Present: Graham, Pat, Kate, Saime, Alex, Val, Joanne, Susan, Liz, Ishbel, Janine, Jean, Dave Murder and Mayhem Val Jogging (short story extract) Irene is baffled when her bookworm husband Gerald starts taking up strange activities, such as jogging. Irene suspects a midlife crisis and or another woman. Val did explain that someone does end up dead, but didn’t give us ending… so maybe we’ll solve the mystery soon. Owls enjoyed how Val described the change in Gerald together with the frustration of Irene the amusing character of Gerald’s mum Kitty. Suggestions for improvement included tightening up of narration, but keep the detailed tone. Alex (Mayhem) Faraway from Nowhere Chapter A Gerbil’s Distraction Henry the camel is back! Delighting owls Alex once again read from his Henry the camel stories. We heard from a chapter in the first book, Henry has been recaptured and Oboe is the hero of the hour. The clever gerbil bites through the rope of the master’s tent, (recalling the earlier episode where he free Henry this way). After collapsing the master’s tent, Oboe distracts the other guards while Rozetta the rhino (a friend from a previous chapter) knocks down the camel’s fence. Sorry if I’ve spelt her name wrong Alex. Owls as always enjoyed Henry’s adventures, and enjoyed Alex’s energetic pace, and creative use of language, particularly the sensory language, and appreciated how easily we could visualise the scenes. We all look forward to hearing the full series one day. Pat (off theme) Pat shared a little story from her life, telling of her experience as an evacuee. The story told among other things the arrival of two female officers whose names are never known, and how Pat’s dad let the them take the bed, much to his wife’s annoyance. OWLS liked the gentle tone of this story, very much told from the perspective of a child, with the knowledge of a adult looking back. Graham (Murder and Mayhem) History In a very Edgar Allan Poe style story, Graham the theme to the extreme with the story of a young monk who stumbles across a dead girl floating in the local lake. He hurries back to his mentor to help solve the mystery. Who was she? How did she die? And why? Owls liked this spooky story, but felt it could be improved for quickening the pace, and revising the dialogue.