previous entry which some of you may be interested in. Click here to read.

The problem with my home internet access is ongoing and is clearly due to electrical noise on the phone line. The phone sounds like eggs and bacon frying in a pan whenever it rains - and it is not exactly a desert here in the UK! As I said to someone else in an email recently by way of explanation: You are probably thinking 'just report it to the phone company'. In theory this sounds simplicity itself; in practice it is somewhat a pain in the arse! You see we don't get our phone line from the phone company (British Telecom),,, Oh no! We get our phone service by way of the post office (mail company) and oddly they are based in Ireland and don't seem to know what they are doing (although they get out a British Telecom engineer to fix the fault if they find it). Weird isn't it. I wonder if it is like that where you are in the world?

Here we get our electricity from the gas company (or is it the other way around?) and bank accounts and mobile phone contracts (and insurance and banking) through the local supermarket.

The utility companies are a real mess though. It was supposed to lower prices through increased competition - and perhaps it can lead to lower bills sometimes, when it all works - when anything goes wrong though, all hell breaks loose. And there are cases I have read in the UK press of people receiving multiple bills from different utility companies for the same service!

In our case; our telephones, internet router and internal wiring are all ours and our responsibility. We get the bill for our phone calls from the post office but rent the phone line from British Telecom, the phone company. The broadband service provider is someone else entirely, although their equipment rack is housed in the local British Telecom telephone exchange (to whom they pay rent to house it and provide access to the phone lines).

So guess what happens when there is noise on the line and the fault is intermittent and difficult to localize? Yeah! You got it! Everyone points the finger at everyone else and it goes around and around and around.... You get the picture. For now I’m off to get some more writing done and the blog will return to full service just as soon as I get the commissioned piece satisfactorily completed. At that point I intend to start to add some original creative content by yours truly on a weekly basis. Bye for now!

'Wringing' Out the Inspiration

2011-08-09T11:46:00.016+01:00

Hi folks. I was going to put up a few views of post-'riot' Wood Green North London but I have just had a change of heart. I have now worked out how to download the photo's off of my phone (took all of two minutes) but while reorganising the various folders on the desktop computer I came across an archive of 'Wringer's' photoshots that I had gathered together for my own enjoyment from various sources.

No matter what has been stamped across one of them, these are - to my knowlege at least - all the work of 'Wringer'. My first inclination was to load these on to a memory stick and upload them from my holiday hotel (WiFI extra but 'reasonable' I have been assured). On second thoughts there is always the chance of said memory stick falling into 'judgemental' hands while passing through customs or what ever, by being stolen or indeed lost and so I decided to quickly upload now and to take the riot pics (not very exciting, frankly) and a couple of pics from my last holiday (Pompeii, Herculaneum, Mount Vesuvius - that sort of thing) and upload them later in the week from the island of Koss. Some of these Wringer pics you will have seen before, perhaps here, and other's you will have not.

They are also widely variable in terms of resolution etc - but this reflects their various sources; all now lost in the mist of time but including several Yahoo Groups I seem to remember. The thing is how one almost automatically tends to weave a multitude of tales around them, individually or as a set - I think it has a lot to do with the ambiguity of the background (especially in those atmospheric black and white shots) along with the institutional appearance of the bed, leaving one's imagination to fill in the gaps as to whether one is being made privy to a domestic or an institutional scenario. Wonderful stuff!
I have to be off now. Gym first (if it ain't been burnt!) then off to Gatwick, leaving North London around 4 o'clock this afternoon. The flight is not until tomorrow, but it is at 4 o'clock in the morning!!! and so, I am staying in Gatwick for the night. I guess in theory I need not leave London until late this evening, but I want to miss the rush hour (about four hours these days) and also preempt some genius coming up with the idea of burning the stations... Just a matter of time!!!

Hi to 'Orage' there! Good to hear from you too! Hi, too, to anyone who has emailed and still waiting for a reply or who has not heard from me for some time (especialy 'Snooze' and 'Miha')- I hope to catch up on my emails while away, along with completing my commissioned piece (which I must say has down much to reawaken me!), and so you should hear from me in the next week.

Oh! And I forgot to say: INSTITUTIONALISED volume 3 is now available in the Ebook format through Andrews UK LTD at Amazon Kindle (click to visit). I be setting up a direct link in the right hand sidebar sometime in the near future.

2011-08-09T11:46:00.001+01:00

Riotous in Tottenham

2011-08-07T21:31:00.003+01:00

Hi folks! It has been a hell of a long time I know but here I am again. After the completion of the mamoth (for me) work that became in effect INSTITUTIONALISED volume 3 almost by default and the marathon writing task it turned out to be - taking well over 18 months from concept to completion – I was left feeling drained. I have had liitle enthusiasm since and a similar dearth of inspiration. What little inspiration I have had has come by way of the private commision I received and that I have mentioned before and what creative energies have been unleashed through that route I have ruthlesly harnessed to that cause. Even then progress has been slower than expected, though mostly that has been due to my having to take time off to do other things in the background to earn a crust and though I could of course put aside an hour or two every day to work on the project the ideas just do not come to me as if on schedule in that manner, on demand whenever I have a couple of free hours. I prefer to work in an uninterupted burst of at least a day at a time, though entire weeks are so much better. Still, quite a lot has been achived although I have held back on comleting the project until next week. I am going to the greek island of Koss (hope I spelled that right) for 10 days and it is poised to be one of those quite holidays with very little to do during which I'll easily have time to fit in at least 5 full days writing or more – and so that will be that. I recently went away for 7 nights to Sorrento in Italy but that was another story entirely having an itinary so packed with museum and archiological site visits that I didn't even bother to pack the netbook computer I ordinarily carry around with me.

The photo incidently represents one of the few moments of inspiration on my various travels, being the window I alluded to in an earlier entry that I photographed in Marbella, Southern Spain. The reason I have posted it up is that I intend to use the shot as the basis for a little experimental photo manipulation project I have in mind and the results of which you'll be able to judge for yourselves right here as I go along. Talking of photographs, I have been contacted by 'Wringer' the creative force behind what must be one of my favorite photo sets of all time saying that he is happy to have his pics featured here as long as they are correctly attributed to him – which is fine by me. Many you will have seen before – but possibly not all – and all have fired my imagination, spawning miriad scenarios and diverse creative pathways: Watch this space, as they say!

Now: why the odd title? You may well ask! Well we have just had a riot here in sunny Tottenham. I'll hopefuly have a few pics next time (before Wednesday when I fly out) as soon as I can work out how to coax them off my (not so smart) 'smartphone' 'camera phone' thingy. Not that exciting I know but I'll be more on the ball when I get back from my hols and it's all gonna get a lot more busy on the blog then. Just like the good ol' days when it got started! Bye 'till then!

Riding Along with that Jodhpur Fetish Thing

2011-06-29T15:08:00.006+01:00

Well, what a long time it has been! And a busy time too, although I wont bore you with too many of the details. Suffice it to say that I have had to earn a crust; or rather I have been obliged to aid my ‘other half’ in earning a crust since it is she who is currently the breadwinner in our relationship. The trouble is that she is occasionally a little over zealous in fulfilling that role and a little over ambitious in the quantity of work she takes on. She teaches full-time nowadays in a London based university but still likes to hold on to some of her old freelance contacts and so is loathe to give up on taking on freelance work altogether.

Thus it was that I found myself doing a little research work which amounted to trying to uncover how many outlets certain retailers have around the world by going on their websites, utilizing their ‘store-finder’ – which generally lists stores and stockists by country and then by city – and manually counting up the total (over 400 in one instance!). No you can’t just simply ring them up (or email) them and ask, apparently – I’m not sure why but apparently that’s just not done! Besides; some of these companies don’t seem to actually know how many outlets they have themselves – in interview their representatives say one thing but their website ‘store-finder’ says something different entirely. Go figure! There we go – I said I wouldn’t bore you with the details and now I just have!

Right then: The (world’s most tedious) research is not the only kind I have been engaged in – thank fcuk (little fashion-world / dyslexia joke there). Although I had to place on the back burner for a while that commissioned piece I am writing and that I mentioned before I did find time to do a little research around certain aspects that need to be incorporated as I went along. So what did I uncover? Well did you know that there is an entire horse riding attire and jodhpur fetish literature out there? I didn’t. Obviously I knew that riding attire, riding crops and jodhpurs etc sometimes feature in D/S and S & M literature and interests but not jodhpurs as a ‘standalone’ fetish. Indeed it turns out there are several sites catering to this interest and although not directly related to my commissioned piece I have done a little exploration and have added a selection to my ‘Useful Resources’ list in the right hand sidebar. Although not by any means exhaustive, these include: ‘ridingfetish.com’, ‘equestrianbabes.t83.net’, ‘sexyjodhpurs.com’ and ‘jodhpur-fetish.com’. The latter hosts an interesting forum and both it and ‘sexyjodhpurs’ are listed alphabetically together under ‘J’ - for jodhpurs - for the sake of simplicity.

As always one link followed the next and so I added the Yahoo Group ‘Female_Farm_Animals’ (see pic above right - I don't know who created this so can't credit him / her, but it's great) to my sidebar’s ‘Useful Yahoo Groups’ listing and ‘Thomas’s Picks’, ‘The Memories of a Strict Uncle’ and ‘Brambleberry Blush’ to my blog list (the standard one) – also to be found in the right hand sidebar. Finally: A while back ‘Scarletfanny’ added a link to her site ‘Strangelove’ as a comment to one of my postings (a bit naughty that!) which you may have missed. Anyway; I have finally got around to adding it to my blog list and you can get there by clicking on the good lady’s pic (in her school uniform, below left).

Oh! And the box of knobs and wires pictured last time is my Doepfer modular electronic music synthesiser fronted (though lost in the shadows) by my Yamaha DX7 MK II FM synthesiser that I use to control it via a MIDI to voltage / trigger converter module (for those in the know or who actually care!).

Amother Excuse and a Weird Piece of Kit

2011-06-10T20:41:00.003+01:00

I was going to to tell you all about the exciting new links I have added today. Except I'm not, because I forgot to email myself the document I'd prepared and now I'm out down the pub. The aforementioned document also contained the links I have just mentioned so that is the end of that for the time being – perhaps tomorrow? But what it was to have been about was something that came to light while doing a little research for that commission piece I mentioned last time.

Did you know that there was a specific jodhpurs fetish? Not just for horse riding gear generally or that fairly well known 'pony-girl' thing but jodhpurs in particular – not even 'riding britches' (no I don't know the difference either!). Not that the subject is necessarily connected to my client's interests - discretion is everything - but it just happened to crop up in a search I did (if you pardon the pun... crop, get it? riding crop? Oh, please yourselves!)

Well, there is quite an extensive literature it turns out and next time I shall be posting up a plethora of links to prove it (well, perhaps not a plethora). I'll also be adding a few new blogs to the blog listing, including a young lady who has added her blog link already as a comment someplace – I'm too pissed to remember where – naughty, that, but she has a nice school uniform she wears so I'll have to put that up as a focal point for a link just for the irony of it (and the fact that it looks great! Though it is typically American and she hails from South Shields – somewhere in the north of the UK apparently; but I'm a Londoner, what do I know?)

Meanwhile, here are a few shots of another of my little distractions – hands up who knows what it is,,, Yes, you at the back, there?

Looks technical though, doesn't it?

Time to Sound the ‘All-clear’ and Punishment Clothing Sans Armholes

2011-06-03T11:32:00.018+01:00

Yes at long last it is time to sound the ‘all-clear’! With the indispensable help of several volunteers I think we have finally dispensed with the last of those tenacious little typos that had somehow clung on to a few of the pages of INSTITUTIONALISED volume 3.

Partly I have been hard at that task (making the corrections that is – I am dyslexic, so there is little point of my checking through myself) and partly I have been doing some prelim research for a private commission I have received to write a bespoke piece. The latter is especially exciting as I was becoming more than a little jaded, not to mention disillusioned. Now, having been presented with someone else’s vision for a story framework, I find my self all ‘fired up’ again. Obviously I can’t say much as regards the brief, but surface it to say that even a preliminary scratching around has spawned all sorts of new ideas.

Going back to the proofreading for a moment; a very special ‘thank you’, I feel, must go out to ‘Orage’ who has proved especially diligent in this task. That is not to belittle all those others that have contributed of course, to whom my heartfelt gratitude goes out. Now, despite having now passed through several different individuals’ hands at various stages in the process, it is such an elephantine work – weighing in at well over a quarter of a million words – that some errors and stumbles may yet have fallen through the net, so if you have downloaded a copy since yesterday (Thursday 2nd June) - which was when I created the latest revision – please let me know if you spot anything glaring.

Now, in my defence as to my apparent neglect of this blog of late, I have not been quite the laggard I may appear. I have made several additions to the ‘Useful Resources’ section of the side bar and added a couple of blogs to the blog list. The trouble is that I have failed to make a note of each addition as I have been in a perpetual rush most of the time – it has been the half term school holidays and I have had to do my share of that ‘parenting’ thing – and so you will have to check through to see what has changed. I have also sourced a couple of affiliates that seem suitably appropriate for the direction this blog usually explores. Lupus Films, in particular, always seem imaginative in terms of the plotlines they develop and authentic in terms of their costumes and sets – where else can you see young girls put in button through overalls / work dresses as part of a disciplinary régime? The nurse delivering a spanking pic from SIT-Spanking could almost come out of a certain scene in the new book – at least as depicted in this shot. You can find the links in the right hand sidebar someplace. 'Spanking Shame' is another affiliate I will be adding soon (Bared buttocks at school desk, above)

As for the other half of this entry’s title; I have been playing around with the idea of dresses and blouses etc designed excluding the provision of armholes as an adjunct to certain bondage / discipline themes. I am not talking here of just sewing up the arm holes of pre-existing and commercially available garments but rather of tailor-made bespoke garments, carefully fitted and designed with the aim of making the wearer appear as if a double amputee. The question I find interesting is exactly how such designs would appear to the eye and how one might put that impression over in writing. Your thoughts, please.

Typos Typos Everywhere - And Not a Drop to Drink (And a Ramble about Enforced PE and 1930s Gym Suits)

2011-05-20T15:08:00.014+01:00

I know I have been away a while, but despite my initial euphoria on getting the book out of the way I have been feeling a little down. I hope the typos that somehow have slipped through the net have not marred your enjoyment too much if you have already read the third book but neverthe less some did get through - some multiple times such as [who's] used where [whose] would have been apropriate. Worst of all, in terms of sheer emabaressment, were those that cropped up in a couple of the chapter headings - thanks for pointing those ones out in particular, 'Orage'!! Strangly my spell check facility failed to detect anything wrong in any of my chapter headings. I did a little experimentation and lo and behold! MS Word does not flag up spelling errors where words are all in uppercase - well, at least my copy doesn't! But I bet you all knew that! All of the chapters had been previously proofread at least once before going up on Lulu but the thing is fairly big at 473 pages and I know these things get missed and most were rather minor, but when is all said and doneI am something of a perfectionist and it all gets a bit depressing. Being dsylexic doesn't help either!

Before I got all down about it I went out and about with pound note drinking vouchers and camara in hand. Having posted up some pics of where I originated, I though I put up a couple of the squaller to be found in the part of London I inhabit now (North) Just click to enlarge. To be fair this represents just one facit and in a couple of posts time I'll put up a few shots of the environs of some of the pubs I frequent in the area around Muswell Hill, Highgate and Hampstead.

The top left shot is of Turnpike Lane tube station and the empties were seen in 'The Tollgate' pub, Turnpike Lane (just for that chap who said "I don't get it. You post that you had a beer and 9 other people make comments. You publish the book we have all been waiting for, and 2 people comment"). And just to prove that, though not too active, I still read the comments sent in, here a a couple of pics for ‘Sixofthebest’ who wrote a while back... "I have always loved a naughty woman wearing a girdle, pantygirdle, suspender-belt, and stockings, when they are spanked. Thank you for this most erotic feminine underwear"... Hmmm, yum!

Meanwhile, although I had intended to shelve writing any more - at least for the present, as I need to go earn a crust - under the influence of a few beers I started rumaging through all the unused fragments on my netbook and before I knew where I was I was resurecting something I'd written around a PT / PE theme involving girls dressed in "bottle-green bloomer-style gym suits" adapted "straight from a 1930s pattern book" and under the instruction of a gym mistress resplendent and implacable in starched white blouse and skin-tight jodhpurs, cane in hand... You get the idea! I may go a head with it in my spare time just as something to post here - what do you think?

A Little Fashion Fame - And There is a New Book Out There Some Might Find Interesting

2011-05-10T18:38:00.009+01:00

Hi there! Unbelievably A website called Fashion Trending has used a quote from my blog - the first few lines of that 'Happy Birthday Poly' thing I wrote to celebrate the birthday of the invention of polyester under the headline: 'Women's Satin Dresses A Must Have For Any Womanly Wardrobe'. The mind fairly boggles. And this crops up on the same page as ''How Michelle Obama Is Influencing Women's Fashion' ! The snippet they have pinched off me (quote?) is: "There is something about the delicate combination of the dress of a young girl of thirteen or fourteen with the rather slender yet womanly figure and confined waist of a young lady of perhaps seventeen or eighteen – a woman in her own …" And there they leave it. So now I'm a fashion guru and trend setter... So the you are - just accessorise, girlfriend! (said in uber-camp voice with a twee shrug of the shoulders and a flicking back of the forelock - well' I can manage the last part - anyone seen my alice band?). I mean; boy! are they off course, or at least whoever it is who does their research is - it all smells of some sort of automated robotic 'intelligence' gathering thingy if you ask me.

It is a warm (-ish) sunny evening here in Londres and I am enjoying a pint in my local Whetherspoons pub, The Tollgate (crap - but cheap; there's a slogan there somewhere; must buy some shares!). Anyway, it is my first pint in just over a month and so a new record level of sobriety has been reached - three cheers for me!!!

I reckon I have earned it coz I was up working on the rear cover of the new book until 4 AM and was up working on it again, as I was still far from satisfied, at 9:30 AM. Then I had a lunchtime nap. The bloody thing's done with at last, all 473 (I think) pages. The rear cover here I have boosted up the 'Gama' a bit to better show the background image, but it will appear darker behind the blurb in the print copy.

The front cover you will have seen before but without the title (or with an incorrectly spelled title if you were one of the 'early birds' who glimpsed it before I changed it and then buggered off to Spain).

The center image is something I created as an amalgam of images some time ago for another purpose and that has been pressed into service, horizontally mirrored and recolored, as a semi-transparent image behind the text on the rear cover. Snoozz (whom I rightly credited for the nurse and straitjacket computer-generated image I used in the posting before last, it turns out), supplied several of the elements making up the front cover and my thanks go out to him for that (though I need to revise the book text as I just realized I have not added that credit - not a problem while it is only on Lulu, but would be later if it was to go out on the e-book format!). The latter is the reason I have a team of dedicated volunteers carrying out one final round of proofreading for me - and my heartfelt thanks go out to them also; 473 pages would be a little too much for me alone! All the chapters have been proofread previously as the project has progressed through the efforts of various folk of course, otherwise...

Oh!... And it is now up on Lulu!!! Check out the link in the right hand sidebar.

New Hypno / Mindcontrol Blog List - Oh! And I Have Finished Writing!!

2011-05-07T13:24:00.009+01:00

Just a quick update today as I am away from home for a couple of days. A big 'Hi!' to 'Wringer', 'Madmonkey' and others who have left comments or emailed me - I'll be getting around to dealing with comments tomorrow or Monday, depending on when I get back. I have had my head down slaving over a hot computer these last few days - practically non-stop and practically to the exclusion of all else. But it's been worth it. The book is finished!!! All bar the shouting (whatever that means - I've never been too sure). All that are left are little details such as getting the page numbering right (that part got all messed up when I did a little editing on holiday using OpenOfice 2 on my netbook) and that sort of thing - a bit of fiddling about, basically. Even the chapters are numbered - all 38 of 'em!! - and the problem with the front cover has been corrected. There is one chapter I want to read through again and a couple of pages or so that I hacked out but that I may now re-include (if I can make it work) now that I have a little time to spare, mostly because the piece is highly descriptive and I am sort of proud of it. I may also put together a little something to make the back cover more interesting along with the usual blurb type of thing - mostly because I enjoy the artwork side of it so much.

I could do with a little help with the final proofreading - there are over 400 pages in the thing - so if there is anyone out there willing to take on 100 pages or so, please step forward now. I'll send the whole thing out to each as a word file and with a page range to proofread / edit. The first five or six folks to email me perhaps? I don't feel I can impose on those that I have already roped in for the initial proofreading of the individual chapters, although I will send PDF versions out to all those concerned for their opinions of the finished (but probably still imperfect) product once the formating has been finalized and I have converted the files.

Changing the subject: I have now added a brand new section to my blog list specifically to house links to blogs having a strong mind-control / hypnosis content as pertaining to the world of D/S, domination and corporal punishment etc. This new section may be found between the French Language blogs and the Thumblogger blogs in the right hand sidebar - explore and enjoy. I have also added to the main blog list a family of blogs I have just stumbled across; namely 'The Pink Report', 'The Pink Papers' and 'The Pink Reviews' (all listed under 'P' for Pink rather than under 'T'). Click blog titles here to visit or check out my list in the sidebar. Despite the 'Pink' nomenclature none of these have anything to do with the Gay scene (not boy-on-boy anyway) but very much to do with the gentle art of spanking - well worth checking out!

Now, those of you that have read INSTITUTIONALISED volume 1 may remember the description of the heroine's father's funeral and the streets and roads the procession passes through. If so, do you recognize anything about the two photos above? Well guess what; it was based on the area of London I grew up in - Queen's Park - and this is what it looked like (the two pics above). Anything like the imagery you had in your mind at all? I'd love to know! Bye for now!!

Back from Spain

2011-05-04T13:52:00.011+01:00

Hi! It’s been a little while I know but I’m back! And I’m full of new ideas, though most will have to go on the back burner for the time being while I put the finishing touches to the book. One idea that won’t have to wait too long though is an entire new subsection to be added to the blog list in the sidebar – of which more next time.

As regards my last posting, way back on Tuesday 19th of April, an anonymous contributor has commented on the punishment of a girl’s hands that is touched upon in the extract I presented then. Well, I have tried to include a little variation into the depictions of the corporal punishment aspects of the tale this time around in the new volume. I have not neglected, though, the inclusion of a modicum of imaginative (I hope) psychological torment and punishment and subtle (and not so subtle) coercion. After all; we need some sort of plausible explanation of how a late teen might be placed back in school uniform and be found on a warm summer’s afternoon crammed into a cramped school desk in a stuffy attic room fastidiously copying out lines from a blackboard in her finest copperplate hand or another might be found in a tortuously quiet ‘seclusion room’ situated in the behavioural psychology research unit of a private mental hospital, the cane lines throbbing across her behind her only company.

Even on holiday the imagination never lets up on me. While in Spain I photographed a (perfectly innocent) iron cage-like structure encasing the shuttered window of an old house. It is a common enough sight around the Marbella / Costa del Sol area and barely noteworthy to most I imagine, but in me a thousand fantasy-born scenarios open up (well, perhaps not a thousand). For instance in my minds eye I see the shutters drawn back and white knuckled hands gripping the bars, the pretty yet pale sun-denied face staring out beseechingly framed by blond curls tied in ribbons and atop the tight stiff shirt-like collar of a severe button-through green and white striped dress, perhaps some sort of identifying crest on its breast pocket. Behind, hidden in the shadows there is a female figure, a glimpse of a nurse’s starched apron, the momentary glint of a polished filigree belt buckle and the yellow flash of a length of rattan illuminated in a stray beam of sunlight. Or perhaps the young lady is in her pyjamas, despite it being mid-afternoon, the light catching and reflecting off the glassy transparent plastic buttons of an institutionally ugly and ill fitting striped flannelette garment such an attractive girl would never be seen dead in.

Well, as I say I couldn’t resist the shot, which I’ll show you in a couple of days or so, and I hope to try use it at some later date as a basis for a little artwork aimed at recreating some part of my mental processes.

Talking of oblique ambiguous yet imagination-stimulating imagery: An anonymous character sent me this thought-provoking pic (top) just before I went to Spain. I had hoped to share it with you while I was away but couldn’t find a WiFi hotspot where I was staying – not a free one at any rate. It’s what it doesn’t say that says so much. The second pic has been around on my hard drive for ages and I just couldn’t resist it – not sure if it is one of our good friend, Snooze’s, or not? As for my trip to Espana: It was a hoot... not! Although it did get much better later. We left a sunny and warmer-than-average Gatwick in the UK only to emerge under a dull grey and damp Spanish sky (chilly too!!!). Then after several (cold) showers, a couple of days later there came a thunderstorm and a deluge worthy of the film 'The Day After Tomorrow' or some such worthy and 'environmentally aware' film. Then came sunny spells and finally a couple of days or so of blue skys and sunburn.

Just Before I Off to Sunny Spain...

2011-04-19T06:14:00.004+01:00

I will be off to Spain in a few hours; Carib Player, 12Km or so east of Marbella on the Costa Del Sol via Gatwick and Malaga, Back on the 27th or 28th - I am a little confused about it. Anyway, here are a couple of short extracts from the new book - not fully proofread / edited these, though. The title shall be: 'A Continuum of Discipline' but as has been kindly pointed out a spelling mistake had found its way onto the final cover design which I will deal with on my return (well, I am dyslexic). The book should be out one week after I return. Thanks to all those 'early worms' who pointed out the error! See you all in ten days, unless I find a WiFi point where I am staying.

.....

Uncomfortably perched on the narrow bench seat of a modern copy of a cramped Victorian-styled school desk, its plastic tackiness adding to her discomfiture, a furtive glance up and to her right and those dulled eyes would meet with the equally soulless gaze of the window, one of three identical lining the wall. But she daren't - and besides, there was no relief to be had from monotony there, only whitewashed frosted glass cowering behind a guard of similarly whitewashed steel bars. To the front, no more than a couple of meters or so away, hung the reason why she daren't.
A single glimpse of the supple rattan, its heavier bamboo cane sibling and its leather-strap cousin and her eyes fluttered quickly back to her schoolwork; already she was falling behind with the dictation. Tears welling in those pretty deep violet eyes the realisation was finally dawning that there no matter how hard she tried, there always seemed to be some obstruction to her terminating her tenure, some excuse, some reason they could cite to justify extending her residence.
Discipline prevailed in this establishment, rigid, repressive, personality stifling control that threaded its way through every aspect of an inmate’s existence and insinuated itself between every fibre of a girl’s consciousness. Here a small cohort of girls in their late teens - and some even older – sat erect and attentive in polyester and rayon school uniforms underpinned by longline open-bottomed girdles, full-bodied and long-legged interlock cotton knickers, thick woollen stockings and ungainly bottle-green plastic T-bar shoes, fastened with white nylon buckles.
Girls that under other circumstances one might suspect prone to petulant sarcasm at the drop of a hat, or a smile from the wrong man - one who may have had the temerity to have aged, be balding or become fat, say – now responded contritely when addressed and curtsied prettily with knife-pleated hems between finger and thumbs. Here girls that might once have been fractious, sulky and belligerent – almost certainly rebellious in some way – waited compliantly with hair firmly plaited, scraped back from pale carbolic-scrubbed faces with nary a single curl left untamed to relieve the severity and tucked away beneath Victorian-style bonnets tied with bottle-green ribbons to match their uniforms.
Here Lessons commenced with fingertips on shoulders, heads erect, six pairs of eyes facing forwards and backs straight – today was no exception. But this was not even a school, not a proper school. It was a sham, merely something set up as a ‘behavioural psychology investigation’ in the bowels of a privately run psychiatric hospital and sanatorium. Not that the place was ever referred to as such – it was a ‘retreat’ where one might undergo ‘rehab’; if one could afford it. Nor were any of these cowed ‘schoolgirls’ actually of school age – all would have ordinarily been starting at university or just entering the job market. These were volunteers, hoping to make more in a three months tenancy than in lord knows how long in any other way. Except that once in place, no one seemed to leave – three months became six, became a year… even longer. But then this small group had been hand-picked to become ‘long-term’ from the start, their backgrounds investigated, their circumstances probed and cover stories put in place should anyone ‘come knocking’. Most had been runaways, grateful for a bed for the night let alone a respite from a winter that seemed to go on for ever.
Yes most were runaways that would never be missed, even if they were never seen on the streets again – most, but not all! Certainly not Lavinia Vitesse, her of the once waist-length jet locks and stunningly bright deep-violet eyes – her residence had been bought and paid for from day one. Not that this was intended to be the be-all and end-all of her existence, quite the opposite. This was merely a stepping stone on a carefully laid out path that somebody out there had had put in place for her.
A sombre yet imposing figure walked the floor between the two rows of cramped Victorian desks, up and down, up and down, the creaking of a tight leather skirt, the swish of expensive nylons and the tap, tap of high heels the only sound to break the oppressive wall of silence.
The teacher was standing over her now, craning over her work – a formidable woman; tall and imposing with corseted wasp waist, thrusting bustline under her silk shirt, huge dark eyes and jet-black hair swept up in a neat no-nonsense bun. She would see now, she would see she hadn’t kept up, couldn’t keep up – her attention had only strayed for a moment, but that’s all it took. It was inhuman, she’d tried to catch up, really tried, but the recorded dictation just went on and on regardless, monotonously, relentlessly droning on and on and on. Her beautifully made-up face bereft of humour, this teacher – and there were three - was particularly intolerant, and of even the smallest lapse in concentration. She carried a wickedly pliant riding switch in her gloved hand and didn’t hesitate to use it, whether it be for a slip in dictation or an incorrect answer, or the tiniest infraction of uniform regulations come to that.
“Hands out please, palms uppermost, left on top of right – you know the way, girl.”
The silent air whistled and was split with her scream. Not once or twice but three times – and repeated on each palm! She was learning the hard way that freedom could be as tenuous as a spidery signature scrawled on a crumpled document - and the longer they kept her there the more likely it would be that she would docilely sign on the dotted line the next time they told her to, just as she had the last time...and the time before that...and the time before that. But then, they didn't need her to sign anything, not any more – at least not to keep her here. It had all been dealt with, once and for all. It was all official now, unimpeachably legitimised at the sweep of a pen and overseen by three of the keenest minds in psychiatric practice, at least in so far as her incarceration went.
But there were other things a person’s signature might be required for. There were certain parties out there that would be anxious to obtain to hers - and those, geographically closer, only too willing to apply the necessary pressure to overcome any reluctance on her part. ‘The Unit’ ‘The department of Experimental Behavioural Psychology’ Whatever they called the place, it was merely a euphemism for what was in reality: a prison, a privately-run gaol for which one need not have committed any crime – at least not one that would be recognised as such by society at large...

Of Wayward Girls and of Immoral Women
Elsewhere... The woman reached out, proffering a bunch of photographs, each its own plastic pocket as if recently retrieved from a portfolio or archive. “Perhaps an example: the 'finished article', so to speak – our Pauline. That one was something of a tearaway – once.”
In the first photograph she had been handed, this 'Pauline' of theirs – she felt sure it was not the girl's true name - appeared somewhat younger than the seventeen years that she had been assured that the girl in fact was. A dark-haired girl, her long chestnut mane had been tightly braided each side before being coiled and then pinned up so as to form a plaited whirl on either side of her head, each fastidiously tied off in the centre by a large bow formed from a length of gloriously shiny broad pink and blue candy-striped satin ribbon. The effect managed to be somehow both severe and childish at the same time and was obviously not a style the girl would likely have chosen by choice off her own back. No, somebody had lavished time and imagination in devising that style for the girl and undoubtedly an element of humiliation had been at the forefront of his or her mind.
It made for a very disciplined look, an impression that was underlined by the high Eton-style blouse collar that buttoned tightly beneath the girl's chin and that seemed as if designed to cause her to carry her head tilted ever so slightly to the rear. The latter collar was tightened still further around her neck by a neatly knotted school tie that was in a soft pastel blue, diagonally striped by bars of baby pink so as to match the ribbons in her hair. The potential masculine severity of the blouse itself was softened by its pink and white vertical candy striping and by the overwhelming femininity of the - perhaps somewhat overstated - puffball shoulders, which along with the outdated styling of the collar, tended to give the impression of the garment owing more to the Victorian era than the present.
The fabric itself tended to add further to that impression of strangely-restrained childish femininity; the blouse had a definite sheen of satin about it, catching the light with a gloss to rival that of her hair ribbons, and yet at the same time gave the impression of smart crisp stiffness, as if starched in the traditional manner. Some sort of horrid man-made fibre was Madison guess; functional but hardly likely to be comfortable if worn for any extended period. Then again it was also Madison's guess that some degree of physical discomfort was the intention, to counterbalance the psychological discomfort the uniform was undoubtedly intended to create in the young girl.
No, clearly comfort didn't come into this equation at all - it was only a head and shoulders shot but already she had seen enough to realise that every detail had been worked out with one aim in mind; the imposition of a regime of the strictest discipline. The result could be seen in the girl's pretty sea-green eyes, washed clear of defiance almost as if brainwashed, and by the embarrassment painted on her cheeks as vividly as applied blusher. The girl possessed the sort of pretty, yet childish, oval face which, as devoid of makeup and well-scrubbed with carbolic as it was, appeared ageless.
The next photograph was a full length shot. The girl’s uniform was well-fitting, neat and pressed, her collar starched and her tie tightly and correctly knotted and placed. Madison’s practiced eye was instantly drawn to the creases at the elbow of the girl's pink and white candy-striped cotton blouse. As sharp as if the blouse had been new-on that very day, the crisp delineation of those wrinkles was matched, as if in deliberate opposition, by the featureless smoothness of the fairy-pink perfection that constituted the juvenile-styled school pinafore the girl had on over it, with its panelled flared skirt and square-topped, yet narrow-waisted, yoke.
The fabric making up the latter – at least as identified by Madison Bartlett's fairly-expert eye – was almost guaranteed to crease at the drop of a hat, yet it was as perfect as if freshly ironed. Taken together with what she had been told regarding the chronology of this shot, those two features - the steam iron-fresh smoothness of the dress and the hardly-worn crispness of the blouse - spoke of a young spirit curbed and wayward behavior constrained. Together it all implied one thing: Here was a young lady well-bowed under the heavy yoke of the strictest of discipline – Madison found herself having to take care so as not to give away her shortness of breath, having been quite overcome merely at the thought.

Copyright © 2011 Garth. P. ToynTanen

The moral rights of the author have been asserted.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical or otherwise without the written permission of the Publisher.

All characters appearing in this work are fictitious as is the storyline – it is a work of complete fantasy and should be treated as such. Any resemblance to real events or real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. All characters can be assumed to be over the age of 18 or the local age of consent in the reader’s region or jurisdiction.

For When She's Put to Work

2011-04-18T11:11:00.009+01:00

Having one's charge committed to an institution or kept ensconced under strict scholastic discipline or otherwise incarcerated is all well and good - and we have discussed regimes and the provision of a suitable uniform under such circumstances, But what if she is to be placed in service? Well, what do you think?

What suddenly got me around to this line of thinking was coming across this pic just now while researching something entirely different - as is so often the case - and the dress struck me as a great jumping off point to exercise one's imagination along those lines. It is good to see something of the good old fashioned work dress persisting in this day and age but I'd have to make changes - long sleeves with tight buttoned cuffs to keep her mind on her appearance as she works, having to take care not to mark or dirty those cuffs, and perhaps a rounded collar butting at the throat rather than the open neck. What are your thoughts?

By the way I have just added two more blogs to the blog list (right hand sidebar): Spankee Finder.org.uk which claims to be “The UK's No1 spanking contact website” and The blog of one Leia-Ann Woods, a “submissive spanking enthusiast”. Just click either title to be transported straight there or check out my blog listing. I hope to see you a little later today with something about the new book - then I am off to Spain, flying early tomorrow morning. Bye!

Weight Gain and the Recalcitrant Teenager: Encouraged Rather Than Forced - Discuss

2011-04-15T10:46:00.009+01:00

Hi folks Back on the 15th of March I posted up a piece I called 'Happy Birthday Polly' (click to read or scroll down the page) which in one way or another lead to a minor discussion (see the appended comments) as to how one might deal with the overweight teenager or - on the other hand - the over-vain self-conscious opinionated stick insect forever preening in the mirror and full of overblown aspirations and ambitions. In connection with the latter 'Orage' wrote "How to deal with the perfectly slim young thing...": quite simple since you've already dealt with that in 'Institutionalised 2': by giving her a girlish uniform, a fattening diet and having her hair messily trimmed." well to be honest this was an aspect that I only touched upon in that volume - and of course as I suggested there, under the right circumstances, and particularly within an institutional setting, it would be quite possible to manipulate the calorific content of the girl's meals to match one's aim without her being unduly alerted (other than for the effects of course, but they would take time to develop and might be camouflaged to some degree).

In fact manipulating the nutritional content of meals and keeping all else the same, the appearance, the consistency etc, is quite common in the annals of dietetic research literature. This is all well and good up to a point but eventually the fact remains that the young lady concerned would likely spot the changes being wrought and tend to try to counteract them - perhaps even subconsciously, resulting in reduced appetite. She might choose to eat more or less as appropriate and there is a limit it to how far one can increase or decrease the calorific content of a meal without it becoming something very strange indeed and the intervention being laid bare.

Obviously in an institutional setting wherein the girl's freedom has been curtailed and strict discipline is the order of the day, the overweight girl can be dealt with simply by withholding food and restricting portion size. Her hunger then also becomes a lever that can be used to further reinforced the institution's control over her through the coupling of behavioural modification techniques with food treats (but only within limits commensurate with the institution's aim). It is true, too, that under such circumstances disciplinary techniques can be invoked to bring about the changes required in the exercise and diet obsessed girl thought overly concerned about her figure, for example by insistence that she clear her plate under threat of the cane or the strap. But all this breeds resentment and that is something one might wish to avoid if in the domestic environment of perhaps even within some forms of institution under certain circumstances.

What if our young lady could be manipulated psychologically in some way to change her behaviour? Perhaps subtly, being encouraged step-by-step along the way with a loving arm around her shoulders so to speak. Food treats used as a form of reinforcement in behaviour modification might under the right circumstances and with the right encouragement become a source of comfort, perhaps to such a degree that the obsessively dieting would be catwalk model or dancer in effect becomes a compulsive eater. Driven by a subconscious compulsion that she can't possibly comprehend a point might be reached when, despite her burgeoning figure that stares back at her from the mirror, she no longer sees the point in all those punishing exercise routines she used to put herself through - and yet the choice to give up would almost seem as if her own. In that way I imagine her gradually slipping further and further under her carer's power. Mind you, one would want to control all those excess pounds and a girdle would seem the way forward (see top of page) - fine and ideal under a nylon work dress (see right) and apron if set to work scrubbing the floor, but I wonder what would work under a school uniform. And one would definitely want to 'apply the brakes' once she'd reach one's ideal, but that in itself opens up yet more avenues for discipline.

Anyway my mind was brought back to this way of thinking having been working on a certain sections of the new book but also having come across, fairly recently, this lovely little illustration (above left) by the most talented Lynn Paula Russell (Paula Meadows as was). True it doesn't exactly tell such a tale but then again there seems little on the 'Web' that deals with either of the above approaches, other than a few short tales of 'fat camps' and husbands punishing their wives over the lack of weight loss. A quick search with the relevent search terms mostly brought up my own blog!

Institutional Punishment Illustrated

2011-04-10T17:28:00.007+01:00

Hi there: Sorry you have not heard from me for a while out there but I have been a little indisposed. For one the foot / knee thing is still giving me a little trouble but in addition there has been a beer festival going on spread across the various branches of my favorite pub chain, Wetherspoons, and that has coincided with some unseasonably warm sunny weather here in London. Ordinarily I would have posted an update or two from one of the various pubs on my rounds but for whatever reason I seem to be encountering all sorts of difficulties with finding working WiFi hotspots of late and in addition, as I have said before; creating blog updates while out at large can be loaded with difficulties due to the propensity of the average pub-goer to peer over one's shoulder. This is not so problematic as regards text and text editing but any pictorial content has the potential to raise eyebrows - as can sight of the blog page itself of course. Fear not, though, chums because despite my periods of depression and overindulgence, I have been hard at it proof reading quite a lot of the time (aided in no little extent by my ever-vigilant chum over there in the US of A - you know who you are; thanks!). There are perhaps another five chapters to proofread and some reorganisation to work through but most of the writing is done (at least I can't think of much else to write) other than for a few words of explanation here and there to orientate the new reader and to link the various scenes. Saying that: It is with some heaviness of heart that I am going to have to edit out one or two incomplete scenes and perhaps consign almost an entire thread to a separate volume - should it ever get written. Part of the reason is simply the amount of time already invested verses the likely returns and the fact that I can no longer really afford to indulge my little hobby - in short I am going to have to get a job! The other part is due to the unwieldy file size / page number should I publish everything I have written in a single work (not to mention the complexity of the storyline). Now: I am due to fly to Spain on the 19th of this month (staying just outside Marbella - ca 12km) for an Easter break staying in the 'other half''s' father's time-share (nice-'n'-cheap!) and my plan is to get some sort of version out by then on Lulu - perhaps with a temporary cover, that sort of thing, just as did with volume 2. I am still not too sure of a title so that may be temporary also; but at least it will be out. Later I can deal with the niceties, perhaps an improved cover design and later still an illustrated version in collaboration with another chum in the 'States while I sort myself out and look for work. Talking of the latter, I thought you would like a few examples of what the aforementioned illustrator has been playing with of late, though not directly linked with the new book - thanks 'Snooze' I'll be in touch soon! Next time I'll definitely have a short snippet of the new book for you. See you in a couple of days. Best wishes, Garth.

Nurse Spanks While My Foot Throbs and the Economy Drops - Or Something Like That!

2011-03-25T18:36:00.017Z

Once again I am stuck for the weekend at my girlfriends house and thus restricted in time and to using my netbook – or rather I will be a little later. Right now I am sitting in a pub situated in Turnpike Lane, North London nursing a pint and a suspected Lisfranc mid-foot fracture / dislocation of the right foot (for the more medically minded among you). We have a term for that in English... Fu*%ed-foot. Prognosis? Well, we have a word for that too: crap! Depressing, but nothing that a few pints can't make look better – and there is a real ale festival on, spread across the various Wetherspoons branches! Mind you, the chancellor has just put up the duty on a pint of beer by 4 pence (which seems to equate to a increase of 10 pence per pint somehow – I wish I understood economics). This is nothing to do with the United Kingdom's deficit, however (we aint got a king and what's 'united' about it) but rather is supposed to 'save' people like moi from ourselves. Talking of budgets and deficits (which we do a lot over here – when we're not spending our hard-earned cash on bombing the shit out of someone with those nice shiny expensive cruise missiles of ours – good to know they work though!) can any one tell me how practically the whole world can have huge deficits all at the same time? It seems to me that everyone owes everything to everyone else! Are we all in debt to each other or am I missing something? Unless someone, somewhere is trading with an alien planet how the *$%£ can we all be in debt unless someone is raking it in someplace – do the Chinese own the whole planet? I find it just as mystifying as the concept of this constant 'economic growth' we are all supposed to be striving for and that will save us all – apparently. How can every economy grow at the same time in a closed system which - in the absence of the aforementioned little green economy - the 'global economy' is (I presume – but perhaps I have had too much beer).

Talking of nursing (which I did – sort of – above) I found this intriguing little tableau on one of the French language blogs I featured last time. Any one know where they originated and what is going on. The blog author seemed convinced they originated from New Zealand TV – but that is based on a Google French-English translation. Now, I pride myself on always replying to emails sent by those who have read my 'stuff' or blundered across my blog. Well, fairly recently I replied to an emailed comment only to have the email bounce back with the error message; “Delivery to the following recipient failed permanently: message rejected by the recipient domain” or something similar (no I don't know what it means either – some sort of robot talk). Anyway, I hate the idea of someone out there becoming convinced that their opinion has been overlooked or worse, ignored, and left feeling slighted. So to ever it was (it was signed but I can't betray the confidence in case the writer wished anonymity) I thought it prudent to post my reply as a sort of open letter, along with the original email in the hope that the sender might recognize his or her missive and be reassured that his / her comments have indeed been read (see below).

Dear Sir. I have read INSTITUTIONALISED with considerable interests. I find both the premise and many aspect of the execution outstanding. I was especially impressed with the subtle psychological manipulations involved in the process to make a great read. My one [reservation] is that while many of the individual episodes worked really well the flow of the story seemed to be somewhat disjointed. Once you have completed your trilogy you might consider a revision making the tale more chronological and perhaps elimination a few repetitive passages. I can’t help feeling the material would have been even better used in several smaller stories. Of course the story doesn’t exactly hit the sweet spot of my personal kink – seems a shame to keep such attractive young women in deliberately ugly and unflattering uniforms to my way of thinking. I understand the psychological control and humiliation aspect (and like it too) but I still think a captured young woman looks best in (preferably locked) heels and corset. Be that is it may I have one suggestion that might make sense in the context of your story: Induced dyslexia. I’m talking about ensuring complete illiteracy by appropriate treatment. It seems to me illiteracy would be a great way to foster helplessness and dependency in a modern setting while restricting unwanted access to information. Not critical while the girl in question is properly institutionalized obviously but it would have a number of obvious advantages but when it comes guarding against excessive independence “in the wild” and. If discreetly introduced in the initial stages of the relationship to a young women targeted for recruitment may serve as a basis for establishing and tightening control. After all you describe quite an extensive operation requiring considerable resources and expertise to run. There must be a considerable [customer] base availing themselves of the services on offer in the field of women-control.

Thanks for a good read...

I Answer

Sorry it has taken so long to get back to you but I have been away from home for the weekend and although I managed a blog entry I had prepared it beforehand and managed to do very little beyond that.

I thank you for your kind comments regarding my book / books. It is particularly gladdening that you found the basic premise behind the story exciting and appreciated the psychological aspects I attempted to weave in. If you have read the earlier entries on my blog your know that from the outset my primary aim when I set out to write was to create a corporal punishment orientated story that stepped outside of the usual margins and limitations of the genre in terms of story and character development and the rest. I also set out to build some sort of at least semi-plausible premise under which to explore explain why the various characters should behave and develop in the way that they do , ie, to come up with circumstances under which a teenage girl in today's world might be expected to submit to the imposition of strict discipline, uniforms, corporal punishment and so on. And in this to some extent, hopefully, I have been successful.

To some extent in striving for this latter aspect of plausibility I made a rod for my own back in that it would have been relatively easy to have set the story in the late Victorian era or at the turn of that century and invoked all sorts of sinister figures such as strict governesses and corrupt church officials running homes for 'wayward girls' and just about anything would have seemed possible or even probable without much in the way of further exploration. Setting such a story in the modern world instantly creates all sorts of problems revolving around 'believability'. The other aim I had in mind, one that only really developed momentum once I started working, was to tie in as many different and yet related fetishes that might fit within such a storyline. Quite a few of these fetishes are not particularly of interest to myself or even to my taste and so in this aspect I'm not sure that I've been quite so successful.

I do understand what you say about the somewhat disjointed overall flow of the tale. Partly I set out to explore the modern trend for novels to chop and change between scenes and involve both flash-forward and flashback - a tendency seen in recent years in such TV series as 'Lost' if you have seen it over there. The real reason though, if I'm to be honest, is that I never actually set out to create a book at all to begin with but rather I started out to write for my own amusement the sort of thing that I couldn't find in other peoples writing or that was missing to some degree or other even in those books I had read that came close yet never quite 'got there'. My very earliest attempts were not even complete vignettes but rather more resembled a story framework or sometimes even consisted of little more than just a list of ideas that I would have liked to have come across incorporated in some story or novel somewhere; these were thrown together and put up on various suitable newsgroups in the hope of stimulating someone somewhere to write the sort of thing that I'd love to read. As time went by and so few of these ideas and bare bones story frameworks were taken up and expanded upon by others as I'd hoped, if any, I more and more became interested in writing pieces for my own amusement that was close as I could get to the sort of thing that side fantasised about stumbling upon on the net or in various bookshops that I've frequented over the years.

Before I knew it I had built up quite a body of work and the basic framework - as the principal of plausibility was and is as important in my imagination is on paper - developed quite naturally after having read various pieces on old psychology experiments such as the so-called 'Stanford experiment' aluded to in the subtitle of the first book. The latter though did demand some reworking of my original ideas as just like so many others I started off myself weaving ideas and fantasies around the Victorian era through to the 1930s and tying in all the usual stereotyped scenarios such as corrupt privately run reform schools, insane asylums and the rest.

It was only much later and having discovered self publishing by such print on demand companies as Lulu that I decided to try to develop what I had into some sort of book form - but even then as much as anything it was for my own entertainment but also in the hope that it might stimulate other far better writers to extend their imaginations beyond the usual envelope. If I had my time over again and assuming that from the start I'd set out to write a book, I'd not have published to this point in time right now and as you suggest I would have put together the story in a simpler more chronologicaly ordered manner. Indeed, in such a form - with the traditional beginning middle and end - the task of writing I am at present wrapped up in would be much simplified and my work made far easier. Once again, you see, I have created a rod for my own back.

The present book mostly focuses on events that happened before one of the characters comes to the institution but also picks up at the point in the second volume when two of the three main characters leave and the life of the third goes on behind bars (I have been a little sketchy there just in case you have not read the second volume) and we watch as she becomes helplessly more more entangled in the clutches of the institution. The trouble is that having set out along the path that I have with the first two volumes I am stuck with a similar approach to the new book with all the complexities of writing that produces - for example some of the writing I have integrated in the new volume dates back well before starting the first book, being based around short sections I originally wrote way back in 2005. Besides anything else my style has matured beyond all recognition since that date requiring extensive rewriting.

I have considered, once the new book (or books - I'm still considering splitting it in two) is published later on reworking the entire tale and shuffling the various chapters from all the books into some sort of chronological order telling the story in the simpler more conventional beginning middle and end form. This is complicated by the fact that many people will of by that point read the first couple of volumes if not the whole lot. A second complication is that the first two volumes are also published as e-books via a publisher with whom I have a relatively long-term contract. None of this precludes me later publishing a revision of the whole story in Lulu in print on demand from, though. There is also work going on behind the scenes on an illustrated version and this might well end up being rejigged to incorporate elements from the whole series in a sort of abridged form.

I love the idea you have about the induction of illiteracy, presumably through psychological mechanisms, and how it would induce dependency in a young lady even in a modern setting. Believe it or not this is an area I have been exploring in fantasy for some time and a certain aspect of it has been included in the new book and has been aluded to - fairly vaguely admittedly - here and there in the first two volumes. I don't want to give too much away but there was an interesting series of behavioral psychology experiments carried out in the 1930s into the genesis of stammering popularly known in the literature as 'The Monster Experiment' which has turned out to be a rich vein of ideas. Primarily they set out to understand the development of stammering by deliberately attempting to induce the condition in their hapless subjects. I'm sure you get the idea.

A New French Language Blog Link Section Added

2011-03-19T13:55:00.011Z

I am stuck for the weekend at a friends house and so restricted to using my netbook. The problem with that is the netbook runs Linux and I use Open Office for word processing tasks on it. Although compatible enough with MS Word for most tasks, Open Office is not 100% compatible when it comes to page numbering and certain forms of document formatting. I know from bitter experience that were I to open the the main body of work, that part that has been formatted in book form, on this machine it would completely mess up all the careful work I have done. At this stage the vast majority of work revolves around editing, rearranging and proofreading / rewriting tasks, so rather than suffer a completely lost couple of days I decided to make a couple of changes to the blog and carry out a little 'house cleaning' so that the upcoming week may be devoted in its entirety to the completion of the book.

New French Language Blog Link Section Added

Now, recently, for one reason or another I have come across a number of French language spanking and spanking-orientated blogs. As I already hosted a couple of links to such sites in my blog list, rather than list here the new ones I have added I decided to lump them all together – the pre-existing links with the new ones I have uncovered – in their own section of the sidebar. Called imaginatively 'French Language Blogs' this list can be located below the main blog list and just above the 'Thumblogger' list in the right hand side bar.

Other News and Views

I have removed the blog entitled 'Výprasky, prísna výchova a disciplína' as it no longer seems to function. I have added the blog; 'Heart and Soul, (click on the girl on scale pic above to visit) and 'A Libertine's Spanking'. The latter is the blog of a “Libertine” and “feminist” who says she “love[s] to be spanked.” Well, I never! There I came across a great illustration of a girl in a wondrously tight chastity belt drawn by Kami Tora who seems just begging to be spanked (click on the artwork above right to visit Libertine's blog – highly recommended). The latter drawing brings me to mention 'Agonizing Abstinence' (click to visit) a still-evolving home for all things chastity and dealing with orgasm denial – while not help it grow with a little imaginative input of your own while visiting. Lastly (but not at all least), I have added a link to 'A Creative Spanko Wench' (click to visit or as with the others mentioned look for the blog list in the right hand sidebar).

Ever had difficulty looking for a particular scene, picture, idea, drawing or photo? I know I have. Try DevilFinder.com, an “experimental browser [that] only displays images”. You can find a link in the 'useful Resources' list located in the sidebar (under 'D' for devilfinder – silly). This brings me back to the discussion featured in my last offering last Tuesday regarding suitable outfits in which to dress the recalcitrant teenager, as a little rummage around the aforementioned search engine (actually looking for something else entirely) produced this intriguing illustration – any thoughts? (yes I know it originated on some 'tranny' site someplace, but they seem to have all the most imaginative ideas!) Bye Y'all.

Happy Birthday Poly

2011-03-15T14:50:00.013Z

Happy Birthday Poly? Now, what can that be about? I hear you ask. Well, apparently it is the 70th anniversary of the production of polyester, along with nylon the mainstay of women's uniforms and workwear design throughout the 60s and 70s and even 80s (and still today in one form or another, usually as a mixed fibre -but is not the same, is it?). I know this because I had the BBC on the radio yesterday in the morning and it was a whole feature on Radio Four here in the UK extolling the virtues of polyester in those shiny houseboats, overalls and uniforms I am sure many here can remember. Imagine my amazement on hearing a woman on the radio going on about the 'sensual feel' (if slightly sweaty and static ridden) and sound of polyester and how many housecoat and so on from that golden era she owns - it was almost fetishistic.

Now as you may have guessed, I have been focusing my energies mainly on getting the book finished - presently hovering around the 450 page mark and with a little more to finish and go in, I really now do envisage it being released into parts in some manner, the first of which may be ready as early as the week after next. The trouble is that now, along with my dodgy knee and my rather painful foot - that as you may remember some idiot ran over in his car - I now have a touch of severe man-flu (i.e. what my other half describes as a mild cold - but I know different). I have recruited a kind soul (or rather he has offered his help) who is presently aiding me with editing and proofreading some sections (as well as contributing some fresh ideas).

Despite these various pressures I have been able to put aside a little time to play with the blog. Last night, following on from the aforementioned radio show I lavished a considerable time chasing links to stuff about polyester in the hope of dredging up suitable imagery for today's blog entry. Strangely it all got sidetracked and although I found precious little suitable on polyester I did somehow stumble upon a series of French language blogs and a couple of other resources which I thought about showcasing today. But first of all I set out to tackle a couple of comments that had been appended during the past week to the last posting I made why back last Sunday. It all got a little carried away so I thought I'd include my ramblings here... so...

Referring back to the comments left on my last post: I think 'Anonymous' has hit the nail on the head when he (or she - I've learned my lesson, ha ha) says "a uniform has to be something that stands out as being shameful to wear" and that "the 'girl' should look childish, silly and not have a thread of modesty" - although I would personally substitute 'self-esteem' or 'self-confidence' for the word 'modestly'. 'Orage' also has a point when she reiterates that "females regard the most bizarre outfits as normal". If this were the 1950s or 60s or perhaps even the 1970s then this subject would not be quite so problematic and fraught with complication. It is instructive to note that many of the writers I admire and that work in the genre I'm interested in tend to set their tales in the Victorian era, turn-of-the-century (19th /20th) or the 1930s. Indeed when I first set out I myself was tempted to set the scene in the 1930s and 1950s.
One only has to read this edited extract (below) taken from 'The Family Doctor' 1898 (apparently) to grasp the problem.

“Sir, I had long intended to bring to your notice just how the system of keeping girls in short frocks as long as possible is an excellent one. There is no particular hurry needful in the dressing of girls as women and I'm sure that the mere fact of wearing a short frock and with having her hair kept unsophisticatedly coiffured is enough to keep the silly thoughts and inclinations of many girls of sixteen or so in check. There is something about the delicate combination of the dress of a young girl of thirteen or fourteen with the rather slender yet womanly figure and confined waist of a young lady of perhaps seventeen or eighteen - a woman in her own right - or even one approaching her early twenties that makes for a rare and rather lovely picture. I would argue that one can have no hesitation in punishing a girl dressed in this manner by means of the rod or whip, while I would suggest that one would hesitate in caning a young lady if her true age was clear and her appearance appropriately adult.
Two girls of my acquaintance are much marked upon on account of their short frocks and young appearance. Should it be desired to retain some extra element of modestly, then silk knickerbockers of a suitable colour may be worn reaching almost to the knee but the frock should be kept short enough to allow the trimming of the drawers to peep out. The latter perhaps might be decorated around the cuffs with ribbon bows so as to soften the severity of the costume while retaining the necessary formality so important in instilling good discipline. Despite the childish brevity of the skirt, there is no reason why a girl's neck and arms should be left to the ravages of the sun and the frock should therefore be high in the neck, long in the sleeves and may be quite constricting in both the thus discouraging any unladylike extravagance of movement and instead encouraging passivity and a sweet, submissive demeanour.
Although of nearly seventeen summers their stepmother is very careful of their looks in spite of their schoolroom dress. They are fair, each possessing a splendid mass of light brown hair falling over their shoulders and are generally dressed in blue, their skirts reaching two or three inches above their knees, displaying legs encased in black stockings. Their figures are invariably enclosed in regular rather closely-laced corsets which as many people used to say gives the promise of very slim tightly laced figures. Their hands and complexions are always carefully protected from injury from the sun or air”.

I don't doubt taking such an approach would have been efficacious at the time - but in the present era? But then the other 'Anonymous' (or is it the same one - that's the problem with being anonymous!) Talks about "old fashion school clothing like gym slips worn with a boater" and a whole new world opens up. Even if we satisfy ourselves with such styling as it actually would have appeared at the time there is much mileage to be had - even though a young lady dressed in that manner no matter her age, up to appoint at least, would not have raised an eyebrow in the relevant era. If we start playing with that concept a little, however - stretching the boundaries between what would have been expected in what would have seemed unusual even then, perhaps playing with different and perhaps inappropriate fabrics, incorporating unusual colours or extreme details of styling - then the scope becomes wide indeed. For example, if we're talking about developing a school uniform suitable for the intractable late teen continuing her education at home, under the tutelage of a strict governess or some other suitable personage, we have no need to limit ourselves to the usual muted school colours. 'Ware_simon' suggested in connection with the dress depicted in my last blog entry that it might benefit from being "in [a] pink candystripe", he also suggests the style be modified to allow for buttoning down the back (which of course with a little thought can be made most awkward the young lady concerned) and the addition of "a white satin sash tied at the back in a bow". And why not? (Thanks for the kind comment regarding the site by the way, Simon). I can imagine pillaging from a whole swathe of school uniform designs, perhaps even spread a couple of decades or so, cribbing from the best, or rather the most restrictive, oppressive and, yes, eye-catching, the most outstanding or unusual features - from a disciplinary standpoint.

And we don't even have to restrict our palate to school uniforms as such inspiration, for example if one takes the traditional school blazer then why not substitute it with a short cape based on the style that nurses used to wear but restricted to waist length - along with a short pleated skirt, white cotton gloves, a boater on the head, hair in pigtails and ribbons and her long coltish legs bare down to the little white ankle socks, their frilled turnover-tops threaded through with ribbon of a suitable colour and tied in a bow, it makes for a pretty picture of contrite shy embarrassment. Now factor in the discomfort of traditional full-bodied cotton interlock school knickers but manufactured with a layer of latex or PVC sandwiched between the inner and outer cotton (or why not nylon or polyester) layers, a tightly buttoned high stiff Eton style collar that barely lets her lower her chin tied around by a firmly knotted diagonally striped school tie, rubberised girdle and high-cupped longline bra or stiff longline corsellete. Perhaps underneath it all one might choose instead to put her in the traditional liberty bodice suspenders and black lisle stockings, a flat fronted candy striped school shirt blouse worn under a particularly shapeless gymslip and her breasts suitably restrained and flattened so that she doesn't even have the allure of her developing adult silhouette to fall back on, perhaps braces fitted on her teeth with or not she needs them. Then we have the possibilities inherent in the tightly belted gabardine school raincoat of old.

Then we have those "school dresses featured in the Australian soaps" mentioned by 'Cloudelover'. I'm sure that if the guardian or governess given control over a recalcitrant young Miss were to trace back the evolution of that styling a few decades or so he or she would come up trumps, with a little thought and imagination. Incidentally, thanks for the link, 'Cloudlover' - for those interested several entire galleries of examples of Australian soap opera school uniform dresses can be found in the Yahoo groups: Neighbours Uniform Babes 1 and Neighbours Uniform Babes 2. Although there hasn't been much activity for a couple of years on these two groups I think the galleries are still intact and perhaps a few of you out there might consider contributing a few pics of your own as I don't think either is limited to soap opera content necessary and a little activity might just get the ball rolling again on what at one point appeared to be a promising pair of groups (just click group titles or the picture top left or go to the Yahoo group listing on the right-hand sidebar). And all this brings me back to polyester again. Surely 100% polyester is the most obvious fabric choice for a practical, functional and hard wearing school summer dress such as might be envisaged.

By the way, anyone know of the magazine a couple of whose covers appear above. I came across them on one of the french blogs I mentioned but can't remember which - I'll get it sorted before next time. Translating from the French (or rather, having Google do it for me) it seems the author found them in a box in his house someplace and they date back to the 1970s / 80s (there are other examples on the blog) - but I thought I'd pretty much seen every spanking mag there is and has been and I have never seen or heard of that one!

To end: I feel I can safely say that all our thoughts go out to all those out there in Japan at the moment who are suffering. It has been one hell of a shock watching the news pictures over the weekend and a humbling experience for all of us, even those of us safely watching on TV, the way that nature can wipe entire towns off the face of the map in little more than a blink of an eye, despite all of mankind's much-vaunted technology and I wish them well.

That Old School Summer Dress

2011-03-06T16:49:00.010Z

Just came across the blog 'Discipline Her' being "Tiffany Scarlet's spanking musings" on Wordpress.co (click to visit or check out the blog link list in the right hand sidebar). And I am jolly glad that I did, too as one of the first entries I happened to blunder upon – not necessarily the latest – featured this brace of charming shots taken from Blushes (I think it was – certainly one of that stable; though it might just be from Roue I suppose) that I did have in my collection at one time but that seems to been mislaid over the years; I have been looking for a replacement for some time in fact. The photo set this is taken from dates back to the mid to late 1980s though the room setting might almost suggest the 1970s.

.....

The dress design itself possibly dates from the late 1960s. Why I think this is that I once uncovered an old woman's magazine dating back to that period featuring a pattern for a near identical dress while taking up some lino in a house I was involved in renovating. It is the modest high collar that I think makes the thing work and though not perfect I still think it goes a long way towards forming the design basis for a school uniform summer-dress suitable for the older teen being educated at home or indeed held in a strict privately run institution.

.....

Any thoughts or suggestions? What improvements /changes might you make, if any?

School Uniform for the Less Mature Older Teen and Twenty-Something

2011-03-03T16:18:00.005Z

Remember when a while ago I featured a composite construct created and sent in by a contributor of his vision of the ideal school uniform suitable for the late teen or even the less than mature young lady in her early twenties? No? Then click here or scroll down the page a ways. As has been pointed out, it was very much in the style of the American Catholic schoolgirl. While not ordinarily ideally to my personal taste – far too contemporary, you see – nevertheless there is potential there for a starting point. Why the (partial) change of heart? Well while perusing the web I came upon what I believe to be one of the finest implementations of that style of uniform I have ever seen – and I have trolled through the entire SchoolTeasers,com collection in my time (and very good it is too!). I blundered into this particular example, though, on someone's blog late one night recently and for the life of me I have not been able to track down which one. I don't remember the text with it saying so but I wouldn't mind betting it originated on The Real spanking Institute site (click site name to visit) – it has their 'signature'. I visited the aforementioned site fairly recently in my search for new and appropriate affiliate opportunities to sign up to in the hope of offsetting the ever falling book sales on Lulu and was most impressed.

Talking of affiliates; of the few featured here, at least one at present generates no revenue at all as recently there has been a change of ownership and I have yet to sign up for their new scheme . I will get around to it eventually, but at the moment most of my efforts are gong into finishing the book – at present standing at a ridiculous 390 pages and close on a quarter of a million words (no, really). It really is going to have to be split into two some how, but the question is; in which way? There are two interwoven threads and three overlapping time periods... Oh God! What have I done? (Author throws hands up in despair in quiet coffee shop – one or two customers scuttle away with worried looks on their faces - “it's that long-haired nutter in the corner again! Chuck 'im out, quickly!”)

Thumblogger Blog Links Now Added

2011-02-27T11:24:00.004Z

Hi chaps. As you will have seen, I have finally gotten around to changing the site's categorization to 'Adult Content', albeit largely due to someone reporting a matter of objectionable content to Google. I have been meaning to do this for some time and have mentioned it before, yet somehow never seemed to get it done, though it took only a minuet or so - I guess some good has come from it then.

Now the real reason for this update: I have gotten round the Thumblogger problem by not listing them on the usual blog roll but rather creating form them their own section in the sidebar. There are only four of them at present but they are all well worth visiting - the Thumblogger link list can be found located immediately below the blog roll.

I have also added to the conventional blog list the following blogs for your perusal:

Fisrt up there is Babes in Diapers; then there is Carla in the Corner (from where I think the picture above right came, though no one seems to know it's real origin); Girl's pyjama Spankings and Souvenirs Cuisants d'une Jeune Fille Punie - a nice French language blog, that one with quite a few links to others. Links to all these and more can be found in the right hand sidebar. See y'all next time, hopefully with more from the book at last - 345 pages at last count and mounting rapidly!

Another 'Ideal' Uniform and Those Pesky Thumblogger Popup Problems

2011-02-23T15:07:00.008Z

Hi Folks: I just tried once again – and failed - to add a Thumblogger blog to my blog list. Just like the last time I did – towards the latter part of last year – I have started getting a popup demanding a password. Anyone out there have any idea how to get around this. I have come across a whole cornucopia Thumblogger blogs recently and it seems a shame I can’t feature them.

.....

For the time being I am going to remove the one link that I added, but I'm not in the mood to give up just yet. There's some good stuff out there in Thumblogger-land and I may try to set up a list of links to these blogs in the sidebar that operates in some manner other than through the traditional blog-link aproach.

Now, recall my post: Composite Uniform Design and the Imagination (just glance down the page or click the title). Well my collaborating artist chum in the ‘States has just sent me his attempts in putting together the elements of his ideal school uniform (Well done Snooze, great stuff). Actually he sent them to me several days ago, but what with one thing and another I am lagging well behind rummaging through my email in-tray. He does admit that he would like to put together a suitable blazer to go with it one of these days, but I think it’s great, if not my own personal vision – but that’s the whole point! Let’s see your personal vision - food for thought, is it not? I’m not suggesting the others of you out there that might be tempted to give it a go should stretch to the sophistication of generating a 3D model to dress up, but be my guest if you can – I’d be on too steep a learning curve if I tried it. But I still think it would be interesting to try to put together the elements of the perfect uniform using Photoshop-type techniques – as a concept it has the potential to open up a great insight into the psyche of the dominant (or submissive) and seems the perfect exercise to stretch the imagination.

As for the new book; it presently stands at 334 pages completed comprising some 187,500 words.

It Never Rains, It Just Pours and Pours and Pours... Oh... And a Couple of New Links

2011-02-21T14:15:00.008Z

Orage, having lamented the sudden and unexpected disappearance of britishspankingmagazines.blogspot.com a couple of weeks ago has written in to say that the site has now reappeared as http://britishspankingmags.sexusblog.com/
My thanks, Orage. (click blog name or pic on left - from the blog - or see blog list in right hand sidebar.)

Now too the serious stuff. My days running this blog may well be numbered - it is now in danger of being reported to Google / Blogger for copyright infringement. Going back some time, many of you will remember the debate (also ongoing elsewhere such as on Wikiart) as to whether the artwork that has been around on the web for some time under the name of 'Thorn' was in actuality attributable to 'Hobbs' and that this 'Thorn' chap had merely plagiarized the work by adding his own signature. Well it seems that particular debate has now been settled. I first came upon an example of such artwork signed by 'Thorn' on the web (I forget where) around ten years ago and was under the impression at the time that it was a scan taken from an old spanking magazine. Today I received an email saying that a certain internet-based company had left a comment on my first ever posting "Introduction and welcome message" - a posting dating back to August 2008:

"Please contact me via -------------- regarding the unapproved use of our copyrighted images on your site. The are thorn01.jpg and thorn05.jpg, [my italics] images for which we own the originals and, as they were commissioned from the artist Hobbs (not Thorn) by ourselves, for which we own the copyright. We shall give you 14 days to reply before reporting the matter to Google/Blogger"

Well, I don't want that - this blog and the books I have been writing constitute a major hobby of mine and practically the only distraction I have from the day to day grind of being unemployed. Many of us here in the UK use blog writing and creation as a social outlet - often our only social outlet when money is short; as it is right now, incidentally. If Blogger knocks me off then there would seem little point continuing with the book.

The really odd thing is that, having rummaged the blog archive with the archive search facility (see top of the right hand sidebar) I can find no sign of the offending images ie thorn01.jpg and thorn05.jpg. The only image I could find possibly attributable to 'Thorn / Hobbs' was the ten year old one that was the first I ever came across - this I have removed as a precaution. Generally wherever I use an image - and assuming I know it's origin - I credit it to its source and if a site address is included as part of the image I leave it be or add a link to it in addition. And that seems the way in the world of the blog. Few of these blogs we all visit are comercial ventures and though a little revenue may be raised through affiliate banners, the few a blog such as mine supports do little more than help pay for my broadband connection.

I think the point is that we all - meaning the larger blogger community, especially the spankers - are going to have to be more careful as to the origin of content. A quick run through a few of my favorite blogs this morning revealed a plethora of likely copyright material - all those stories and illustrations taken from 'Janus' et al for example that are spread all over blogger-ville! And as I think we all know: the powers that be behind blogger only need the slightest excuse to get rid of we spanking / discipline / bondage / fetish types - witness the number of blogs that have vanished of late (and don't be surprised if this one is next, by the looks of things).

Anyway, for those interested (and who have waded through thus far - well done, true believer) below is a copy of my (a little bit groveling) reply. Should the blog by some miracle survive this, rest assured that from now on the only pictorial content will be that generated by my own hand or my collaborator in the 'States or that provided by the affiliate sites I feature. If it comes to it I'll just have to increase the number of the latter to provide content, though I should have some more from the new book completed soon that I can post here. I urge you all to take a note of my email just in case and then if the blog falls and I can no longer garner the enthusiasm to finish the book I'll distribute it in its messy, vignette-style unfinished state, along with all unfinished chapters and roughed-out sections and notes to any who want it on my email list in the hope that it can be distributed around relevant places on the web where others may have the time and patience to complete it. By the way: any other of you bloggers out there had this experience and run into this trouble? Please ask around.
So, for better or for worse, here is the response I sent:

"I am terribly sorry if I have somehow inadvertently infringed someones copyright. I didn't realize the problem. Strangely I have not been able to find the illustrations concerned (thorn01.jpg and thorn05.jpg,) on my blog but many images attributed to Thorn seem to be all over the web and featured on various sites and blogs and many have been sent to me by email in the past. I have always been under the impression that the images were old and originated in some now defunked spanking magazine.

I think I may have featured a couple of others attributed to this 'Thorn' chap and had a dialog with someone who stated that this 'Thorn' was actually plagiarizing the work of this Hobbs of yours by simply replacing the signature. I have in the past discussed these allegations on my blog as a point of interest. But work signed by 'Thorn' has been widely spread across the web for many, many years and as I say, I have always been under the impression that the artwork was quite old.

My intention has never been to profit from anything on my blog other than through increased sales of the two books I have written and that have sold in the hundreds rather than thousands since their launch. In that way both the books and the blog constitute a hobby and nothing more ambitious than that; though I have added a couple of affiliate banners in recent times in an attempt, partly to generated content for the blog and partly to try and generate a little income to keep me going while I try to finish my third and final book (a little ambition of mine that helps keep me going). I am long-term unemployed with little income, little social life to speak of, other than visits to the local pub, and little more than writing my stuff and keeping the blog to keep me occupied.

As I say, this is a hobby for me, no more than that and certainly not anything that might be considered a commercial project. Maybe I have been a little naive but it has never been my intention to tread on anyone's toes.

I am more than happy to trawl through my blog and remove any and all images attributable to 'Thorn' and / or Hobbs and will get on with that task at the soonest opportunity.

Meanwhile; if you could let me know the location of the offending images - thorn01.jpg and thorn05.jpg – I would be most grateful.

I would also be happy to clarify on my blog that any images signed 'Thorn' that folk may come across on the web are in fact plagiarized from the work of Hobbs (as your claim to the copyright seems to validate that allegation once and for all) and paste up a link to your site for all those interested in that art work."

Composite Uniform Design and the Imagination

2011-02-18T10:00:00.002Z

'Madmonkey' wrote to me recently by email (well, 4 days ago) to say: “ Awhile back on your ‘behind the barred window’ blog you asked what everyone thought was the perfect fantasy school uniform [It was Thursday, 2 December 2010: Best Gymslip Design of all Time? You Tell Me (click to view)– Garth the ever attentive Archivist]. Attached is a picture I made from a composite of other pictures and is what I think of as the perfect school uniform for the recalcitrant young lady (or grown woman one needs out of the way).”

Well, here is the fruit of Madmonkey’s labour (above left). Thanks for that, Madmonkey old chap. It’s an interesting idea don’t you think, this composite idea. The would-be designer could in principle put together all sorts of combinations of elements on the figure of one’s choice, pillaging from both old and new. In particular some of those old classic black and white shots could be first colourised in Photoshop or its equivalent and elements – or perhaps whole outfits – put together in imaginative ways. Alternatively the designer might leave the source material in monochrome and convert any more modem elements one might choose to include – such as the school ‘jumper’ of Madmonkey’s vision – into monochrome to match, the idea being to recreate that pastimes air of strict reform-school discipline. The one proviso I would add is that the uniform should be clearly designed to conform to the biologically adult form of the late teen. Whether one starts with a 3D computer generated figure as a framework (an interesting concept in itself) or one drawn from some other source (one has to be careful here) it should be possible to morph the impression of a mature figure into one’s design. So there’s the challenge – let’s fry those imaginative little grey cells out there! I’m always looking for creative input to aid in the design of the new book cover and it may be possible to integrate the outcome into the design as it presently stands.

Now you will have noted my absence for some time from these pages: I have been a little 'indisposed'. Some fool using a mobile phone drove over my foot while parking close to where I was crossing the road. This did my foot no good at all as I only had trainers on, although x-ray revealed nothing broken (don't know how - must be made of rubber!). The real problem is that I have osteoarthritis in my right knee that I refused an operation on as long ago as 2001 (I was coming up to the 12 month report stage of my PhD and couldn't afford the time off involved). Of course it has worsened somewhat over the years.

It is little surprise that when, having argued with the driver, he subsequently leaped out and jumped on me from behind (brave chap) my knee promptly gave up the ghost pitching me onto the ground - whereupon said driver proceeded to give yours truly a 'good kicking', as we say here in the UK. Hmmm nice! No real damage was done other than a bit of bruising and I felt absolutely nothing (I was very, very drunk - of course!) but it has made my knee swell and walking painful, so I am using it as an excuse to springboard myself back onto the treatment track. I had no GP so I have been in and out of x-ray and registering myself at a GPs surgery and all the rest to ‘get the ball moving’. After all this time I would imagine we are talking knee replacement surgery (at least that is what I am hoping - they have some good stuff these days). So a little bit of a silver lining there!

Despite these...er...distractions, I have been working my way through my files from time to time and cutting and pasting into the book. At last a logical story progression is emerging. The upcoming new book now stands at 315 of 9 by 6 inch pages of 10 point text, should it be published as a single work. Of this figure, perhaps 300 pages will likely survive further editing by my estimate. Unfortunately the next part to be inserted will not be such a simple cut and paste job as I am going to have to run through it first, changing the tense it is written in. You see there is a section in which one of the characters first encounters her new ‘home’ - her first impressions of ‘The Ward’, as the place is euphemistically known - which at present is told in flashback at a later point in the girl’s mind's eye. After the adjustment I propose, the reader will encounter the layout of ‘The Ward’ in 'real time' as the girl first enters. It makes for much more sense that way from the point of view of storytelling, as the reader immediately has the backdrop picture painted in their mind for the action to then play out against. As always the devil is in the detail and the essential thing is that the action should flow in a logical sequence.

By for now – have to fly.

Locking Cots and Early to Bed

2011-02-07T20:10:00.008Z

Hi Chaps

I have been in contact again with my digital illustrator chum in the 'States (remember I spent quite a time telling you all about the ideas hovering out of sight behind an illustrated version of the new book and this guy – Snooze – and his input). Anyway, as well as producing illustrations for a possible pictorial version of my upcoming book he accepts commissions from others and was recently commissioned to produce a series of images interpreting some ideas sent to him that, while now unlikely for various reasons to see the light of day, nonetheless make for a nice showcase of his talents.

As the artist himself says: “The main subject of the picture [to the artist's way of thinking] was the gruesome looking, [quite] terrifying cots. Not the girl. So thick and sturdy that [one immediately recognizes their] terrible purpose and that once [a girl was placed in one] there would be absolutely no escape from its cold confines until who ever it was put [her in ] there decided [she] be released.”

The rubber mattress and pillow “subtly implies that [she] will not be let out for the [purposes of visiting the bathroom].”

The girl on the far side is only noticed as an afterthought. You only notice her later. [Only then] does one discern the rubber suit she is dressed in; which once again implies the lack of bathroom breaks. She is diapered and waterproofed because she is not coming out until release time.”

The illustrator believes – and I agree – that “the image works [not so much due to] what is emphasized [but rather due to] what is understated; because as you look at it you see more and more.”

He sees the scene as “a special dorm for bed wetters in an institutional setting; an asylum? school or prison, perhaps. The first image is set just before 7:00 pm as it is beginning to go dark. Two inmates have been placed in their rubber nightwear and made to lie in their cots. A Dorm Matron has placed a rubber sheet/blanket over her first charge, has lifted the side rail of her cot and already secured one padlock in place and is in the process for locking the second padlock.”

He goes on to point out that:

“The dormitory Matron's second charge is already in position in her cot and is passively lying there while her [compatriot or fellow miscreant] is being [secured]. She could get up, out of the cot - she is not restrained. However, the image tries to show that such an action would be foolish. The locked bars over the window suggest that the room is in any case secure. She would not get far if she attempted to escape. Also positioned strategically in the foreground of the image is Matron's desk with a heavy punishment cane prominently on display along with a leather spanking paddle.

Less prominent, but still ominously visible on the far wall, is a board displaying three additional canes, two tawses and a pair of handcuffs and leg irons. The implication made is that the facility is well able to handle an inmate who tries to create a disturbance.

There are additional furnishings that also suggest resistance is fraught with peril: In the far corner of the room is a wardrobe containing what appear to be straitjackets. It is unclear whether [a straitjacket might be pressed into service to punish a] girl by placing her in it on top of her rubber suit, so that she would be uncomfortably restrained throughout the night] or whether perhaps [these girls] have been [routinely] incarcerated in them during the day and they have now been removed while they are locked in their cots for sleeping.

Another potential jeopardy is the half seen cage on the far left of the image. Presumably if the girls try to create a fuss, instead of being left for the night in their comfy, if very secure cots, they might be confined to the cage, which is too small for them to relax comfortably and has a bare metal floor. The implications of both the cage and straitjackets is that no matter how awful life is, it can always get much worse. And so the second girl realizes that resistance is futile and merely waits patiently for the nurse to cover her with the rubber blanket which is strategically lying on the cot, raise the rail and secure it with the two padlocks that are waiting for her.

To enhance the overall atmosphere, these girls are adults and yet the clock on the wall says it isn't quite seven o'clock. It is light outside still, yet they are doomed to go to bed so early and spend the night in very secure confinement. The lighting isn't bright but, together with the depth of field of the camera, the idea is to focus the [observer's eye] on the girl in the cot, waiting to be put to bed for the night.

The second image of the two lower is meant to capture the scene just over a half an hour later. It is now almost dark outside. The second girl has had her blanket placed on her and the side of her cot raised and secured. The lights have been turned down to allow them to sleep but it is not completely dark. The focus is now shifted on to the Dorm Matron. Her shift isn't up till 8:00 pm, when she will be relieved by a junior night nurse who will keep watch over the girls throughout the night. No talking is allowed of course, which is why the heavy cane on the desk, now well lit up, is prominently on display so that the girls know what will happen if they break the rules.

The [inclusion of the] bed pans [is intended to be] suggestive of the incontinence theme.”

There you have it! Though nothing to do with my storyline, I find the images that have resulted to be most evocative, as I think you'll find too if you look carefully! The idea of the girls just waiting without need of restraint, the no-talking rule – all this I love. But, If I were to be asked to put forward one proviso or criticism, I think it would be that I would dispense with the rubber suits. I guess another would be that I am not so keen on the depicted scenario taking place within “a special unit for 'bed wetters'”... unless it turns out that this is a unit devised to create bed wetters or enforce the behavior in some way – then all of a sudden it becomes delicious! But – hey - that's my taste; what do you think?

Spanked at Home and Veralsis Spanking Showcase: Two New Affiliate Sites Added

2011-02-01T00:31:00.011Z

I've just added two new affiliate sites to this blog. Spanked at Home and Veralsis Spanking Showcase. The latter has a massive collection of Artwork, over 42,ooo drawings, including Eric Stanton and other classics. The former appealed to me as its magazine-cover style samples bring on an attack of terminal nostalgia, being reminiscent of the good old days of seeing Roue and Janus covers on the local newsagent's top shelf.

The origin of the top left offering is obvious, so you can probably safely hazard a guess that the pic on the right comes from the aforementioned artwork site. If it works for me (if you get my drift) it mostly likely will for most of you out there - that's the way I look at it.

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In addition, I have now extended the 'DropBox' albums to cover a few more of the deleted Picasaweb albums. The women's workwear and uniforms catalogue scans for: Hewat (an Edinburgh-based company) 1980s, Hewat 1960s and Garroulds of London. I have now removed all the links to the old defunct Picasaweb albums to save confusion. Longer term; I intend to create a series of standalone pages to hold the various collections I have stashed on my drives here, giving the blog - I hope - a look something more like a full-blown website than a conventional blog. I have to say, though, that I am a little pressed for time at present and the only reason I am messing around with the blog right now is that I have been away for the weekend and only got in a little while ago. As it is so late (early hours) it isn't worth getting in to any work on the book / books, but I am still a little too 'hyper' to sleep. Talking of affiliate sites:

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I just couldn't resist a quick trip to Bars and Stripes (it's that nurse /matron and cane thing) link in right hand sidebar. The two new sites I have added can be checked out by clicking on the relevant pic above or visiting the sidebar on right (as can the Dropbox albums). These affiliates will be the last commercial links I shall be adding as I want to avoid the trend, becoming increasingly prevalent, to fill up page-space almost entirely with banners and adverts; but at the same time, what with some sort of problem apparently afflicting Lulu sales, I need to do something to help fund my little hobby (I am mostly running on empty right now, financially speaking - but full of enthusiasm!!!). Tommorow will be entirely dedicated to editing the book - starting early!!! So bye for now - I'm off to bed.

Ambition and a Forum

2011-01-28T00:28:00.003Z

Just a short note to say I have just added a forum address to the useful resources list in the sidebar that some of you may be interested in: SCHOOL CORPORAL PUNISHMENT on network54.

As always just click to visit or check out the right hand sidebar. It is listed prefaced with the word FORUM and shortly I shall group all forums together in the list in such a manner. Oh... and here's a little photo to whet your appetite (not sure where from, though - someone sent it to me via email. Thanks whoever you were). And by the way... While still finishing off the new book I have begun a little preliminary research for a prospective book on baldness and hair loss - male pattern baldness, that kind of thing and from a 'self-help' perspective. Opinions anyone? I am thinking about something following the 'Idiots Guides" model, with expert sections (the science stuff) and simplified 'straight to the point chunks.' Anyone out there know of a pre-existing publication around these lines? Go on: give me a hand with a little market research! See you later.

Those Magdalene Sisters - Again! (On My 'Tele, Too!)

2011-01-21T14:56:00.008Z

As you know I said last time that I was going to paste up a short extract from the new book, and I will do - but next time.

There are good reasons (I think). (1) The piece I have been working on is still not ready in a form I would feel happy about sharing with you yet.

And (2): I became a little distracted. Partly this was due to a sojourn to the art exhibition currently running at the London Design Centre, Islington, yesterday (where they had, amongst other works on show and for sale, no less than four by LS Lowry, the asking price for one of which was an incredible £800,000 - just a little outside my league, Ha,ha!). But mostly, at least in as far as today has so far been concerned, it is to due to the showing last night on television of the wonderful, if depraved (but not for my taste), film ‘The Magdalene Sisters’– I almost had a coronary!! Of course I felt I had to mention it here, and of course I felt obliged to source a couple of suitable stills to go with the mention.

I have of course talked about this movie before. As you know it is based around the church-run homes that once existed in Ireland (up until not so long ago apparently) that were set up to house and control so-called ‘unruly’ girls - See the blog entry I posted on Tuesday, 23rd September 2008, entitled Corselletes, Corset Discipline & Institutional Hair and Fingernail Cutting (just click the title or use the blog archive search facility over in the right-hand sidebar).

Anyway, one thing led to another and while searching for a few stills from said film I stumbled across ‘The Encyclopedia of Women in Prison Films’(see right-hand sidebar under the heading ‘Useful Resources’ for a link to the homepage or click the site name). This site, which describes itself as “a work in progress attempting to catalogue and review every WIP film ever made”, does indeed host a clip from the aforementioned film. One of the best sections my opinion; the part where the inmates, having been made to strip naked, are humiliated by the Mother Superior who amongst other things has them compare breast sizes and ‘hairiness down below’ and so on - reducing one completely to tears. (See pictured top left). Unfortunately the clip on this particular site is in French, which is a bit of a pain for me personally be a typically ignorant Brit when it comes to languages, but I'm sure it'll be fine for many visitors to this blog to get a flavour of the movie.

Another clip I came across on the same site that I found worth viewing - though it has nothing to do with The Magdalene Sisters and appears to be silent for some reason - was called ‘Stuck’ (click on the film name and look on the bottom right-hand of the page when you arrive - or see clip embedded here). This one is a lovely clip of young women - one delightfully bashful - stripping out of their prison uniforms - which appears to consist of a button-through nylon overall or dress (perfect as a basis for a prison uniform) - under the stern watchful eye of wardress in what appears to be a prison block shower room. To view clip click on the 'play symbol' below.

Going back to the Magdalene sisters again for a moment, and that scene mentioned above in particular I think they miss out on a trick or two if this sort of treatment only occurs once in a girl's experience. In the type of institution I envisage, that form of belittling and humiliating treatment would be repeated on multiple occasions. On subsequent occasions - which I picture as being in a more formal, structured frame, almost along the lines of the series of ‘group therapy’ sessions and perhaps lead by a woman trained in psychology, and perhaps one specialising in the psychology of shame - I imagine it could have been taken a step further, with the girls no longer allowed to just stand passively while comments are fired at them but rather obliged to participate, discussing and describing their own breasts in relation to those others around them. Any sign of pride, a girl perhaps misguidedly flaunting her attributes under the misconception that she is somehow better than the rest, would be dealt with by a suitably scathing and confidence-undermining comment from the psychologist, pointing out her shortcomings in no uncertain terms. Similarly, after the various comments issued regarding the relative level of ‘hairiness down below’ displayed by the various girls while in line - with the Mother Superior saying at one point, as I recall “you've got more there down below then you have on your head, a girl, but I think so-and-so wins out in that department” (or words to that effect, I can't remember the name of the girl) - the next step would be an appointment with the institution's nurse or matron and the very carefully carried out and closely scrutinised close razor-shaving of their more intimate charms. On subsequent occasions, then, those comments could be made far more focused and even more intimate, perhaps with girls lined up with hands-on head over a mirrored floor or seated in a circle on steel-framed plastic chairs and a hand mirror then passed around. I'm sure you get the idea.

A couple of Blogs for You to Visit

2011-01-18T00:05:00.006Z

Hi there!

Just a quick note to say that I have taken a little time out from struggling with the new book this evening to peruse a couple of blogs that I just can’t believe I’ve overlooked in the past. ‘SEXUELLE’, the creation of one Elizabeth Forster, is just chock full with some of the most erotic spanking orientated erotica I have ever come across on a blog – with an emphasis on erotic; just wonderful!. I went through page after page and just couldn’t get away – I have had a hell of a job just deciding which pics to add to my collection. Click on either picture to visit (they both came from there) or look for link in the blog list in the right-hand sidebar. Actually I really love the top left: the hair bondage thing – very reminiscent of the writing of Victor Bruno, don’t you think?

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‘Spanking w necie’ is another good 'un. Not sure what language it is in but there are a lot of spanking pics I have not seen before and a hell of a lot of blog links to explore. Click on blog name to link or see blog list – blah, blah, blah.

Next entry will hopefully be a shard from the new book.

And now… Back to the writing (Well International indoor bowls first on TV, the writing. Maybe a bit of sleep as well?)– enjoy!

Reader's Letters Scans Search Advice

2011-01-13T11:17:00.004Z

Hi peeeps! Still hard at it here, finishing off the new book, but have also put aside a little time here and there to keep an eye on the blogI. One thing I have noted, checking through the visitor log of late, is that a number of folk are presently linking in from a bulletin board someplace looking specifically for spanking magazine reader's letters page scans. As many of you regulars will know, I have posted quite a few over time from 'Janus' and the Blushes / Whispers magazine stable, some those scanned by 'yours truly', some contributed by Alan (I hope – I have a terrible memory for names). Now, I have not always been as consistent as I might have with my use of 'tags', using insiprations (in error, obviously), inspiration, inspirational letters, Inspirations and letters pages as tags in various combinations. To help those searching for letters pages scans I carried out a little experimentation using the search window facility (look over there in the right-hand side bar). Where it says 'search tis blog' simply type in 'letters' (minus the apostrophes of course!) – this search-term was found to produce the best results – you can always then click on any of the tags that come up with the results to find related postings.

Talking of links: Quite a few folk are still attempting to follow the 'album' links in the sidebar. These all link to Picasaweb albums but as I said last time; Picasaweb have taken down all my albums. I am slowly replacing these with links to 'Dropbox' albums and at present have created 'Dropbox' albums containing spanking artwork from Thorn / Hobbs and women's workwear / uniform catalog scans from Garoulds of London and Hewett 1980s and 1960s (of these only the link to the Thorn / Hobbs artwork album is actually in place at present). There may yet be issues with 'dropbox' – I found Thorn / Hobbs artwork album to have somehow been deleted when I visited yesterday (now reinstated) – but we'll see how it goes. If necessary once the new book is completed I'll create a series of standalone pages to hold the various collections that once resided on Picasaweb – and more besides! Meanwhile, to save further confusion / disappointment, later today I am going to delete all the old Picasaweb links from the sidebar – good riddance; there's nothing worse / more irritating than a broken link.

Another Belated Greeting

2011-01-09T18:43:00.002Z

A Happy new year to all, before I forget!!! You have probably read of my internet connection difficulties over the Christmas period. Well unfortunately it continued, albeit in a different guise, into the new year.

Although I didn't touch a drop over what would conventionally be considered the xmas period per se, I had determined beforehand that I would spend a couple of days in the pub upon my return to London and traditionally I always meet up with my mother - and sometimes another couple of family members, though not this year - in a suitably agreeable hostelry or alehouse. This year, though, I also chose to cerebrate Twelfth night and the Twelfth day following. Consequently I was to be found in one of the two local branches of Wetherspoons over the last few days. As always, on each tavern visit I went armed with my trusty netbook - the intention being to work on the new book, deal with emails and perhaps create the odd blog update to boot!

The lack of any recent blog activity can be taken as evidence that all did not go to plan in that direction. Both my local pub branches proved to be suffering different router problems. A third establishment I tried, though it did have a working WiFi connection - of sorts – it was running so slow that it was only really feasible to send out a few emails before the battery in my computer started to fail: and there was nowhere to plug in the power supply either!!!

Then, over the weekend I went to stay at the 'significant other's' place. And guess what... Her phone line promptly went down (and still is down) and now we are embroiled in heated discussions with the phone company (BT) as to which part of the phone line they are actually responsible for and which proportion is up to us to sort out for ourselves. I am reasonably confident that I have proved the fault to be outside of the house, which was all that was necessary previously – but not any more it seems. Things are far more complex these days.

I have been doing a little work on one of the files still waiting to be incorporated into the book. That alone extends to around 62 pages, needs a little completion and major rearrangement / editing to make sense, so still a lot to be done there. In addition I am going to have to recreate all my Picasaweb albums in a different form, as I said last time. What I still can't quite grasp is why they also objected to the various women's workwear / uniform catalog scan albums, which surely were quite harmless. I have no way of gauging how popular those particular albums actually were and whether it will be worth re-uploading them elsewhere; so please let me know if you found them of interest and would appreciate more. What ever a decide, I shall leave the links listed in the sidebar until I replace each, as a guide to myself.

Meanwhile some kind soul has chosen to slag off volume 2 on one of the ebook sites with a vitriolic attack culminating in the statement that there is "nothing nice written anywhere between its pages" or some such thing - no shit Sherlock!!! It's not supposed to be 'nice' in just the same way that the 'Saw' film franchise is not supposed to be 'nice'. What gets me, though, is that the site in question includes a lengthy extract featuring one of the more graphic punishment scenes from the book - there aren't many and I tend to deliberately steer clear of the repetitive and ever more brutal beating type of thing written elsewhere by the likes of Victor Bruno (as much as I admire his work and have to admit to owing much inspiration to his writing) et al!!!

Got to go now - I'm in a coffee house and I hate what I would describe as 'coffee house music'; incessantly repetitive and intrusive south American jungle-tango-jazz shit... Sorry but I hate it and once again they have succeeded in driving me out after only one coffee. But not before searching out some nice inspiring art work, this one being particularly relevant to the storyline – see what you think.

Best wishes from a wet and windy and grubby litter-strewn North London where this music is now driving me to distraction.,, AAAAARRRRGH!!!!!

A Belated Festive Greeting From England (not the UK - What's United About It?) What's 'United About Anything Anyway?'

2010-12-30T15:32:00.009Z

Hi my little festive chums (we have 'festive' cheer here nowadays in preference to the apparently potentially offensive Chr----- nomenclature... note to self: New year's resolution - not to get upset by 'man-dresses', the upside down bramble-beard shaved headed look and the PC brigade that kowtow to them).

Talking of the latter, PicasaWeb chose Chr--------- day to inform me that they are permanently removing all of my albums and shutting down my account as 'despite previous notifications' and 'further complaint' I had neglected to remove offensive material from my albums. Well Pollocks to em: last time I was 'notified' it was to say they had removed the aforementioned 'offensive material' from my albums, and lo and behold certain 'material' – notably the artwork of Thorn / Hobbs – had been removed. Thus I took no further action, believing all else to have passed and survived their scrutiny.

Fear not, though, for as the case of some with some of the other material they have removed in the past I shall resurrect these folders, albums and files in their entirety as I did with the work of Hobs / Thorn – keep watching the sidebar for new links / demise of the old Picasaweb links.

When you come to think of it, what could have been so offensive about the covers of old magazines that once sat on newsagent shelves let alone women's workwear catalogs that once occupied the mainstream in any case. I guess what I am saying is: why delete such innocuous material in the first place? Or is it the truth that no one ever bothers to check and any allegation will do?. More likely it is the usual fear that someone - anyone, no matter how minority their point of view – shall be 'offended': well should we kowtow to every nutter on the planet – or embrace freedom?

Now as for the belated Christmas (oh no! I've said it) greeting: I neglected to take an USB cable with me to the hotel – and the wireless link cost money. So what can I say: I'm having a beer or two today on the proceeds of that saving!!!

On another lay: here are a couple of early renditions of the cover for the new volume – along with the first two for comparison –

though I doubt I'll use either in their present form as I'd like to keep to the series theme a little more and also for legal reasons (both are for artwork layout guidance only). Comments / criticisms are, as always, are welcomed.

A Yuletide Exultation? Yeah! Why Not?

2010-12-19T15:27:00.001Z

Hi Chaps and chap-eses. Greetings from a largely snowed-in / snowed-under Brit-land. Snowed under is an apt term for me right now: It's the 19th December and I have just woken up and sniffed the coffee – trouble is; more often than not of late it has been more likely the barmaid's apron sniffed (a popular British saying ) than a pungent arabica bean. What am I on about? Well just as we Brits have once again been caught with our pants down as regards the weather with nary a gritting lorry (or truck, for you poor misguided USA types) nor sprinkling of salt to be seen (well...who would guess it might get cold in winter? In Northern Europe? What a bloody shock that was!) so I have been caught napping. Of course it happens every year and I am always caught by surprise by the proximity of the dreaded 'day', but bloody hell I haven't even as much as bought a Christmas card yet. I get all excited about it then hit the pubs and bars and a those great intentions I have harbored about 'being ahead of the game' this year and not getting caught on the hop go sailing straight out the window. It's at this time of the year that I most gravitate towards those older establishments that populate the backstreets of Hampstead. Of course there is the famous 'The Flask' of flask walk, Hampstead but if you know where you're going and venture up into the hills you might come across 'The Holly Bush' – think low timbers and a roaring log fire; how traditional can you get? Then a little further afield – this particular establishment claiming a rather optimistically short 15 minute walk across the heath from Hampstead tube (subway) - there awaits 'The Spaniards Inn', also boasting a log fire if not quite so 'roaring' the last time I visited. Now, if you were to just throw in a suitably 18th century flurry of snow and... well, it's just heaven, isn't it. Actually, even my local and fairly dire branch of 'Wetherspoons' looked appealing given a dusting of snow and the obligatory snowball fight that had spontaneously ignited outside. It's amazing what snow is capable of here in the UK – otherwise fairly sensible (if terminally alcoholic) 50-somethings opening up a massed barrage of snow-orientated artillery against the pub windows in second-childhood rapture is a sight to behold! No I wasn't involved – I bloody hate the cold, me!

As for the rest: today I am ostensibly out to catch up on all those Christmas tasks that have been thrown to the wayside. But guess what? Yes, I've landed in a pub... one look at that snow and what choice did I have. A tankard of ale and an open fire!!!! And in a sense I am ahead of the game – many's the year when I have been out shopping late Christmas eve (no kidding) and with enough 'Christmas cheer' in me too... well, lets just say that I'd be unlikely to later recall quite what I'd bought or who for. Yet somehow I'd get it all wrapped – just without labels or recipient names or anything as mundane as that. All a bit of a guessing game come Christmas morn!

Right, well I felt I just had to add a pic and I chose this one which I happened across on Flikr among some unnamed person's photo set, which gave the impression that that owner of the set was the photographer – unlikely given that I have myself posted another of this same set here sometime ago and I can tell you it originated from a scan taken from a copy of 'Men Only' or 'Penthouse' – I forget which – dated between 1978 and 1980-ish. Unless of course it is indeed from an impoverished photographer now reduced to publishing his work on social network sites! Forget all that though; the question is would you allow such a lackadaisical attitude to discipline and wanton display in the institution of your choice? I have to say that I do approve of the uniforms though.

The Shortest of Short Updates

2010-12-15T12:42:00.003Z

Hi folks, added another chapter to the book yesterday, though it needs a little more work. Even so, at least it feels a little closer to completion now. I have a huge chunk to deal with next - a file that amounts to around 60 - 64 pages and that will push the book to just over 200 pages once placed. How to distribute this piece will be the problem here - its structure as it stands does not naturally lend itself to insertion as a standalone chapter in its own right; it will have to be split up in some manner. On another tack: after a rock-solid month of teetotalism I let loose a little last Sunday - well not such a little. In my defense I do have to point out - as I have previously - that I do have an allergy to dogs and cats; and my aunt has a dog. Because of that I often have to hang around in the garden or outside the house for long periods when visiting - and of course at this festive time of year the temptation is to wander around the local village and sample the wares of the local alehouses. One of the said establishments proved able to provide an enticing tipple indeed - 'Green King Special Reserve' at 6.7% alcohol by volume. Well, after a full month of abstainance the outcome was preordained from the start - basically I have succeeded in alienating a large and important section of my family.

On yet another tack: All that 'adoption' stuff from those old Blushes magazine reader's letters pages was brought to mind recently on watching with one of my kids a CBBC program called 'Jinx'. The central actress is called Amber Beattie - she's 17 - 18 so check her out on the net and think a little. Let your imagination roam a little! The character she plays - ironically, considering my moans of late - is named, Lulu! She has that sort of girl-next-door coquettish doe-eyed charm that just demands exploitative cruelty. This girl is bubbly, cheerful , winning / winsome - all those aspects one would want to curb with the imposition of a regime of strict discipline . One look and you'd just have to put her into a restrictive , stiff-collared school uniform. By the by _ today I am in Soho, in a pub known as The Coach and Horses - look it up if you have the time; it is idiosyncratic to put it mildly!

That! Picture and Lulu Woes

2010-12-10T11:47:00.003Z

OK: well, I suppose I should have been writing rather than trawling around the Internet but I just had to find that deportment training photo I went on about last time. I have to admit to failure on that count. All that time was not squandered fruitlessly, though: I did in the process come across a delightful little drawing from the pencil of the wondrous Mr Julian Guile; complete with backboard, book balanced on head, strict mistress or institution matron with cane in hand and sizzling welts much evident across the miscreant’s naked behind. There is of course also the obligatory gloating lecherous old boy seated and looking on - all the better to add to the pretty young thing's gall! To see it, though, you have the look back to yesterday's entry, halfway down on the right where I have just this minute plonked it. As for the central subject of my quest, well here it is; much to my exasperation I had to resort to scanning it in from an old printout. Doubtless the original lies buried somewhere within the depths of my computer's somewhat labyrinthine file system somewhere, but where it might have originated from all now have no idea. Perhaps someone out there can tell me so that I might view the rest of the set (if there is one), it certainly looks promising!

Perhaps there is someone out there too who can tell me what exactly (if anything) is going on with Lulu these days (the self publishing site not the ‘well loved multi-talented Scottish singer’ of that name). Sales have fallen through the floor over the last couple of months to such an extent that, in the month of December, to date neither of the two volumes that so far go to makeup the INSTITUTIONALISED series have sold any copies or downloads at whatsoever. There have been a couple of lovely encouraging reviews left on the Amazon e-book site which have lifted my spirits of late and for which I am eternally grateful but it is extraordinarily dispiriting to see sales dry up in their entirety in Lulu. The last time this happened (and I had been blissfully unaware as I hadn't checked for some time) it was due to something that Lulu had done that had resulted in my titles (and those of others presumably, unless there was something personal bout it) being left out of search results and for which they apologised by e-mail. Whether something similar is going on I have no idea as I certainly don't have the time at the moment to poke and prod around d their site at the moment which can be frustratingly slow to respond at times.

Now, as was the two pictures are just mentioned I've also added recently a couple of links to the ‘Useful Resources’ list over there in the right-hand sidebar. The Wheelchair Zone has quite an interesting story section if you spend a little trouble to rummage around it. I've also added links the ‘British Caning Society’ (listed under ‘B’ for British, this one) which hosts an intriguing discussion board amongst other things (how about mentioning my stuff, if you like it - or even if you don't - it all helps!) and to Corset Heaven.com. That's about it for now; see y’all later!

Corsets, Backboards and Deportment Training for Recalcitrant Young Ladies

2010-12-09T13:44:00.007Z

One of the greatest influences on my writing has been the publications, journals and fiction hailing from the Victorian era (or, I suspect, purporting to in some instances). Below are a couple of transcripts of page scans that I recently came across on my travels across the web taken from the correspondence pages of a journal entitled ‘The Family Doctor’, a publication of the late nineteenth century. I suppose it is the second letter that really hits the spot - that atmosphere one senses, reading between the lines, of domination and the curbing of the spirit. Clearly much more has been done than merely putting the pair of teenagers in corsets - one senses there has been a battle of wills and what is observed is the aftereffect of a crushing defeat . Reading through brought my mind to mull over another subject much discussed in that era, one even more amenable to inclusion in any disciplinary and obedience training regime one might devise that also incorporates corporal punishment: deportment training. Tightly-laced boned corsets, backboards, the cane or riding switch and deportment training seem in my mind to go together seamlessly. This still from Lupus Pictures seems to succeed in summing up all of that in that one shot. Actually I have an even more apt pictorial example somewhere but can’t seen to be able to put my hands on it at present. But I have it stashed away as hard copy so if it comes to it I can always scan the printout.

CORRESPONDENCE.
------
CORSET DISCIPLINE
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR OF THE FAMILY DOCTOR

Our eldest girl, aged nineteen, wears a backboard of very old pattern, originally made for her mother when at school in Bath. It consists of a flat plate of metal, somewhat pear-shaped. that extends from the nape of the neck downwards to the loins, and across from shoulder to shoulder--covering the back exactly, in fact, and hollowed to fit the figure snugly. This is strapped closely to the body by broad shoulder straps (comfortably padded, and arranged to buckle in the centre of the back out of the wearer's reach) and a broad leather waist-belt, also padded and buckled behind. The backplate is covered with blue leather, and when properly fixed is immovable upon the body, partially because the waist-belt is shaped to cover and closely embrace the hips. In the centre of the backplate is a small brass box somewhat like a watch, through which slides a vertical rod carrying at its upper end the "collar"--really the most useful part of the apparatus. Inside the brass box is a lock which fixes the vertical rod and collar at any desired height; and in front of the collar is another minute lock to prevent the chin being unlawfully released! All the locks and straps. I must say, have been renewed several time? but the backboard and collar are just as my wife wore them, and their beautifully chased or engraved bright portions are still perfect.
My second daughter wears an appliance similar to this, with the addition of two hooks or padded crutches, which come from the back under her armpits, and have smaller shoulder straps to keep the arms in position therein. This, I feel sure, makes the elevation of the chest more complete. and avoids the slight chafing caused by shoulder straps passing under the armpits.
The backboard worn by our youngest daughter is similar to the last in pattern, but the back is of polished wood (easily renewed as she grows), and the staff and collar are screwed at a fixed height to the wood direct. This does not allow her the freedom at her desk that her elder sisters gain by having their collars lowered, but by the time she is ready to be fitted with the more graceful and permanent steel backboard her fixed collar will have enforced that erect carriage of the head and neck that is so ample a repayment for the present discomfort.

The "stocks " are simply oblong boxes of polished wood, in which the two feet are placed heel to heel, and the toes turned outward. A lid then slides in from each end, having two half-round apertures to em brace the ankles. These lids have a lock at their point of contact in their centre which effectually prevents the withdrawal of the feet during the required period of discipline.

These appliances may sound very barbarous to those who favour the ungainly slouching habits far too common nowadays, but by their aid the following round of daily exercise has blessed me with three of the most graceful and, I will say with truth, healthy girls to be found in England. Their daily life is about as follows :--On rising, each is strapped to her backboard, the youngest, of course, having her collar, and consequently her chin, at a very high level, the two elder having theirs only half high, but all, nevertheless, securely locked. After breakfast, at 8 a.m., the collars are raised to an equal height, and all, including their governess, have amusement in the garden, coming into the schoolroom about nine. Lessons proceed until luncheon, after which comes a period-about one and a half hours--of walking drill and calisthenics, in which is added to the ordinary backboard a long one reaching across the shoulders from wrist to wrist, and keeping the elbows well behind. After drill the three collars are removed entirely, and, with their backboards concealed by their ordinary dresses, all three girls go out to spend an afternoon in the park or upon the heath. For dinner the collars are again fixed, and we dine in happy fellowship, the girls afterwards standing in their stocks, with the collars elevated and the long backboards across their shoulders, for about two hours during the evening.

It may interest some of your readers to know that my wife is in the habit of using several other appliances, and of enforcing many, perhaps irksome, postures at drill with the ultimate object of perfection in view; but of these I shall be pleased to write if you can spare the space.

Concluding this lengthy letter, I may say that both pretty heels and small corsets count among her system of rewards. All our girls are confirmed wearers of night stays, in addition to what may be new to your readers--i.e., finger-nail corsets.--Believe me, Sir, yours truly, CARL.

P.S.--I shall be pleased to reply to inquirers through the FAMILY DOCTOR if you will permit, but do not desire private correspondence.
Camden Town, N.W (Sept 28 1889).

TO THE EDITOR OF THE FAMILY DOCTOR.

SIR,-I can quite endorse the opinion of several of your correspondents advocating corset discipline in the management of refractory children. A lady friend of mine has two daughters aged fifteen and sixteen with whom it has proved a complete success. They are both members of the tennis club to which I belong, and used to be much remarked by their rough behaviour, as they played more like schoolboys than young ladies. Their mother was advised to make them wear their stays while they played, instead of leaving them off, as they usually did; but she did more than this, by having them fitted with very long, heavily-boned stays, with stiff, broad busks, which, of course, quite prevented stooping, besides being very uncomfortable. They were laced very tightly. when they next appeared, and I never saw girls so much improved, for they were now well behaved young ladies. Their figures were slimwaisted, and the lacing was so effective that, playing or sitting, they were obliged to keep erect. Their hands were encased in long, well-fitting kid gloves, which they were not allowed to remove. They now played a quiet, lady-like game, and looked very pretty and graceful, being laced so tightly that ungainly movements were impossible. Their mother says she finds this means of restraint is very beneficial, as it enforces patience and submission. When there is any need for punishing either of them, it is easily done by tightening the culprit's lace so as to entail an extra degree of discomfort as discipline, as well as improving her figure and carriage. These girls never know now what it is to be without constant pressure and restraint, for at night their already slender waists on being released from their day corsets are immediately enclosed in others having flexible busks and laced in an inch smaller than before. Their hands are kept constantly gloved both day and night in very tight kid, and fastened by bracelets to prevent them being removed, and are becoming beautifully white in consequence. (Aug 31 1889 )

A Couple of Blushes Reader's Letters Scans

2010-12-05T16:36:00.014Z

Hi, as it is the weekend and I am away from home I wouldn't ordinarily produce a blog posting but it just so happens I have a few minutes on my hands and I just realised I have a few of those Blushes Magazine reader's letters pages scans that were kindly sent in by Alan some time ago here with me stashed on a data stick. I am currently hard at it putting together the introductory and final chapters of the new book, much of the middle being now in place. As you probably know by now, I am also beginning to mess around with some cover design ideas - some preliminary versions of which I may share with you next time.

.....

Many thanks to those of you who pointed out the spelling error in the title of my last posting (now corrected) and also that I'd posted the same picture back in September. Someone asked if there were more of the same set - well there are, posted way back and now languishing in the blog archive some place; just type the search terms: 'gymslip', 'school uniform' or 'adult school uniform' into the site search facility box over in the right hand sidebar.

.....

Meanwhile: you have seen an example of something I consider close to the perfect school uniform (or at least a good starting point, perhaps with the addition of a high, stiff 'Eaton-style collar' for example) but I'm curious as to your ideas - any takers?

.....

Let's hear about your design ideas, restrictive petty rules, punishments and the devilish torments you would inflict and impose given a free hand.

Best Gymslip Design of all Time? You Tell Me

2010-12-02T00:38:00.006Z

Is it just me that thinks so, or is this the finest design of gymslip ever produced or even conceived of when it comes to setting apart a young lady from her peers as an aid to developing the correct mindset to accept the imposition of strict and restrictive discipline - discuss. (I can’t say I entirely approve of the knickers though.) Yes I know you’ve seen pics from this set before on this site, but not this particular shot I think (I hope); I’ve just come upon it. Now for the real reason for this post (not that I am not serious about hearing your points of view / ideas / designs – yeah, why not designs?):

A couple of days ago I mentioned setting up a series of Dropbox albums to share various stuff I have downloaded off the web over the years and also that I have scanned from my various collections of spanking and domination orientated stuff and various materials that have informed the descriptions in my books. Part of the impetus for this was having the album containing my collection of the spanking and D/S art work of Hobbs / Thorn (there is some contention over the true artist’s identity) deleted by those well-meaning folk at PicasaWeb and my desire to circumvent future strife.

Well, as an experiment I have now created a folder of the Hobbs / Thorn artwork on Dropbox. I have created an entirely new listing category in the right-hand sidebar to hold links to future Dropbox albums if the trial works out. It may well be that I’ll have to cycle these albums from time to time to work through my collection due to limited storage space. Dropbox has a limit of 2 GB on their free subscription service and I am also using it to back-up my writing and book cover artwork. However one way of working around this to free up more space would be for me to set up another Dropbox account under my everyday name for backup purposes. I’m going to see how well this works out first and how popular - or otherwise - it proves to be, so I’ll be looking for feedback (hint, hint). Remember to check the Dropbox album list in the sidebar (just below the ‘Spanking Artwork Albums’ list) from time to time as I will be adding to it when I have time but I may not always have sufficient time to tell you in a blog entry. Remember too that much will be adult content, especially the Thorn / Hobbs stuff!

I forgot to put in links in my last posting to the two sites I spotlighted. This I have now rectified – sorry for any inconvenience / frustration caused. I have also added a link in the ‘Useful Resources’ list situated in the sidebar to a source of ‘forced exercise’ photos on Tribes.net for all those that appreciate such things (click to visit or see sidebar).

Toilet-Seat Spanking Humiliation, A Couple of Blogs to Explore and Some PicasaWeb Album Additions

2010-11-30T11:36:00.007Z

You are probably wondering where I’ve been to again, it being close to a week since my last update. Well I had planned one for last Friday or Saturday but the best laid plans… well, more about that later, for those that are interested (see below). Harking back to that ‘Toilet Seats and Domestic Discipline’ thing I wrote up on Sunday 21st November, I remembered seeing a really nice suitable photo set somewhere out there in Web-Land once, featuring the absolutely edible Rosaleen young (I think – though I might be wrong). I think it realy sums up the posibilities inherent in the situation being discussed - think institutional-style discipline intorduced in the home environment. So on Friday I did a little trawling around and here it is (left). Of course while out hunting, as is often the case, I got sidetracked by a couple of interesting blogs.

The first isn’t actual strictly speaking a Blog at all as such, other than in name, as I can’t link to it via my blog listings and so you can find it listed under ‘Useful Resources’ in the right-hand sidebar or click on its name here (highlighted in blue). Entitled; Michael Masterson’s The Spanking Blog it is a spanking photo studio site with loads of free spanking galleries for you to investigate (I didn’t have time myself on my visit – but I’m going back later). The other I came across was Spanking Porn-blog which can be found in the sidebar blog listing in the conventional manner. You can also go see it for yourself directly from here, as above.

The other two pics are just gratuitous, yet stimulating, examples of spanking art I came across while reorganizing my files recently – I hope I haven’t posted them before; my apologies if I have. The first (right) is by ‘Walldo’, the other I don’t know – perhaps someone out there can tell me as I’d like to see some more!

Yesterday I got stuck working away from home, so could work on the book but had no WiFi access for the day. Today I’m hard at it once again and even I hope to do a little prelim work on the design of the book cover later – something that excites me greatly!

I was actually quite industrious yesterday – despite being away from home - and very nearly finished the last chapter of the new book, which I have now put in place in book form (although I shall have to do a little more to it shortly, when I finish this). Despite this and despite returning home late (near midnight) I managed to update my PicasaWeb albums (right-hand sidebar) adding more scanned catalogue pics to the 1960s – 1970s Alexandra workwear album and creating a whole new album entitled Prison Uniforms that concentrates on prison uniform dresses. The problem regarding PicasaWeb deleting certain spanking art folders from my assemblage some time ago – notably the work of Hobbs / Thorn I am working on circumventing by way of creating a public DropBox folder that I shall then post a link to here. If that works, and within the limitations of the storage space available, I shall create folders of all sorts of scanned and / or downloaded stuff that has inspired and fired me up over the years for you to explore and that I have archived.

It's bloody snowing here now, freezing - I thought global warming was supposed to take care of all that. The good news is that it helps put me off going to the pub for a while. I'm saving that up for closer to Christmas. Not Christmas itself, though, as my other half doesn't drink much and so I try to abstain and instead get my kicks by going for food that I would not ordinarily allow myself. We are going to be off to a nice (I hope) hotel in Ascot, where the famous Royal Ascot horse race course is and not far from Windsor and the Thames; might even try a little fishing on Boxing Day.

Or a more negative note: I have a chest infection that has gone on for weeks and that seems to gradually ease off only to worsen again after each visit to the gym. The upside (I suppose) is that, what with the inclement weather and my hacking cough, I am confined to the home today and so after a brief blog update will be hopefully getting a lot done towards getting this book thing finished.

On the subject of the blog: I went away for the weekend to the ‘Other Half's’ place - as always - and although it would be difficult to do much towards finishing the book while there I nevertheless intended to get a blog update posted. Accordingly I took all source materials I would need with me on a data stick.

I arrived to find a hysterical woman journalist / lecturer (namely 'The Other Half') and a computer that had fallen over and that now displayed unblinkingly the dreaded Windows blue screen, a hole batch of hexadecimal memory addresses and error codes and the information that it had ''performed a dump - mmm, nice! (a little too much information there, on all sorts of levels - taking a 'dump' can have a whole different meaning here in London). She had tried to transfer some work she had completed onto a data stick... and down it had gone - just like that. Further investigation showed the hard drive to be so full as to barely allow Windows to operate (she only has 512 Mb of RAM). I used the Windows disk cleanup utility, compressed some files and off it went again... only to fail to download and install a Windows update a few hours later. The cause? Insufficient disk space - the free space was down to a couple of hundred megabytes again. Interestingly, thinking back I seemed to recall that earlier in the year when last I had checked there had been about 15 Gb of free space on that drive, and she only deals in text , a few still pics and PowerPoint presentations, things like that and nothing flash either. Obviously I suspected a virus of some flavour. I trawled through the hard drive looking for some overly enormous usage some place - and found it! Symantic Norton antivirus: in the programs, common, directory a directory labeled Symantic was 15Gb in size! Closer inspection showed the culprit to be the virus signatures folder which was bulging at the seams with 12.8 Gb of signatures, temp files and the rest.

To cut a long story short; the thing seemed unstoppable. I would tell it to empty its temp cache, and it would - only to fill it up again almost immediately. I reduced the disc space allowed for Norton's temp files, but to no avail. Then, while still investigating the problem and having again freed up disc space by compressing old files, Norton proudly announced that it was trying to update and would I kindly make more disk space available to it on the hard drive as it was having a little difficulty (or words ti that effect)... Ahhhh! Poor thing!

That was it: I knew then it had to die... Die!... DIE!!!! ARRRGH! Not so easy to kill off though - it is an antivirus program after all! I had first to stop it loading on start up it turned out. So off I went to the registry and pulled out its plug. Then it was back to the Windows Add / Remove utility, a gun to its head BANG it was dispatched.

I'd always hated Norton, right from the start. It took up too much memory and would slow her ancient (2002) computer to a snail's pace. To be honest, though; originally her machine had run quite happily with 256 Mb RAM - even with Norton - until she'd had added the latest version of Norton, a few years back. Then it had ground practically to a standstill and a little investigation soon showed that Norton itself was taking up 128 Mb for its own use. Thus I upped the memory to 512 Mb for her (she didn't want to spend much - she's of Scottish ancestry; I'm sure you understand. Ha! Ha! No offence meant to any of you from the other side of The Wall, you must understand – that of Hadrian's constructing of course). I have now replaced Norton with Avast, which is the antivirus I run here, cleaned up the registry and optimized Windows - and of course defragged the hard drive (which is a tale in of itself - never bother with the Windows XP defragmenter tool is my advice; it's crap, deeply crap!). Now her antique machine is razor sharp (for its vintage). Of course it lacks the punch of my brace of 10,000 RPM Raptors configured in RAID 0 (though strictly speaking that shouldn't be called RAID at all as neither drive is redundant - far from it). Bye for now!

The New Book - A Short Clip

2010-11-24T11:56:00.011Z

Hi Folks! Bright and sunny today (but cold-ish)... so I am bright and sunny - hurrah! I have been making good progress filling in the gaps and reorganising the story flow of the new book (I've still not got a sensible title though!). I thought you might like a short clip, so here we go. The whole thing will need proofreading at some stage so there may well be typos, but see if it whets your appetite - or not (don't be shy!).

.....
An Extract

.....

Even with the soft vinyl inner layer of the hospital-issue pyjama bottoms, and the close-fitting plastic incontinence underpants she had on beneath, the thin flannelette did little to ameliorate the discomfort of the hard wooden seat – already her buttocks were going numb, which ironically only served to make the griddle pattern of thin cane wheals crisscrossing her bottom throb all the more. No longer in contact with the ground, the naked soles of her feet now throbbed too, in the simple rhythm of her pulse. It was another irony; whilst her feet bore her weight, the aftermath of the doctor’s martinet consisted of little more than a fiery, overall burning sensation. Once seated, with her legs swept back beneath the chair and her hobbled ankles fastened by way of their leather restraint cuffs to two short lengths of chain that hung down from beneath the seat, it felt as if dozens of red-hot hooks were embedded in the undersides of her feet and were tugging rhythmically downwards in unison. Taken together these reminiscences of the cane and of the martinet were what had been responsible for the girl cutting herself off in mid-flow and also for the sudden contrite, apologetic retraction that had so quickly followed.
It was humiliating, but it was better than suffering a repeat performance. Besides, it was fear of humiliation, in a manner of speaking, that had earned her the six cuts of the cane across her bare behind and the twelve slashes of the multi-tongued martinet across the sole of each foot in the first place. Indeed, in a way the retribution, correction - call it what you will - had not been entirely unrelated to her tirade; it never was. The very best way to ensure receiving the attention of the doctor's supple length of rattan was to speak of being a volunteer behavioural research subject or to protest against the validity of any part of the doctor's diagnosis. But that hadn't been the cause on this occasion, not directly at any rate.
The doctor was fond of setting impositions to fill her time when confined to the tiny anteroom that had now become her home - to keep her mind active, the doctor said. In some ways she almost felt as though she should be grateful, after all, there was no window and once the heavy, padded, outer door had been shut, closing off the doctor's office from the prison-cell-like floor-to-ceiling hinged array of vertical steel bars that kept her secure, the silence was very nearly perfect. In fact the only thing that tarnished that perfection was the rushing-hiss of white noise - and that, she knew, was only there to make absolutely certain that her isolation was complete. Even that, though, was not entirely the truth; there were times, if she had been perhaps particularly stubborn, when that background mush would be accompanied by an insistent and repetitive beeping. It was not particularly loud, just an irritating little bleep that would constantly interrupt a her train of thought and that seemed to come at irregular intervals like a sort of modern electronic take on the Chinese water torture until she would find herself incapable of concentrating on anything other than trying to predict the next bleep.
On this occasion she had been set the imposition of writing an essay; 'How I Benefit from Being Kept in Long-term Residential Psychiatric Care '. But how was she supposed to write something like that, how could she? And then there was that adjective included in the title - 'Long-term' - that was surely there purely to increase her feeling of hopelessness. And it worked - she had put pen to paper, carefully copied out the title in the copperplate hand that was always demanded, then she had simply sat staring at it while weeping uncontrollably until the time allocated had run out.
Staring at her reflection in the mirror, at least one thing the doctor had just said rang true to the girl, the part about her looking like a prison-camp waif. The double chin was anything but waiflike, and the pyjamas she was dressed in were definitely not quite as baggy as they had once been - but with their broad green and white stripes and soulless, shapeless design, what else did they look like other than a prison-camp uniform? Crestfallen, she looked away, tears welling.

Of Toilet Seats and Domestic Discipline

2010-11-21T11:58:00.004Z

Following my last posting 'Summertime75' posted the comment that: “Having just seen the illustration at the top of the page I immediately thought of Lavinia, talk about an extreme make over ”.

Well, that was exactly the impact it had on me when first I came across that particular illustration. I thought; “Hhmm, how cruel, yet how subtle”. As you can imagine the very last thing that popped into my mind was any connection with any notion of 'forced feeding' – not my 'bag' at all, that. No,no; I immediately conceived of something far, far subtler than that. After all, once in an institutional situation – no matter under what pretext – all sorts of possibilities open up. All sorts of methods of coercion and manipulation may be brought into play – the outcome, most dispiriting for any young lady with aspirations to becoming a dancer, actress or catwalk model! Of course there are also certain approaches that may be just as applicable within the domestic environment where the discipline of a pretentious, sullenly pouting young thing is paramount. I can say no more without giving too much away.

Talking of the domestic environment: the home can very soon, under the right circumstances and guidance, become worlds away from the usual interpretation of that term 'domestic' as the short piece written by an anonymous contributer and appended to my last update illustrates. Here I am talking about the piece dealing with his view of a 'Teenage Trollops Mentoring Program'. Although I am not generaly fond of the apparent involvement of officialdom, as alluded to by the visit of the police representative - preferring instead to conceive of situations beyond the potential scope of public or official scrutiny – I applaud the scenario he conceives of, if it might be achieved through some more private means. The only part I disliked was the section wherein he envisages a toilet seat being “embedded all round with sharp tacks and broken glass”. While I am all for it (the seat, that is) being fixed firmly in place, imagine - if you will - two narrow concentric rings of an electrically-conductive material embedded withing the plastic of the seat and carrying an electric charge between them capable of delivering a harmless yet stinging, jolting electric shock.

Now, I have to say many, many thanks to all those that left messages of support on my last update or that emailed me with encouragement. I have to say the response really surprised me and was incredibly heartwarming. Particularly sobering have been the messages I have received in my email inbox from those others of you out there in similar circumstances sharing your experiences. A problem shared is a problem halved, someone once said (probably) and it helps tremendously to be reminded that I am not alone in my lower moments; it's that sense of community.

'Imreadonly' made the point that depression can be a really tough disease to fight!” Ain't that the truth! It can also be rather difficult and strange to understand. For example; Friday was particularly bright, cheerful and sunny here in London, with a bright blue sky. I was up in front of the computer typing away within minutes – almost - of opening my eyes and glimpsing the shafts of sunlight filtering past the curtains and I got a whole chapter rounded out and placed within the book per se (the whole thing pretty much exists now but is fragmented). Saturday, although overcast, was filled with various chores which filled the time and got me through. Today is overcast too, very dull and nondescript, but the knowledge of having made a significant step forward towards publication of the new book on Friday seems enough to have motivated me to create this update. Added to the latter is the feeling that any progress I might make tomorrow will likely hinge on my achievements of today, even such a modest posting as this – hardily of any creative merit. So I guess what I am saying is that today's posting, though not saying much, is actually quite important in terms of getting the new work finished – does that make any sense.

While I have been writing this 'Desert Island Disks' has just started on the BBC featuring Alice Cooper, which I have to say has brought a smile to my face – quite surreal, really. But I guess to appreciate this you need to be familiar with that program and its long history. Bye for now!

An Open Letter and a Blushes Reader's Letters Page Scan

2010-11-16T12:33:00.007Z

As you will have read, I ended up staying on the IOW longer than anticipated. What I was a little loath to admit – and a little in two minds about sharing with you all - was that this was largely as a result of becoming… sort of locked in to a drinking binge which then continued on having eventually reached London. Having written to my collaborating illustrator in the ‘States’ with a few words of explanation – having all but lost contact due to my lack of feedback to him – I gave a second thought to this reticence, coming to the conclusion that you all deserve an explanation as to my increasing erratically-timed postings to this blog; not to mention the delays occurring to the production of the new volume. Today is only my 4th ‘dry’ day – and it still feels bloody awful. I get bouts of very deep depression in any case, but following such an extended binge (relatively rare, thankfully) it can get so, so much worse.

It wouldn't have been so bad if my (usually) trusty netbook computer had been working correctly. Usually when partaking of a few beers my mood is elevated, my imagination and enthusiasm are stimulated and I often get a lot of useful writing completed. But with the computer playing up, added to the ‘downer’ that comes after such a binge I have this overwhelming sense of remorse, having wasted so much time. Yes, I could have switched to pen and paper, which is how the first two books started out life, but to tell the truth, for a while, recently, I seem to have exhausted pretty much all my reserves of enthusiasm. I think this is partly due to the way that sorting out the story-flow of the new book – bearing in mind that the work now represents well over a year of writing, on and off - seems to have become such an insurmountable task. It has become a real ‘monster’ and undoubtedly, in hindsight, overambitious; with the result that at present it exists as a series of disjointed vignettes (if exciting vignettes, I guess – though to be honest all the focus required as led to my becoming more than a little jaded).

Well, here I am, full of ant-depressants. The herbal remedy, St Johns Wort, usually works for me whereas the SSRI type things the doctors often prescribe - Prozac and the ilk - don't do much for me. So I am on buckets of the stuff and forcing myself down the gym, as that often helps. To be honest it is always a little like this at this time of the year with the shortening hours of daylight – just not usually this bad.

At this stage it all seems so overwhelming; there seems so much left to do. If I can get going at all, I would really want to get at least the written version up and published in some form by xmas. If I can do that, then I think I’ll be able to keep going a little longer and put a couple of months aside to complete the illustrated version – but no more than that. I think that come February or thereabouts I'll want to wash my hands of the whole thing, including the blog (although I might change the direction of the blog, or start a new one) - it just doesn't do anything for me anymore. For now it is all about getting that spark ignited again. What it comes down to is that writing can be such an insular and lonely task (though the blog helps), especially when the subject matter makes it difficult to discuss it with those around me. It comes down to many hours sitting alone. And it is such a thankless task with little financial gain to be had; the commercial take-up of this genre of literature seems somewhat limited and, through Lulu at least, often days go by between sales; it is all dribs and drabs. But then again, if I don’t finish it… what happens to all those piles of part-written stuff I have built up over the past fourteen months or so?

.....

Finally: I have dug out this Blushes Reader’s Letters page (see above right) scanned and sent in by Allan. Thank god (thank Allan, anyway!) I still have a stockpile of these to provide a little light relief – I have little drive to get around to scanning any more of my own collection at the moment. It's that ever-popular 'adoptee' thing again! I am unsure of the origin of the illustration at the top of the page (something I blundered across a time ago on the webb somewhere) and I know nothing of the original storyline behind it. The latter makes it all the more intriguing, though, and although fat girls are not my thing it did at least inspire one particularly devilish idea - now woven itnto the new book's storyline. I just hope someone gets to read it some day. See y’all next time.

November Rain and Hovercraft Reminiscences

2010-11-08T17:15:00.003Z

Hi Orage and others (vie email), thanks for your comments as regards hovercraft routes. Gibraltar to Tangier? could be a little rough, that one!

Here in the UK there used to be a Hover ferry running between Pegwell Bay (Just outside Ramsgate on the Southeast Kent coast) and Calais, France. Big buggers they were, with four fans or propellers - one at each corner. The could carry cars, coaches and the like. I went on one as part of a school trip to Belgium, along with the coach we were traveling on - it was that sort of scale.

That was back in 1970 and the hovercraft was a SRN4 (SRN = Saunders-Roe Nautical 4). The old Isle of Wight passenger craft (when I went on one as a kid) were single fan driven SRN6s. It is interesting to note that the modern incarnation utilizes a pair of ducted fans as do the military versions.

The SRN4 cross-Chanel Hover ferries, though, were a sight to behold - the shear scale of the things! I traveled across to France on them on several occasions when I lived in Ramsgate and later Broadstairs. Yes they were quick - but they sure weren't for the faint of heart! On a calm day they were amazingly quick and equally smooth. Provide a change of tide, a little wind and a bit of a swell and... Let's just say that if you like roller coasters and similar fairground thrills you'd love it! It is telling that a sick-bag was provided, tucked within easy reach in a pouch in the back of the seat in front. At times a crossing could be likened to being a little like sitting in with a particularly deluded would-be rally driver on a switchback dirt track - and pissed. The thing would be surging along, then suddenly come to a near dead stop before then surging ahead with prodigious acceleration - pressing the passenger back in his or her seat - before again treating the unwary and unintentional thrill-seeker to a nauseatingly rapid deceleration that threatened to throw one's stomach contents all over the chap (or chap-ess) in front. I kid you not; I have a good set of 'sea legs' and once owned (late 1970s) a two-seater deep-V hulled boat capable of a solid 80 MPH on aa calm day at sea (don't know - nor care what that is in KPH; I'm in that sort of belligerent mood) but I reached for that paper haven more than once on one trip. Actually, that recollection brings to mind a good analogy - it was like being in a powerboat... with brakes!

By the way – it is absolutely peeing down here in London; currently at Highbury Corner in Weatherspoons pub (The White Swan – sounds picturesque, but isn't) where there is a beer festival ongoing (up until this coming weekend)and which had resigned myself to missing. hope to be getting on with a little writing shortly and have just bought a new tele' in a moment of madness.

Sorry to hear that some of you are having problems reading the Blushes reader's letters scans I recently posted. It is possible (likely even) that I over-did the resizing process I put them through in order to save web hosting space and upload time. Let me know if the problems are insurmountable and I'll repost as necessary - Ta!

Hovering Home and More spanking Letters from Blushes

2010-11-07T13:02:00.008Z

Sorry to have been away for so long. I had hoped to have made a couple of worthwhile full-sized postings from the Isle of Wight (IOW) (where, as you may have gathered I lingered somewhat longer than originally intended). But free WiFi access proved as rare as hen's teeth, and to cap it all the netbook developed a fault whereby the screen turned purple, making critical appraisal of images impossible even if it was still possible to write to some degree (a bit of a strain on the old 'peepers' though!). I have just this minute arrived back in 'The Smoke' (London) via an eclectic mix of transportation. Eclectic? you may ask – well, for example, how many out there have ever seen one of these things in the flesh? (see photo). Yes it is a hovercraft and I doubt there are many hovercraft routes still active in the world – this one runs between Ryde on the northeast end of the IOW and Southsea on the UK mainland south coast (just outside Portsmouth, where HMS Victory lives).

Quite a few have emailed me while I have been away to say how much they have enjoyed the Blushes letters posts sent in by Allan. I find them great for triggering off new ideas when things are getting stale on the writing front. And at times such as these – during which I have had little free time available, due to a mixture of traveling, writing and assorted domestic conflicts (the majority of which revolve around the time I spend writing – the rest around the time spent pubbing) – they provide a good source of content, taking the strain off yours truly. So here are a couple more to be getting on with (click to enlarge / view). See you'all later... Garth.

Thumblogger Problems - Continued

2010-11-03T15:35:00.008Z

Yes, as you may have noticed; no sooner did post a report that I'd fixed the pop-up problem (only this morning) then it recurred! I removed another Thumblogger blog from my blog link list earlier this afternoon and for a while the problem ceased... then it started up yet again!!! Arrrgh!!!! This is waisting so much time! I have now removed all links to Thumblogger hosted sites - sod 'em!!! I don't know what these Thumblogger types are up to and whether it is the fault of the individual blog authors or the Thumblogger host but from now on they can go without any traffic coming from my site - I for one will not be hosting links to any of their blogs in future. Actually, I was looking back through my blog archive a little earlier and realized I have run into this problem once before, when I posted up a link to Ladywriter on Sensualwriter (I think it was) again hosted by Thumblogger. The weird thing is that some of the links I have had to delete have been in situ on my blog link list for quite some time without problems.

Annoying, but Fixed!

2010-11-03T09:21:00.007Z

As you know, an error message demanding a password has recently and annoyingly been popping up stating something to do with hot-linking to: www.wastedblogs.com at hotlinking images (including favicon.ico) from thumblogger.com

For the technically minded among you: I looked through the HTML code and could find absolutely no reference to wastedblog.com. I then searched the source code to all references to thumblogger.com and systematically removed all blogs links pointing to that server.

.....

The culprit or rather culprits (there were three!) turned out to be; schoolgirlspankingstories.thumblogger.com, schoolgirlspankingstories.thumblogger.com, lesbiantoons.thumblogger.com. I would like to suggest that if they want to play that particular game I would urge you to vote with your feet and boycott visiting these sites! I have never knowingly hot-linked to anyone else’s material in my life - however, it does seem possibly more to do with thumblogger itself than anything else.

On a more positive note: It did give me the opportunity to catch one or two broken links and the blogs - Tickle My Bum and Real tears have both been removed as it seems they have closed down.

I am still on the Isle of Wight but will be returning sometime today, so you should get a more interesting posting tomorrow or Friday, all being well.

Popping-Up Pain

2010-11-01T10:00:00.003Z

In response to 'Orage' and the many others who have contacted me by email to flag-up the problems that have been occurring while I have been away. Many thanks, chaps. I am aware of the problem but only became so on Saturday, when I last had the opportunity to get on the Internet. I am still on the isle of Wight and will be so for a couple more days due to unforeseen circumstances (Translation: the sun has come out!) The pop-up appearing on this blog is a real pain, isn't it? This is not the first time this as happened and it is beyond me while anyone running a blog should put in place such a measure when surely all the listing of their site in my blog-roll is likely to do is increase their visitor frequency / business turnover (assuming some sort of commercial setup). As soon as I work out which link it refers to I will remove it - and from previous experience, that should fix the problem. This is a temporary post forced on me by this issue and will be removed / replaced as soon as I have dealt with the problem, which may have to wait for my return home due to the limited access to the Internet I have while on my travels. While I'm at it, my thanks go to Allen for providing the Blushes letters pages scans I have been featuring recently and my apologies for referring to him as Anon when in fact he is one of the few who does not employ the appellation of anonymous.

Blushes, Braces and Booze (And a Length of Pliant Malacca)

2010-10-22T08:50:00.005+01:00

Boy, did or I have a skin-full yesterday: Green King Abbot Special Reserve no less (6.7% alcohol by volume, wowza!!!). It was not all oblivion though; I did get another chapter of the new book finished. I've just got to read through it and make one or two corrections are no longer to send off to my illustrator chum in the States to see what he thinks of it and whether or not it triggers off in him any ideas as regards art work. It's just a little something that involves the enforced wearing of leg braces, something encouraged by various devious means, partly psychological partly physical, the psychological domination of a young girl by her implacably strict governess, the application of a swishy Malacca cane across defenselessly-bared chubby teenage buttocks and plump adolescent curves squeezed into a charmingly-sweet one-piece sailor-suit-styled acetate sleep suit and experiencing for the first time the intimate slickness of a night spent encased by the waterproofed final lining of the humiliating garment’s lower section. Of course it goes without saying that there are shutters on the windows and padlocks, steel bars and security devices in profusion - one can't be too cautious in this day and age of rising burglary rates.

Now, as I said last time, I'm off to the Isle of Wight in a couple of days time and may not have Internet access so I thought I'd use this opportunity to paste up another of those letters page from Bushes scans that were kindly sent me some time ago (click to enlarge) and also a bit of art work that I came across in my searches and that I found inspired me.

2010-10-19T13:05:00.009+01:00

Sorry, but I have been too busy of late to do much with the blog. I'm still hard at work refining the new volume or volumes (I'm still undecided) aiming to get them out by Christmas (can we still say that? No? It offends who? Oh! Those - we mustn't offend those! OK - The Mid-Winter Festival then). I am off to the Isle of Wight for a week this coming Sunday and although I'll be taking my computer I doubt I'll get much done, judging from my trip last year, so that's another week gone! The illustrator I have been working with has come up with yet another nice illustration, but I can't say much about that at the moment for fear of giving too much away of the plot (for what there is of it at the moment).

.....

I think that come Chris... I mean The Mid-Winter Festival... Yes, come the The Mid-Winter Festival anything not finished will have to remain that way as I am going to have to focus my energies on earning a decent crust. I am examining the idea of setting myself up in business as a personal trainer. I have a master's degree (M.Sc) in human nutrition from King's College, London and practically live in the gym (when not in the pub) and have done for more years than I care to think about. These days, for health and safety (and insurance) purposes one needs certain physical education qualifications but these can be acquired through a couple of short courses run by the YMCA among others
and in addition there is a specialised course to allow one to work with 'older people' (whatever they are - it's all relative, isn't it?) which I intend to undertake. That - along with nutritional advice and focus on improving body composition rather than on weight-loss per se - will be my USP (Unique Selling Point) in what is quite a competitive market. Basically my idea is to work with folk of around my own age or older, the advantage being that they can see what is possible and that they are not going to be asked to do anything that someone of their own vintage is not clearly capable of. In addition, having suffered most pitfalls and injuries over the years and come up against one or two age related limitations, I have an understanding of where the boundary lines exist and a good knowledge of working around those limitations. I'm sure you get the idea. So although I intend to make sure the illustrated version gets completed, any written material that doesn't make it in will just have to remain in limbo. One possibility I have been thinking about is handing over any incomplete work along with an outline sketch of the story direction I envisage to someone else to finish off - but we will just have to see how it goes for the time being.

.....

Now, I for one was enjoying our anonymous contributor's running tale appearing in the comments section and it seems a shame that he is now going to be posting it elsewhere (the link you can find in the comments under my last posting) especially as he is no longer posting as anon. That was the only problem I had with it - too many folk all using the moniker 'anon' - it was all getting terribly confusing. Partly it was my fault: I had intended to gather together all the separate parts of 'Anon's' Natalie reform school tale up to that point and publish them as a single post in the main section for ease of reading but never got around to it. I probably still will in some spare moment at some point. Now, as for today, I thought I'd put up a couple more scans of those old letters pages from Blushes et al that inspired me so much in the early days - these kindly supplied by an anon contributor. (I have lost the original email somehow - but thanks... and have you got any more? What a cheeky git, you're probably thinking!). Just click to enlarge and read. There are plenty more - including some I have scanned myself from my own magazine collection - scattered throughout the blog archive, try clicking on the relevant tags or use the archive search facility over on the right situated near the top of the sidebar. The pic I just came upon and just like - and it seems to fit in somehow with the sentiment.

An appeal to Sanity - Mine!

2010-10-13T11:54:00.004+01:00

All sorts of shenanigans have been going on in the comments sections of this blog of late revolving around an ongoing serialized tale being posted by an anonymous contributor about a young girl who finds herself unjustly incarcerated in a reformatory. In-between there has been a whole plethora of comments, not all relevant in even the tiniest way to the subject matter; neither the threaded storyline nor the original posting as created by yours truly. Then another ‘anon’ contributor decides to continue a much earlier thread right in the middle of it all.

A continuing piece, posted right in the centre of another continuing serialized piece in itself should not be a problem – intermittent and sporadic posts are part and parceled of comments as a concept. Where the confusion arises is in this habit of so many using the nomenclature of ‘anonymous’ – the casual reader can be forgiven for having little idea of who’s ‘voice’ he is hearing under such circumstances.

Now: Orage has recently posted a comment indicating that he would like to read the continuing story of Natalie's tribulations (a nice piece sent in by an anonymous contributor, not myself) “without other characters surreptitiously edging their way in”. Madmonkey, commenting on the same subject asks: “… is this story about Natalie going to be continued in the comments section in a similar manner as to which the story about Judith has been continued?” Meanwhile the anonymous author of said tale (Natalie's tale not Judith’s tale – see how confusing it can all become) himself bemoans that he can no longer add additional material pertaining to his story, vis-a-vie the next chapter, to the comments section of my last posting which currently hosts an incredible 26 comments.

The latter problem is probably due to some sort of limit set by Blogger on the number of comments attached to any one posting, but that is only a guess. All the rest can and will be dealt with, as I have said before, by my collating all the sections of the Natalie / reform school tale into one or more sections and presenting them as main posting subjects and then deleting the fragmented parts from the comments, especially the multiply-duplicated fragments. To this end I have requested the author of this thread to cease posting as comments, as the more fragments that build up the harder it will become for me to sort out. Actually, what would be useful would be if the anon author would kindly send all the parts of his work to me as email attachments as this would save me a significant amount of time and effort in collating and sorting out all the various scattered fragments. One idea I have had, since the work seems to be blossoming into a near novel-length tale, is for me to create a dedicated folder / album for it attached to the blog.

The problem I have at present with all this is that right at this minute I am pretty much buried up to my neck with completing my own latest work while still deciding whether to re-organize and publish as one or two books. Thus if you do have any very long contributions to make and that you would like others to read through without interruption then please send direct to me via email.

A Tale to Come - Even if not one of Mine

2010-10-07T12:14:00.004+01:00

A correspondent – Madmonkey - recently made the following comment referring to a story posted as a series of comments attached to my last post: “How about a description of the uniform itself? Perhaps also a bit about how the uniform she now wears compares to what she normally wears. Details make the story seem so much more real to the reader.“ To which I would add: my Sentiments exactly, old chap. That was one aspect that so often I found disappointingly lacking in the literature I used to buy through the 1980s and 90s and subsequently encountered 'on-line'. The absence detailed descriptions of suitably humiliating uniforms in spanking literature was one of several related frustrating and unsatisfying points that finally drove me to begin to writing my own stuff. Other sadly missing aspects included a lack of originality and imagination in the depiction of said uniforms - where some detail was discussed – a marked lack of imagination applied to the matter of punishment, with a near total neglect of psychological aspects and other subtle coercive methods, little thought given to the development of some sort of at least semi-plausible scenario (and even a casual perusal of near-history supplies plenty) and a tendency to escalating repetition when it came to an author's 'pet thing'. These are all aspects that I set out to correct in my own writing (to what extent I have so far succeeded I leave up to the reader to decide). Suffice it to say that there are quite detailed accounts of the design of the uniforms as worn both by those in authority and those in their charge within the pages of the first two volumes of the INSTITUTIONALISED series – there are even more detailed descriptions – both institutional and from the possibilities that open up within the domestic-discipline arena with a little imagination - peppering the pages of the upcoming volume. At the same time, in my writing I try to remain cognisant of the final point I made above – the danger of the accusation of repetitiveness, thus the comment I made in an earlier posting in these pages.

The story to which Mr Madmonkey was referring has been developing in installments – as I have said – as a series of comments, and so might be missed by some (I know that I don't always read the comments posted when visiting a blog). For that reason - and for improved clarity - I shall shortly be reposting the anonymous contributors work here, in one or two chunks depending on length, for all to see and appreciate.

While on the subject of repletion; in order to keep the comments section manageable, having gathered together all of the work of Mr Anonymous posted thus far and amalgamated it as a single post (or two) here in the main section I intend to then delete the duplicated sections that were apparently created due to some sort of communications error in the comments section.

I personally would love to read more of this chap's stuff and I think that if there is a fair amount more to come – and I for one hope there is – it might be easier if the writer could kindly send the sections direct to me via email. I'm easy to contact – and always up for a chat! My email is: toyntanen@googlemail.com

Cheers, folks!

Punishment Dress: More Inspiration Taken from Blushes Reader’s Letters Pages

2010-10-04T15:48:00.008+01:00

Hi folks! I'm a little pushed for the time at the moment as I'm struggling to get the new work out there and finished by Christmas and it may well end up published as two distinct volumes, with all the extra work that will entail (three, if one counts the planned illustrated version of one of the books). The rational behind spliting the tale into two distinct books is twofold: One: the total number of pages if presented in one book as it is at the moment would be colossal. Two: the storyline follows two distinct characters, both of whom you have met before, along two very distinct and very separate pathways. These paths only overlap to any extent to a very small degree.

.....

On the other hand it may be possible to pare away certain areas where the commonality between the two timelines threatens to introduce too much repetitiveness. After all there is a limit to how many times even the most ardent uniform discipline aficionado, for example, would want to read a detailed description of an ultra strict, ultra restrictive, school uniform imposed on a petulant teenager (or is there? you tell me!).

The reason I would like to finish by Christmas is because - to put it bluntly - money is getting a little short this end; I get very little return financially from book sales and the amount that I've taken from my savings this year to support myself has already exceeded that which I had scheduled and is already threatening to eat into the funds that I had earmarked for next year for various projects. In short I shall need to set aside a little time to seek some form of supplementary income: vis-à-vis a job! You can get an idea of how serious the situation has become by the fact that I plan to forego my usual visits to the pub throughout the month of October and to limit my enjoyment to only two or three visits, at the very most, in the month of November (timed to catch the end of the Wetherspoon's beer festival with any luck).

.....

As a change of subject: The above chatter over the imposition of strict, restrictive uniforms on recalcitrant young ladies brings to mind the notion that in the domestic or private institution scenario the dividing line between such dress discipline and what might be described as punishment dress can easily become blurred - a thought that came to mind when reading through a couple of the scanned reader's letters pages taken from that marvelous publication of the 1980s and early 90s: 'Blushes' in preperation for today's post. So without further ado here's a couple more of the pages sent in courtesy of our kind contributor 'Alan' (I just had to cut out and zoom in on that natty little drawing!). Needless to add that to read, just click on each page to enlarge. See Y'all!

Blushes Reader's Letters Pages Inspiration

2010-09-29T16:18:00.004+01:00

I've just been lucky enough to have received via email a whole series of scans taken from the reader's letters pages of that grand old institution, the Blushes, Whispers and New Uniform Girls magazine stable (many thanks Allen). Longer-standing readers of this blog will remember the letters pages scans I published taken from my own collection that I used to illustrate the type of thing that went to inspire my writing. As the contributor himself says: “Breast punishment and leering old men, you can't beat it, and this letter is also illustrated with a rather pretty girl”. Indeed, old chap! Indeed! I have to say I've had great fun reading through all these great old letters pages.

Most I have had in my collection at one time, but long, long ago, before I sold a few off and then gave away many of the rest. Why? Who knows? That was all long before I had ever thought about writing my own stuff of course, although the memory of the imagery conjured in my imagination when originally I'd leafed through those pages is still fresh enough in my mind to have informed some of the events presented in my publications - including the unfinished new one.

One other area that would crop up from time to time within those same pages and could always be counted on to generate a fascinating and imaginative discourse was that of institutional 'admission procedures', especially those dealing with the importance of the psychological implications behind the ritualistic nature and design of those procedures. Those letters that I could still locate in the remnants of my collection I have already scanned and shared with the readership of this blog - tagged with the term, 'inspirations' or something similar I believe, just in case any of you want to look them up in the blog archive. While I'm at it, I'd just like to point out that for your delectation and delight I have today added a link to a diapered girls blog – check out the blog listing in the sidebar on the right.

An Apology from the Central Department of Dodgy Links

2010-09-25T16:14:00.004+01:00

What can I say? Flushed with the excitement of the moment - and a little too much ale - I neglected to put in the link from the illustration at the top right of my last posting to the artist's site. Suffice it to say that I have now remedied the problem and a click on the aforementioned pic will whizz you straight to his site. As a little compensation, here is an intriguing little number from that great doyen of spanking art, Paula Meadows (Lynne Paula Russel - a link to her site can be found over in the right hand sidebar, listed under 'Useful Resources'). The question is whether or not the young lady's outfit qualifies as a form of specialized punishment dress and thus part and parcel of her discipline. Is it intended to facilitate / augment corporal punishment or humiliate or is it just part of some rather edgy in-vogue fashion and worn by choice. If the latter, then the question becomes; should it be allowed or should the caning be closely followed by her being handed her new school uniform? By the way; for any who might be interested, despite the time of year it is sunny and bright here in London and I'm sitting out working in the garden - I wonder how long this will last? I am going to award myself one more day out in the pub next week, the proviso being that in that day I get the final outstanding part of the new book finished - the section wherein one luckless young thing receives a visit in the institution in which she has become incarcerated from her guardian and that formidable hellion woman's tame lawyer: there are some papers to be signed and the ever-present threat of the cane is there overshadowing events... Yum!

Art, Liberty Bodices, Discipline and Crashes

2010-09-23T10:45:00.008+01:00

Hi peoples, init. I know, I know, yet another week gap. But I have been hard at it in the background, bashing away at the new book. There is so much written, one year in, that that I am considering rearranging the work into two distinct volumes – for clarity of storytelling rather than for any financial advantage; I get very little out of this financially anyway. Almost everything is now written to some degree or other, except for a couple of short scenes and one major scene that will likely take me a day. I could of course simplify by leaving out some of the descriptive scene-setting stuff. But as I have said before: the whole aim, when I first set out down this path, was to try and create some form of spanking literature - incorporating discipline / submission, humiliation, petty rules, restrictions and uniforms and multiple other disparate fetishes, as long as they could be fitted within the framework sensibly – having proper scene-setting, character development, dialog and all the rest, set out within some plausible premise, just as one would expect to find within any other genre one might come across on the high-street bookshelves. Wow! What a long sentence! Better wait to get your breath back.

In the interim I came upon a site run by an illustrator with some rather out of the ordinary imagery for the genre. I particularly liked the artist’s rendition of what appears to be a good old-fashioned liberty bodice on the girl in the first drawing (above) - very imaginative if set in the modern period… and a garment you will encounter a character being put in within the new book, as luck would have it. Little details such as the puff-sleeved blouses worn by the girls in the second illustration all add to the atmosphere of restriction and discipline, while the third is just perfect for all those that like the idea of drill impositions (bottom). The artist sells his work commercially - and I don’t ordinarily promote commercial sites outside of the couple that I am an affiliate of - but I urge you too check out his stuff. You can find his work on www.spankingcharm.wordpress.com (click the pic at top left or check out the blog listing in the right hand sidebar).

One other thing that has held me back was that on Monday – a day I had planed to set aside a little time to update the blog, I suffered a major computer crash that resulted in my having to reload Windows from scratch - with all that goes with that!!!! Luckily the book stuff is spread in duplicate between two computers and occasionally backed up on to CD. Also luckily I had backed up a lot of other stuff on to an independent drive on the same computer back in July – but I lost anything I had downloaded to my various illustration and inspirational collections throughout August. The worst hit potentially was the voice recognition software I use, as one has to train it to one’s voice – not too bad, as it only takes around 15 – 20 minutes – and it learns through experience and correction, improving in accuracy as one uses it. This latter aspect at first seemed disastrous, as I had been using it practically none-stop for two years and it had gone from being quite unreliable to being pretty good at interpreting my voice over that time… Then I discovered that I had backed-up its ‘user files’ a few months back and so was able to reinstate its vocabulary to a point when it had already become quite competent. In short I lost around a day and a half in total but am now up and running again – touch wood!!!

Drop-Seat Pyjamas: Sifting Through Fantasies and Sieving Thoughts

2010-09-14T14:35:00.005+01:00

There have been several comments emailed me recently regarding my infrequent posting of late. The thing is, my view is that a blog should be a work of enthusiasm - something driven by inspiration and carrying at least some modicum of an enthusiastic air about it; hopefully infectious and inspirational in its turn. The trouble with all of that is that is infinitely difficult to be enthusiastic about anything when one is a depressive and going through a phase of plumbing the depths of despair. Not that I am permanently depressive; my mood can go up and down with the coming out of the sun or the clouding over of the sky. It's why I drink so damn much - I am nearly always 'up' with a pint or two of the realist of real ale in me - and that's more often than not when the real work gets done! But conversely, there are days I can barely get out of bed. The gym works too in elevating my mood (which at least keeps me fit – I'll have to show off my abdominals one day on here: remind me), but I have to get there first! So, although the blog is sort of bobbing along, I have not been able to update it as often as I'd like. I have been in various pubs a lot since getting back and although I can write well enough in a pub (actually a few beers are good for the imagination) updating the blog is another question entirely, because of the pictorial element to it and the need to view the blog itself in order to judge the final result (the layout often differs substantially from the preview, which on Blogger seems to be largely useless). There are too many prying eyes peering over the shoulder, and too many judgmental views likely to be expressed here in London – as I have intimated before.

While on the subject of my bulging (I wish) email box I totally love these drop-seat pyjama pics I was recently sent - very juvenile. In terms of story telling; in an institutional setting I'm not so sure it works. But if introduced within the more intimate, personal atmosphere of the domestic environment I love the idea. In fact I have already invoked such a scenario within a piece I have part-completed - but whether I use it in the upcoming volume or in the 'true' volume 3 (which continues on directly from where volume 2 left off) - if it ever gets written) I have yet to decide. I'd love to use the idea in vol 3 but as you will have read (I hope) at the culmination of volume 2; although it is a sort of 'domestic' arrangement the two girls concerned in that scene are about to enter, it is a very strange one indeed. Without giving too much away: basically volume 3 was planned to revolve around a sort of faux-Victorian world constructed within an English country manor house and so complete that the girl's two new 'siblings' – two pretty teenagers already in residence and completely under the thumb of their stern governess and nanny - have become convinced that they really do live in the Victorian era - albeit with a little psychological persuasion – with all the restrictions, petty rules and possibilities for discipline that brings to mind. The thing is: do drop-seat PJs really fit into what amounts to a Victorian boarding school scenario? The other possibility is that our young Lavinia - the girl left behind in the institution at the end of vol 2 and who's previous pre-institutionalisation life forms part of the new volume I am currently working on - was put in drop-seats by her aunt when resident in her aunt's home. Even better, if the institutional discipline scene is favored, is the possibility of their imposition in the church-run charity home for wayward and runaway girls that also features in the upcoming volume.

Such considerations form part and parcel of the type of problem currently holding me up. Generally put; it the issue of putting together the various chunks of writing I have completed into some sort of logical flow and deciding what to put in (and where) and what to leave out. For example; some of the ideas I had while away on holiday are more suitable for inclusion in the true volume 3 - which at one time I was uncertain I would even bother to write at all. But I am loath to brush over those ideas and have been trying to get them down on 'paper'. Actually, while reading through various bits and pieces and scenarios I have finished recently, I have begun to wonder as to whether I might not be too far from being able to split the work in two, with a little extra effort, and produce two books for the price of one, so to speak.

To keep you up-to-date: I have just returned to a section that I was working on and abandoned earlier in the year and that involves a perfectly healthy teenage girl becoming convinced that she requires leg calipers. Later on she is encountered as a residential 'volunteer' subject in an experimental psychology study that involves the deliberate induction of stammering, dressed in a very strict school uniform and with her leg calipers, now each kept fastened by a series of padlocks set along its length. Obviously I have mentioned it before but any ideas along these lines anyone?

2010-09-08T12:44:00.004+01:00

And so this is Christmas, or so it would seem,
another year over - so soon it has been.
But it sure must be Christmas,
though the days still be long.
It says so in the 'Wethers' (local pub)
and Tim can't be wrong (Tim Martin, CEO of the Wetherspoons chain).
With apologies to the late John Lennon (not that he cares - he's dead and out of it! Which just goes to show my present state of mind).

Cynical? Yeah, I guess you could say so. But it's a cynicism based on bitter experience - that's what life does to one. There are times that, sitting here, I can envisage little more attractive than stepping out into the midst of the Woodgreen / Turnpike Lane traffic. Not that it would achieve much other than an excruciatingly slow death, given that the average speed along the local highways and byways here hovers around that which might be expected of a particularly respectful horse-drawn funeral procession. But then, swigging back the second or third tankard of the day (today's tipple being the insanely strong Abbot Special Reserve - weighing in at an impressive 6.5% alcohol by volume and possibly lethal in large doses to the unwary), one opens ones email and lo and behold, more often than not a smile comes to one's face. No less true than today, people, when upon opening my mail mere moments ago I found myself faced with this gem, yet another of the set I posted so many moons ago originating I believe from the Spic and Span magazine stable published in the sixties and to which I owe so much in terms of my descriptions of the school-type uniforms featuring in the INSTITUTIONALISED series. I have boosted the contrast ( strictly speaking the 'Gama' if we are to be technical) and I think the detail revealed is remarkable. Notable are the integral belt loops and the breast pocket detail, the perfect space to fill with a colourful and suitably humiliating badge and slogan. If one needs a guide to the sort of thing I am - or will be - eluding to in the domestic discipline / 'schoolroom' scenes in my stuff this is it!

Domestic Uniform Thoughts Back in the UK

2010-09-03T15:09:00.001+01:00

Hi folks! I’m back in the UK and raring to go! To be absolutely honest with you I have been back for a couple of days now but today is the first I have decided to designate as what I would call a ‘working day’ - one has to start somewhere. I seem to have returned to something of a mini heat wave here in Angle-land and so decided to spend a couple of days touring around several pubs I've been meaning to visit for some time as a sort of holiday extension. Not that I've been entirely idle you understand; certainly the first day I have to admit that I didn't get much written as I visited my local Wetherspons pub wherein various friendly and well-meaning folks kept pitching up and joining me at my table. As much as ordinarily I'd welcome the company and diversion it was a bit of a shame that by the time I was left to my own devices again I was too pissed to continue! Yesterday was far more productive, although I'm not at all sure where the piece I was working on fits in the greater scheme of things. One aspect that has come to interest me, while I have had time away to think, is the concept of the subject, assuming a domestic environment, being placed under another's control who has been charged to act as a proxy in the absence of the dominant character. This seems especially potent if the person placed in temporary authority is someone who ordinarily would herself serve in some sort of subservient role. For instance one can easily imagine the gall felt by the pretty teenage stepdaughter placed by her haughty overbearing and domineering stepmother or guardian under the supervisory control of the housekeeper. Just imagine the thought processes running through the girl's mind as out in the kitchen she is loudly berated by the elderly housekeeper for having the collar button of her crisp nylon overall unfastened or perhaps having a stocking seam crooked and out of place - and all within easy earshot of her stepmother's or guardian’s guests. Perhaps one or two of the latter might be accompanied by their daughters, contemporaries of, or perhaps even ex-acquaintances of, the deeply shamed girl! Yes, I know it's been done before, most famously I think in the novel, Emma's Secret World, by Hilary James - or was in its sequel; I can't quite recall. But I think there is a lot more mileage that can be got from the idea if one revolves it around the central concept of the gradual introduction of some form of ‘domestic’ or ‘home uniform’ of her guardian of stepmother's own devising as a means to at first curbing then finally subjugating the girl to her will. One can imagine harsh angry tones emanating from the scullery and cutting through the gentle cream-tea-and-scones chatter of the well-to-do ladies gathered in the sitting room and the clink of their setting down their bone china teacups, all the better to overhear the carrying on. One can imagine the occasional amused smile and half stifled giggle as they hear their host’s housekeeper sternly issuing the reminder that it might well be the hottest day of the year so far and the new rubber corsellete her guardian had recently purchased for her might well be feeling uncomfortable but every button of her dress was to be kept fastened and that included the collar and the cuffs… and yes, she was to wear that new nylon tabard properly fastened over the top.

Of course I haven't given up on the institutional discipline side of things either in the above picture I found particularly intriguing is one thing I've always found interesting is the concept of an inmate in a privately run prison or asylum perhaps, being visited by the person responsible for their incarceration and being punished by that person. That is what this particular picture says to me. The woman in the background wears a tie suggesting some form of prison guard uniform, which helps set the scene, and the well-dressed woman I imagine as the visitor. What the plate laid in front of the inmate is all about I've yet to decide - any ideas anyone?

Holiday Slipperings and Other Cocktails?

2010-08-20T18:54:00.011+01:00

As you know I am on the Greek island Zante. Well I have know been able to borrow a 2-pin power adapter. This has to be one of the most isolated hotels in the world – no decent shops within walking distance; they weren't kidding when they said it was a quiet resort!. At least I have been able to get a little work done on the new book, though thus far not as much as I'd like (but I have seen a sea turtle – which was different!). The wildfire I could see raging on a neighboring island that I mentioned last time went on well into the night and I did my best to capture something of it (first pic – the small lights along the bottom are from resorts and coastal properties) on my clapped-out old digital camera (nice zoom, shame about the rest). Note to self: buy a new one, SOON!

I also came across this sign on the door to the hotel's poolside bar (2^nd pic, right) that seems to threaten a slippering to anyone daring to enter with wet feet – over the knee or over a table I wonder? A discipline-minded bunch this lot – it seems the other guests get slippered too if one transgresses! Cheers – one ever-so-slightly camp cocktail the 'other half' thought it 'fun' to order for me: bring back the great British pint, that's what I say! (Photo left).

See y'all! CHEEEERS!!!!

A Holiday Post

2010-08-17T19:22:00.002+01:00

Hi

Here I am on Zante, one of the Greek islands. Can't say much now as batts low on computer (nothing new there, then) but amazingly hot, as one would expect. Not much here, but one thing is what would appear to be a wildfire on what I take to be a neighboring island – looks a bit like a volcano, doesn't it! More soon I hope and also I hope to get a little writing done if I can find a power adapter – they use 2-pin plugs here it seems!. See y'all later!

Going Beyond all Logic

2010-08-13T12:57:00.009+01:00

Well, that's how I see it! I have been forced to remove the links to the site / sites featuring the vintage content I referred to last time. The reason was the sudden and unexpected appearance of a 'pop-up' window associated with the links I had posted. The mind fairly boggles: surely the whole point of a blog / site is to be noticed. Well, as I said in the comment I appended to my last posting: bollocks to them - and I mean that quite sincerely folks, as an old TV celeb here in the UK used to say. 'Ladywriter', or whatever her real moniker. has a great site and yet apparently wants to dissuade people from visiting it, or at least from advertising its existence - does that make sense? Not to me it don't! Yes, that is bad grammar but what the fuck - I'm truly pissed off! As it is we live in a world of nation-nanny paranoia over here in the UK. For example; one of my two 'other halves' works as an exponent of pediatric dietetics but can't mention that former part of he job description for fear that the 'pedo' bit be misunderstood. Yes it is that bad over here - our government as was (Labour) liked to call it 'multi-culturalism'; I call it repressive, outmoded and redundant medieval views imposed by bully-boy tactics by bearded men that wear dresses and that then force their women folk to squint through letter-box slits out the world outside. All I have to say is that the English pronunciation of the name of the capital of Pakistan says it all – think about it! As for the pics: This is where I am – my home away from home, if you will. Yet it is neither free, nor is it a house. The street views should say the rest: I don't know what you have seen / heard / read of London, but this is the truth of it! No wonder I'm off to the Greek islands! The other thing is my beloved synth-thing – for all those that love Moog: it isn't! This is a modular system from a German company called Doepher (or something like that) – quite modern!

Walking Abroad

2010-08-12T20:04:00.012+01:00

Time seems to go so fast as one ages. Indeed, yet another week has flown past without an update; for which I apologize. Not that I can even claim to have utilized every second in writing, but the creative process doesn't quite work like that: if there is nothing to write, then there is no point in putting pen to paper or the equivalent. On the other hand, following several loose threads has lead to the discovery of a trio of productive inspirational veins to follow. The first offering I have is Spankoz Spanking Blog, as aways click on the site name to visit or checkout the blog list in the right hand sidebar. If you like the vintage approach to spanking illustration and art you could do little better than check out the Spanking Art Blog on Ladysensualwriter.com - as above to visit. On the other hand there is also Vintage Visions Spanking and erotic art. This is a site that is "dedicated

to the way artists, illustrators and photographers in the past showed their views on erotica and erotica related to spanking, masochistic erotica and fetishes" and that can be found hidden away in the 'Useful Resources' section of the right hand sidebar... 'Nuff said! The pics are a good representation of all three... but I can't remember which came from where! Meanwhile: Five am UK time Sunday should see me jetting off to a Greek island from London Airport, Gatwick - no, I can't remember the name! I'll be there ten days or so but hope to post on the move as I'm taking the faithful netbook with me, so I'll let you'll know where and when. Rest assured, though, that the work on the new book continues and my aim is that by the time I return to the UK the majority of the writing phase will have been completed; the other half likes little better than to lie by the pool all day meaning that I shall have little to distract me for ten days or so - not even booze!

Dental Treatment, Discipline and Despair

2010-08-04T11:09:00.005+01:00

I just love this pic (left) I have been sent (possibly originating from Medical Toys - web address in the 'Useful Resource' list in the right hand sidebar). It just so happens that I have recently been revisiting a piece I wrote that is destined either for the new book or for the true INSTITUTIONALISED volume 3 that should shortly follow it if all goes to plan - so you can imagine how this pic has stimulated the little grey cells! Imagine the aim is to curb the over exuberant teenage girl so as to ease the imposition of strict domestic or institutional discipline and all that goes with it – the juvenile uniform, the humiliating impositions, the hours of corner-standing, corporal punishment and the rest and the rest. There is much that can be achieved through the fitting of a lingual arch that just happens to interfere with the travel of the tongue or confidence-sapping teeth braces that make any glance at the vanity mirror a trial to be avoided with downcast eyes. Either can be expected to result in a much quieted, less self opinionated and more complacent young lady. Physical pain and suffering should not form any part of the equation of course and one would expect the relevant necessary level of anaesthesia and analgesia to be provided throughout. Indeed the use of a general anaesthetic has all sorts of advantages well beyond creative dentistry: for example a little surreptitious well-thought-out application of Botox conjures all sorts of morale-crushing possibilities. Then of course there is even the possibility of one or two extractions having taken place – which might appeal to the more extreme-minded. Personally I prefer to think of the more subtle. But nevertheless, though physical suffering may be entirely circumvented in this scheme, the psychological agony after the fact may be made all the more intense. Then afterwards the governess or other authority figure might well take it on herself, through some half-feigned concern, to closely observe her charge’s speech - to that young lady’s discomfiture - until the latter should stutter or stumble. A swift word or two of criticism and a stern request for the hapless young thing to repeat a sentence or two of lisped, mispronounced or stammered content should then be enough to get the ball rolling… (Right - a pretty smile, but for how much longer?)

More Blogs Gone!

2010-07-29T13:13:00.006+01:00

Yup! I had another quick rummage through the blog list this morning and found two more blogs that have ceased to exist: 'Uncle Peter's Spanking Stories' and 'UK Spanking' have both been deleted and thus I have removed them from my sidebar blog list. A blog shutting down due to its author's demise is one thing, but let's hope that that these other deletions I have come across are not the vanguard of a trend towards loosing interest in blogging within the spanking community in particular or within the fetish community as a whole. What would be a gloomier portent would be if these disappearances proved to be part of a crackdown on the fetish community and the work of the burgeoning squads of internet thought-police and other 'concerned groups'. Let's hope that does not prove to be the case, but this phenomenon of blog shutdowns does seem to be accelerating! I did find this, though! Which cheered me up no end!

Changing the subject: I have finally changed my profile picture (see sidebar on right), though this will not change the pic associated with comments and postings I have made in the past. I have to admit this is still something of an interim solution as it does still show me as a youthful 42 year old. I did once post up a more recent photo of my fizog, taken of the computers webcam while swilling beer outside the very same public house wherein I am presently ensconced and from whence I am talking to you today. The thing is: I hate being photographed. Saying that; there have been one or two taken fairly recently that might make for a suitable current alternative so I'll see what I can sort out. I have also started to develop a FaceBook presence and although there is nothing of interest there at the moment, I intend in due course to develop a sort of socially-shared personal archive and develop a network of like-mined 'friends' (a few women would be nice! ...Hmmm... Perhaps there are advantages in keeping a ten year old profile shot!).

Blogs Coming - But Mostly Going: A Sad Departure

2010-07-28T12:00:00.003+01:00

I have just been informed of the sad passing of the author of ‘A taste of the birch’ which has now been duly removed from the blog list. Sad news, even though I didn’t know the author - my commiserations go out to his family and friends. I took the opportunity to have a quick skim through sidebar the blog list and found that ‘Spanking machines’ and ‘Count Tradition (Maid’s Uniforms)’ had also vanished and so they too have now been deleted from the list. Please always let me know if and when you come across a broken link or dead site as little bugs me more when visiting a site then finding long-dead links all over the place – and I don’t want this to become one of the aforementioned annoying sites. Bye the way; the pic today is from ‘Simply Slippering’ one blog that does still exist out there.

.....

Some folk apparently don’t like the beer moustache in my profile photograph. It’s not a real one, you understand, just something that occurred by accident when I was messin’ with the image and that I decided to keep. I am not so coy now, so very soon a new unadulterated photo shall be substituted for it – just for you! Now it’s back to writing – and perhaps a few pints down at the Turnpike Lane Wetherspoons later (The Tollgate). If you see me there, computer balanced on lap (surreptitiously nicking the pub’s electricity) and pint in hand, don’t be shy – come up and have a chat; I only very rarely bite! Not if you feed me a few peanuts, anyway!

Another Week, Another (Lulu) Gremlin - And a Special Offer!

2010-07-27T10:33:00.007+01:00

Another week has drifted by in a confused haze of hard work and inspired struggle. So many ideas, so few words to paint them... And then, at this stage, one has to decide what to leave out - and that can often be hardest of all. But then again it is hard to maintain impetus when one receives an email from an outlet admitting that ones work has not appeared in the search results of visitors to their site for several weeks because of the action of 'gremlins'!!! None of this affects sales channels run through Andrews UK LTD such as the various eBook formats I must hasten to add (click to visit their site or check the links to the eBook editions displayed in the right hand sidebar). To Lulu's credit; they have created a discount scheme running for a limited period to compensate (click the advertisment below to take advantage and enter the code displayed on the add - BEACHREAD305)... and it did only affect volume 2 I suppose.

By way of a change of tack; I have added a couple of links to the 'Useful Resources' section of the right hand sidebar recently pointing to 'Mind Control Comics.com' and 'Mind Control Theatre.com. The latter showcases several interesting films, certain of which seem not totally unrelated in terms of content to some part of the angle that I approach my writing from; though I tend to explore 'around the edges' a lot more. It is important to note that the subject of mind control is only one component among many making up the story arc of the INSTITUTIONALISED series, others of which include, but are not limited to' C.P, discipline, incarceration and uniforms - the latter is seen both a bolster to project authoritarianism and as a tool for humiliation and to promote submissive behaviour in the wearer.

.....

In addition; I recently (ie; in the last couple of weeks or so) added a new blog to the sidebar blog list in response to an email - but I have forgotten the title and now can't find the original email. Perhaps, have a flick through and check for anything you have not come across before?

Enforced Addiction and the Pathway to Discipline

2010-07-20T14:04:00.003+01:00

Been a bit busy, what with my birthday being over the weekend and all! Happy birthday to me!!! Hurray!!! Hope I have not posted this bit before, but here is a tiny snippet from the new book. It is taken out of context and needs work... but here is your chance to play editor and point out the typos and stuff that just don't make sense. Perhaps none of it does - but I'm a little depressed at the moment and apt to look on the dark side. The pic is just something that someone anonymously contributed - I wish I new where it came from as the full-sized, full quality version would be interesting.

Enforced Addiction and the Pathway to Discipline

The raven-haired teenager shook her head solemnly, tears welling in her lovely deep-violet eyes. She was sitting hunched on the side of her bed, the barred side having been folded down out of the way, gazing down at her open palm where only moments earlier had rested two innocuous-looking little green and gold plastic capsules. To her right the foam-filled pillow still retained some semblance of the outline of her head, the subtle gently-creased indentation gradually subsiding and fading from the flounced pink latex covering. To her left the water still sloshed to and fro in the half-drained plastic tumbler squatting accusingly on the narrow wheeled bed table, a Formica-topped hospital-style affair which spanned the bed and which could be slid across as necessary.
Her hands still shook a little, but already the tremors were subsiding. The overwhelming feeling of panic that mere moments before had been uncontrollably welling up in her breast and threatening to swallow her whole, was easing also. Of course it was far too soon to be due to any pharmacological effect of the medication - but what did she know of that, any more than she understood that the underlying cause of her condition was itself, at least in origin, as much the result of psychology and the power of suggestion as was the immediacy of the respite. She felt as if a gently-comforting warmth was spreading throughout her body - whether real or imaginary she couldn't tell - and with it, a kind of a feeling of surrender, of having given in, that was in itself comforting to some degree. But there was remorse too, anger, even a little self-pity:
She had been doing so well -why had she given in? How long had it been, a week? Might it have been longer? It was difficult to tell for sure. Aunt Julia tended to encourage her to remain in her room for much of her time in any case, but had been even more insistent of late, arguing that it would make it easier for her to handle if she really did insist on giving up on taking her sedatives. And she had slept such a lot; in hindsight it was difficult to discern where one day had ended and the next had begun.
But why had she come over drowsy as often as she had since giving up her medication? Jitteriness, creeping flesh, that horrid, 'wired' feeling she had on occasion experienced and that her aunt described as her having ‘ants-in-the pants’; all this and more she would have expected. In its stead there had come a sort of marshmallow-brained lethargy coupled with a bone-aching weariness and a pleasant meadow-sweet urge to sleep that there had seemed no sense in fighting. Why, she had no idea, but in a way she had been glad to give in to slumber - there was little or nothing to occupy her in her room and on the few occasions when she had ventured downstairs... Well, her aunt didn't really agree with her watching television and turned it off when ever she was in the room and she had never come across a radio in the house. There was a bookcase, in her aunt's private study, but it had been made abundantly clear to her on the very first morning after her arrival that the word ‘private’ meant exactly that - besides, the door was invariably kept securely locked when Aunt Julia was not in occupation in any case.
She hadn't really thought about it before, but she had never as much as seen a newspaper left lying around. But now that she came to think about it; it did seem rather odd that no newspapers magazines or other publications were ever delivered, at least to her knowledge. She would have thought that a woman who worked from home to the extent that Aunt Julia appeared to would have taken out subscriptions to several periodicals, simply for convenience sake. She decided that Aunt Julia must be someone who pick’s up her post promptly - it certainly fitted with her aunt's impatient nature and obsession with efficiency and neatly explained why she had never seen as much as a circular or a piece of junk mail lying on the mat by the door, let alone a letter. Come to think of it, she had not as much as heard the post arrive, nor glimpsed the postman. She had not heard the crunch of his boots on the gravel outside, not ever, not even when she been in her old bedroom, the room she had been given when she had first arrived - a simple pretty little country-cottage bedroom that did not look like part of a sanatorium and which had dainty windows that opened out into the summer sunshine rather than being double or triple glazed to the point of near-perfect soundproofing and perpetually hidden behind heavy ‘blackout’ drapes.
She used to write copious letters, then, when she had first arrived. She would write daily to old school friends, the boy she had been fond of - and had once had a burgeoning relationship with - and the family solicitor, the latter in an attempt to make some inroads into starting an action against her guardian. Aunt Julia would post them for her whenever she went into town. She would listen intently each day for the post to arrive, sometimes even going as far as to hover around in the short passageway behind the front door, pacing impatiently up and down while all the time listening intently for sound of the post-office van pulling in. She would quite quickly be ushered back to her room by her aunt, despite her protests that would sometimes embarrassingly verge on stamping her foot in frustration. As it turned out, it was all to no avail in any case; no replies ever arrived- not even from the solicitor's office - and gradually her enthusiasm had waned and the habit had faded.
Sleep, then, whiled away the time and protected her from the worst of the symptoms. Not that there had actually been any symptoms, now she came to think about it, at least not that she had been aware of. Yet, that made it worse somehow: She had gone a least a week, by her reckoning, without the slightest twinge of panic, not so much as a bead of sweat forming on the forehead or a trembling of the fingers. Then, on this one morning, the one morning that she had awoken with that all-too-familiar pounding in the ears, the palpitations, the unfathomable anxiety and nauseating dizziness, Aunt Julia had for some reason taken it on herself to place out her medication in the little dish alongside the tumbler of water that she always brought up first thing in the morning. She assumed it had been by mistake; perhaps Aunt Julia had been in a hurry and it had been result of unthinking habit - these things happened. But why, oh why on this particular morning? Why did Aunt Julia have to leave temptation within such an easy reach on the one morning her resolve happened to be at its weakest?
She felt a tear begin to meander its trickling way down her cheek and lent further forward, cradling her head in her hands. The polythene mattress cover crumpled and rustled like dry leaves scrunching underfoot in a forest as her weight shifted. The childish winceyette pyjama bottoms that she was wearing sighed a lightly squeaking sort of sigh, betraying the presence of a waterproof vinyl inner-lining that extended from the elasticated waistband as far as mid-thigh and that, moistened and lubricated by girlish perspiration - the garment fitting quite snugly in any case - had encouraged the back seam to slip deep between her buttock cheeks.
Despite being alone, she blushed. An embarrassed, girlish little giggle escaped her lips, startling her and bringing her back from the reverie she had slipped into; it reminded her of just how fuzzy her thinking was already becoming. The thought struck her that surely the dosage had been increased. It was this otherworldly, fuzzy-headedness that she disliked most about taking her sedatives - that and the worries she had over possible addiction - but it had never felt as disorientating is this before. She shrugged off the notion, reasoning that the last thing that Aunt Julia would allow would be her doctor increasing the strength of her medication, given that she had been so keen on helping her get off the things. But then again; if Aunt Julia was so keen on helping her give up relying on the sedatives, why had she left them out for her to take? Why had she been more careful? And why had... and why had...? She could no longer quite recall the question she was trying to form and so the thought drifted out of focus. Without quite realising it, her jaw had slackened and her mind once again clouded over.
The click of the lock, the metallic rattle of the round brass handle and the squeaking of the bedroom door’s hinges startled her. Rubber soles padded dully on the spongy clinical linoleum, the unhurried rhythm accompanied by the whispering rustle of polyester and the harsher rustling of starched cambric. Smart black court shoes and tan nylons moved into view. Lifting her a head from her hands, she caught sight first of the royal blue hem of the woman's dress, Aunt Julia's dress, smartly aligned with the tops of her shapely nylon-shadowed calves and flapping open with the momentum of the approach. Her gaze wandering higher, her eyes were met by the glassy-glint of light reflected from the first of the deep-blue glossy buttons fastening the skirt front. Then, higher still, came the next button, surrounded by the shadowy-sheen of uniform-blue polyester, then even higher and the crisp white hem of cambric came into focus, delineating the lower edge of the woman's apron, the spotless starched snow-White fabric curving around to meet the dress's side seams before sweeping inwards and upwards to disappear at the waist under a deep-set navy-blue belt of Nylon Petersham ribbon.
Lavinia's gaze paused at the sterling silver belt clasp. The buckle, a highly elaborate butterfly-wing affair decorated with pierced rococo scrolling, strangely fascinated her - some deeply-buried part of her could not help but marvel at her aunt's trimly-belted waistline in comparison to the relative broad maturity of her hips. An unguarded thought arose unbidden and blushing more deeply she looked up, her gaze taking in the re-emergence of cambric fabric as the yoke of the woman's bib-apron flared out above her nipped waist, mirroring in miniature the flare of the skirt and covering the fitted blue bodice of her uniform dress to just above the swell of her bustline above which showed two more of those deep-blue glassy buttons before a final white button that closed the stiff blue-piped collar about her slender throat. Her eyes momentarily met her aunt's. Then, unaccountably unable to hold her gaze, shyly she averted her eyes catching sight first of the bright burnished-silver nurse's fob watch pined to the apron yoke and then coming to rest on the matching silver nurse's scissor-chain. The latter, looping down and arching around from a clip on the side of the woman's belt before disappearing into a hip pocket set in her skirt held the keys to this room, the cupboards and the draws and more besides, dangling at its end as if an arcane symbol of authority.
Still perched on the edge of the mattress, the teenage girl slowly straightened up, yawning lazily, latex, PVC and winceyette all shuffling, scrunching and creaking together as she did so. Seeing her aunt in nurse's uniform was nothing out of the ordinary, in fact it was more and more becoming the norm for Aunt Julia to make an appearance in her old hospital nursing sister's dress, Whether for purely practical purposes or whether simply because it seemed appropriate to her aunt, given the woman's self-appointed role as ‘carer’, Lavinia had no idea. The one thing she did know was that for some unaccountable reason the mere sight of her aunt in her nurse's uniform seemed to sap her will – she found it virtually impossible to stand up to the woman when she was so dressed. She experienced a similar effect whenever she would visit her psychoanalyst's office. The doctor's receptionist was a horrid, tyrannical rottweiler of a woman and yet one glance at her in her sky-blue nurse’s uniform and Lavinia would be left with no choice other than to kowtow down to her, a situation she found humiliating in the extreme.
A hand intruded into Lavinia's field of vision from her left; a white elasticated arm cuff brushed her cheek. Arm puffs were as much a feature typical of a nurse's uniform circa the mid 1960s as was the bibbed apron, but it was so typical of Aunt Julia to favour such a detail, despite it dating from well before her time in psychiatric nursing. Her aunt was leaning over her, gently rolling the bed-table away down toward the bars at the foot of the bed while simultaneously turning so as to seat her self in its stead. Lavinia felt the mattress dip down to her left as the woman shuffled her mature frame into place, the soft complaining creek of stretching polythene bedcovers now joined by the murmurous crumpling and swishing of polyester, cambric and nylon brushing one upon another and whispering together like summer breeze rippling through bulrushes.
The sudden deformation drew the girl closer in to her aunt's side, just as an arm slipped comfortingly around her shoulders. The woman's voice murmured reassuringly, her lips so close as to be almost brushing the girl’s ear. Lavinia seemed to feel as much as hear the words, her aunt's hot breath caressing her ear and raising goose-bumps on the nape of her neck:
“Now, doesn't that feel better, honey?
“Why? Why did you leave them lying there... th,,,tho... those capsules? Why did you have to leave them lying there like... th,th, tha,thaa...”
“That? Like that, is that what you mean? Remember what I have told you to do if you think you are going to stammer – stop, rehearse it in your mind...and if you still think you are going to stutter, try wording what you want to say in a different way. Try to avoid words you know you might have difficulty with. Now, come along. Let's hear you try again.”
“Th...tha,,,that...Like tha...tha”
“Alright, alright. I can see you are upset, lets just leave it for now and just focus on what is troubling you,”
“ But I, I, I thought you were on my side”
“What ever do you mean? Of course I am – what a funny thing to say.”
“Then why did you...”
“Leave out your medication for you? Well, it was for your own good, believe me. I can see when things are starting to go awry...and believe you me, things were starting to go awry indeed. You might not have been aware of it, but you were rapidly heading for a breakdown. I looked in this morning and you were shaking like a leaf – I just did what I thought was best through you. Of course I 'phoned your doctor first, but that was her advice – to leave out your capsules and leave the decision up to you. I'm just glad you saw sense and decided to return to your medication. I could see you were really beginning to suffer - it was heart-rending to see you that way, it really was. You were becoming too deluded to see it for yourself, that's all.”
“But aunty, I was so, so...close”. There had entered into the girl's protestations a piteous keening, whimpering quality that Julia Soames found somehow appealing, in a vulnerable girlish sort of way.
“It wasn't doing you any good, though, was it? Just look at you, how pale, how drawn you look”. She indicated the girl's reflection in the dressing table mirror opposite. “Yes, you're calm enough now, but just a few minutes ago you were quite literally climbing the walls with anxiety. When the time comes your doctor and I will wean you off your sedatives, but under proper medical supervision. You can't just decide to stop taking them by yourself, just like that – its asking for trouble. But I guess you've learnt that lesson for yourself now, you silly, silly little girl.”
Inside, Julia Soames was smiling to herself: Close? The mere notion had nearly made her laugh out loud when the girl had said it. The truth was that the silly little over-privileged trollop had been no closer to abandoning her sedatives than to abandoning breathing. In fact, though the girl did not yet recognize it, she would soon discover that she had now become more dependent on her daily medication than ever before. The suppositories had seen to that. The first of the daily triad she had given her young trusting charge had always included a modicum of a sedative substance. It had been simplicity itself to shift over to one including in its constituents an internally absorbable form of the girl's usual medication, having very bit the sedative activity of the oral form, not to mention sharing its unfortunate habit-forming qualities. Poor deluded Lavinia; in actuality she had never been off her medication. Indeed over the previous fortnight - for that was how long it had, in actuality, been – she had been gradually and steadily increasing the dosage given her patient. Then she had simply cut her patient off, dead, from her supply of instant brain-numb euphoria - the previous morning in fact – and awaited the consequences. The rest was already history.
Yet her conscience was clear – at least in as far as the delight that she had shown when her charge had first announced her intention to wean herself off her medication had been genuine enough. It had all gone perfectly. As far as persuading the girl to submit to psychiatric care, one of the more difficult aspects was in convincing her of the need to have her under a certain degree of sedation. The idea had always worried the girl from the first time it had been broached.
The girl had always been loath to take her medication and certainly couldn't be trusted to take it, unsupervised and off her own back. On more than one occasion, in the early days, Julia had found the capsules secreted away underneath the girl's pillow. Of course on each occasion she had discovered the deceit immediately - she had been a psychiatric nurse after all - and had stood over the girl while she was then obliged to take them – albeit after a stern talking to and not withstanding a little backchat. But even with the threat hanging over her of being sent home and of her aunt washing her hands of her, young Lavinia had continued bellyaching. The point was; although it was true that he girl would eventually take her medication, it was only ever under protest. Yet, if she was to progress Lavinia to the next stage – though the term regress might be a more accurate description, given her intention - then it was important that the girl could be trusted to take her medication voluntarily, quite automatically and without even being told to do so.
The ironic truth was that only with sweet Lavinia’s own co-operation, by her continuing to struggle, continuing to stand her ground, could she have been properly tamed. It was important that she should have made the brave and strenuous attempt to go without her medication that she had - and seen herself fail… and fail completely, hopelessly and dismally. Without having at least tested her tethers, how could she know the infallible strength of her bonds? But having done so - and found her cause hopeless - with a little encouragement and reassurance the girl could now be expected to settle back in her chains.
Had she not attempted to break the habit they had so carefully formed in her, Lavinia might never have truly accepted her addiction. As it was, this change in mindset, this, sense of hopeless, despairing acceptance, that Julia Soames knew her charge was presently experiencing, would ensure that in time and with a suitable form of encouragement hers would become a very humbling addiction indeed. For now there would be no more fighting back, at least not on that front. In time, as they went forward, new fronts would open up and new obstacles would have to be negotiated but each would be tackled in their turn.
An old adage states: “never fight a war on two fronts”. It was something that Julia Soames knew to be very true. What had been achieved to date had been achieved one step at a time, and that was the way they would continue to progress. But with the battle won on one front the way was now clear to take their struggle of wills in a new direction, to open up a new front. She now had the perfect lever in her hands with which to weaken her charge's defences and had already in mind the way in which she would first apply it.
It was a battle in its own right just to contain her own imagination: How sweet her Lavinia would look in a fresh, pink cotton frock, nearly covered in its entirety by a big, spotlessly-white or pink-checked pinafore with bows of pink ribbon at the shoulders. How ravishingly pretty she would be in a pale-blue sailor suit with a white collar and silk tie or a blue and white candy striped dress with a white peter pan collar and a long back zip - better still, fastening up the back with awkward to reach buttons – the sort of thing a young girl might once have worn to school, a blue plastic belt pulled tight around the waist and fastened with a white plastic buckle at the front. Nothing of her vision seemed particularly suitable for a strapping teenager, but what did that matter within the confines of the home. What was wrong with a simple tunic-dress with a column of buttons to fasten it up the back? Then, why not a grey gym tunic, an old fashioned thing with a square cut satin-lined yoke? She remembered coming across just such a thing – and much more besides - when she had first taken possession of the house; hanging in a wardrobe in a long-disused attic room. A school uniform... Why not a school uniform? Indeed, had not Dr Ecclestone herself – the girl’s therapist - hinted at such an idea?
Dr Anne Ecclestone: now there was a woman who knew what she was talking about. The redoubtable psychotherapist had been lamenting the demise of the traditional British school uniform at the time, saying how it would have been the obvious solution in such a case as Lavinia’s, to whom, in time, even making such a basic decision as to what to wear each day could be expected to present a problem. That the developing situation under discussion was largely of the good doctor’s own creation was beside the point. The psychologist had simply asked, in passing, whether Lavinia still had her old school uniform but the inference had been clear. Julia Soames had been forced to answer that sadly in the negative. What had passed for a uniform at the girl’s school, as she understood it, had consisted of little more than a set of guide-lines as regards colour and certain style restrictions merely aimed at outlawing some of the more outrageous fads of the time. Beyond that, a liberal credo of ‘freedom of self expression’ had reigned – expensive, pampered and privileged was how she would have put it.
That was it, then, the decision was made: a school uniform it would be. And as for that much vaunted ‘freedom of self expression’ – well, the girl had already lost a lot of that, a little discipline would soon deal with the rest. She was not going to rush it, of course, but there would be rules to go with the uniform, and restrictions, strict restrictions. Yes she was going to be strict, very strict. And a strict regime would need some equally stringent means of enforcement – and what could be more apt than the traditional school cane, the heavy leather Scottish tawse, punitive writing of lines, corner-standing with hands on head and all the rest? But all in good time… All in good time…