THE REVIEW

TO SWEAR OR NOT TO SWEAR?


Bob and Margaret faithfully came for a meeting Thursday night. They both had something they had written to read.

Margaret brought a copy of the September issue of Today’s Senior Newsmagazine, which had published a compilation of James Moffatt’s anecdotes about being a conductor with B.C. Electric. Jim was Margaret’s late husband. The piece was called “B.C. Tram Memories”.

Bob brought along a booklet entitled “Windows To Our Past” which was a small pictorial history of B.C. Interesting photos to look at.

Bob read about Hawken & Company. He told about the younger brother, Roy, who started as a delivery boy and told Bob one of his jobs each morning was to go to three places and get the day’s take for Sam Albert. Those were places of prostitution. The three Hawken brothers manufactured jewellery and did repair work when they had their own business.

Margaret read two chapters from the Peabody collection. Rev. Percy Teasdale invites Marie to Jasper’s 50th birthday party, but she declines. At the party, Jasper’s Aunt Hester and Uncle Hedley announce that Jasper is engaged to Marigold. Jasper is expecting a Jewish wedding ceremony, and Marigold is expecting an Anglican one. In the next chapter, Rev. Peacock listens as Marigold (who is his housekeeper) comes in late. He has to get up and light the morning fire as she sleeeps in. When she does get up, she flashes her engagement ring at him. But he thinks she’s going to marry Rev. Peabody. Then Peacock and Teasdale decide they have to verify who she is actually engaged to and they decide Peacock, dressed in disguise, will follow her when she leaves the house.

I read Chapter 11 from my novel, where Fiona meets Detective Verttersly, who is upset that his car, which he had parked on the roadway inside the complex, has gone missing. In this chapter I had him use the word “hell” three times. Bob insists no policeman would swear like that. And I think otherwise, especially since his car, owned by the police department, was impounded by Fiona. Does anyone else have any insights on this? To swear or not to swear?

You will be glad to know that Sonny, our website administrator, is on his way home to Kingston from Afghanistan for a two week leave. Their first child is due any day, so we are all hoping he will be there for the happy event, before he heads back to Afghanistan till his next leave in January.

Next meeting will be here at my place on Thursday, September 18th at 7:00 p.m. Hope you can attend and bring a Muse, yours or anyone else’s. Any Muse will do.

Lisa