Reading

[Rodney Mills]

I've always been a book worm, from a child to today (as a wrinkly). I read two to three books, depends on thickness, a week.

A popular writer back in my M.N. days was Dennis Wheatly, he wrote what was considered then scary books, black mass, devil worship, evil spirits etc..

I, as a Catering Boy on the Port boats, got stuck in to one of Wheatly's books called, if I remember correctly, "To the Devil a Daughter" it was a nail biter to me at sixteen. Full of death and evil.

I was laying in my bunk, just with my bunk light on, about twelve-thirty a.m. saying to myself "just one more page" then repeating as I got to the end turning the page, "One more page". Deeply engrossed. My cabin mate asleep, just a gentle roll of the ship, cabin door on the hook ajar. Suddenly something grabbed my hair and yanked...it happened out of nowhere, I let out a scream to wake the dead and most of the catering crew.

The second cook, on the way to the head, saw my bunk light still on, and gave my hair a tug.

I still remember it after all these years.

I was not too popular a few hours later when I turned to.

Cheers, Rodney

[j.sabourn]

#21 I have an open mind about the after life Rodney as have said before have had believable experiences in the past. Didn’t particularly help matters that my paternal grandmother was a bit of a medium and attended a lot of seances, and my own mother used to read the tea lea Leaves in peoples cups as a pastime. Very impressionable on a young mind. JS

[Des Taff Jenkins]

Hi Rod.
I'm an avid reader, always have been since I was able to read, I remember my Dad bringing me books from the local Library, when was around eight he brought me Quo Vadis which is a classic, I read it but didn't quite now what I was reading, last year I got it out of the Library, good read if you are religious. I read about a book a week, I read while the Computer is warming up, waiting for dinner, afternoons. I am at present reading all John Grisham's books, good writer.
Des

[j.sabourn]

#23 Des did you ever get round to Mein Kampf. ? Why he became anti Semitic etc. heavy going but gives an insight to what made him tick. Don’t somehow think Putin will never attempt to show what keeps him going. Cheers JS

[happy daze john in oz]

Like Rodders have read most of the Whealy books, bloody good writer at that.
Now into Wilbur Smith, read his last two on the Christmas/ New Year cruise, good reading.
But I do recall reading a lot at sea passing the books on from one to another.
Confessions of a misspent youth and the rights of spring were very popular but so may page stuck together.

[James Curry]

Who remembers the seafarers education service ? seafarers Library service. I believe these are now like all things MN relegated to the National Archives.

[john walker]

Who remembers the seafarers education service ? seafarers Library service. I believe these are now like all things MN relegated to the National Archives.

The Seafarers education service and library of the sea amalgamated in the 70's with the Marine Society and moved from their old home in Balham, London to Lambeth. They still supply libraries to ships and help with both educational and financial help to seafarers. Which seafarers I have no idea.

[happy daze john in oz]

How many read the 'Port Said Bible'?
Very popular with so many young men at that time.

[Rodney Mills]

JSW.*

My granny would have made a great chum of your granny John. My gran was big on the Eugie board.* *Tablecloth off in the front room, letters and numbers made into a circle and an upturned wine glass in the middle. My sister and I (we were Kids), my aunt and gran, about eight pm on a winter's evening in Jolly.* We would all place an index finger in the base of the upturned wine glass and gran would ask "is anybody there?* Fairly soon the glass would start to move around in circles and spell out a name. and the*seance began.* It had to be pushed, by gran or my aunt, because my sister was too young to be a prankster and it wasn't me. but I can't neither believe it was gran, because she wasn't the sort of person to play tricks and my aunt wouldn't dare pull a stunt on her mother. So who dunnit? Looking back, some of the things were really weird.

One night she got the idea to put red crepe paper, left over from Christmas, around the lightbulbs*inside the large glass shade underneath the bulbs for special effects.

As the medium, she would ask the spirit moving the glass, his or her name and where and when they were born.* This particular night she made contact with a spirit named Keith, who was a Roman soldier in Britain in*50 A.D. or thereabouts.* Now normally she would, towards the end of the evening's seance ask "Who will win*the*4th race at Walthamstow, dog track in the 5th race" the glass picked out a number between one and six.* Now whether or not granny had a flutter and won. She never told me.

Back to Keith:* Granny asked him "What do you do?"* The glass, with our fingers on it, sped around the board a couple of times then spelt out "Kill, death, destruction*words like that until*suddenly it sort of dawned on the four of us, that this ain't funny and we all got off the glass.* At the same*time there*was a burst of flame in the light globe.* I dived under the table, my sister screaming*with*fright, I can't remember*what*my gran and aunt did as*the*red paper caught fire from the bulbs.

The light and wiring was ruined, the ceiling*had to be repainted, and that was that for seances.

Now if you knew my granny and you have just read a typical*question*she would ask the board, you couldn't believe apart from the flame effect, she could plan this whole thing.* And my aunt was an apple that didn't fall far from the tree.* Also we took turns lifting a finger of the glass and the glass still moved with three.

I'm not religious, and believe dead is dead, but I have never forgotten this evening.

In closing grandma would visit a fortune teller, named Madam Louise Often it would be on a Saturday and I hated*it,*she was dirty and smelt and there were cats and their odor something fierce.* One Saturday she dragged me to Madam Lois's establishment, about a 45 minute bus ride one way only to find a note on the door, saying she wasn't home, she was sick.* Back on the bus home.* I told granny if Madam Louise could see into the future "How come she couldn't have told you last week that she was going to be sick this week?* I got a clip around my ear for my troubles.*

After all these years I still can't see granny or my aunt guiding the glass around the table.

Life got dull when tv. came into vogue.

Cheers Rodney

[j.sabourn]

Pushed the like button Rodney , but nothing happened , so maybe the spirits are at work again. A big talking point in my family was in 1942 and as I was only 5 years of age can barely remember . But. The day that Singapore fell there was a great hammering at the front door and a voice shouting Let me In , my granny then said it’s our Jack what’s he doing here , on opening the door no one there ? A week later he was posted MIA . It wasn’t until 1948 he was confirmed killed in action. My granny was just turned 60 when she died but looked closer to 90. JS
PS the like and thanks button just came back, thanks Granny.JS