Looking back at the Children - Small Lives

I feel very lucky at times living in Dublin.  There are so many wonderful events happening here, one of which at the moment is the photographic exhibition showing at the National Photographic Archives in Temple Bar.

'Small Lives' is an exhibition of photographs drawn from the NLI’s collections, and range from formal studio portraits featuring children of the landed classes of the 1880s, to more candid shots of city kids taken in the 1960s.

After the Penguin Ireland workshop yesterday, myself and Niamh Boyce of Words A Day, called in for a look, and we were not disappointed.  Each of the photographs told a story, not just individually, but also as a reflection of their time and social backdrop.

It is easy to forget in these days of digital photography, that in the 1880's things were very different.  The studio shots for example required the subjects, (in these cases children) to remain absolutely still, the slightest movement causing a blurring of the image. 

Another aspect, is how few of them smiled, white teeth not being an aspect of the 1880's.  Photographs were not daily affairs are they are today, so great effort was put into getting them just right, the studio shots being reflective of the very elaborate attention given to creating a window into their past. 

This image, believe it or not is of a brother and sister, the girl given a doll to hold, the blond boy given a toy animal.

There are some amazing photographs at the exhibition, the one of the girls below although slightly damaged was one of my favourites, as it captures the friendship, excitement, and risk taking of the two girls seemingly daring each other to go further into the waves



The next image shows Violet Poole and her brother helping their father with some experimental photography.




All in all, it is an amazing exhibition, so get yourself in there and enjoy!

'Small Lives' runs from 25th August 2011 until June 2012.

Check out opening times, directions etc HERE

What do you think of this new look?

Well not quite changing your life, but what do you all think about  the new look?

The Wonderful World of Socks

I'm back from the wilderness, and what a wild time I've had.  There are just so many things to catch up on, I'm not sure where to start, except that 'thank you' is often a pretty good place, especially when it is deserved.  

So, number one, a big thank you for visiting 120 Socks blog 6,584 times last month, and another really big thank you for visiting it 1,512 times this week, even though I've been away and therefore not blogging, which gets me to wondering whether these old socks could carry on without me! 

Secondly, I had a fab day today at the RTEguide/Penguin workshop courtesy of getting on the long list for the competition, and I was amazed to hear that 4,000 people submitted work, 500 of whom visited here to find out details about the competition! But more about that on a separate post.

Our short holiday break into the wilderness went really well, so I'll be doing a post on this over the next few days, lots of pics and stories which I hope you will enjoy.

This month's book club choice is 'Before I Go To Sleep'. I read it while I was away,(staying up until 4.30 in the morning to finish it) so dying to hear what you all think.  Reviews will be posted at the end of the month, so contact me either here or on twitter if you want your review included.

Later in the month, I will be doing an interview with the fantastic Derbhile Dromey, and reviewing her new book, 'The Pink Cage', so watch out for that!

Anyone missing the 'When you were small' series will be pleased to know that a new post will go up this Monday based on your first holidays, so get your thinking hats on!

I've also learned a couple of neat things about Twitter, which I'll share this month.

Other than the above, I hope to do a guest post with the wonderful Moloney King, give you some details on a series of library readings which I'm delighted to be part of, put up some more crazy vintage ads (cause you love to hate them!), and share details of a great photographic exhibition!

Finally, I'm nearly there in relation to getting my novel submission package completed, so I'll fill you in on all the ups, downs, in between, etc over the coming few weeks.

I've missed you all over the last few days,and I'm deffo not addicted to Twitter or Blogging, honestly, and that lunatic hanging out the hotel window trying to get a signal, it wasn't me!

So, a little late, but nevertheless important - This week's 'Thought for the Weekend' is one I noticed on a tweet from @MoloneyKing and it's from the wonderful Enda O Brien. The picture below is from the wilderness hols and there are plenty more of them to come!

"When anyone asks me about the Irish character, I say look at the trees. Maimed, stark and misshapen, but ferociously tenacious."

- Enda O Brien -

Into the Wilderness

Heading off into the wilderness for the next 4 days - apparently because the spot we're going to is surrounded by trees, it is near impossible to get an Internet signal.  It sure will test my blogger/twitter addiction, and maybe, or even quite probably, it will be the best thing ever!  Anyhow, while I'm away, feel free to visit some older postings as 120 socks might get a little lonely in my absence. 

How Times Have Changed - Utterly Bizarre!

Some of these old vintage advertisements can make you mad, or laugh, or just darn well become speechless, but this one is utterly Bizarre - my advice ladies, is never mind DAVE stick with SOAP!

Thought for the Weekend - Pearl Bailey

With a name like Pearl, you do kind of wonder if it might help someone think good things about themselves, or do the very opposite.  Whichever it is, the quote below has merit.  Afterall, you if don't believe in yourself, what others think doesn't matter all that much! 

Have a great weekend everyone.

"No one can figure out your worth but you."

- Pearl Bailey -

Labello Press - First Annual Short Story Competition

I love beginnings, especially the beginning of something exciting and different, which is exactly the sense I got from this New Short Story Competition just announced by Labello Press - Independent Publisher of Short Fiction.

A few weeks back via Twitter I stumbled onto a website called  The Boreen which featured some of Deborah Mc Menamy's work, and I instantantly liked what I saw.  You can check out Deborah's Author Bio HERE

As you will see from the Bio, Deborah has had an interesting life, and sounds like just the lady to launch this new publishing venture. 

Deborah has a love for the printed word, which in part is why she's embarking on the publication of "Gem Street", an anthology of short stories chosen via this competition. 

The launch is also a tribute to her late father, whom you can read more about HERE along with other details of awards/prizes.


Submission Guidelines are as follows:

1.   Maximum word count 12,000 words.

2.   The theme is open, but for now, Children's, Horror, Science Fiction or poetry will not be accepted.

3.   It is an INTERNATIONAL competition, so entries are accepted from any part of the world, but must be written in English.

4.  There is a nominal fee of €10 per entry.

5.  Entries should be double spaced, using Times New Roman, 12pt.

6.  Simultaneous submissions are not accepted, and you are requested to advise immediately if your story is accepted elsewhere.

FOR ALL OTHER SUBMISSION DETAILS VISIT  HERE

The Competition will run from the 30th August - 31st December 2011.

Long listing will be announced in early January 2012, with the short list at the end of that month.

Final results - 29th February 2012

This is a great opportunity for your story to be published in print, and it is wonderful to be part of something from the very beginning, as I have no doubt that Labello Press will become a powerful source for writers in the future. See Press Release below:

"In conjunction with the launch of Labello Press, a small independent publisher in County Tipperary, we are pleased to announce our first International Short Fiction Competition. In addition to cash prizes, selected stories will be awarded the Leonard A. Koval Memorial Prize and be published in the 2012 Anthology, “Gem Street.”

“Gem Street” is an annual anthology featuring previously unpublished writing and over the coming months we will be working hard to create new opportunities and services for writers."

 http://www.labellopress.com/


LINK TO SUBMITTING A STORY HERE

Top Ten Hits - August 2011

I can't believe it's the end of the month!  Where did August go to?  Where did the summer go to?  But no matter how quickly August went in, it was helped by all 6,446 hits on the blog for August 2011 - so a big THANK YOU for visiting!

Just like last month, there are a couple of surprises as to which posts made the top ten - enjoy!

Number 1 - Twists of Twitter HERE

Number 2 - When you were Small - The Teacher HERE

Number 3 - Soul Sharing - Prose HERE

Number 4 - The Voice - Poem HERE

Number 5 - Guest Post with Krystal Wade - Ode To The Toilet! HERE

Number 6 - Before I Go To Sleep - Book Club Choice HERE

Number 7 - Flash Fiction - Role Play HERE

Number 8 - Thought for the Weekend - When I Am Gone HERE

Number 9 - What I know about Twitter Lists HERE

Number 10 - The Glor Sessions HERE

When you were small - Imaginary Friends

I've just received a copy of Derbhile Dromey's novel 'The Pink Cage' by post this morning and I'm really looking forward to reading it.  On the cover is a young girl, probably about 3 or 4 years old.  She is walking along a wide expanse of what I think is concrete with line markings on it.  To her left is her shadow, and being a soul with an expansive but often crazy imagination, I can see a whole imaginary and scary world within this shadow.  The lines intrigued me too.  I remembered being a kid and how when I walked to school, I made a point of never walking on a crack or line marking on either the footpath or the road.   Sometimes this meant taking little steps, sometimes is meant stretching your legs so far apart they hurt.  I had this thing about cracks, it was all about how they might trap me into another world if I fell through them.

Now you might be thinking this is leading nicely into the title of imaginary friends, except for the fact that even though I had plenty of imaginary worlds, I never did have an imaginary friend.  This surprises me greatly.  You would think me being me, that an imaginary friend would have been a must, but alas not in my case.  However my children did have them, in fact my son had an entire imaginary football team which managed to keep him very busy!

So did you have an imaginary friend, or friends?  Did you do daft things like me and stretch your legs way further than they should be stretched just to avoid an innocent crack?   

I always love to hear your stories, so please do share them if you wish, and yes, I am still a bit cracked!

For other posts from the
'When you were small' series, visit HERE

The Wild Heather is a blazing!

We went walking up the mountain yesterday morning, myself, hubby and our faithful dog Benson.  The rain came bucketing down on our way back, but in the typical 'four seasons in one day' which we often have in Ireland, the sun was out for most of our adventure, and with it came the beautiful colours from the landscape,especially the heathers - Enjoy!

And then the path narrows!

And you then meet the dark, mysterious mix of colour beneath the high trees!