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 othersand 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.
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4 comments:
"we mustn't offend those!"
Who says so? Left-wing journalists well-trained in political correctness and spineless wimps calling themselves politicians.
Very Nice blog :)
Could you tell us what issue number the Blushes/Janus scans came from.
Many thanks
Submitted by Smacker
(Just a thought. To preserve Garth’s sanity, readers who leave comments might identify themselves in their text – even if they do not actually want to register.)
I would like to thank both Garth and the gentleman who supplied him, for providing the recent magazine letter scans. And I would like to make some suggestions for the further treatment of Katie in Michael C’s letter – for of course fantasies like these are eternally present in a parallel universe.
It is a marvellous idea to have Katie wired to a lie detector and quizzed about her sexual fantasies. I think this could profitably be combined with her school lessons. Katie should be compelled to write out the fantasies she has confessed to in the form of school essays. She should then read these essays aloud – in a good firm voice, thank you very much – at the next meeting of Michael’s friends. She could then listen to the discussion as to the further punishment that such licentiousness should lead to.
Of course, the essays have not been produced painlessly. Such shortcomings as wrong spellings, poor grammar, and deterioration in standards of neat handwriting have already been dealt with in the classroom. It may not be easy to write neatly when sitting on a hard low chair on a naked cane-welted bottom and with an old fashioned pen held in tawse-burnt fingers. But that is as it should be, and she has only herself to blame. Doubtless several drafts have been gone through and found wanting, before the essay is thought acceptable for presentation to the company. But now the essay is presented in acceptable English and the contents can be considered in all their despicable glory.
Two factors can be considered. First there is the matter of accuracy. All present heard her oral confessions, all knew when the buzzer sounded and when it did not. If she is trying to keep anything back in her written version, then that calls for severe punishment. But the depravity of what she reveals calls for punishment even worse. That an innocent young girl has such thoughts in her head almost beggars belief. I will not seek to anticipate the discussion only making one small preliminary suggestion. Every occurrence of the word “cock” – and sadly it peppers her prose – is worthy of one stroke of the cane. However, if she seeks to hide behind euphemisms – “member” perhaps – then that is worth two strokes for her dishonesty.
By the way, although the piece reproduced did not go into details of her classroom periods, I hope that proper standards are maintained there. That the classroom is an attic accommodating one pupil means nothing. She should report there each day in full uniform – clean white blouse, neatly knotted tie, short pleated skirt, white knee-length socks (pulled up and unwrinkled), see-your-face-in-them polished shoes, and bottle-green knickers – though that last garment will doubtless spend much of the lesson in a puddle on teacher’s high desk.
Well, it was me who contributed the scans and I wasn't anon! I could hunt out the issues again if the chap who asked still wants the numbers, although I'm not quite sure what benefit it would be to him. Generally they all come from the relatively early issues of Blushes. Janus never printed these types of fantasy; too abusive I guess. Personally I loved them and the crueller the better. Sadly they were very few in number although I'm sure there are more out there in issues I don't own. If anybody has more, please send scans to Garth so we can all enjoy.
Thanks also to Smacker for his addition to Katies ordeal. I think I suggested to Garth that he should invite contributions on the "adoptee" theme; where you have complete authority over a girl of your choice without fear of repercussion. There's no reason why we should have to rely on Blushes letters from 25 years ago.
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