Minutes of the meeting at La Rosa Hotel on the above date.
Present: Adele, Harry, Jenny, Jonathan, Pip.
Apologies: Gill, Ian, Kaz, Laura, Lesley, Magda, Michele, Suzanne.
Topic: Members’ work-in-progress.
Matters Arising
Adele — reported the Whitby Lit Fest, 6-9 November 2025, is getting some good publicity, having been shared on many news networks, social media and today there was a feature in the local Whitby Gazette. Friday 8th November 6-7.30pm is the venue launch event and some writers will be going along. Adele already has a note that WWG wants to be involved in some way next year.
Jenny reported that the table for our Christmas lunch is booked at the Magpie Cafe on the 5th December at 1.30pm. They cannot offer a ground floor table but have confirmed that they now have a lift to the first floor. They are looking forward to our visit.
Members Readings
Adele —
read a short memoir entitled A wet autumn walk, taking in the sights, smells, tastes and touch of a wet day in Littlebeck woods, when heading off the beaten track brings more than she bargained for on the way to see Falling Foss from below.
Pip —
read an extract from Chapter 29 of her memoir from the Turks and Caicos islands, entitled Caicos Moon at a time when her boyfriend Gus had left the island and her father was not too happy about the arrival of John Houseman and his family on the East island as this resulted in him having responsibility to keep watch over their wellbeing. Houseman had appeared in the film Ill Met by Moonlight (that itself being a line from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream). Recounting disappointment at her Spanish A-level result, although gaining a French O-level, during her final months there, she explained to difficulties of distance learning at that time with very little guidance. Despite this she went on to be offered at place in Oxford in language tuition and the promise of an interview with P & O once she was settled into London.
One trip was recalled to check up on the Houseman family and they travelled as a group by boat across the central bank to the East Island rather than travel the long way around by sea, as the weather was so good at the time to allow it. There were memories of flamingoes, crystal blue waters, coral reefs, and black holes as well as the difficult living arrangements the family were enduring, by choice, including a lack of facilities and poor sleeping arrangements. They often ran naked and free apparently, as Pip found out when sighting them, and they quickly dressed when they saw the arrival of a boat. Following receipt of much welcome food parcels, a tour of the area and fish dinner, they slept in sleeping bags inside, while the islanders slept outside, much to Pip’s dismay.
Everyone was interested to discuss the piece and hear that Pip has now finished the book with thoughts on how to publish. The group discussed options, including the use of illustrations and copyright, cost etc., and it was raised that a potential meeting may occur at some point soon to talk about publishing and the hows, whys and wherefores, including the merits and pitfalls of different options. Pip would be keen to attend that, if it is arranged.
Harry —
continued reading from his 1960s seafaring memoir, Sea Wife, starting near the end of the chapter he began at the last session. As the Marwarri approaches the Hooghly in Calcutta, the purser has a proposition to make to the narrator involving clandestine use of the motor room, to which the narrator has the key. Although roundly rebuffed, the purser gets hold of the key anyway and there are signs during the night of contraband being brought aboard.
The piece reminded Pip of a situation she had found herself in while translating with a ship’s purser at P&O, how no-one mentioned Customs but despite many inspections, on one occasion the purser was sacked for an abundance of contraband found in his care. Harry had stories of surgical equipment, the best in Europe, being hidden away by some of his colleagues, the police paid off and how this happened regularly.
Jonathan —
read a short story entitled Casual Vacancy about a well-known and respected, but not always admired, local councillor, David Stones, who had a wealthy family business that controlled much of the town in Craven where the story was set. After losing his wife to a long illness he had answered a ‘lonely hearts’ ad in the paper, and met with a much younger women one night in the Black Lion. After much trepidation and hope on both sides prior to the meeting, things reduced to a disappointing end and he drove off in his Jaguar to meet any untimely end after driving to fast into a stone wall, as recalled at the next local council meeting.
A discussion followed about mentioning drinks, smells and surroundings to build the atmosphere of the evening even further. As Jonathan had written this around 20 years ago, revisiting it had given it new life and would look to make some amendments following the re-read.
The meeting closed at around 12:55 PM after a good group discussion.
Whitby Writers Group 