John Tell, expert on tourism - Mrs. Jenny Matlock's Saturday Centus - Week 65

Welcome to week 65 of Saturday Centus, Mrs. Jenny Matlock's writing challenge that requests participants to write a PG-rated text with a prompt, using only, at the most, 100 words. This week's prompt is the following photo:


Mrs.Jenny Matlock has provided us with this photo-prompt

Here is my text:
------

"I'm with the marketing-group that's advising the Swedish tourist industry".
"Are you are going to promote our churches, museums and monuments?"

"Yes, but even more, the beautiful countryside.
"Were there any other other reasons for joining this project, John?" inquired Sanna warily, hoping to get John to say that she was a reason.
"Mostly, I was glad to get away from the heat! You could fry an egg on the sidewalk. A friend of mine did that. Look at this."
John pulled out a photo and Sanna eyed it closely, shivering, happy to not be in Florida in July.

Wordcount according to WordCalc: 99
------
Best wishes,
Anna

P.S.
I have given the character, John Tell, a reason for being in Sweden. There was actually a delegation from Disney World in Florida that went to this part of Sweden to help the tourist industry here. I read a newspaper article about it. I like the idea. It fits my character John Tell, even though I don't know anything about the real experts from Disney World.

BTW here's a link to the newspaper article: http://www.nt.se/ekonomi/artikel.aspx?articleid=4501252 or click here. Look at the far left column under the word "Ekonomi". Use your Google-translator to read it in English; translate from Swedish. But you can recognise names in the article, such as Walt Disney World and the people from WDW, Valeri Oberle and, of course, the Disney Characters Tinkerbelle (=Tingeling) and Mickey Mouse (=Musse Pigg). The basic message of Ms Oberle's talk is to use all of the senses, pay attention to detail, and see that people feel warmly welcome, all of which I think is very wise advice.

First Commenter:
Nonna Beach
of
Tasty Tales





To read more SC-texts for week 65, please go to this site or click on the image below:

O is for Once - Mrs. Jenny Matlock's Alphabe-Thursday - Round 3 - O

Text & Photo Copyright Christina Wigren



This week, Mrs. Jenny Matlock's Alphabe-Thursday looks at the letter O. Here is my post about an O-word.


Text & Photo Copyright Christina Wigren

------

O is for ONCE, as in 'Once upon a time'.
The magic words for make-believe,
When clocks begin to chime,
Of golden threads, a tale I weave,
Of dragons, witches, wolves and thieves.
From a time and place where animals still can speak,
And orphans often find the happiness they seek.

------


Text & Photo Copyright Christina Wigren
------

Best wishes,
Anna



First Commenter:

Catherine



of

Our Village is a Little Different



To read more posts about the letter 'O' please go to this site or click on the image below:

"Before I die I want to..." - Mrs. Jenny Matlock's Saturday Centus - Week 64

Welcome to Saturday Centus, Mrs. Jenny Matlock's writing challenge that requests participants to write a PG-rated text in any style or genre (normally, without any pictures for illustrations, but this week we are allowed pictures), using a given prompt and only 15 words (for this week). This week's prompt is: ...Before I die I want to...



Here is my text:

------
Before I die, I want to travel wide,
And resting by your side,
Before I die, I want to do one more thing:
Hear my granddaughter sing.

------

Wordcount according to WordCalc: 15

Best wishes,
Anna

P.S.

Please note that I have two children, but not yet any grandchildren, so by wishing to hear a granddaughter sing, I am wishing for several things: first, that at least one of my children has a family; and second, that I live long enough to see this happen, and third, that I live long enough so that this grandchild is old enough to talk and sing a little, and perhaps, even remember me after I'm gone.

First Commenter:
Polly
of
5th Sister



To read other posts with SC-texts for week 64, please go to this site or click on the image below:

Books are heavy - Mrs. Jenny Matlock's Saturday Centus - Week 63

Welcome to Saturday Centus, Week 63, Mrs. Jenny Matlock's weekly writing meme, where participants are requested to write a PG-rated text - fact or fiction, any genre, without illustrations, using a prompt and only (just for this week) 25 words. This week's prompt is "...I'm not getting any younger..."

Here is my text:

------

Sweating profusely, John put down the book-box.

"Daphne du Maurier?"
"Yes!" squealed Sanna, "Now I'm reading 'I'll Never Be Young Again'.
Aching, he thought: "I'm not getting any younger either..."

------

Wordcount according to WordCalc: 25

Best wishes,
Anna



First Commenter:

Lynn
of
Happier Than A Pig In Mud

P.S.
When I write texts using characters, such as Sanna Rumsten and John Tell, I am writing purely fictional texts. The real-life background to this text is the fact that I am in the middle of moving to a new apartment; but there is no John Tell to help me carry cartons of books, china, clothes and everything else I imagine that we will be needing. The children are on the farm while I shuffle brown boxes in a rented truck from one place to another. (I'm only moving a three or four blocks.)

I wish I had a John Tell, who is willing to help out. I am doing a lot, all by myself. But truth be told, I have actually gotten good help from several kind individuals who have volunteered their time, energy and strength to help me at different intervals; many of these wonderful volunteers have been divorced semi-unhappily married women. They know what it's like. Yes, I have also paid some very strong burly men to move the really heavy stuff, like my enormous wooden cabinets. A very charming and very slender young (early twenties) man who rents the downstairs apartment from my ex, helped me carry all of my drawings and my drawing-cabinets down three flights of stairs. Yes, I paid him, but he did not expect to get paid. Bless his heart.

Unfortunately, I am not quite finished. But I felt I needed a break from packing and lifting or using my invention to lower stuff over the balcony* with sailing-rope to avoid having to walk up and down all of those stairs in the beautiful house that I am leaving, built in 1916. Thankfully, there is an elevator in the new place.

Thanks to all of my helpers with the move. And thank you fellow-bloggers for all the moral support that I have received through comments. You're helping me keep my sanity!

And yes, I am not quite alone. I have Sara Cat with me; my little comfort-cat. I have moved her into the new apartment. She looked and sniffed around and decided that it was alright. (We'll see what she thinks when the other five cats move in, as well as the children!)

And yes, it's true! I've discovered Daphne du Maurier's (1907-89) novels and non-fiction works. What a wonderful writer. I have a lot to learn from her writing. She was very popular and still "satisfied [-] the exacting requirements of 'real literature', something very few novelists ever do." (Margaret Forster wrote this about her; found this quote in the introduction by Sally Beauman, of My Cousin Rachel, which I really am reading now - in spurts.)

Remember the little dog in Alfred Hitchcock's film, Rear Window? Yep! That's how I am moving anything under 5 kilos!

------

To read other texts for week 63, please visit this site or click on the image below:

Sigge says thanks - Mrs. Jenny Matlock's Saturday Centus - Week 62

Welcome to Week 62 of Saturday Centus, Mrs. Jenny Matlock's writing meme that requests participants to write a text, fact or fiction, in any genre, using a given prompt and only 100 words. This week's prompt is:

"...and the sign read..."



Here is my text:
-----

This is Sigge, my cat-friend, whom I often stopped to pet on the street. Sigge liked making new friends, even though he had a loving home and a cat-door.

Recently, I felt his bones when I touched him. His owners put up a sign asking people to not to feed him, as he gets everything he needs and medicine. He's just old and sick, but well enough to enjoy his favourite pastime.

Yesterday, Sigge wasn't sunning himself in his usual spot and the sign read: "Sigge has passed away, but before he did, he wanted to thank everyone who made his last days sweeter."

------
Wordcount according to WordCalc: 100

Best wishes,
Anna



First Commenter:
Lin
of
Duck and Wheel with String

P.S. This is a true story. My cat-friend, Sigge, the tabby tom, has passed away. There's a little more to the original Swedish text on the sign. Sigge asks us to take care of one another and all small animals in the world. Sigge even has a page on FaceBook, but I have not had time to look at it.

To read other texts for Week 62 of Saturday Centus, please go to this site or click on the image below:

A Rainy Day in July - Mrs. Jenny Matlock's Saturday Centus - Week 61

Photo Copyright Christina Wigren

Happy Fourth of July to Everyone in America!

Welcome to Week 61 of Mrs. Jenny Matlock's Saturday Centus, a writing meme where participants are asked to write a text to a given prompt, using only 100 words or less. This week's prompt is "Oh say can you see... " (which, for those of you who are not familiar with American patriotic songs, is a line from the American National Anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner.) But since I'm living in Sweden, I'll just try to use this prompt any way that I can. This is my text:

------

Sanna and her friend John were riding their bicycles home from the library. It had been unusually hot for Sweden, even for July. Thunder rumbled overhead from the gathering dark clouds. Then the sky opened up and drenched them. When they finally arrived at Sanna's apartment it was dark inside, as the power was out. It was dim but light enough to see where they were going.
Sanna was rummaging through a closet looking for towels and dry clothes when she pointed to the kitchen counter and asked John, "Oh say, can you see that flashlight over there and hand it to me?"

Wordcount according to WordCalc:97
------

Best wishes,
Anna

P.S. (This was written Monday, July 4th, 2011)

I wrote my centus text in a great hurry and it may need a little explaination:

When I write texts about Sanna, I am writing purely fictional stories, even though Sanna usually borrows content from my own life. In this text I am introducing a new character, John Tell, an acquaintance from America, whom Sanna met when she went to school there. John does not say much in this short centus text. His function is to give Sanna a reason to speak out loud. The cats would not be able to hand her a flashlight. John Tell is just visiting Sanna, but may stay a while if I can give him a reason to stay.

The real life background to this story is that I actually rode my bike to the library on Saturday, the same day as this centus, in order to borrow the library's computer, since I don't have a printer at home. I stopped by the new apartment (since I only received the keys the day before) to take measurements and really got depressed. It is so small, cheesy and plastic compared to the home that I am forced to leave. It was only about three in the afternoon when it started turning dark and I heard thunder and saw lightning. And then it started to rain really, really hard. I had to get back to the old place since there is nothing there yet - no furniture or food or even toilet paper or light bulbs in the new apartment. I was alone, of course. It would have been fun to have had a friend along. I decided to be nice to Sanna and let her have John Tell with her in the rain. I rode my bike splashing through puddles and shedding tears and was drenched when I got "home". I had to take all my clothes off.

The photo of the fireworks in the evening sky is from the Swedish holiday Valborg, April 30th, when there is a great bonfire to celebrate the end of winter and the coming of spring. And there are usually fireworks too. Forgive me for using it to illustrate the Fourth of July. The last time I actually saw fireworks for a celebration of the Fourth was long before I owned a digital camera. This photo was taken this April 30th.

------
First Commenter:
Judie
of
Rogues Artists



To read other Saturday Centus texts for Week 61 please visit this site or click on the image below: