Author: wotif

Anne of 1000 Days

Posted on by wotif

Anne of 1000 Days is  a true story. Not much action it is true,but plenty of emotive value. Not only that but it represents a vast number of our elderly citizens. To say they are a ‘dying breed’ is literally true, for age is their enemy, and one that everyone must face eventually.

Of course each generation will have its own story to tell. But not everyone is a hero. In fact, let us go back to the days before Womens’ Lib – or more exact, the womens’ liberation movement. This was led by people such as the irrepressible Germaine Greer), and the launch of her revolutionary book The Female Eunoch. 1970. This was a time when women didn’t work (ir again, more exactly, have paid employment. Instead they looked after the house, husband and family, which was not considered work. But sometimes they would gain a little recognition. And more so if they could claim to be part of the saying, “Behind every great man, there is a little woman.” On which note, I leave you with Anne of 1000 Days, part of our series, LifeInThe Slow Lane, but  hopefully it will also MakeYouThink.

Armistice Day

Posted on by wotif

100 years since the GREAT war.

Today we pay tribute and homage to  the millions who served and lost their lives in the 1914-1918 war. It was the war to end all wars, and possibly the last one where face-to-face combat was the norm. Servicemen suffered two horrors.  That, of being automatically enlisted into war, and expected to kill the enemy. And second, to be prepared to die or be maimed while doing so. A no-win situation.,

100 years later and there are more wars raging around the world than we can name – or even know about. Warfare has changed, in many ways it has become simplified. The enemy doesn’t even have to be in sight. Yet people are still dying, or if fortunate, survive –  and carry the battle scars physically and mentally – for ever.

Our very first podcast was released on Anzac Day, 25th April. This is a day personal to Australia and New Zealand. But the story, Wheeled Prison, brings to light the simple naivety of young men before going into battle, and the sheer reality of it when facing the enemy, or returning home, often broken and bitter.

Ordinary people can do little to stop this, other than vote for politicians who will do everything possible to avoid this carnage and confrontation. But we CAN be aware of the personal sacrifice given by so many, and often forgotten or ignored.

Ray, the Refrigerator Man

Posted on by wotif

Ray, the Refrigerator Man. While we often say that most of the fastfictionpodcasts have their genesis in true stories, our latest pod is completely true.  It brings to light two factions –  the background and lifestyle of Ray, and our reaction, as a middle-aged couple living in a totally different world.  And yet, with the passage of time,  and the work cycle, we find ourselves sharing a cup of coffee, and his viewpoints.

When you have listened to the pod, why not let us know how you think you would react if you had been with us on the balcony that day.   And in a back-to-front-way, does the #MeToo movement apply in this case?  Lots of questions, but where are the answers? We still haven’t got any. Have you?

 

 

Half Year Half Birthday

Posted on by wotif

We are now at an exact 6 month / half year  mark, with 27 pods, in four genres, available on most formats. This has been a happy journey. We were ready for a learning ladder back on 25th April when our first pod Wheeled Prisons was released, in time for Anzac Day.  And what a beautiful start. One of our team connected his pc to a speaker at Amiens where a group were waiting for the Dawn Service. Thinking of this emotive story being played under such perfect conditions is awesome.

Other stories have not been chosen or released in any particular order, as once again, in these early days it was (and still is) difficult to ascertain what types of stories are preferred.  Do listeners want to laugh or cry? Or are crime stories still the favorite to intrigue?

Now that we can use the wonders of Google Analytics, we thought those questions could be answered. But apparently not. For instance, over the last six months, these three stories have shown to be the most popular.

Wheeled Prison,                   For Sale,                      A Natural Accident 

                    

For those listeners familiar with them, they represent MakesYouThink, LifeInTheSlowLane, and CrimeWithoutGrime series

However, a few surprises have occurred. Namely, the countries where fastfictionpodcasts are most popular. With that in mind we would like to give a big THANKYOU to our listeners in Singapore, Omaha and Birr, who have shown the most support.

                                             

This brings up another surprise. That a few but growing number of listeners have asked for print transcripts so that they may have a fun way to learn English. And, something that will be coming soon, a section for Young Adults. This would be an aid to reading skills. This is a great idea, and we would love your input. So please leave comments or contact us directly at fastfictionpodcasts@gmail.com

And finally. an overwhelming THANKYOU to those organisations who provide free software for production and those folk who provide free sound bites and images.

 

The Law of the Land

Posted on by wotif

The Law of the Land poem has been in my possession for a few decades. The author was unknown, although it was thought it had its origins in South Africa. It was powerful then, and even more powerful today.

It is not meant to moralize, but brings a strong message to Australia’, and indeed the world.

We feel it is particularly relevant today, as the Australian government is finally recognizing the plight of farmers and all those involved with the land, and by default, our lives.

As ‘natural disasters’ begin to abound, and temperatures soar, it is understandably difficult to discern whether man’s influence is at the stem.

But whatever the cause, the farmers combating these horrors of fire and flood, should be acknowledged as our national hero’s.

THE LAW OF THE LAND

Now this is the Law of the Land, son

      as old and as true as the hills

And the farmer that keeps it may prosper,

      but the farmer that breaks it, it kills

Unlike the Law of Man, son

      this law, it never runs slack,

What you take from the land for your own, son,

      you’ve damn well got to put back.

Now we of the old generation

      took land on the cheap and made good;

We stocked, we burnt and we reaped, son’

      we took whatever we could.

But erosion came creeping slowly,

      then hastened on with a rush’

Our bluegrass went to glory,

      and we don’t relish wiregrass much.

The good old days are gone, son,

      when those slopes were white with lambs,

Now the lambs lie thin and starved, son

      and the silt has choked our dams

Did I say that those days were past, son?

      For me they’re good as gone.

But to you they will come again, son,

      When the job I set you is done

I have paid for this farm and fenced it,

      I have robbed it and now I unmask’

You’ve got to put it back, son

      and yours is the harder task.

Stock all your paddocks wisely

      rotate them all you can’

Block all the loose storm water,

      and spread ’em out like a fan

Tramp all your straw to compost,

      and feed it to the soil;

Contour your lands where they need it

      there’s virtue in sweat and toil.

We don’t really own the land son,

      we hold it and pass away’

The land belongs to the nation,

      till the dawn of Judgement Day

Now the nation holds you worthy

      and you’ll see if you’re straight and just

That to rob the soil you hold son,

      is forsaking a nation’s trust

Don’t ask of your farm a fortune’

      true pride ranks higher than gold’

To farm is a way of living’

      learn it before you grow old

Now this is the Law of the Land, son

      to take out you’ve got to put back

And you’ll find that your life was full son,

when it’s time to shoulder your pack.

Taken from The Stellerlander Newspaper,  South Africa, author unknown,

The Grot Spot

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The Grot Spot was the affectionate name we gave a small unit I rented for a year in Brisbane many years ago.  It was on the occasion of my 50th birthday when I was probably on the onset of a mid-life-crisis – but didn’t know it. Instead I chose to run away from home to a writers’ retreat. In fact, The Grot Spot. It was a wonderful week in which I did many new things, and met a good many interesting people. But I didn’t write one single word.

National Apology Day

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National Apology Day, 22nd October.

Today is the Australian National Apology Day for all those young children, mostly between 6- 14 years, who were shipped out from England after WW2 on the premise they would have a better life.  While a good many were orphans, there were also a good many who were simply disadvantaged by having a single working mother whose care was automatically questioned. At best the children were losing possibly their only living relative, at worst they were used as child labour, and possibly physical and mental abuse.

Not only was this a cruel project, it was insidious in its cover of being a kindly act. The parents and children alike had their lives ruined, and these wasted lives have long been forgotten. So, as our story A Long Time Waiting infers,  this National Apology Day has been A Long Time Coming.

While this story is one of fiction, it is based on first hand knowledge of true events.  And so, while it may not be a story you Enjoy, we hope it Makes You Think.

While we cannot go back into the past, we can ensure that we do not take those mistakes into the future.

A long time waiting podcast released 30th August is particularly relevant on 22nd September, National Apology Day

Children brought from the United Kingdom from 1940’s through 1970 and put into institutionalized ‘care.’

 

Where’s Fred?

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Where’s Fred? our new podcast is a particular favorite of mine.  It has turned up in many formats: first in print as part of the CrimeWriter Queensland books, Perils under the Pandanus, it was made into a short film*, performed on 4DDB FM and is now brought to you as a dramatized reading.

It begins with the words, “I remember exactly when I decided to plan my husband,” so there is not too much doubt about the plot.

*A little later in the month I will ‘spill the beans’ on the film shoot. And no, don’t go looking for it, it never made it to the screen, or anywhere else for that matter. (Although a copy does lie deep in the back of an unused cupboard.) But the story of the making of the film was really very funny, and probably worth a podcast of its own.

Time Gentlemen, Please

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Time Gentlemen Please: This story is not really about time, or even Rolex.

There was always an irony in the fact that a Rolex watch was often given to retirees after a lifetime of service to a company. At the very time in his life when time is of far less importance.  Even so, in some ways, the watch would represent a man’s life.  The Rolex itself, prized for its accuracy, also represents the highest level of achievement.

So why not listen to the story and decide yourself?

 

 

The Honourable Thing

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The Honourable Thing: While this new episode of fastfictionpodcasts is most certainly a contender for TheSpouseTrapSeries, it may well fit into another series – but we leave you to decide. It covers quite a few marital issues – with a surprising outcome that seems to solve them.  Even more surprisingly, perhaps, it is true – well mostly!