Senior / Sixty+

Castle The Series - 0059 Lilac, Farsight, Rape, Janet

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00004010

PRE-DAWN SECOND QUARTERDAY LILAC (15)

“Look for a man,” he’d tell her. “Look close and hard. Most of them aren’t worth a damn. Find a good one, and don’t settle for anything less, no second bests. If he isn’t working and making good money walk away, Girl. You don’t need a pile of kids to rear with no money and just the memory of a waster. Find a good man, rear kids, be happy.”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00004020

EARLY FORENOON FIREFLY (40) AND FARSIGHT (16)

“I like you, and given the opportunity I shall come to love you. I should like that opportunity.”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00004030

EARLY FORENOON SECOND QUARTERDAY - RAPE

“It shall be done as you decree, Thomas, but it is a grim way to begin Quarterday,”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00004040

BRAEKFAST - JANET AND BLACKDYKE

Vetch sighed with resignation, “Yes, Mum. What’s a vulture?”

Castle The Series - 0058 Axel's Family, Yvette, Farsight, Janet

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00003600

EVE DINNER DANCE TIMOTHY (41) & AXEL (40) NECTAR (12) WAVERLY (11)

Axel maekt up the bedtime story of The Astonishing Growth of Apprentice Founder Inch and the Shrinking Rule as he went along.

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00003610

EARLY EVE TO BEDTIME YVETTE (32) AND WHITEBEAR (32)

Whitebear wasn’t wasn’t as poor a dancer as he had led her to believe, he was much worse.

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00003620

EARLY EVE TO BEDTIME FIREFLY (40) AND FARSIGHT (16)

He was old enough to be affected by her obvious femininity, but not old enough to be able take it in his stride.

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00003630

AFTER DINNER TO BEDTIME JANET (63) AND BLACKDYKE (57)

“That was…,” she searched for words, but she knew of none more appropriate than, “That was wonderful.”

This Chapter brings us to the end of Day 3. Nextday is Quarterday.

Castle The Series - 0057 Erin, Josephine, Michelle

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00003570

DINNER DANCE TO BEDTIME ERIN (34) & NIGHTJAR (43)

Had he but known it, she was giving herself in return for that hug he had given her when she had needed it so much.

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00003580

DINNER DANCE TO BEDTIME JOSEPHINE (57) AND WELS (60)

In her opinion, senior management in all the schools she had taught at were, in her own words, “Politicly correct arse lickers, at best apologists for the pupils and at worst cynical career chasers, usually both.”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00003590

DINNER DANCE & GRAILL MICHELLE (46) AND MUSK (50)

Michelle now understood why feeding your partner more than once was considered unseemly, it was far too close to making love in public.

Castle The Series - 0056 Gina, Patricia, The Squad, Hazel, Janet, Clary

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00003520

DINNER TO BEDTIME GINA AND JONAS

“I shall have to take care you are never in this situation with any strange women then shan’t I?”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00003530

EVE PATRICIA (28) AND CHESTNUT (26)

Patricia blushed, a deep blush that went all the way down over her shoulders, and stuttered, “I’m not on duty. I came to see you.”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00003540

DINNER THE PASSING OF HAZEL

Her last major act had been to assist the absorption into the Folk of most of the incomers, who would never now have the opportunity to know her.

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00003550

DINNER DANCE TO MID-EVE JANET (63) AND BLACKDYKE (57)

“You are beautiful. Isn’t she, Dad?” Clover said in awed tones.

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00003560

DINNER DANCE TO BEDTIME CLARY (40) & BRENDAN (48)

“Yes, I wish to be your wife, so if you agree I am.”

Castle The Series - 0055 Susan, Janet, Ginas’s Family, Judith

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00003480

LATE AFTERNOON PLACEMENTS SUSAN (33) AND KINGFISHER (32)

Susan was fiddling with her hair. She knew she was doing it, but she couldn’t stop herself.

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00003490

LATE AFTERNOON PRE-DINNER JANET

Attractive was a word she had never associated with herself before.

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00003500

BEFORE DINNER GINA (36) AND JONAS (38), RUTH (4), KILROY (5)

Ruth said to Gina, “I’m four, and I don’t like porridge.”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00003510

DINNER TO BEDTIME JUDITH AND STORM

Matthew found no fault with the logic of sleeping and watching at the same time

Castle The Series - 0051 Gina, Janet, Gerald, Patrick, Craig

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00003320

LUNCH AND AFTERNOON GINA (36) AND JONAS (38) AND CHILDREN

Snowflake asked, “Are you going to have babes too, Mum?”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00003330

AFTERNOON JANET

She smiled to herself, and spake the words aloud, “Janet Mistress brassière.”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00003340

GERALD (55), PATRICK (51), TANSY (15) & CRAIG (23), BARRET (19), RYAN (17)

Tansy had admitted to her mum she loved Craig and had seduced him to make sure she had agreement with him before any other did and hoped she was pregnant.

Castle The Series - 0050 Erin, Eleanor, Elders

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00003290

AFTERNOON ERIN (34) AND NIGHTJAR (43)

“I have only shared a bed with two people before, one a man and the other a woman, and both derived pleasure from my pain both physical and mental.”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00003300

AFTERNOON ELEANOR (32) AND WOAD (35)

Their love was a romance still spaken of and, much to his embarrassment, was the subject of several popular songs.

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00003310

MID-AFTERNOON ELDERS AND GRANDPARENTS

Rebecca hadn’t settled on a family, and said she would see what turned up.

Castle The Series - 0046 Janet, Gina, Alastair, Joan, Judith

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00003130

JANET THE DINNER GOWN

Janet asked, “And what of those who are more generously bosomed or nursing?”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00003140

GINA (36) THE HEALERS MEETING

The healers’ was a craft with no time for cynicism, scepticism yes, cynicism no.

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00003150

ALASTAIR (19) AND THE REMAINING FILES

“Alastair has been, in the words of the incomers, poppin’ pills.”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00003160

JOAN (26) AND BRÆTH (28)

“Bræth was taken with you wasn’t he?” Nell said to Joan.

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00003170

FAMILY PLANNING JUDITH AND STORM

“If we adopt a large family, and I presume you weren’t joking when you sayt six lastnight, Judith?”

Castle The Series - 0045 Janet, Janice, Elders, Ursula

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00003090

FORENOON JANET REDEMPTION

“It is not in our interests to have you unmarryt. Unmarryt you would require more help and support than Castle can afford.”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00003100

FORENOON JANICE (36) AND KÆN (39)

Most of the archives comprised contemporary historical observations maekt by mainly non-expert observers.

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00003110

FORENOON ELDERS AND GRANDPARENTS

The hardest things to make them understand were that as elders they had value and it was a question of their choices.

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00003120

FORENOON URSULA (27) AND OYSTER (33)

She was invited to join them for leaf, and Haven telt her, “We shall find a small workshop for your personal use in the nextday or so.”

Castle The Series - 0044 Pearl, Merlin, Joan, Rachael, Ruby

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00003050

FORENOON PEARL (78) AND MERLIN (74 nc)

“Dad can go with Perch and bring a coney home for a celebration dinner this eve. The children like coney, and a coney dinner and grandparents will be a significant event in their lifes.”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00003060

FORENOON JOAN, TRUTH (4l nc)

“Before you ask. No, nursing a baby feels nothing like what it feels like when your man does it.”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00003070

FORENOON RACHAEL (25 nc) HEDGER (25 nc)

“We all have to try to put the grief behind us eventually. None succeeds entirely of course, but we have to try. We have to move on.”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00003080

AFTERNOON RUBY (26 nc) AND DEEPWATER (22 nc)

“I was wondering if I could be a wild food forager with a young child.”

On the Corner

She stood there. She stood there on the corner. She stood there as if time had stopped. She stood there not feeling the breeze as it stirred her skirts around her legs. She stood there in shock at the last words she had heard. Biting words, hurtful words that had no place in public or private. Words that could cause one pain and suffering. Words that altered those around them and tore down the very walls that we erect in defense of our very sanity. It was those words that froze her in place. Those words that froze her mind.

Ignorance is No Excuse for Hating Someone Part 10

Debbie looks at her husband as she helps remove his body armor. She couldn’t believe how dented it was or the bruises she was seeing on his chest. His face was a little swollen from the punches he took.

“What the heck hit you, Jack?” Debbie knew her husband was a well-trained fighter.

There weren’t many people her husband couldn’t defend himself against or takedown. She examines him carefully, to make sure he doesn’t have any broken bones or fractures.

Castle The Series - 0035 Muriel, Joan, Dancing

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00002430

THE DINNER DANCE MURIEL AND HAIL

A sudden vision of Hail and herself with a tribe of red haired hellions caused her to burst out laughing.

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00002440

JOAN, BREVE, NELL, ERIK, MAYBLOSSOM

“You have to be Folk now, especially for Breve who will grow up Folk.”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00002450

EVE DINNER AND THE DANCE

Will insisted Pearl dance with him. “To make up for deceiving me,” he explained with a chuckle.”

Remembrance Day - Lest We Forget

thMXMQKYSX.jpg

Since we have many new readers I decided to re-post this story today on Remembrance Sunday that was lost in my story list. It is posted as a tribute to those who served and those who were lost.
My own father went all through North Africa and Italy and survived to come home but a lot of his colleagues were killed. He took his bad memories to his grave.
Jules

‘Lest we Forget’

By JulieDCole

A Grumpy Old Man’s Tale 12 Tales of Wildlife

“I always collected wild vegetables to eat. Milk thistle and the like. They used to be eaten in this country too before folk got wealthy and started calling them weeds. Back home a lot of folk can only dream about being what folk over here call poor. I’ve always collected road kill. It’s just cheap meat and Vince the Mince(3) saves all sorts for me. Stuff other folk won’t eat or stuff he has to spend time on to sell, Breast of lamb, trotters, heads, shin beef and oxtail before some idiot celebrity chef told every one they were good to eat and the price went through the damned roof. Sweetbreads and other offal, he’d just sell to me cheap rather than having to do anything with them. I never told Elle’s mum she was eating sheep head pie just said it was mutton, that sort of thing.

Castle The Series - 0026 Pearl, Ella, Suki & Irena

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00002160

PEARL (78) CROCHETER

“I have a confession to make, and I think a petition to plead.”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00002170

ELLA (30) HERBAL PHARMACOLOGIST

“I want a man and I want to have children.”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00002180

SUKI (22) & IRENA (31) MIDWIFES

“I long ago resigned myself to a life of virginity. I haven’t even been able to give it away, strange for a midwife really.”

Castle The Series - 0025 Janet, Vincent, Douglas, Alec

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00002120

JANET (63) SEAMSTRESS

“Make your decision, you have ten heart beats, the orgy or the men at the camp.”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00002130

VINCENT (45) LATHE LAST MAKER

“Were I seeking a man I should have maekt sure of him before he left this chamber.”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00002140

DOUGLAS (52) MOONSHINER

“Would you like to organise a whisky making arrangement as a trial?”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00002150

ALEC (60) WELL DIGGER

“Alice is a good woman, but she’s met her match in Alec.”

Castle The Series - 0024 Luke, Ursula, Gervaise, Mike

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00002085

LUKE (34) LUTHIER

“I have no idea who she is, or if she’s seeking a husband, but if she is I should like to meet her.”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00002090

URSULA (27) BOW & ARROW MAKER

“You are a bowyer and a fletcher‽” Thomas had asked incredulously.

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00002100

GERVAISE (65) ROPE WALK

“That’s what apprentices are for, my friend, to do all the hard work. All you have to do is tell them what to do.”

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00002110

MIKE (20) SANITATION ENGINEER

“Come on, Son, we’ve some repair work to do for Milligan.”

Castle The Series - 0022 Haws and Whores

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00002040

RELIGION - HAWS AND WHORES, MYLAR (28)

“It was as if he had hit a cobb’s web, and the man must have been dead before he hit the floor. Brock telt me he didn’t mean to kill him, he was going to braek his arm so he couldn’t hurt Lianna any more, but the man movt and taekt the blow at the base of his neck.”

The Wrong Side of the Tracks

I am Penelope Dowager Queen Consort and ex-Regent to His Royal Majesty Hargenter XII of the house of Fjellrijk, but I used to be Kieran O’Brien from the wrong side of the tracks of the city of Wenwath many years ago. Many would ask how did I, a male from a family of thieves, pimps and murderers become the ranking member, and a female at that, of the most prestigious royal family on the planet. A more pertinent question would be how did Kieran a fearful and self effacing little boy of no status at all become Penelope the most respected, venerated and yes even feared too political power on the planet.

Castle The Series - 0020 Smokt Deltas

CASTLE THE SERIES – 00002000

RECORDS

FORENOON

Nodding in agreement with what Thomas and Will had already settled, but looking a little puzzled, Yew said, “I notice you didn’t even refer to the new womenfolk.”
Will gave a crack of laughter, and after looking reproachfully at him, Thomas said laughing, “Rowan, Gosellyn, Hazel and probably Siskin too are dealing with the women, and if you bethink yourself I’m going to argue with those four over who runs the Castle administration, Master at arms or no, you can have my resignation right now.”
Yew looked startled at first, but then admitted with a wry grin, “No, no, and I’m not man enough or mad enough to either.”

A Grumpy Old Man’s Tale 11 Granny's Holiday

“Holy Mary mother of God!” gasped Pat as he downed Sasha’s Bulgarian spirit which was stamped Plum Slivovitz over the label. “That makes Sean’s poteen seem positively refined and ladylike.”

The others seemed to be in agreement and Sasha asked, “I take it then if I get the offer of any more I accept?”

“God yes,” said Gerry. “Just not too often. I really don’t want to get used enough to it to say I like it.”

A Grumpy Old Man’s Tale 10 Pete & Gladys and Alf

Alf said, “You know I don’t lend tools. When I was an apprentice there was a sign in the workshop that said, You can tell the mechanic who lends his tools by the number of new ones he has. I didn’t get it till someone explained the ones he lent didn’t get returned, so he had to buy new ones. There’s a new couple moved in over the way maybe twelve month or a bit more back, incomers from Manchester I think. She’s nice enough to talk to and pretty in a blousy, big girl sort of a way, but she’s a bit dim. I know, but if I think she’s dim then she really is, right? She’s maybe early twenties, got a couple of little girls not at school yet.

The Woman Who Didn’t Like Stories

“Her conversation was curiously, completely literal. All figures of speech, metaphors and use of idiom went completely over her head, and she never used any. I know she only read non-fiction and not much of that deeming most non-fiction to be implausible. She described newspapers as lies and fantasy and didn’t read them. I never saw her reading any of the magazines in the waiting room here. I know she’d never been to the cinema nor a stage production, and perhaps most curious of all that she said she had hated listening to stories as a girl. That was the only time she ever referred to her life as a child.”

This tale was inspired by a comment made by ‘Outsider’. Thank you, Dave.

A Grumpy Old Man’s Tale 09 John & George

George shrugged and said, “The last time I’d felt like I was in the cross hairs of a rifle sight I was in uniform in Northern Ireland, but I had a load of mates who could shoot back there. Scary. I didn’t like it at all.”

It moved the Landrover thirty-odd feet. That winch had no chance of doing anything. We looked at each other and I shrugged my shoulders and said, “You can’t lose them all either, but hell that was lucky.” I think we both got the shakes a couple of hours later.

Castle The Series - 0005 Incursion 568

CASTLE THE SERIES - INCURSION 568 - 00000500

TEN BELOW

DAY 1 - THE INCURSION OCCURRED AT 11:46 LASTNIGHT 27th of Towin

.

Three hundred or so persons from various places and times on Earth arrive on Castle, and they must begin life anew or die.

Though there are numerous prequels and pages of explanation in my manuscript that occur before this, Hwijje and Travisher and First Incursion were examples of prequel chapters and I am currently working to make the explanations suitable for posting, this is where the series begins. Marcy, chapters 1-6, was posted out of order, early, in order to provide some story first, so that the explanations make sense, even though it would be done the other way around in printed format.

Where necessary or possibly helpful to some, there are notes at the end on word usage.

Creation of a Death Chaunt and Joiking

I didn’t have any friends at school. I was a loner and more than a bit odd, so other kids tended to stay away from me, and I liked it that way because everything they did, talked about and were interested in seemed trivial and pointless.

A Grumpy Old Man’s Tale 08 TVs and Wall boarding

Stan had tears in his eyes as he laughed and said, “Sasha has a seven pound splitting axe just inside the door that he uses for firewood on his yard, and is there anyone here who doesn’t believe he’d use it?”

“I counted my arms and legs first, then my fingers. I was amazed they were all there. We turned round and the plaster lath ceilings had turned into dust and kindling and the entire wall was down. It was just a pile of cobbles and broken lime plaster on the floor.

A Grumpy Old Man’s Tale 07 Geoff takes a Turn

“You saying you believe in ghosts, Geoff?”

“You saying you’ve got the balls to tell Karen she’s delusional, Alf?”

“No, I see what you’re saying. Ellen scares me badly enough. Your missus is…, nah you carry on, Geoff.”

Gladys was smiling at Alf’s strategic withdrawal.

Castle The Series - 0002 First Incursion

CASTLE THE SERIES - 00000010

FIRST INCURSION

.

Jacques died smiling. The token Christian priest in attendance, who had been seriously disturbed by the pagan nature of what he had witnessed merely said, “Of a surety God will assoil him.” He maekt no mention of Jacques’ likelihood of entering heaven, which those there considered to be appropriate given what they knew of Jacques’ beliefs.

Where necessary or possibly helpful to some, there are notes at the end on word usage.

On being a writer.

This is how it goes. You say, “I’m a writer.” Then they say, “Really‽” You can hear the interrobang in their voice, the compounded question and exclamation marks that say, “An alien, Eh? I never met an alien before!” Which is an example of their reality. Just for God’s sake whatever you do don’t tell them you’re trans too. The shock will kill them, and you’ll be charged with manslaughter. Society has really got it in for trans aliens at the moment. They’re the new gingers.

What is Justice?

One definition of justice is the administration of law according to prescribed and accepted principles. Which means it varies according to who is doing the prescribing and who is doing the accepting, and as all should be aware it changes from one place to another.

Another is that which is handed down by a judge, magistrate or other person or body socially recognised as authorised to so do. Which of means such a person or body can not hand down injustice for that is a contradiction in terms.

A Grumpy Old Man’s Tale 06 A Double Act

Amidst the roars of laughter Gladys arrived with a tray of fresh pints to exchange for empties. “Sasha, one of these days someone is going do you a serious mischief for your tales. Have you even heard of PC?”

Denis took a good pull on his pint before saying, “Teaching an all girls class is different. Teaching sciences to an all girls class is definitely different. You have to have a sense of humour and remember not to take their flirting seriously. They’re just practising.”

Ignorance is No Excuse for Hating Someone Part 4

237 W 12th St, New York, NY:
Hatter snuggles close to Shade as he laid next to her. He had asked his boss for the next few days off to stay with Hatter and look after her. He loved being with her. He didn’t care that she was a little crazy or the fact that she could be very vindictive when she went after someone.

Great Granny’s Corsets

There were a couple of hundred brassières in every style and fashion from the last seventy-odd years, including ones with cups that couldn’t possibly have reached as high as the nipples which I thought were like what my sisters called quarter cup bras, but Mum told me they were referred to as décolleté brassières in their day, and Granny had worn them with some of her evening gowns.

Rejuvenation

Rejuvenation

A story in the MORFS universe

The honky-tonk roadhouse was rocking when she rolled up on the vintage hog. She walked the motorcycle back towards the stairway that led down from the front door and porch. Taking the mirrored aviator shade off, she surveyed the area for people standing around and spotted only two. They were on either side of the entrance. Both were over six two and looked like they had played linemen on the local community college football team.

A Grumpy Old Man’s Tale 05 The Arrival of Denis

“So how come you’re here starring at the weekly bullshit session?”

“Belinda went out to get her hair done this afternoon. She got to yacking with another lassie in the hairdresser’s, and seeing as they were both going shopping at Tesco after they had coffee together. This lassie Gwen mentioned her old man was going out to the pub tonight. She said it was the men’s story telling night and invited her round for a girls night in with some friends and a bottle of wine or two. Now I ask you, how many retired professional liars do you know called Sasha? She found out which pub and here I am. I only live twelve miles a way. Christ, man, it’s good to see you. I’d wondered if you were dead.”

“Nah. Mark Twain had the right of it when he said, ‘The report of my death was an exaggeration.’

Pages

Subscribe to Senior / Sixty+