Filey Summers - A Memoir in verse.

I guess, as a self-proclaimed author and poet, I should publish something now and then, while I'm waiting for fickle fame and fortune to strike!  But,  being honest, I wasn't sure whether to post this little poem about one of the great experiences of my childhood, on this blog, or on my Barney Blog, although this is far from a rant, and much more of a reminiscence!

 

Filey Summers

 

How do I spend my daydreams?

Wandering the paths

Of Butlin’s Filey Holiday Camp,

Reliving childhood’s past.

 

Old Sir Billy’s pride and joy,

The biggest Butlin’s ever,

Bringing summer fun to all

Despite the English weather!

 

The night before was sleepless,

Like a Christmas in July,

Our tummies full of butterflies

As hours dragged slowly by.

 

And then the rail or coach trip

With so little else to do

But sit in angst and wonder ‘til

The camp came into view!

 

The rows on rows of chalets;

Red and Yellow, Blue and Green,

And White for the self-catering,

The likes we’d never seen!

 

And over them, the chairlift,

Where we rode high in the sky,

Laughing down at the tiny folk

Below as we pass’d by.

 

 

 

The Indoor Pool was busy

And was always very warm;

A tropical oasis where

We were all safe from harm.

 

The clear and frigid water

Of the giant Outdoor Pool

Had tiered concrete fountains where

My brother sprayed the fools.

 

 

Two sittings in the dining halls

Of Windsor, York and Kent,

And seconds could be had without

More money being spent!

 

The first freshly cooked donut

That I had ever had,

Still hot, and sugar-coated,

Was a taste that drove you mad!

 

 

The Wild Mouse Rollercoaster

And the free Amusement Park

Kept the children entertained

From morning until dark

 

And then the glow of neon lights

Would drive the dark away

And make the camp a fairyland

Of fun and endless play.

 

 

 

Shows in the Gaiety Theatre

Or billiards in the hall,

Or dancing in the discotheque,

While parents had a ball.

 

The Regency, the Viennese,

The French and Oasis bars,

The Sportsman and the Beachcomber

Where dads could have some jars.
 

 

With playing fields and a cinema,

TV rooms and a lake,

With street trains and with endless games

He gave our folks a break

 

From looking after active kids

All day long, and, at night,

The chalet patrol kept careful watch

To make sure we slept tight!

 

So much to do – day in, day out,

No matter what your age;

It’s easy to see why Filey camp

Was all the Butlin rage!

“We know where you’re going! You’re going for a wee wee!”
 

 

Copyright (c) Paul J Todd, 2013.

All rights reserved.

The Songs of Distant Earth - Arthur C Clarke

Arthur C. Clarke is very well known for his two most famous science-fiction novels, 2001: A Space Odyssey and 2010: Odyssey Two, and is considered one of the "Big Three" authors of the genre, along with Isaac Asimov and Robert A. Heinlein. 2001 is considered one of the greatest sci-fi classics of all time, and the film version by Stanley Kubrick has a huge cult following.  That being said, I had always found those stories difficult to access beyond the surface of Kubrick's visual representation.

In the mid-1990's, I bought the album The Songs of Distant Earth by Mike Oldfield.  Having long been an Oldfield fan, I bought the album for the music, and, at the time, did not pay too much attention to the science fiction story it was based on.  What a fool I was! I recently, finally, read the novel, and have to state that The Songs of Distant Earth by Arthur C. Clarke is exactly the kind of science fiction novel we should all be reading! "Why is that?" I hear you ask. (I did, honestly!)  Well, let me tell you...

 

The Songs of Distant Earth is one of those rarities in the science-fiction genre - a truly accessible, BELIEVABLE story, full of romance, strangeness and danger, that doesn't overwhelm its reader with spurious amounts of incomprehensible science, and which tells a good yarn while still delivering that science, along with a excellent moral sub-plot that is highly appropriate to audiences today.  While the main storyline tells of the arrival of the Starship Magellan, with the last remnants of Earth's civilisation, at the new human colony of Thalassa, a beautiful, Earth-like planet, some 400 years after Earth has been destroyed when our Sun went nova, and the interaction between the new humans and the Earth humans.  We are treated to breath-taking descriptions of Thalassa's peaceful beauty, and gently introduced to the quantum physics and the discovery of the neutrino, in understandable terms that don't blind you with science.  

But the real story to The Songs of Distant Earth isn't the love affair between Loren and Marissa, nor the discovery of the Quantum Drive and the subsequent creation of the Starship Magellan, nor even the creation of the new civilisations like Thalassa. The real message Clarke delivers, the real Catch 22 of the novel, is the process of selecting the historical literature and art from Earth's enormous catalogue, so that they could prevent these new civilisations from commiting the same mistakes Mankind had made during their tenure on Earth. As Clarke puts it:

 

"With tears in their eyes, the selection panels had thrown away the Veda, the Bible, the Tripitaka, the Qur’an, and all the immense body of literature— fiction and nonfiction— that was based upon them. Despite all the wealth of beauty and wisdom these works contained, they could not be allowed to reinfect virgin planets with the ancient poisons of religious hatred, belief in the supernatural, and the pious gibberish with which countless billions of men and women had once comforted themselves at the cost of addling their minds."

 

So the message, if not warning, that Clarke delivers is that, given the opportunity to create Mankind anew, in order to avoid the self-destructive society we have today, we would need to keep from these new civilisations the huge amounts of religious texts that have driven our civilisation to the point of continual warfare and enmity. In other words, if we want to have a truly peaceful society, we would need to remove every aspect of religious control and dictates from our entire knowledge base.

Of course, while Clarke proposes this solution as one method of achieving truly peaceful new worlds, there is no guarantee that these societies would not create their own religious myths and beliefs, thereby potentially subverting the planned peaceful process of existence.  After all - isn't that exactly what we have done to this Earth?

The Songs of Distant Earth should be required reading in every high and secondary school on this planet - if we are ever going to save it!
 

The Pending Hobbit - Been There and Back - Again!

It is with a lot of excitement, and a certain amount of trepidation, that I, along with a few million others, anxiously await December 14, and the release of the first part of Peter Jackson's movie interpretation of The Hobbit.

Just so everyone is aware, I am a long-time devotee of all things Tolkien, and have been for a long time.  I first encountered The Hobbit as a child in the mid-60's (Yes - I am THAT old!), and, while the story was enjoyable, it really didn't worm its way into my psyche the way it has until much later.  In fact, in the mid-70's, I was one of those Lord of the Rings super-nerds, who could recite the names of all of the chapters in all 6 books - in reverse!!  (I know, I know!) And greet you in Sindarin, and recite poems to Elbereth, etc, etc, etc.

 

Nowadays, I either entertain, or annoy, my friends and colleagues, by challenging them to name the thirteen dwarves - and, when they cannot, I go on to do so! Dori, Nori, Ori, Oin, Gloin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Balin, Dwalin, Kili, Fili, and Thorin Oakenshield.  For extra points - Thorin son of Thrain son of Thror; King Under The Mountain. And I didn't look at the book - honest injun!

 

Inherent in gaining that amount of knowledge was a certain amount of disdain from the folks surrounding me.  The challenge of enjoying "Fairy Stories" undisturbed and uncastegated was an active part of my teenage years.  So now, after the wonderful (but certainly not flawless) work Peter Jackson and his team undertook to produce the immensely successful LOTR movie trilogy, I again find myself wondering how those who remain from that time in my life will view The Hobbit.  Will it open a window into what I was going through so long ago - the creativity, the escapism - or will it be seen as just another waste of time? 

 

For me, as with the LOTR, there is a certain amount of concern in the making of a movie version.  First of all - The Hobbit was not intended for the same audience as LOTR, but a much younger audience.  Will Jackson's work - based, as it must be, in the world-view of the Middle Earth he created - over-power the much gentler environment of The Hobbit?  I suspect so.  Also, will the narrative tone Tolkien used in The Hobbit be captured successfully by Jackson?  That is a greater challenge, especially when viewed from the Adult perspective of LOTR.  Also, like many, I decry the need to expand the film to three episodes, when, in reality, even one might have sufficed.  The book is, after all, not even as long as The Fellowship of the Ring!  On the other hand, the opportunity to see so much Tolkien brought to life thrills me, too!!!  And if they use it to provide a linkage between The Hobbit and LOTR - fill in the gaps - that is fine, as long as they do not take too much poetic license.

 

And what afterwards?  I know that Tolkien's family are against these movie versions, although I do not understand why, and that they have said there would not be a movie version of J.R.R.'s other tales.  As far as The Silmarillion goes, that is understandable - there are many, many tales woven into that work, that one, two, or even three movies would not be able to support the stories.  However, a television series, such as that used for Game of Thrones, would be hugely successful, I am sure. Having done so much work - volume after volume of posthumous publications - I fail to see why Christopher and his brethren would fail to capitalize on such a wonderful opportunity.

 

But, for now, I, like so many millions of others, will, with a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye, be content to watch The Hobbit, and partake in movie marathons of all six films - you know it is coming - and even buy the extended, extended, Middle Earth Director's Cut on blu-ray, or whatever technology has replaced it by then - because we are, and always will be, Tolkienites of the First Degree!

 

Elen sila lumenn' omentielvo!

 

 

And - we're off!

"The time has come," the Walrus said, "to talk of many things."
The question is - what?
This is Paul J Todd's (that's me, folks!) first official blog post.
Just a way of kicking things off in the new year of 2012!

This is the initial site on which I will be exposing my writings and the background to them to the World for scrutiny!  I am sure there will be many interations and developments before we (or I) reach a happy final product - both with writings and with sites!

Will there be barings of the soul - you bet.
Will there be wisdom (I hope so!) and tantrums and rants? (Probably!)
But it will always be fun!
If it's not a pleasure to do, then it's not worth doing!

Join me on the ride and enjoy the way things go!
I am looking forward to your company!

Paul