Brother

My Mother told me never to mention it to others, I’m not sure why, I think she felt some sense of shame, though it wasn’t her fault. Many Women have experienced the same.

Somewhere between My Sister and I, My Mother gave birth, way too early.

She had felt something go wrong days before, but She was not a person to seek medical help. I don’t know why, perhaps she was afraid of Doctors, or perhaps she saw going as a sign of weakness, but that’s pure speculation.

I know very little except he came out on the bed quite suddenly.

Dad said that he was black, though that could have been because the child had died days earlier perhaps, and black hair.

I was born bald.

I have wondered over the years how my life would have been different with an older brother, I wonder what he would have been like.

Would he have been more like Dad, keen on going fishing, or more like me, loving his music and his dog?

Would we have got on well, or would he have been a thorn in my side?

Would he have been the one still around now that the rest have gone?

I suppose he would have been in his 60’s now.

Mum, I know you never wanted me to mention it, but at the same time, does he deserve to be forgotten?

It wasn’t your fault.

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Writing

It may surprise you to know I’m writing a science fiction book.

I’ve had the idea for years but haven’t really done anything about it, partly because I got hooked up into the strange world of how? and where? and who?

I understand nothing about business practices or of publishers, and also I don’t want people breathing down my neck, I want to do it in my own time and under my own terms.

Which leaves me with writing it for free, well nothing new there, everything I do is for free.

So Harlequin can be found here:

It can also be found on Facebook, Google+ and on Medium.

No big giveaways, but it’s a nice, comfortable, friendly sort of science-fiction.

You won’t see baddies fighting wars here, but you will find plenty of introspection and love.

Radical, eh?

I hope you like it.

 

Wolfie Rankin.

 

Why you don’t “Spill your seed”

If you’ve read bits of the bible, you may have seen passages talking about Men “Spilling their seed”.

Indeed “Semen” is Latin for Seed.

However, back in those times sex was a dark and mysterious thing which few understood. A womb was seen as either fertile ground or barren land in which a Man could spread his oats, wild or otherwise, and they would sprout like seedlings.

Eggs, produced by humans and other mammals were unheard of.

If you compare plants and animals, then a plant’s seed would be much like an animal’s embryo, a fertilised egg.

Semen then, can be better compared to pollen in plants which means that males are, in fact, pollinators.

I hope that gave you a buzz.

Flags

I have no respect for flags.

If I, Dear one, put my arm around you and told you that I love to see you, to have you visit me, and that when you go away, that I miss you… then how does that make you feel?

And then, should I walk up to a flag pole and salute the flag waving in the breeze at it’s top… does that flag feel my appreciation?

It is just a rag with a print on it.

Do I, dearest, worry if someone tears that flag down and burns it in the street for any reason?

Of course not.

But if someone were to lay a hand on you, then that’s when I’d have something to say.

Yes the Country is important to me, but only because you live in it, The flag represents the Country… but it is not the Country.

Wolfie Rankin

Science Fiction, Double Feature

Just a note to say that I have decided to post my novel, in stages, online.

If you’re into sci-fi then you might just like it.

https://harlequindiary.wordpress.com/2016/11/30/welcome-to-harlequin/

Water hammer

Recently the hot water tap in my kitchen had developed serious water hammer, a vibrating, thudding sound through the pipe once the water got hot.

And I couldn’t get the mix right in the shower either. A slight turn of the taps one way, and it was too cold, and a slight deviation the other way, too hot.

However, the gas lines were replaced last week, and I had to re-start the gas hot water manually.

After doing that, I discovered that both problems had vanished.

So if you’re having difficulties, try adjusting the temperature at the hot water service before messing around with washers or any other work.

Introverts at Weddings

Often, a person has vegan friends, who are easy to cater for at a wedding reception,  it’s practical to assume a vegan or vegetarian will be attending anyway, so people have a choice.

But I find that introverts are generally over looked.

We’d tell you, but we’d rather not be any bother.

Going to the Wedding itself is generally not that much of a concern, Churches at at least fairly quiet and comfortable… even if you are an atheist.

An outdoor wedding, if the weather allows, is even better.

It’s the reception afterwards which is tricky.

A wedding reception is a giant affair which extroverts lap up, but we introverts find very confronting.

So I thought I’d offer a few ideas for consideration.

We do want to be there, you’re very likely a good friend who we cherish, and you probably already know that I’m (We’re) as quiet as a church mouse. The celebration is going to be a stretch for us, but we want to meet you half-way.

It might be wise to seat us with someone we know very well and get on with. I once had a friend who thought that I should be seated well away from my Parents and sit with some of his friends, who were lovely, but I didn’t know them at all, and it bothered me.

After I ate, I really wanted nothing more than to escape. I love music, but I love it when it’s coming out of speakers and I have the controls in my hand.

I don’t know if it’s an introvert thing, but I dislike loud music, I like clarity and quiet.

Escape at a reception often consists of two options, hiding in the lav or going outside. the lav is usually bustling with people needing to pee or freshen up, so it’s not ideal, plus it’s holding things up.

Going outside might be ok, but it might be cold, dark and a bit spooky.

What’s needed is an escape room, if you’re an extrovert then you probably have a “chill out” room in your mind… people lounging around, soft blue lights, chill out music… no.

What I have in mind is a room with soft furnishings, possibly with a few bean bags on the floor to sprawl over or crawl into.

A table with a few goodies on it, cakes, bikkies, wine and a nice warm pot of tea.

Some books perhaps, and wi-fi.

If it’s not too cold, an open window would be lovely.

I personally wouldn’t mind if others joined me, and that we could have a conversation and share some tea, that is my idea of mingling.

Plus if someone has had enough, I don’t mind nursing them for a while either… not because they’re drunk, that’s entirely different.

It doesn’t have to be fancy either.

What are your thoughts?