June 15, 2007 :  The Home pages of both the magazine and its extension site have been re-jigged and the links between them and the Forum enhanced to provide smoother integration.

WHY THREE SITES?

The original site, Wordsweb Magazine, created in 2005 was template-based, which placed severe restrictions on layout and typography, so the extension site, Wordsweb-Plus, which accepts direct HTML input was added and all new material is now placed here.  The original site remains in place, with its content intact, and now serves as an entry portal to both sites, and to Wordsweb Forum, originally conceived as the forum for Wordsweb Magazine and now a discussion group in its own right.  Membership of the forum is open to all, but messages are moderated to defeat would-be spammers, and the site abides strictly by Microsoft's code of conduct as suitable for family viewing.

It may sound complicated but the sites are fully linked and I hope the joins are invisible.

June 12, 2007

Hmm . . . it's about time I wrote something here.  I have neglected the site somewhat while working on other projects, but updates are now in full swing and there has been some new activity on the MSN discussion group, Wordsweb Forum.

During my time off line I have continued to tour with camera and notebook, and recently spent a few days in the Borders country.  The hotel was in Carlisle - a city I had not visited before.  The main points of interest there were the Cathedral and Castle.

An excursion into Scotland provided the opportunity to visit the seaside resort of Ayr and the nearby village of Alloway, birthplace of Robbie Burns, and the Gretna Green smithy famous as a wedding room.  Another day was spent in the spectacular Lake District before heading home via historic Chester - another 'first' for me.

Illustrated articles on my tour, including three cathedrals (Carlisle, Hexham and Chester) will appear on this site soon, and other features are in preparation.


Left: Burns Cottage, Alloway;  Top: Derwentwater, Keswick.
(Photographs © 2007 Arthur Loosley)

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October 29, 2006

Continuing the autumn theme, I took a stroll in Christchurch Park, Ipswich, this week.  Families were enjoying the exceptionally warm weather for the time of year and feeding the birds, who will soon face a shortage of food as the winter sets in.

Bird feeding has been a hot topic over on the Forum this week, as Saturday was National Bird Feeding Day.  Wild birds are in serious decline as more and more of the land is covered with concrete, and increasingly with garden decking, and The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds sponsored events all over the country to encourage more people to put out food for them.  Many of these events were held, predictably, at Garden Centres selling wild bird food.  Perhaps they stirred the conscience of the some of the keen gardeners who have been responsible for destroying the natural habitat by turning their gardens into sterile weed-free outdoor rooms.   Please pop into the forum if you have any comments on the subject of wildlife, the world - or anything! 

Columnists Peter Hinchliffe continues to entertain us with his weekly words.  Please read his amusing account of his childhood bank account. Also a few more extras as the site update continues.  Please browse.

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From the Editor's Chair

October 22, 2006

This week our new columnist, Peter Hinchliffe, remembers an autumn of yesteryear, with an entertaining account of potato-picking in his childhood, and continuing the seasonal theme my picture (left) taken in a little patch of woodland near my home, shows domestic chickens that live free-range in the woods, pecking for food among the first of this season's golden leaves on the ground below the oak tree where they roost.

Arthur's column this week also has food as its theme, focusing on the Englishman's love of a substantial cooked breakfast - and please have a look at our new Heritage & Tradition feature, which kicks off with a look at Apple Day.

Over on the discussion group, Wordsweb Forum, there has been a new surge of activity this week with six new members and some absorbing conversations including a long look back at the days of monochrome photography when we spent many hours tinting the pictures by hand.  Some of us now yearn for a return to the dramatic quality of black-and-white which in many cases cannot be equalled by the modern colour processes, and we have been looking at some family snapshots evocative of the time.

If you have not visited the forum, you might like to have a look now.  It is open for anyone to view, but to contribute your own words and pictures you will need to register.  It is, of course, entirely free, and can be viewed at http://groups.msn.com/wordswebforum.

With Hallowe'en and Bonfire Night nearly upon us we should have plenty to report and photograph next week.  Until then, please enjoy your surfing, and if you have any comments on this website or would like to contribute to it, please e-mail me - arthur@wordsweb.co.uk

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or scroll down for previous items in this feature

From The Editor’s Chair
October 15, 2006

THIS WEEK sees the first of what will become a weekly editorial review of recent activities and a preview of features and articles scheduled for forthcoming editions.

Next week we have a seasonal focus, with a column recalling autumn of yesteryear. 

Already here in East Anglia the first signs of autumn are appearing as the leaves begin to fall, and I am looking forward to going out with my camera in the coming weeks to capture the warmth of the woodland scene.

Also, as the days shorten, temperatures fall and outdoor pursuits give way to the comfort of home, many of us will find that we have more time to sit and write, recalling the places we visited and people we met during the summer, so we may expect to see a surge of activity all over the Internet, some of which I hope will be directed here.

Wordsweb has grown and changed almost beyond recognition since it started 18 months ago as a tentative six-page scrapbook of family memories and photographs and a few tales from my professional career in journalism and education.

Six pages have become 120, and the content has broadened, making Wordsweb a multi-faceted magazine, now with contributions from professional and other gifted writers, but what it has lacked until now has been a weekly editorial comment. This week we begin to redress the situation.

I was delighted last week to welcome a prolific and experienced journalist, Peter Hinchliffe, a Yorkshireman with a fund of stories to tell. The second of his weekly columns appears this week and many more are in the pipeline.

He joins another Peter - Peter Payan, a Canadian travel writer, in our guest writers section, which also carries a varied selection of work by other contributors. I am keen to expand this feature and will be happy to receive further articles, columns or short stories for consideration. If you would like to have your own regular guest spot or just contribute once or occasionally to another section, please e-mail me - arthur@wordsweb.co.uk.

Until next week, then,
Enjoy your surfing!

Arthur Loosley

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