blogs - 2016 - december 6 winter wonderland

Images & Text © Beryl L Pratt www.long-live-pitmans-shorthand-reading.org.uk

2016 December p1 A of 14Blog Archive Pitman’s New Era Shorthand


2016 December p1 B of 14Blog Archive Pitman’s New Era Shorthand

2 Toys

6 Winter Wonderland

9 Christmas Tree Festival

12 Boxing Day

PDF Date: 26 December 2020

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Blogs - 2016 - December

Images & Text © Beryl L Pratt

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Toys

A couple of weeks ago we visited a verylarge toy store in Central London. Wepassed by two weeks before that, andmentally noted it for our list of places tovisit before Christmas. This was an outingthat definitely had to be done now and nottoo near to Christmas, when we would

probably have had to struggle through theChristmas shopping crowds. As it was aMonday, it was relatively peaceful, with justenough youngsters about to ensure wewere not the only ones cooing over thehuge variety of toys on the shelves.

Toys

The entrance and ground floor were entirelytaken over by soft toys, the mostwelcoming and friendly sight there couldbe* for families and children enteringthrough the main double doors. It was veryclear that teddy bears are as popular asever but they were greatly outnumbered bya complete Noah’s Ark of other creatures,including soft toy versions of vultures,ostriches, crabs and spiders. Therewere* some large soft greeny yellowgrasshoppers* with dangly legs, not forcuddling and comfort, but a character for amore adventurous story and also,

unfortunately*, possibly a weapon withwhich to tease or torment a more sensitivesibling. I think I would need them to payme to take that one home!

* "could be" The short form "could" is bestnot placed in the middle or end of a phrase,where it would be out of position andtherefore may be misread as "can"

(* grasshoppers - I'm being kind, theymight have been locusts!)

* "unfortunately" Optional contraction





Toys

We started on the top floor and workeddown. I was intrigued to see a very realisticlooking crown, with all its jewels, which oncloser inspection turned out to be madeentirely of Lego building bricks. On turningaround, I then saw a half life-size seatedLego figure of Queen Elizabeth on herthrone, with her corgi dog at her feet.There were* even more royal figures inLego looking out over the stairwell, namelyPrince William and Catherine Duchess ofCambridge, Prince Charles and Prince

Harry. When I had Lego I used to buildsmall houses, although they weresomewhat limited by the small number ofwindow and door frame pieces I had. It wasof great importance to have enough of theinterlocking red roof tiles, including the halfsize edge pieces and the ridge pieces, andnot much fun to find myself one tile shortof a complete roof, although cardboardfrom a cereal box folded over made quite agood replacement.

* Omission phrase "there (w)ere"





Toys

The store was full of playful and friendlyhelpers demonstrating* some of the toys toeveryone who showed an interest. I keptseeing boomerang type Frisbees beingflown around, safely as it was high up overthe shoppers, and tiny remote controlledcyber flyers (drones) buzzing* over thestairwell like dragonflies*. Fascinatingmagic snow was appearing almost fromnowhere as soon as the tiny granules werewetted. One corner was dedicated tocreating your own bear from all thecomponents, clothes and accessories, witha little red or pink heart inserted into thebear before it was stuffed and completed.There were* spongy* paintbrushes thatproduced rainbow lines on the paper, andan illuminated clear glass tablet* thatcaused* the magic marker scribbles to lightup with a fluorescent* glow. Lifelikebutterflies sat on a log and flapped theirwings up and down. Inflatable* dinosaurspromised hours of prehistoric fun and aT-Rex bedroom guarding model that wouldroar when disturbed and project dinosaurimages onto the wall. A small suspendedplastic cow was flying in circles with thinfabric wings flapping up and down. I even

had a go at driving Thomas the TankEngine, in front of a screen that gave adriver’s view of my progress along thetrack and countryside.

* "demonstrating" Omits the R

* "buzzing" Same outline as "bussing"

* "dragonflies" The FL stroke is neverreversed for vowel indication. It is onlyreversed in the middle or end of an outlineto enable a join (also in "inflatable" below).

* Omission phrase "there (w)ere"

* "spongy" Insert the last dot vowel, as"sponge" could also make sense

* "tablet" Insert the last dot vowel, as"table" could also make sense

* "caused" Special outline, to distinguish itfrom "cost"

* "fluorescent" Insert the last dot vowel, as"fluorescing" has a similar meaning

* "inflatable" It is the FL stroke that is inposition on the line, being the first up ordownstroke





Toys

It seems that toys are really not muchdifferent from years ago, except that theyare constructed differently, with greaterchoice and variation, and with moreemphasis on "collecting them all". The maincategories seem to be unchanged: soft toysregardless of species, construction toysfrom stark space stations to cosy homesand gardens for families of little characters,craft work to make usable or decorative

items, and action toys and costumes to liveout stories or exercise the mind or limbs.The best action toy I saw was a pair of heelskates, with two side wheels per foot. Myattention was instantly grabbed when I sawone of the store helpers whizzing past withilluminated feet, lit up by the LED wheelsby each ankle, flashing circles of whirringrainbows, making circuits of the stairwellendlessly on the smooth flooring.

Toys

We arrived back on the ground floor andmade our way to the exit, past the giantanimals, including an enormous and ratherexpensive camel with a four-figure pricetag. It would be a talking point but maybe* difficult to include in games and stories.Once outside, the rainy street seemed a lotgreyer, despite the colourful shops, and Idid feel that I could* possibly get to theunderground station much faster if myheels were on wheels. I resisted thetemptation to go back in and I had to tell

myself that walking is much better exercise.(839 words)

* "may be" Use separate words in yourtranscription if these are used as a verb,and joined for the adverb "maybe". Itseems unlikely one would hear thedifference in dictation, but the grammarshould clear this up during transcription.

* "I could" Not phrased, so it does not looklike "I can"





Winter Wonderland

If I say that winter wonderland has arrivedin the UK, you might think that we havehad heavy snowfalls that have frozen* onthe trees, turning into aglittering* gleaming landscape* on the nextsunny* day. Well, it has actually arrivedbut without the snow. It is a WinterWonderland with initial capitals, and ismade up entirely of fairground rides, andfood and souvenir stalls. WinterWonderland in London’s Hyde Park is agiant Christmas funfair, with the usualSantas, reindeer, snow effect decorations,Christmas trees and stars. The ornatebandstand* has been turned into thecentrepiece of a big circular ice rink andthat is the only place where you can seereal snow, in the form of* churned* up ice.

* "frozen" and "freezing" Always put in thefirst vowel, as they are similar in outlineand meaning

* "glittering" Ensure the Ing Dot is centraland not appearing to be in 3rd positionafter the T which would be "glittery"

* "landscape" It is the L which is in position,it does not matter where the P stroke endsup

* "sun/sunny" "snow/snowy" Alwaysvocalise

* "ba(n)dstand" Alternative outline whichomits the first N. Can also be writtennormally in two halves = band + stand.

* Omission phrase "in (the) f(orm of)"

* "churned" Keep the Chay well sloped, soit does not look like "turned" which wouldalso make sense

Winter Wonderland

This type of fair can be rather uninspiring inthe daytime, as we found out on our firstvisit there two years ago, so this time wearrived at about six in the evening, after asunset visit to the Sky Garden in centralLondon. It really needs complete darknessto make this neon-lit world come to life.The ideal way to enjoy it is to wrap upwarm and go out into the chilly night, withthe intention of spending the eveningeating, drinking and milling around underthe rainbow of brilliant lights, in orderto* prove that the dark and cold can beovercome and enjoyed. It is the contrastthat brings the sense of fun

and achievement, and probably also theexcuse to fill up on buns and burgers,doughnuts, popcorn and Christmasdecorated chocolate lollies. We had our ownbags* of goodies with us, so weavoided* the queues at the food stalls.

* Omission phrase "in ord(er to)"

* "bags" "box" "pockets" "buckets" Allthese are best vocalised, as they aresimilar in outline and meaning

* "avoided" Insert the diphthong, and thesecond vowel in "evaded", as they aresimilar in outline and meaning





Winter Wonderland

The sweets huts were piled high withspeciality* treats, coloured fudges,decorated individual cakes* andfreshly* prepared honey waffles with hotchocolate running down the sides. Othershad more traditional sustenance in the formof* giant sausages and burgers smotheredin fried onions, stuffed into huge buns androlls, and dripping with a variety of sauces.If you enjoy this type of food, you need torefrain from eating anything for some hoursbefore you go there, then you have a goodreason to buy and eat one of everything.

* "speciality" Insert the interveningdiphthong, and/or the dot before the T, todifferentiate this outline from "specialty"

* "cakes" and "cookies" Insert the vowelsto differentiate these

* "freshly" The Fr stroke is a left version, inorder to be able to join the Shel stroke

* Omission phrase "in (the) f(orm of)"

Winter Wonderland

As this is part of a grassy park, the entireWonderland area is paved with largeinterlocking sheets, providing flat and dryground. Without these the fair would beimpossible. The area is enclosed and thetwo entrances are controlled by securitystaff who conduct the bag* searches.Everything is bright and loud, and many ofthe rides and amusements are much larger

than one sees in local fairs. There is also* agentler children’s section called Santa Land,with their type of smaller rides.

* "bag" "pocket" "bucket" Vocalise these asthey are similar in outline and meaning

* "there is also" The joined vowel of "also"can be omitted in phrases





Winter Wonderland

The crowds on our evening were not sothick as on previous visits, as this was theend of November, but this did mean I gotclear photos of the rides, but I think havingmore crowds does make a betteratmosphere. It is definitely a place to weara light-coloured item of clothing, so thatthose you are with can see you if you getseparated in some of the darker* areas.The best experience is had by the childrenwho are being carried on shoulders, with

maximum view and minimum effort, and itis certainly* one way of keeping themhappy whilst making sure they cannotpossibly get lost.

* "darker" Ensure the hook on the Kay isclear, as "dark" would also make sense

* "it is certainly" The Ses circle representsthe "is" and the S sound of the next word

Winter Wonderland

We ended up at the ice rink, which I think isthe best one in London at Christmas, as itis the largest and the most decorative, withall the strings of white lights radiating fromthe central bandstand*. There are twoitems that make an ice rink extra specialand that is someone wearing a bright redcoat, or someone wearing an illuminatedChristmas jumper, and both were presenton this evening. It also* needs one ortwo* experienced skaters to do their stuff,

for added interest, and these are generallythe ice marshals, who are there to helpthose who get into difficulties.

* "ba(n)dstand" Alternative outline whichomits the first N. Can also be writtennormally in two halves = band + stand.

* "It also" The joined vowel of "also" isomitted in phrases

* Omission phrase "one (or) two"





Winter Wonderland

When it was time to go home, I finally putthe camera away, only to find my coldfingers unwilling to move much, but twentyminutes on the warm bus ride to CharingCross Station soon thawed them out. Itwould be very Christmassy if it did snow,although I wonder whether people wouldactually go there in those conditions andwhether the rides would run. They would

probably sweep the snow and ice awaybefore opening, for safety reasons.Regardless of the weather, some morevisits over the Christmas period aredefinitely in order*. (767 words)

* "in order" Add "that" to this outline forthe phrase "in order that", but use a halvedN for the omission phrase "in ord(er to)"

Christmas Tree Festival

The Christmas tree is finally up and finished.It is an artificial one which I assemblednear the beginning of the* month, so thatwe could* enjoy the lights at the earliestopportunity. At the weekend it wasfurnished with all the sparkly decorations,swathed in multi-coloured tinsel, and analmost-antique angel set on the top singingfrom a carol sheet. The last to go on arethe plastic icicles hanging from the tips ofthe branches, which catch the light andtrap it within the blobby, drippy and twistedshapes, a perfect way to multiply up thelight from the little pine cone shaped bulbs.Any plans for simplification and ease ofclearing away after Christmas went out ofthe window and now our tree is completelysmothered in shiny baubles and ornaments.It has the maximum amount possible of

little treasures hidden all over it, and, yes,even round the back, and an uncountablequantity of glints and sparkles, twinklingwith each slight movement of air assomeone walks past. Justice has been doneto the season and it is clearly the best treein town.

* "beginning of the" This intersection canalso be written close up to the precedingoutline where necessary. Ensure it istucked in close, so it is not mistaken asbelonging to the line below.

* "we could" Only join the outline "could"into a phrase where it is able to keep itsown position, so that it is never be misreadas "can"






On Friday morning we went to Erith* whichis a suburb of London, on the river Thamesnear Dartford. Our destination was theChristmas Tree Festival at Christ ChurchErith, which promised around 80* lit anddecorated trees in the church itself. As weapproached the church, we heard musiccoming from the grounds, mostly* popularChristmas songs. It was early on the first ofthe three days of the Festival, so therewere very few people around. On enteringthe doorway, the recorded music changedto carols being sung by choirs. Our firstglimpse of a few trees in the entrance lobbywas quite exciting, as we knew we wereabout to see a lot more on turning thecorner. We were not disappointed as our

eyes took in the delightful sight of a forestof Christmas trees all lighted and decorated,one tree in every second or third row,sitting on the wooden pews. With quite afew rows and aisles, the trees were spacedout sufficiently with plenty of room toinspect each one yet from some angles thetree

* "Erith" is pronounced "ear-rith", locatedin north Kent (there is a different townspelled "Earith" in Cambridgeshire)

* “80” Always insert all the vowels in thisoutline and in “eight”

* "mostly" Omits the T


The trees were entered into the Festival byvarious local groups, clubs, businesses andfamilies. The majority of the decorationswere hand-made, with sheep, angels,hearts, stars, bells and robins, each tree ontheir chosen theme. My favourite was onepopulated by fluffy cotton-wool* sheep withprinted cut-out sheep faces stuck on, mostappropriate* for the celebration of the birthof Jesus who was first visited by shepherds,and who is now Chief Shepherd of His own

flock. Some of the trees were dedicated inmemory of loved ones, with pictures andfavourite objects, all created and placedlovingly and carefully.

* * "cotton-wool" On its own "cotton" has NHook

* "appropriate" Insert the diphthong, andthe first vowel in "proper", as these aresimilar in outline and meaning






I think I could* have spent many morehours in there, inspecting every decoration.Many people of all ages had spent endlesscreative and satisfying hours doing thecolouring, cutting and sticking. The resultwas that the trees were individual, unique,interesting, appealing and engaging, proofof the enthusiasm and excitement that hadgone into producing the artwork, somethingthat cannot be found in shop boughtdecorations, however lovely and sparkling.

It reminded me of school days whenChristmas not only arrived, but it washelped to arrive by our creative endeavours,so that we became part of Christmas byour activities, and not just passiverecipients.

* "could have" Only join the outline "could"into a phrase where it is able to keep itsown position, so that it is never be misreadas "can"


One tree had both an angel and a reindeeron it in close proximity, and I thought thatwe have here a possible clash between castmembers of two different Christmasnarratives. However, I am confident thatthe angel, in keeping with his role asmessenger, has told the reindeer that whenhe is* finished playing at being Rudolf, heis welcome to take his place in the stablescene at the front of the church, where

Mary, Joseph, kings, shepherds andanimals are kneeling beside the baby in thecrib. Even our favourite Christmas card bird,the robin, was perched on the stable roof,so that he would have a place in the realChristmas events as well. (704 words)

* "when he is" Write the "is" separately, soit is not misread as "when he has" whichalso makes sense here





Boxing Day

I have just returned from a Boxing Daywalk, on foot, no cheating on the bus, justa comfortable striding along in the sunshine.Yesterday’s lack of proper* exercise hasbeen made up for. Christmas has come andgone, people have wrapped and unwrapped,nibbled, eaten, sipped and drunk. Theyhave enjoyed the first chocolate andregretted the tenth*. They have watched avariety of screens throughout the day,taking in greetings on the phone screenand sitting through movies on thetelevision. They have played board games,pieced construction sets together, helpednew young cyclists take their first wobblesdown the path, or spent time pondering theinstruction manual for some long-awaitedpiece of technological kit. Although somewill have continued working, medical staff,transport* workers and security services, Isuspect mostly* the day was one of

lounging* around and making the most ofthe Christmas suspension of time, dutiesand normal menus and meal times. The bigcountdown rolled on in its own good time,not speeding up for the children, or slowingdown for the adults to continuepreparations. It was simply unstoppable,certain to arrive and equally certain todepart 24 hours later.

* "proper" Insert the first vowel, and thediphthong in "appropriate", as these aresimilar in outline and meaning

* "tenth" Always insert the vowels in thisand "eighteenth"

* "transport" Omits the N


* "lounging" Helpful to insert the diphthong,as lounge/lunch can be misread for eachother in some contexts

Boxing Day

My early Christmases were made of allthese things and by the end of the day, farfrom wishing it would go on, we childrenwould be full of food and sweets, and tiredfrom a longer than usual day (following onfrom the later than usual bedtime), withthe excitement seeming to slow down timeitself, so that every minute was stretched

out. However, unlike the adults who wouldoften remark how quickly Christmas has

"come and gone" I did not consider that ithad gone at all. It was still here as long asall the decorations and food were here andthe Christmas toys had not lost theirnovelty.





Boxing Day

Although I very much enjoyed our familyChristmases, to me Boxing Day was just aswonderful. It brought not surprises but theprospect of having all day to play, a day oftotal freedom. I now had lots of new toysbut had not been able to do much withthem on Christmas Day, because we were

out all day visiting aunts and uncles, endingup at my Nan’s for Christmas dinner, andnot back home until bedtime. Boxing Daybelonged* to the toys and me, with nointerruptions for most of the day.

* "belonged" Ing cannot be halved

Boxing Day

I never knew what I was going to receive,everything was a surprise. The favouriteswere imaginative toys, such as miniaturegarden set, sewing kit and Lego buildingbricks. I could* make sceneries for the newtrain set that might be competing for floorspace on the carpet. One year broughtspecial teddy bears, another brought dollsto dress. The top favourite was always thepaints, whether squares of colour in a flattin or, when older, little pots of individualposter paints, thick creamy and bright,along with chunky colouring books thatwould last for ages. The only time I knew inadvance was when I was promised a

bicycle, with the mounting anticipation andexcitement far outweighing the lack of thesurprise element. Boxing Day was peacefulbut also full of activity, helped bya constant supply of wrapped chocolateswhich Nan had given us from her giant tin,and more pieces of iced Christmas cake* tonibble on.

* "I could" Written separately, so it is notmisread as the phrase "I can"

* "cake" and "cookie" Insert the vowels inorder to differentiate





Boxing Day

Boxing Day evening found us back at Nan’shouse for a huge party. All my aunts anduncles on that side of the family were there,crammed into a small apartment, with along table under the window loaded withplates of food. It was all noise, jokes,chatter and clinking of glasses. The formalChristmas Day celebrations had takenplace* in their separate houses, but thisparty was everyone together. It endedafter midnight, but before then I wouldhave had to give in to drooping eyelids, andgo and lie down on Nan’s bed. I think Imostly* slept through the journeys home.In later years, we walked home with more

chocolates in our pockets and then the funwas watching our shadows shorten andlengthen as we passed each lamp-post*.Even better when you had two shadowsfrom separate lamp-posts and a third if acar headlight went past.

* "taken place" Omits the L. Compare withthe phrase "take/took place" where the Lhook is included


* "lamp-post" The Imp does duty for thetwo P's

Boxing Day

In fact* Christmas was never over until theend of New Year’s Day, the last event to beticked* off the list. The fun was not overuntil the school term started a week later.Maybe the official* "Last Day" ought to bewhen the Christmas tree is dismantled andall the reminders* of Christmas vanish in ahaze of dust and fallen glitter, fragments oftinsel, bits of paper, trimmings, gift labelsand crumbs under the table. No matter, Ihad the toys in my possession and, like asuccessful shopping trip, I could relax afterall the excitement and spend time revellingin my new acquisitions and, with care, most

of them would last until December cameround again. (837 words)

* Omission phrase "in (f)act"

* "ticked" Helpful to insert the vowel, as"took" could also make sense in somecontexts

* "official" Keep the Ish clearly rising, so itdoes not look like "final". Helpful to insertthe first vowel, and the diphthong in "final".

* "reminders" Insert the diphthong, as"remains" would also make sense

blogs - 2016 - december 6 winter wonderland

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