[Newsgroup-test] Newsletter 8
Doom
doom at guynsmith.com
Fri Nov 1 21:47:35 GMT 2024
Official Newsletter No. 8
Celebrating the Life and Works of Guy N Smith 1939-2020
Greetings Fans, Friends and Fiends!
Welcome to another packed issue of the GNS newsletter! Inside, you'll
find highlights from the recent /GNS Fan Convention 2024/, updates on
new and upcoming projects from Black Hill Books and GNS author-fans,
plus an introduction to our new /Patreon membership/, created to help
expand Guy N. Smith’s legacy to loyal fans and new readers alike.
We've also got details on the Halloween release for the latest book
/Werewolf by Moonlight/, a Halloween /Sabat Special/ from the /Breakfast
in the Ruins/ podcast, the current /Big Cats/ series on /Occultaria of
Albion/, and plans for the /Great Scribbler/ podcast, hosted by Tara
Paulsson and launching with Guy’s fanzine Graveyard Rendezvous. Plus,
get a sneak peek at a new competition with the film and audio platform
/Dread Sanctum/, and, as always, a further look into Guy’s teenage
Mystery Man Diary. Dive in and enjoy!
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More Crabs Are Coming!
You’ll remember that the last newsletter featured the republication of
Night of the Crabs, Killer Crabs and Origin of the Crabs, and indeed
these three books in Guy’s Crabs series were launched in ebook and
paperback formats in time for the GNS fan con on September 1st (with an
audiobook of Night of the Crabs still in production, due out
imminently). There’s an intention to release the next three (books 4-6)
in these formats by Christmas/New Year, possibly with some themed
slipcases available, and perhaps both boxset and hardback versions of
all 6 books to come out next year, the latter featuring some colourful
Rick Melton artwork. Watch this space!
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<https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/author/B0034NE89E?ingress=0&visitId=75897d31-88b0-4d50-a84b-7807e8a79e8e>
Amazon Author Page
It’s been nearly four years since we lost Guy and there have been many
changes and upheavals along the way, not the least of which was making
Black Hill Books into a limited company, gaining access to BHB company
accounts and assets, and assigning the GNS book rights to Black Hill
Books Ltd.
One thing we hadn’t managed to do until the republication of the first
books was to regain – and update – the Amazon Author Page, without which
it would have been impossible to obtain sales reports/stats and promote
the books effectively on Amazon. Well, now we have it! It took a few
weeks, corresponding with Amazon Author Central’s help centre and
sending them the relevant documents proving we were his family and had
the right to own the page, but now it’s done, we are relieved and proud
to show it to you:
Guy N Smith on Amazon
<https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/author/B0034NE89E?ingress=0&visitId=75897d31-88b0-4d50-a84b-7807e8a79e8e>
If you use Amazon, please follow Guy’s page. He has 892 followers
at the time of writing.
Let’s see if we can get to 1000 by Christmas!
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Guy N. Smith Patreon Membership
In October, we set up a Patreon membership account to allow fans who
wish to support the ongoing GNS project to donate on a monthly basis. By
subscribing to the Patreon membership you can help Black Hill Books
deliver ongoing GNS content to keep the great Scribbler’s legacy alive
and keep you entertained! To find out more, visit
patreon.com/greatscribbler. <https://www.patreon.com/greatscribbler>
/We have opted to postpone a switch to Apple subscription billing until
November 2025, which means new members can’t join via the app just now
(existing app members are unaffected) but you can join via the website.
It shouldn’t affect anyone negatively but if you have any questions, do
contact Patreon directly as a first step./
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Werewolf By Moonlight
Exciting and slightly surprising news (even to us) is that we have put
out a new edition of Werewolf by Moonlight (Guy’s first published novel,
originally released in September 1974) on /Amazon in ebook and
paperback/ formats at lightning-speed, thanks to fast work by foreword
writer Mickey Lewis (see the previous newsletter) and artist Mike McGee
(see below). We are super happy with it, especially as its release date
just about coincides with the /50-year anniversary/ of its first
publication by NEL, and we now hope to wheel out books 2 and 3 of the
series equally quickly. Lewis’s foreword, snappily entitled /‘Nice N’
Sleazy: lust and lycanthropy on a farm boy’s wages’/ is pure cheeky joy
from start to finish, and McGee’s artistry is… well, judge for
yourselves! We adore it.
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Mike McGee
Mike McGee is our artist of choice for the Werewolf series cover art.
Here’s a bit about him in his own words:
“I’m Mike, a pop culture illustrator whose work is heavily influenced by
the masters of the macabre Bernie Wrightson and Kelley Jones. The
majority of my work has been poster-based but a few years ago I was
approached by a good friend of mine, Justin Park, who offered me the
chance to work on the cover for the next book in the Sabat series. I
obviously jumped at the chance! Since then I have produced covers for
From the Dark Hours, Satanic Armageddon, The Casebook of Raymond Odell
and Beheaded which was co-written by Guy and Justin. Werewolf by
Moonlight is my latest cover for Guy’s books and I am honoured once
again to be a small part of an iconic series from such a true master of
his craft.”
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“Where do I buy?”, we hear you cry!
Amazon UK links:
* Paperback: https://amzn.eu/d/aIDIobd <https://amzn.eu/d/aIDIobd>
* Kindle: https://amzn.eu/d/fk03UtU <https://amzn.eu/d/fk03UtU>
Amazon US links:
* Paperback: https://a.co/d/gBOJfmb <https://a.co/d/gBOJfmb>
* Kindle: https://a.co/d/hr8tPQH <https://a.co/d/hr8tPQH>
There are Amazon links for DE, FR, ES, IT, NL, JP, BR, CA, MX, AU and IN
too, so if you can’t find it on your country’s Amazon page, contact us.
And if Amazon isn’t your bag, we’ll be launching on Kobo, Barnes &
Noble, iBooks and selling direct digital books via the website, too.
There’s also our /Official UK Seller Paul Evans/ for hardcopies and rare
copies, on Abe Books website
<www.abebooks.com/books-for-collectors-lancashire/742557/sf>
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What a Wicked World Wide Web we Weave…
/A few words from Reverend Doom./
The shadows have shifted, and so too has our online realm. I bid you,
devoted disciples, to gaze upon the Guy N. Smith <https://guynsmith.com>
website, now transformed into a sanctuary for the peculiar, the curious,
and the fanatical. Within its dark corridors, you shall find:
* Unsettlingly fresh news from beyond the veil
* Past editions of the revered newsletter, preserved like relics in a tomb
* The cryptic instalments of the *Mystery Man Diary*
* A complete inventory of Guy N. Smith’s immortal works
* A biography of the man himself, an homage to his mortal coil
Yet, beneath this, a darker engine roars—the Blackhill Books
<https://blackhillbooks.co.uk> website, the commercial heart of our
empire. This is the vault of e-commerce, the guarded gate where coin
changes hands, and the faithful may acquire relics with utmost security.
*What awaits in the Shadows?* The online shop is in its final rites.
Soon, you shall be able to purchase:
* Forbidden digital tomes
* Merchandise woven with the essence of the macabre
* And for the brave few… mummified remains of eldritch lore
A secure payment system, woven through the dark enchantments of the
Stripe on line banking system, stands ready to process your offerings.
Past newsletter editions are already available in ebook format. Yet we
await the final protective wards upon the policy documents before
unleashing the shop upon the world. Dare to reach out if you wish to be
among the first to test this sacred ground.
*Into the Future…* A prophecy looms: /The Great Scribbler/ website shall
rise, heralding /Great Scribbler Podcast/, where the dark tales and
arcane voices of Tara Paulsson will echo through the void.
TLDR: We did a lot. We're going to do more. Cool websites. Check 'em out.
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Buddy Plugs!
Plugging our buddies… (Why, what did you think we meant…?)
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YouTube Interview – Blast from the Past
We recently connected with writer Gary Dobbs, an author contact of
Guy’s, about his vintage interview with Guy for Scary Motherfucker
magazine. The interview is pure gold and is available to listen to on
The Tainted Tavern YouTube channel. Here’s the link:
The Tainted Tavern on YouTube
<https://youtu.be/OrRM-ibdvoQ?si=HRl9Ti3_B0-5bsiI>
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<https://amzn.eu/d/023y6A8b>
Tripping the Light Zine-tastic
After the roaring success of his first GNS zine, writer and photographer
Chris Elphick is planning another one next year, featuring GNS-inspired
fan fiction. Fans have until March to submit to the zine a short story
inspired by one of Guy’s books or characters, to be published
exclusively in Elphick’s zine with Black Hill Books’ permission. For
more details, contact Chris via his blog
pixie-led.co.uk <https://www.pixie-led.co.uk/p/1.html>
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Winter Tales ‘The Final’ by Joseph Freeman
Author and photographer Joseph Freeman was a long-time friend and fan of
Guy and is putting out his last-ever Winter Tales this December. The
popular online horror reading show boasts an impressive line up and
features title music by Guy’s daughter Tara Paulsson. The stories are
always of the highest quality and past shows can be found on YouTube and
via his website <www.josephfreeman.co.uk>. Joseph Freeman’s is a life
lived amongst ghosts; both fictional and otherwise. His ancestors had
various castles and mansions in Ireland – most of which were haunted and
most of which were sold off before he had a chance of inheriting any.
His own parents told him tales of ancestral banshees. A childhood
interest in the gruesome and the ghoulish developed into a lifelong
passion for horror, and after having dozens of short stories published
in magazines and anthologies both in the UK and USA, his first book,
'Love Stories of the Undead' was published to great acclaim and
popularity when he was still a teenager. He has now published 17 books,
including the collections ‘They Come At Dusk’ and ‘Elsewhere &
Otherwise’, and the novels ‘The Cold Heart of Summer’ and ‘Arcadia Lodge’.
Much of his work is based upon his own experiences of, and research
into, the supernatural. In his writing, Freeman concentrates upon a
vivid atmosphere, rising tension and glimpses of visionary terrors. He
is highly praised for his use of subtlety, psychological techniques and
mood to create an unsettling atmosphere. In 2020, Freeman created the
‘Midsummer Macabre’ and ‘Winter Tales’ series of events. At first held
live, the COVID pandemic forced a shift into the online format – but
this meant exposure to a much larger audience, and also the chance to
work with some of the greatest living names in horror fiction.
All previous online shows can be found on his Youtube channel.
* Joseph Freeman's personal web site. <www.josephfreeman.co.uk>
* Joseph Freeman's Facebook page. <facebook.com/JosephFreemanAuthor>
* Joseph Freeman's Youtube channel.
<https://www.youtube.com/@josephfreemanauthor>
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Fiends with Benefits (well, blogs…)
There are many excellent review/blog sites featuring Guy’s work. Here
are a few:
* Gavin Kendall <https://kendallreviews.com/>
* Paul Ebbs on Facebook
<https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100013056722227>
* Chris Hall <https://www.dlsreviews.com/guy-n-smith.php>
* "Mike Howlett <https://hitmewithyourbookreview.blogspot.com/>
* Hal C. F. Astell's The Nameless Zine <https://www.thenamelesszine.org/>
* Hal C. F. Astell's Apocalypse Later Empire
<https://books.apocalypselaterempire.com/>
* The Monster Librarian Interview With Guy N. Smith
<https://www.monsterlibrarian.com/TheCirculationDesk/a-look-back-the-monster-librarian-interview-with-guy-n-smith/>
* Lord Sampers Library (@lordsamper on x.com) - Thanks, Your Lordship!
<https://www.monsterlibrarian.com/TheCirculationDesk/a-look-back-the-monster-librarian-interview-with-guy-n-smith/>
* <https://www.monsterlibrarian.com/TheCirculationDesk/a-look-back-the-monster-librarian-interview-with-guy-n-smith/>Meet
Guy N. Smith on Boing Boing
<https://boingboing.net/2021/09/06/meet-guy-n-smith-the-guy-who-gave-the-world-7-novels-worth-of-crabs.html>
If you know of a site featuring horror, including Guy N. Smith’s work,
please let us know and we’ll try to add it to the list!
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Find Your Inner (Dread) Sanctum!
We are hoping to team up again with the people at /Shortly.film/ next
year to run a short film competition via their new horror/fantasy
streaming outfit /Dread Sanctum/. The run-up to the deadline will be
longer and the choice of theme broader than the previously-proposed
short film competition we wanted to run in August, so let us know what
you think! What or who is your favourite GNS novel or character? Could
you turn make a winning short film of it/them?
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GNS Fan Convention September 2024
This year’s fan convention was held at Knighton Community Centre in
Powys, Wales, on Sunday 1st September. Guy always held his fan cons on
the first Sunday in September – and we aren’t about to break with that
tradition any time soon!
The room was kitted out with an auction table, merch table, buffet
table, hot and cold drinks station and, of course, the all-important
book table, which groaned under the weight of the /new Black Hill Books
paperback editions of the Crabs books 1-3/, all signed by Guy’s widow
Jean Smith and daughter/editor /Tara Paulsson/. In the corridor, there
was a full savoury buffet spread of sumptuous food provided by the
Little Black Sheep Café (Knighton). We didn’t go hungry or thirsty, at
least!
There was a great turn-out of fans who were treated to readings from
Crabs books 1-3 – two of them were ‘live,’ by Tara, and the third was a
pre-recorded ‘pre-listen’ from the /forthcoming audiobook of Night of
the Crabs/, expertly read by seasoned voiceover artist Pete Gold.
Our IT wizard Reverend Doom had digitised Guy’s super 1990s VHS film
/‘Wain House Rendezvous’/ and he was able to screen a 15-minute clip on
the venue’s projector for the gathered company. We watched and listened
in hushed awe to a lively, enthusiastic Guy (wearing what looked like a
green alien-patterned shirt!) proudly showing off his beloved vintage
book collection. It was both heartwarming and a little heart-aching to
see Guy immortalised in his element. We miss him - but in many ways, we
still have so much of him.
Everyone was a winner by virtue of being there that day - but some
winners were more ‘winny’ than others as they garnered trinkets and
honours in a Crabs-themed quiz and a raffle. We all drew the top prize,
however, through our immense collective enjoyment of the guest
appearance of successful author /Mark Morris/, who read from his latest
folk horror book, That Which Stands Outside - highly recommended! Morris
has kindly written the foreword ‘Confessions of a Convert’ for Origin of
the Crabs (Book 3), all fan con copies of which he duly signed on the
day, and had driven all the way from York that morning (after undergoing
some surgery above his eye, the day before) and stopped off with us for
a few hours before making his way elsewhere for a book festival the next
day. What a star!
The greatly-anticipated GNS auction was, in turns, jovial, lively and
tense as a few ‘hot’ items generated bidding battles and Tara bumbled
her way through her first experience as an auctioneer with a large
helping of (unintentional) comedy! Donated to the auction were were
signed copies of short story anthology Short Cuts from Steve Lockley,
several signed titles from David Owain Hughes, some Graveyard Rendezvous
spares, an editor-annotated manuscript of Night of the Crabs, signed
proof copies of Crabs 1-3 and much much more. The big ticket item was a
one-off handmade leather-bound parchment copy of Night of the Crabs,
complete with embedded claw, which went to bidding behemoth Nick Caton!
Guy’s snug I Bought a Vampire Motorbike t-shirt (merch from that quirky
short film starring Neil Morrissey) went to writer David Owain Hughes.
There was an array of old and new merch, ranging from mugs and t-shirts
to pens, fridge magnets and keyrings, and the event raised around £1200
(before costs) for Black Hill Books Ltd, which should go some way
towards furthering the Great Republication Project, helping us pay for
book cover and audio artists, and spread some Great Scribbler love!
For an attendee’s eye view of the event, why not visit Chris Elphick’s
excellent write-up?
pixie-led, A Gathering for Guy.
<https://www.pixie-led.co.uk/2024/09/a-gathering-for-guy-part-3.html>
All in all, a tremendous day (and weekend in some cases!) was had by
everyone in this exceptionally tight-knit and friendly horror community,
which is precisely what Guy loved about his fan cons.
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“It’s all in the best poddable taste!”
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Great Scribbler Podcast hosted by Tara Paulsson (and a
fridgedoorfull of haunted magnets)
Thoughts, prayers and curses are underway as we ponder a podcast format
that will summon the spirit of the Great Scribbler and resurrect the
ghosts and ghouls of Graveyard Rendezvous without taking too much time
away from book production! There are visual and audio options, public or
Patreon subscriber-only options and even sponsorship ideas to consider!
But we think that using a Graveyard Rendezvous fanzine
edition-by-edition approach will give us focus and making the episodes
publicly available will raise visibility (or should that be
audibility?), so we might need to accept advertising as a way of funding
ourselves. The launch is likely to be announced by the host Tara
Paulsson on social media, so keep your eyes on the various platforms and
we’ll try to spread the word when the time is right.
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Sabat: The Graveyard Vultures - Breakfast in the Ruins Podcast Special
A Halloween Treat! /Breakfast in the Ruins/ is broadcasting a /Halloween
episode/ on /Sabat: The Graveyard Vultures/. In his podcast, creator and
host Andy Stimbot has previously featured the novels Night of the Crabs,
Crabs’ Moon and Crabs on the Rampage and also interviewed his daughter
(and BHB editor) Tara Paulsson. In the following passage, we meet Graham
Holden, who has deservedly appeared on the podcast as a ‘Guy N. Smith
expert’, and will appear in the Sabat episode. Here, he describes how he
first chanced upon the Great Scribbler’s work.
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Graham Holden - How I came across Guy N. Smith
It must have been when I was around 15 or so. There was a monthly book
fair in the Assembly Rooms in Chichester. A rather grand building, and I
often felt quite out of place initially walking into this building – but
felt right at home once I was in the hall with all the book stalls. On
one of my visits, whilst scanning along the bindings of some paperbacks
I spotted one called Throwback by an author that I’d not heard of, a Guy
N. Smith. The cover was of a grizzly-looking ape like creature gnawing
on some unidentified bloody sinewy like thing. Underneath the title was
“PRIMITIVE, PRE-HUMAN, THEY SWARMED ACROSS THE FACE OF THE LAND”. I
couldn’t resist. I purchased it straight away. This was my gateway book
into the fantastical horror world of Guy N. Smith. I devoured this book
rapidly, and my teenage mind couldn’t quite comprehend what I was
reading. Brutal, but compelling. I was instantly hooked.
The next month I returned to the book fair and I couldn’t quite believe
my luck. The same stall had a whole bunch of Guy N. Smith books – mostly
of the “Crab” series. I bought them all. And for a period in my
mid-teens, I’d pick up any GNS book I spotted and had a modest
collection. As I “grew up,” my interests moved on and I sold my collection.
Fast forward 30 odd years. There I was, wasting some time before a
physiotherapy session at the local hospital, so I decided to pop into a
charity shop for a look at what they had on offer in the book section. I
stopped in my tracks. On the rotating wire rack nestled between some
Mills & Boon was a cover that was so out of place it was perverse.
Crabs: The Human Sacrifice. For 50p, I found myself right back into the
world of BIG GIANT CRABS, animal liberation, wildfowling and more Click
click clickety-click. I was again hooked, but this time I had the
internet, some disposable income and a wealth of information for me to
research on Guy and the discovery of his works outside of his horror
writing – who knew I had an interest in Moles and their Control! After
picking up Writing Horror Fiction (Writing Handbooks), I’ve now been
inspired to give it a go myself with the guidance from Guy himself.
This renewed discovery of Guy N. Smith also coincided with the discovery
of a podcast called Breakfast in the Ruins, which is primarily a Michael
Moorcock inspired podcast, but Andy also covered other genre fiction.
And there was an episode of Night of the Crabs. I got in contact, as a
Moorcock fan and a GNS fan – how could I not. Over the past few years,
Andy has kindly invited me as a guest to cover GNS-related books, along
with some other pulp horror. It’s been a blast. Coming up for this
Halloween special is Sabat 1: The Graveyard Vultures – which should be a
sordid affair!
You can find out more about the podcast at *Breakfast in the Ruins
<https://breakfastintheruins.com>
/* Content warning for sexual violence and exasperated hosts./
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rather Catty!
If you want to delve into another fascinating area of Guy’s many
interests, you can follow the current Lincolnshire Big Cat Investigation
series on the /Occultaria of Albion/ podcast and listen to various
people’s experiences of big cat sightings, including (in episode 3) a
sighting of a probable caracal on Black Hill by Guy’s daughter Tara and
her husband.
Podcast creator and host /Richards Daniels/ has recently written an
article for Phantasmagoria magazine celebrating 50 years of Guy N. Smith
pulp horror novels, which began with his first published book, Werewolf
By Moonlight. Daniels is currently touring with his show The Filing
Cabinet of Fear <https://www.occultariaofalbion.co.uk> and his podcast
is available on all major platforms.
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And Last But Not Least - “Mystery Man” Diary 1957
Here is the sixth instalment of Guy’s secret teenage diary, originally
handwritten and published in the GNS newsletters for the first time. Guy
would have been just 18 years old when he wrote it and was already
working in the Midland Bank. Enjoy!
*Wednesday March 20th*
Feeling much better today. In the lunch hour I went after a record -
tried 8 shops but couldn’t get it. I had to take the registered letters
again tonight. I got the 5.5 bus home. Did not go down to the hospital
tonight. Just had a quiet evening - did a bit of study & played some
records.
*Thursday March 21st*
Best day yet on States. I got the 4.42 train home. Today I got a record
of Billy Thorburn’s “Ricochet.” I got home & went in the wood with the
gun. I had a couple of shots at jays but got nothing. Helen Brewster
came and taught me book-keeping. She is suffering from rheumatism in her
back. She went at 9pm then I played records & went to bed.
*Friday March 22nd*
Quite a good day. I had a surprise. I was told I was wanted down in
Securities & who should be there but Hugh Montgomery. We went out
together in the lunch hour. I shall see him again next week. Got the
4.42 train home. Put in two more rows of parsnips, and another row of
peas. I did some more digging. I went out with the gun in Hopwas wood
but didn’t get a shot. I watched ‘Dragnet’ & then played some records. I
then wrote an article on records for the ‘Tettenhall Observer.’
*Saturday March 23rd*
I went early this morning so I could get away early. I got home and
finished off digging the centre patch. Dad came home from hospital
today. He looks O.K. again now. I went shooting with Fred Cole on our
own shoot. The hunt had been across & things were rather tame. I had a
shot at a pigeon which began to ‘tower’ over Swinnerton’s. I didn’t pick
it up. Mum took me down to Watson’s to fetch a football paper tonight. I
amused myself this evening by wrapping up an April Fool parcel. I don’t
know who I’m going to send it to.
*Sunday March 24th*
Went to church in the morning. Came back and did some gardening. I went
round to see Billy and Nellie. He told me the story of how he told
Kitely that it was Fred Cole’s job to climb up the T.V. mast & light the
lamp at night & Kitely believed him. I came back from Billy’s and dug
both banks by the wood hedge & set seeds in them & mowed the lawn. I
went down to Grandma’s in the evening to exchange the Sunday papers.
Quite a good day’s work all round.
*Monday March 25th*
A disappointing day. I am back on Remittance. We had a bit of trouble
balancing & I got the 5.40 bus home. I was annoyed because I was unable
to get to do any gardening. Lance has been ‘ill’ all day & Mum had put
him in my room & he’d turned it into a bear garden. The old man was a
bit grumpy too, on about this & that. When I took the dog for his last
walk down the road I met a fellow who said he was booking appointments
for the 11 plus exam. We rang the police but he was genuine.
*Tuesday March 26th*
Went on the bus to Longbridge this morning to fetch the Austin credit.
Quite a good day. I was the only one to fly balance. I got the 5.5 bus.
Walked up from Tamworth. I went up to Mrs Winfield’s tonight. A very
good night apart from the fact that that girl was not there. Sam
Loughead enjoyed it too. We gave the fat lady a lift home. I’ll get off
with someone somehow!!!
*Wednesday March 27th*
Today I was given the job of helping to clear the stationery room. It
was filthy! I had to take the registered letters to post. I got the
5.25pm train home & got home at 6.20pm. I did some gardening. I tidied
up the steps into the wood, put in a row of spring onions, set the rest
of the wood bank & put some fertiliser on the garden. I did some
studying also.
*Thursday March 28th*
Just a normal routine day today. I got a couple of records, “Feet Up”
and “Quicksilver” from the secondhand shop on Snow Hill. I got the 5.15
train & got home at 6.20. I gardened until 7.20pm. I put in 2 rows of
turnips & my marrows. I dug the flowerbed beneath the rustic work. I
also did some studying.
*Friday March 29th*
A normal day. I went to Batt’s for a haircut. I fly-balanced today. Mr
Price the head messenger is retiring and at 4.30 today a presentation
was made to him. Mr Iley made a speech. They gave him a spade and a
fork, and electric razor & a pipe & a pouch of tobacco. I got the 5.15
train home. Home at 6.20. I finished planting the woodbank & dug the bed
in front of the kitchen.
*Saturday March 30th*
The batches wouldn’t balance at the office today. I got the 1.35 bus
home. Home at 3 0/c. I dug the flowerbed under the kitchen window and
put the potatoes (ninety folds) in. Went shooting in Hopwas Wood with
Fred Cole. Had one shot - got nothing. I came back and dug half that
patch by the shelter. Mum ran me down to Watson’s to get a football
paper and a card for Billy.
*Sunday March 31st*
Gardened practically all day, except for a 2 hour break in the afternoon
which I spent with Bill and Nellie. I have now got practically
everything done except the paths. Bill complained about Fred tipping his
rubbish in front of Bill’s house so as the Coles were out this
afternoon, I tipped my rubbish in front of their gate!!
*Monday April 1st*
I had a laugh thinking of Sid Faulkner’s face when he got the parcel
this morning. A very busy day today. I was told there was someone to see
me by the messages box & when I got down who should be there but Morris,
Walter & Blackwall. We had a chat for 10 mins. We had a bit of a job
balancing & what with being busy I didn’t get home till 8 o’clock.
*Tuesday April 2nd*
Very busy again today. I got the 5.50 train home & just missed my
connection in Tamworth. I tried to ring home & couldn’t get through.
After about a quarter of an hour I discovered that you now have to put
4d in the box instead of 3d. I went dancing with Sam Loughead. The girl
I had hoped to see wasn’t up there but we had a good time all the same.
*Wednesday April 3rd*
Had a pretty big London Clearing today - didn’t finish listing it until
quarter to eleven. We were busy today & I got the 6.5 bus home. I was
very moody this evening. It’s all this social standard (snobbery)
business that gets on my nerves. Much more of it & I shall be properly
up the wall. I shall make a move next Tuesday.
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Newsletter written and compiled by Tara Paulsson. Black Hill Books would
like to say a big thank you to all our guest contributors.
©️2024 Black Hill Books Ltd. <blackhillbooks.co.uk>
[GNS News] Newsletter No. 7
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