2. 2
Disclaimer
This book represents the collective experience and
work of clients engaging with the Phoenix Day and
Community Centre. The texts reflect their thoughts,
opinions and feelings and do not necessarily reflect
those of the SCDA - Sussex Community Development
Association nor their views or ethos.
71
The right of
SCDA - Sussex Community Development Association -
C&S Care & Support
to be identified as author of this book,
for The Phoenix Centre.
Each individual writer retains the copyright of their
work. In accordance with the Copyright designs and
Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced
without permission.
Phoenix Centre offers a range of interesting and
stimulating activities,
helps with welfare, care and health issues.
Our caring team offers services
from respite care to rehabilitation support,
from an occasional lunch
to full day care and support.
Registered Charity Number 1094905
Company Limited by guarantee 3387617
3. 70
Here are two short, creative writing exercises for you to try. Both involve
writing with colour.
There are three important things to remember before you take up your
pen: 1. Do not think too much about your response to the writing
prompt. Go with your instincts.
2. There is no wrong and no right. There is only your response and
your writing voice.
3. Have fun, play with words and abandon any formality - even
punctuation if you like!
Exercise 1 - If today you were a colour, what colour would you be?
Write down all the things that are that colour. For example if you chose
yellow, you might have: daffodil, corn on the cob, sunshine, custard.
Now start a piece of writing that begins, ‘I am…’. Use some or all of the
items in your list of words and expand your description a little. Try not to
mention your colour. For example: Today I am sunshine, I drape myself
on trees and rooftops and gather myself in puddles on the grass. I am
that corn on the cob you are reaching for on the supermarket shelf
simply because you cannot resist my brightness…
Exercise 2 - Think of abstract things that exist but you cannot see. For
example, laughter, hope, frustration, tranquillity, common sense. Start a
list beginning with describing your subject’s colour then continue to de-
scribe it as other objects or phenomenon. Add your own flourishes and
musings. Let your imagination go. For example:
Hope is lilac - the perfect mix of pink and blue.
For all I know, lilac is the colour of the universe.
Hope is a newly-sharpened pencil,
lying waiting for my words.
Hope is the blackbird that sings
before the dawn bursts through the trees.
Hope is the sun as it falls below my fence.
It is the trust I have that on the other side of the world
3
In the
MOMENT
An illustrated anthology of
prose and poems from
Creative Writing Workshops
at the Phoenix Centre
Delivered by Deborah Sloan
Photography from Ricky Purnell
Art work from Julia Ann Field
Produced in situ.
4. 4
We receive but what we give,
and in our life alone does Nature live.
Samuel T. Coleridge
Wet on wet by Dorothy Laker
69
The anthology collected in this book is above all, a
document of the potential and results we can achieve
when we provide a safe environment, with positive
stimulation for all.
'Dictated' pieces are a result of a conversation
between the facilitator and the client in which the
prompt for the day is talked about. Deborah writes as
the client talks and then arranges it into either a poem
or a prose piece, depending on the sense and feel of
the words. All the words are the client’s.
Clients or carers had signed a consent form or had
given their permission by phone, authorizing the day
centre to make a positive and relevant use of their
creation, attributing credit for their written and art
work. Each individual writer and artist retains the
copyright of their work.
All practitioners, therapists and artists were
mentioned, as a way to show gratitude, for
supporting and promoting this valuable intellectual,
artistic and therapeutic work.
The Lewes Town Council is acknowledge as the
sponsor which made it possible for the charity to
publish this anthology.
5. 68
The power of socialization
Positive socialization is the type of social learning that
is based on pleasurable and exciting
experiences. We tend to like the people who fill our
social learning processes with positive
motivation, loving care,
and rewarding opportunities.
Realization SCDA
Sussex Community Development Association -
Care & Support - The Phoenix Centre Day and
Community Centre
The Phoenix Centre - Care & Support Centre Manager
Andrea Januszewska
Project Management
Giedre Dian - Activities Development
2016
phoenixcentre@sussexcommunity.org.uk
www.sussexcommunity.org.uk
5
Contents
Contents …………………………………………………..5 to 7
Foreword by Deborah Sloan…..…………..…………. 8 & 9
Introduction ……………………………………..…..…...…...10
Wet on wet by Jane Quail …………………….……...…...11
Thank you ………………………………………………... …..12
‘Just a little further’ by Julia Ann Field……….….....……13
Preface & Prologue by Giedre Dian……….………14 &15
“Response to Pictures” ………………………….……16 & 17
“Rain Man” by Ricky Purnell .....………………….……….16
“Creating a Character” ……...…………………………….17
“Before the Storm!”…...….………………...……….……….18
“Yesterday, this moment, tomorrow”…………......19 to 21
Wet on wet by Josephine Morrison...……………….…...19
Wet on wet by Jane Seel ………....…..…………………. 21
“Ten Things About Me”..…………..…..…………….22 to 26
“Magnolia Blossom” by Julia Ann Field ..…………..…...24
“Silence”………………………………………………..……...25
“Weather Today “ and “A Weather Morning” 27 to 29
“Cloud Gull” by Ricky Purnell…………………...….……...28
Photography by Deborah Sloan ………………………….29
Wet on wet by Betty Hampton …………………....……..30
6. 6
Contents
“Weather Today “ & “A Weather Memory”…....26 to 31
“Sheep on Glastonbury Tor” by Julia Ann Field ……....32
“Before the Storm”…………………………………………..33
“Weather Today and A Weather Memory”……..……..34
Wet on wet by Pera …………...………….……… 34 & 35
“How to….” …………………………………………..35 to 37
Clay art work picture (produce by clients) ……...…...36
“Spring is in the Air “ by Julia Ann Field ………………...38
Wet on wet by John F Tiller …………………..…………..39
“What colour am I today? “ ………………….……….….39
“A Story About My Name” ..………………..…..... 40 to 42
“Courtyard” watercolour by John F Tiller …..……..…...41
“Starlings over Pier “by Ricky Purnell …...…………...…..43
“Me in Third Person” …………………..…………….……...44
“Word for the Day”…………………….…………….……..45
Wet on wet by Roy …….………….……………….……..45
“Mihimimi as Inspiration” ........…………………………….46
“Monologue from an object’s perspective”.…....47& 48
Watercolour by Peter Bacon …………………….……....48
“ Stone on the Beach’ ………………………………….….49
67
About the artists
Julia Ann Field is a Brighton artist who creates vibrant
landscapes, nudes and fantasy figurative art in
watercolour, acrylic and oil. Commissions considered.
Ricardo (Ricky) Purnell studied photography at
Paddington College and Kent Institute of Art and
Design. His first self published project was “Eight Takes
on Poetry”. His last book was “ Near the Water’ (from
which we present some pictures in this anthology, as
courtesy).
About the practitioners
Deborah Sloan MBACP MBICA is a Psychodynamic
Therapeutic Counsellor and Therapeutic Creative
Writing Facilitator.
Jane Quail is a transpersonal Arts Therapist and
transformative arts tutor , with BA in Design and Art
History, University of Plymouth (Exeter College Art).
Giedre Dian has a BA in Social Communication, with
Marketing Specialization and extensive experience in
Training, Community & Activities Development.
Experience accumulated working for private and
third sector, local authorities and volunteering,
7. 66
Easy access to: Artists and practitioners
Therapists
Deborah Sloan Creative Writing Facilitator and
Therapist - CreatePlayWrite
www.deborahsloancounselling.com, 07753 228616
blog: http://withoutissue.live
deborah@deborahsloancounselling.com
Jane Quail transformative artist & arts counsellor,
07941950354, jtq@live.co.uk
Artists
Julia Ann Field www.JuliaAnnFieldArt.com,
07884 192673 , juliaannfield@gmail.com
Ricardo (Ricky) Purnell
www.ricardopurnell.com 07919130324,
purnellricardo@gmail.com
Creative writing Workshop
Is delivered at
The Phoenix Community & Day Centre
26 Malling Street, Lewes, East Sussex
BN7 2RD
01273 472005
7
Contents
“West Pier with Starlings “ by Julia Ann Field ….…….49
“Inspiration bag “ ……………..…………….……...50 &52
“Dolphins “ by Julia Ann Field …….…….……….…….50
“Lost Objects” ……………………….…………………..51
Wet on wet by Alan Holmes …………………………...51
Group Poem …………..………………………….…...….53
Wet on wet by Peter Bacon …………...………..……. 53
“A good Day”….…….………………………….54& 55
”A morning in Church” ……………………...……56 & 57
“Fast and loose in Perugia “ by Julia Ann Field …...57
“Inheritance and Legacy” ……………………..58 & 59
Wet on wet by Carol Paterson …..………...………….58
Wet on wet by Jane Seel ….……………………….…..59
“Words from Pictures”….……………………..…...60 & 61
Photography Deborah Sloan …..………….……60 & 61
“ A Dog Nose” by Ricky Purnell ….……..…..………..62
Wet on wet by Dorothy Laker ….……...……….. …...63
“Word workout “ …...…………………………….62 to 65
Easy access to artists & practitioners…………...…...66
About the artists & the practitioners ………….…….67
Credits & two Exercises …..…...………..…...…..68 to 70
8. 8
Foreword
It is a pleasure to write the foreword for this anthology
of the writing gathered from the weekly creative
writing workshops I run at the Phoenix Community
Centre for older people and people living with
dementia. Each week I present the participants with
a theme and a writing prompt and encourage
everyone to allow their thoughts and feelings to flow
through them, through the pen and onto the page.
Writers often talk about ‘finding their voice’ and of a
piece of work possessing that unique voice. In the
Phoenix Writers’ sessions participants are offered
space, time and encouragement to find and express
their unique voice. Participants who find writing a
challenge speak their poems and stories and I scribe
for them.
Creative writing offers an opportunity to ‘play’ with
words, to engage with our imagination and to find
links between our physical and emotional selves. It is
an activity that bridges the past, the present and the
future and which offers the opportunity to explore
and express thoughts, feelings and ideas.
The participants take their inspiration for their writing
from objects, music, pictures and nature. Every
workshop is a treasury of experiences, memories, and
wisdom and each Thursday, when the writers read
65
“Word Workout”
(A selection of 5 minute writing prompts)
John F Tiller
I heard footsteps…
I heard footsteps from ahead. It was two people from
not so far away. I heard a shout, walked up the
pathway to see if I was able to help. The problem
was a girl that had hurt her leg. So I got to work with
my first aid kit.
Emotions as colour, taste, scent
The sun shone. A short walk down the road I came
across a smash. The fear of this – the disgust and
anger at the way the bus was driven and the pram
was pushed over. I saw red.
The first time I tasted…
The first time I tasted onions was here at this
venue – that is a fact.
9. 64
“Word Workout”
(A selection of 5 minute writing prompts)
[Dictated]
May Law
I heard footsteps…
I heard footsteps at Victoria Station just after my
husband was on leave. When I went faster the
footsteps went faster. I went to unarmed
combat lessons. So that helped!
A part of your body writes a letter to you.
We always eat well. Once we’re on the bikes
we don’t get a chance to stop. You have to
have a certain sort of rhythm when you’re
cycle. Especially when your double cycling
[on a tandem].
9
out their work I am moved and delighted by each
piece of writing and by the rich diversity they bring to
each theme. In each session it is not just ink that
flows onto the page; there is a flow of camaraderie
between the writers as they laugh, reminisce,
sometimes rant at pet annoyances, share their work
and encourage each other.
I am privileged that I am able to share this time with
the Phoenix Writers and that each week they trust me
enough to allow me into their space. Every week I go
to the group with a bagful of pens and a head full of
ideas I hope will inspire. And each week I leave
having received more inspiring thoughts than I
arrived with!
You will see from the contributions in this anthology
that the writing reflects the joys and curiosity, the
struggles and the uncertainties experienced by each
writer. The writing is honest, often sensual and
sometimes funny. Each piece of writing reflects a
unique and beautiful way of seeing the world and
emerges from a moment of being in the here and
now. Most importantly, each piece represents a
voice that should be heard.
Deborah Sloan
Creative Writing Group Facilitator
10. 10
Introduction
This collection of prose and poems is the result of the
body of work produced in the creative writing
workshops delivered by Creative Writing Therapist,
Deborah Sloan.
This anthology represents the participants’ writing dur-
ing the Winter, Spring and Summer of 2016.
The idea behind this anthology is to showcase the
creativity of vulnerable adults, aged 70+ and to
demonstrate what they can achieve given a safe,
compassionate space and the appropriate direction
and stimulation.
The anthology also proves that assumptions should
not be made about older people’s limitations and
instead proves that everyone, regardless of age, is
able to develop their latent talents when they are
encouraged and recognized as a vital, creative
individual.
63
“Word Workout”
(A selection of 5 minute writing prompts)
Jane Seel
“Emotions as colour, taste, scent”
Disgust: grey unpleasantness, rubbish, dustbins, cat
hair, tea leaves, waste. A sour taste in my mouth, a
smell of rancid cheese which is covered in mildew:
grey turning to black.
“The first time I tasted…”
The first time I tasted ice cream I was overcome by
the extreme coldness of the substance, the icy
quality, the pleasant vanilla flavor the way it melted in
my mouth so that it was gone before I realised I had
lost it. Then came the crispy cornet which contrasted
with the rich, frozen character of the ice cream. A
remarkable experience in tasting, often repeated.
Wet on wet by Dorothy Laker
11. 62
“Word Workout “
(A selection of 5 minute writing prompts)
Jane Seel
“I heard footsteps…”
I heard footsteps and feared the worst. Footsteps at
night are more frightening than those by day. Whose
are they? Where are they from and where are they
going in the dark where I cannot see whose footsteps
they are or in which direction they move?
“A part of your body writes a letter to you”
I wish you were more mobile, that you could walk
more confidently, with more aplomb. Your legs are
strong and straight, why won’t they do what you
want? Why won’t your feet obey your will. They have
been lazy for more than a year, it’s time they came to
life and, with your legs, moved forward, looking
ahead.
A dog Nose by Ricky Purnell 11
Wet on wet
It has been a joy for me to come to the Phoenix
Centre on a regular basis for the last few months and
facilitate painting sessions with a group of six or more
clients. We work with a technique called “Wet on
wet” painting, using watercolours, and many of the
paintings in this book were created by participants in
these therapeutic art sessions. My aim is to offer a
supportive space where people can learn to express
themselves using colour. This technique is accessible
to all and has a calming rhythmical quality about it,
from wetting the paper and choosing the colours to
painting with a wide soft brush.
Once I have set the scene for the session, quiet
descends as everyone in the settles down to wet their
paper and prepare to paint. The focus of the sessions
is very much on the process of creating the
paintings, whether the images are abstract or
pictorial. The act of wetting the brush, choosing a
colour mixing it in the palette and then placing it on
the paper is in itself calming and the colours often do
all the work themselves interweaving to make
beautiful shapes. The themes were inspired by the
seasons and nature, and some were inspired by
writings in the Creative Writing workshop.
Jane Quail Art workshop Facilitator
12. 12
Thank you
We would like to express our deepest gratitude to
Lewes Town Council for awarding the funding that
allowed this Anthology to be developed and
printed.
Thank you to all the attendees of the creative writing
workshops, for sharing so generously their moments, for
daring to face the blank page every week and for
engaging so enthusiastically with each writing theme.
LEWES
TOWN
COUNCIL
61
“Words from Pictures”
Jane Seel
[“A rowing boat on the water”]
Out in our boat
Feeling the silence
Watching the water
Hearing the splash
Of oars in the stillness
I imagined that someone
Was waiting on the bank
To welcome us.
Photography Deborah Sloan
13. 60
“Words from Pictures”
Ian
I’m at a loss to know what to do today.
Shall I take the old dinghy and go sailing?
Or swimming under my own steam?
Swim as best as I can across the creek
To the other side.
Photography Deborah Sloan
13
‘Just a little further’
14. 14
Preface
This book is an achievement. It represents the
collective effort of practitioners working at the
Phoenix Day and Community Centre who have
believed in the book even when it was still something
ethereal.
Write in the Moment serves to promote the idea that
creative writing workshops can be considered a tool to
foster inclusion, to enhance sociability and to
tackle preconceptions and stigma surrounding older
people, depression and dementia. Yes, mature adults can
be creative! Yes, older people can have a presence and
yes, they have a right to express their personalities and
share their experiences in every written line and in every
blank space filled.
According to a leading doctor in the field of
Alzheimer’s research, in a Conference delivered at the
Summer of 2012 organized by the Friends of Brighton and
Hove Hospitals , at BSUH - Brighton & Sussex University
Hospital NHS; within 50 years, one in two adults will have
dementia. We hope this book provides a starting point for
what may be a challenging conversation. Better to do
something now, to talk, to take action.
This anthology encapsulates seven months of our clients’
creative writing under the guidance of Deborah Sloan, a
Creative Writing Therapist.
59
“Inheritance and Legacy”
Jane Seel
I hope I inherited a sense of humour. I remember my
father telling me about the time when our dog trotted
up the aisle in church and climbed into the pulpit
where my father was preaching. He said that he
could deal with any awkward situation in church
except that.
I shall tell this story to my son and it leads to information
about the vicarage dog, Peter, and what he got up
to.
I want to keep this memory in a tree trunk open to all
weather but which will not be worn away.
Wet on wet by Jane Seel
15. 58
”Inheritance and Legacy”
Dorothy Laker
My father was a cowman so I was brought up mostly
on the farm.
I had a sister and a brother.
On schooldays I walked nearly 4 miles each way.
My husband was in the RAF.
Wet on wet by Carol Paterson
15
Prologue
Write in the Moment is, above all, part of a
therapeutic process. It was created and organised from
texts deeply related to thoughts and feelings and was
achieved by helping and supporting clients to express
themselves to the best of their abilities. It is a beautiful
surprise to read these works and to see our clients’
personalities coming through the page with such power,
such individuality. It is incredibly touching.
The written word can help to bring self-awareness to the
writer and greater understanding for the reader. The
writers’ words allow us to ponder on wisdom
experience and hope.
Language and art can challenge us in so many ways and
it can offer us a window into a world where we may be
able to see things in a different way. If we can relate we
can empathise. If we can create, we can develop links.
After all we are relating and creative beings. Maybe
among the stories you find in this anthology you will find
fragments and snap-shots of your own story.
A photographer and an artist also joined the project:
Ricky Purnell and Julia Ann Field.
Enjoy your reading.
Giedre Dian
Activities Development
16. 16
“Response to Pictures”
I’m sitting here and my mind is blank
Trying to think of a rhyme for
Constantinople
I’ve never been there
I don’t know where it lies
But I bet it’s hot and smelly
And smells of fish and chips
Peter Bacon
Rain Man by Ricky Purnell
57
know that. Listen, I’ve got a taxi, outside waiting for us
and I ‘am going to take you back to the flat and get
you something to eat. Come along’.
Very slowly and cautiously the woman rose and
allowed herself to be led down the church towards
the door. The young man opened it and the two of
them moved into the daylight. The woman was
hesitant, bewildered, but she always did what her son
asked. So she felt relieved and grateful to be looked
after.
The taxi, with its two passengers, drove off.
“Fast and loose in Perugia”
17. 56
“A morning in Church”
Jane Seel
The taxi came to a sudden halt outside the church
door and a young man got out and walked swiftly up
the path. He gave the impression of being confident
that the door would be open. And it was. He went in.
Inside, the church was dim and there was smell of
incense. In the gloom he made out the flicker of
candles on the chancel and a woman sitting in a front
pew, bent and still. He rush up the aisle ‘mother!’
The woman stirred ‘What are you doing here? We’ve
been looking for you everywhere. Then I suddenly
thought that you might be in church. But you’ve got
no coat and it is cold in here… What’s that you say?
You don’t want to go home? But mother you’ve got a
new kitchen and we redecorated the bedroom for
you. Everything is splendid so why are you hiding from
us all?
We want the best for you, we want you to be happy.
What is it about this place that attracts you?
I remembered you were here on Wednesday – with
no coat again. What are we going to do with you,
mother? The family gets upset when you go missing
like this. And this church is such gloomy place. If it’s
company you want, there’s nobody else here, you
17
“Response to Pictures”
Wind in my hair
Rain on my face
Sun on my arms
Ache in my legs
Pain on my waist
A weary summer day
Jane Seel
“Creating a Character”
Mrs Thoughtless in a Train Station
I can’t be bothered to wait for this train. It’s ten
minutes late already so I shall continue to sit in this
café, though I don’t want anything to eat. I never
eat. I’m not anxious, I’m a calm person so whether
this train comes doesn’t matter. I’m young, I have all
my life before me and who cares if there’s not book to
read, I’m a non-reader. I’m also a negative person
and I can be unkind and wakeful when I should be
asleep. I shall give my partner a blanket so she can
settle down to a long slumber wile I wait impatiently
for the train that never comes.
Jane Seel
18. 18
“Before the Storm”
In the Street
Rumbling thunder, hurried footsteps, umbrellas
opening, unprotected windows closing sharply.
Lightening suddenly strikes and I cower against a
hedge to avoid being struck. Children run for cover
but there is no cover. The rain begins its hard,
incessant fall. In the Park
Rain is hitting the calm surface of the pond where a
few small boats are still swivelling around, their
occupants trying to shelter from the heavy shower. A
man on the edge of the pond shouts to his son in a
boat, “Don’t panic!” and the reply: “I want to come
in.” At Home
We see that all the windows are shut and the lights are
on because darkness has suddenly come in our small
dining room where we are all crowded.
Somebody shouts, “It’s all right, thunder can’t hurt us.”
“But lightening can!” says, someone else. “Where’s
the dog?”, I want to know and we realise he isn’t with
us but out in the storm.
The Storm Breaks
Suddenly everyone within sight starts moving about
quite swiftly and I realise that each one is trying to
avoid the heavy rain. Inside Tesco people crowd to
the door, looking out anxiously as the heavens open.
The checkout girls peer round their tills hoping to see
the downpour, glad to be dry inside. Jane Seel
55
“A Good Day”
Ann Lawrence
Sunny day
See friends
See family
Read my book
Go to church
Remember to pray
Walk in the rain
Pauline Gilbert
The weather is fine. The sun is shining.
So if out walking you need to have
a warm coat and gloves.
Keep on the move!
19. 54
“A Good Day”
Peter Bacon
It’s not raining, snowing or blowing a gale
So it must be a good day…
Mustn’t it?
Not at all!
Josephine Morrison
A bright sunny day by the seaside.
Watching the children playing in the water.
A beautiful day by the seaside
Children paddling in the sea
A sunny day by the seaside.
Betty Hampton
My daughter put me in the wheelchair and walked
me to the bus stop, put me down a ramp and we
went on the bus.
At Lewes we went down the Cliffs, then into one or
two shops, finally catching the bus home. I had a cup
of tea and watched telly.
19
“Yesterday, this moment, tomorrow”
Peter Bacon
Yesterday…
Was a Wednesday
This moment…
Is brilliant
The sun shines
My good fortune
Very soon lunch will appear
Tomorrow
Wet on wet by Josephine Morrison
20. 20
“Yesterday, this moment, tomorrow”
Peter Bacon
Yesterday…
Was a Wednesday
This moment…
Is brilliant
The sun shines
My good fortune
Very soon lunch will appear
Tomorrow
Friday – pay day
Off to the pub to play darts.
Wet on wet by John F Tiller
53
“Group Poem”
Peter Bacon , C.J.T. and Jane Seel
We sit and wait for what may happen,
Away in the mists we cannot see.
Thoughts and feelings come unbidden.
Words and phrases wander free.
Shall we ever make a poem?
Not one of us knows what to write!
Wet on wet by Peter Bacon
21. 52
“Inspiration Bag”
(A small canvas bag containing small objects from
which the writers create a poem or a story inspired by
any of the object/s)
Jane Seel
I am in the swim because I’m in a creative writing
group and we are all lurching, as if in the sea,
wondering what to write and how to write it. There is
a long, sandy beach with shells and prickly
objects which may or may not be living organisms.
But they came out of my little bag so maybe they are
significant. I must hang on to them and be guided by
them, and try to capture them.
J.G.
I was nearly asleep. It was dark and I could see the
stars through the window. They were very bright,
twinkling. Downstairs mother was busy getting ready
for the next day. The smells of Christmas
drifted up from the kitchen. Cinnamon, mace, all
kinds of spicy things as the mince pies cam out of the
oven. I didn’t want to go to sleep and yet I wanted
to so that when I woke up it would be Christmas Day.
Soon the bells would be ringing, calling us to church
and then back home to open presents and to enjoy
all the traditional goodies of that special day.
21
“Yesterday, this moment, tomorrow”
Jane Seel
Yesterday I was looking forward to today
This moment of today is here
Tomorrow I shall be looking back on it
Wet on wet by Jane Seel
22. 22
“Ten Things About Me”
(After Dean Atta)
Peter Bacon
I was born…a very long time ago.
My name…is Peter.
My longest love…Ingrid Bergman
I have a terrible fear…of spiders
I feel safest…at home
I am…hopeless at music
I am not…a teetotaller
Best place…is at home
Best time is…10:30am on a warm, sunny day
I could easily…make you a Yorkshire pudding.
51
“Lost Objects”
“Lost Watch”
I lost a watch on the way to Telscombe. I have not found
the watch. Although I did find a different watch in the gut-
ter in Brighton.
“Letter to the owner of a lost object”
Dear Sir or Madam , I have found a door knocker on the
meadow near your house. It has a tin back. If it is your door
knocker ,I can bring it up to you this afternoon but I won’t
be able to knock on your door.
John F Tiller
“Small Boat”
A tiny boat, beautifully made but probably too small to
float. So it’s just an ornament to place on a windowsill in a
house by the sea. Painted on its side is its name – Portloe.
There is nobody in it. It’s too small for human
interest so, as I say, it’s for decoration; no other use.
Yet it’s quite
delightful.
I love it.
Jane Seel
Wet on wet by Alan Holmes
23. 50
“Inspiration Bag”
(A small canvas bag containing small objects from
which the writers create a poem or a story inspired by
any of the object/s)
“Dolphins” [dictated]
Dolphins were all different
We were on different ships
We took passage to Ceylon
We saw them at the front of ship
We eventually came back in the ship when we retired
The thing was - When they go to Plymouth they
packed their gear up, went from Portsmouth.
And they didn’t want to know us.
Herbert Turner
23
“Ten Things About Me”
(After Dean Atta)
Jane Seel
I was born…in 1932 in the seedy end of Hampstead
My name…is Jane
My longest love…is for books of all ages and kinds
I have a terrible fear…of spiders, especially large,
dark ones with long legs
I feel safest…in my sitting room at home
I am…a friendly person
I am not…very talkative
Best place…is home with my family
Best time…is four o’clock tea and biscuits
I could easily…read myself to sleep
24. 24
“Magnolia Blossom”
49
“West Pier with Starlings Murmuration for tiny stone detail”
by Julia Ann Field
“Stone on the Beach”
Josephine Morrison
I sit on this beach waiting for the sea to wash over
me twice a day.
Lovely and warm in the summer months when the
sun is shining, making me feel warm and refreshed.
In winter months it is not the same, when the cold
and icy water washes over me twice a day, making
me icy cold and it is dark.
25. 48
“Monologue from an object’s perspective”
Betty Hampton
“An Abandoned Bike”
I am wondering about my pedals.
They are underneath me and the saddle is resting on
the ground. If someone could just pick me up, I would
feel better.
The lamp is out and it is dark.
I don’t know how to move myself.
Watercolour by Peter Bacon
25
“Silence”
Two Minute Silence
The sound of gunfire
Birdsong
Aircraft engines
Unspoken words
Breathing
Silence is…
Silence is the Downs in the rain, the rush of water over
stones in the river bed. Silence is the clouds sinking
over a hill as the sky darkens and people hurry home
for tea. They shut out all sound from outside and
concentrate on buttered toast as they crouch
around the table, hungry.
Jane Seel
26. 26
“Ten Things About Me”
(After Dean Atta)
May Law
I was born…in Camberwell
My name…is May
My longest love…was Charlie
I have a terrible fear…of mice
I feel safest…in my mum’s home
I am…fairly athletic – I do practice to be athletic
I am not…all that aggressive
Best place…is the Cock Inn (the times I’ve said
‘Change the name of this pub: I’m your best
customer.’)
Best time…is bed-time
I could easily…drink two or three brandies
47
“Monologue from an object’s perspective”
“A Toy on a Shelf”
What can I do to get to the ground? Take a deep
breath and jump and wait to be picked up to join
the children playing around me. I hope they have
plenty of toys to play with and a ball to throw
around. To be on the ground is better than being
on a shelf. To have other children or dog or cat
around is much more fun than being left on a shelf.
So don’t get left on a shelf!
Pauline Gilbert
27. 46
Exercise using the traditional Maori greeting called a
Mihimimi as inspiration. The Mihimihi is:
Let there be life! The name of my canoe is:
The name of my mountain is:
The name of my river is:
The name of my tribe is:
The name of my sub-tribe is:
I am:
My canoe is my son, George, who thinks ahead and
copes with my needs before I know what they are
myself and gives me confidence to perform my daily
tasks without anxiety.
My mountain is my problem in passing from one day
to another with the night in between and in getting up
each morning at a sensible hour.
My river is made of the books I read, flowing one after
the other, towards a centre that feeds my heart and
mind.
My tribe is my family – dozens of them, all over the
world.
My sub-tribe is George’s wife and daughter who
lighten my life with their interest and happiness.
I am Jane, enjoying being alive in spite of being eighty
-three years old. Jane Seel
27
“Weather Today and A Weather Memory”
C.J.T.
Weather Today
Today the weather is in the background for me:
Quiet, dull, not intruding.
Now it is changing slightly.
The sun is trying intermittently to come out.
Cloudy the rest of the time.
It’s not invading my thoughts.
Weather Memory
It is quite windy
There is a name of someone – a famous writer
In the back of my mind, connected to this weather
On an afternoon.
It may be Charles Dickens
“A windy afternoon” perhaps?
“Windy with sunshine”
28. 28
“Weather Today and A Weather Memory”
Jane Seel
“Weather Today”
We’re going to be late. We are late and all because
of the heavy rain which has overflowed the stream at
the end of our road. The clouds are heavy, more rain
is on the way and our bus is still missing. Ah, here it is,
splashing through the puddles. It’s here at last.
“Cloud Gull” by Ricky Purnell
45
“Word for the day”
Jane Seel
Thirst
A malnourished child; a runner at the end of a race; a
jogger arriving home; a longing for a book I’ve left
unfinished; a need for love.
Peter Bacon
Joy
The small children who have been playing outside
For most of the day
In the garden
In their best clothes
In the rain.
Wet on wet by Roy
29. 44
“Me in Third Person”
Peter Bacon
I wish I had not joined the Navy when I signed up.
I think that the army would have been a better choice
because the ground keeps still most of the time.
Jane Seel
She goes to the sideboard, opens the drawer and
takes out an envelope marked “stamps” and two
sheets of paper suitable for writing a letter. Now back
to the dining table where she arranges her address
book and her pen before she clears a space on which
to start her task of the day.
The words come swiftly, ‘Dear Olive, It was so good to
hear you on Monday, so clear and so welcome from
faraway Canada…’ She sits back and thinks about
what she will write next before taking a break to go in-
to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee that will spur
her on to recount the past week’s activities. She picks
up her pen again.
29
“Weather Today and A Weather Memory”
Jane Seel
“Weather Memory”
I lay very still in my bed but the bed wasn’t still. It rocked
slightly from side to side because the night was the night of
the great storm that demolished thousands of trees
including those in our garden. In the morning I left my bed
and peered out of the window to see a theatre of
devastation. Across the road, a neighbours’ car was
crushed by a heavy tree trunk that had fallen across the
bonnet. Quite soon two young men would knock at our
door offering to help with clearing up, for which we were
truly grateful. Strangely we didn’t get wet; we were just
shocked. “If I were a weather”
I am the stream which has overflowed its banks at the end
of our road. I can’t control myself but simply give myself
up to the cascading downpour. Cars splash through me
and walkers in wellington boots give up trying to cope with
me and stand silently at the edge of the water, waiting for
me to go down. Which I won’t! I will not go down until the
time is right for me!
Photography Deborah Sloan
30. 30
“Weather Today and
A Weather Memory”
Peter Bacon
“Weather Today”
The best use for the weather is
to start a conversation.
Otherwise weather is usually
a pain in the backside!
The end.
“Weather Memory”
I am the weather!
and before I dry out
I am going next door
to wet my neighbour’s
washing she has just put out.
It’s revenge for her dog
digging up all the little flowers
I’ve just planted.
I hate her dog!
Wet on wet by
Betty Hampton
43
“Starlings over Pier” by Ricky Purnell
31. 42
“A Story About My Name”
Jane Seel
My name is Jane – a very plain name given to me
because it was short and couldn’t be changed to
anything shorter. I’ve always been pleased with my
name, enjoyed having it and never wanted to
change it to anything else. I’ve now become
‘Mum’ – my name, Jane, being dropped
by my son and daughter-in-law and replace with
‘Mum’ or ‘Ma’.
31
“Weather Today and A Weather Memory”
John F Tiller
Recent Weather
About a week ago the rain came down from the sky
(cascaded). The main road from Newhaven to
Lewes was flooded.
See the people walking in the wind, being blown
along the pathways, being driven by the wind.
Weather Memory
The rain was so bad. I was waiting to get a lift home,
soaking wet.
I was lucky the car stopped a few yards in front of
me.
If I were a weather…
The weather has changed – at long last! The sun has
come out, the wind has abated. The sun is out. It
will be nice and warm.
32. 32
“Sheep on Glastonbury Tor”
41
“A Story About My Name”
John F Tiller
The star at night
The ship is on her way
“Farmyard” Watercolour by John F Tiller
33. 40
“A Story About My Name”
Herbert Turner
“Doodle Bug Saturday” [Dictated]
We expected to get back but we didn’t
We never did know what the death toll was
There it is one of them things
It was a Saturday afternoon
We was billeted in the old gas light
Water board place in Fulham
Next door they’d been being doing the storage thing
They finished that and this particular day – Saturday – one
of these doodle bugs hit it and the houses we were billeted
in - blew every window out in the place. That meant our
billet had gone and so instead of us going out on a Satur-
day to do any jobs we stopped to clear up. We were
transferred to an old destroyer in the dockyard. So after
that our role in London had finished and people never
knew what the feelings were.
It was all wired glass. I mean I’ll never understand it.
How the gas lighting company restored it - I never heard
but we were moved to the East End.
Soon after we were returned to barracks.
It was frightening.
33
“Before the storm “
In the Street
Fast walk to find some shelter. Do not stand under a
tree when the storm comes.
In the Park
You must be wearing the right clothing. The windows
must be closed.
At Home
The thunder and lightening will come sooner than you
think. Please make sure your cat is in, dog inside,
close the windows.
The Storm Breaks
I am on a hill above the town when the storm breaks.
Lightening and thunder: we laugh. I come down from
the hill to see if I am able to help a mother and child.
They live in a small house.
John F Tiller
34. 34
“ Weather Today and A Weather Memory”
Ann Lawrence
“Weather Memory”
My memory is of sunshine –
the pleasure it is to have and enjoy,
the comfort it gives.
Wet on wet by Pera
39
“What colour am I today?”
Peter Bacon
Today I am pink all over
and looking very smart.
But I clash with my wristwatch!
Jane Seel
Today I am blue because I’m feeling blue on
account of a fall I had yesterday that made me twist
my body so that I’m in pain when I move. The blue
colour pervades me as I go about my daily business so
that I am blue and there is no changing me.
C.J.T.
I think I am dark blue today…or maybe not.
If so, I don’t really want to be.
It would be nice to be something lighter…I think!
Wet on wet by John F Tiller
35. 38
“Spring is in the Air “
35
“ How to…”
C.J.T.
“How to take a walk”
The fresh air is lovely,
Freedom in my limbs
Striding out quite fast
And then faster.
The mind is having a wash.
The body is having some exercise.
Perhaps it’s best to stop now.
I don’t really know.
36. 36
“How to…”
“How to throw a pot”
A lump of clay for pummelling. Jane Seel
Hands that know how to shape
and lift the mound of clay
to sit on the wheel
where it spins round and round.
With thumbs to dig and delve
and prod the clay into a decent shape.
Now take it off the wheel
with splashes of water
and set it on the table
ready for painting.
Now the kiln is ready.
to bake my newly made pot.
Clay art work produced by clients
at the Phoenix Centre
37
“How to…”
Peter Bacon
“Grandpa hangs a picture –
at least that was the plan”!
Where’s grandpa?
He’s gone back to sleep.
Well, who’s going to wake him?
Oh, let the old goat dream!
He had a hammer, the nail and the string.
Now he’s back to the bar
and having a fling!
