Emmeline P.

Jennospot 97 Emmeline P

Moi English teacher reckons as 'ow, when we write, we ought ter write somefink wot we're passionate about.

That's real in'trestin', 'cept Oi ain't real sure wot Oi'm passionate about, unless it's soapbox cart racin'.

Moi soapbox cart is called "EmmelineP" after that there famous Mrs Pankhurst; 'cos there ain't nobody more famous than wot she is. She lived in the olden days when women wore long skirts an' 'ad big 'ats covered all over wiv flowers an' fevvers. The fing is that women, even though they're mostly more intelligent than wot men usually are, weren't allowed at that toime ter vote, an' so they weren't represented in the most important place wot makes our laws. Cripes, can yew imagine…!

Any'ow, Mrs Emmeline P reckoned as 'ow that weren't fair, so she got tergevver wiv a whole lot of ovver women wot also thought it weren't fair, ter make a fuss about it. But the men in the Government weren't impressed, so nuffink got changed. Well, the women, decided they 'ad ter do some real heavy publicity stuff, so they chained themselves ter railin's outside Parliament 'Ouse an' ovver important places; they interrupted political meetin's wiv 'ecklin' (cripes, ain't that a good word?); some of 'em even went ter prison fer breakin' winders an' settin' fings on fire; an' they called themselves "suffragettes" (ain't that an even better word? I 'spose it means suff'rin' fer the suffrage).

Mrs Pankhurst 'erself went ter prison an' all. (Mr P must 'ave been quite a bit miffed about that, 'specially seein' as 'ow 'ee were a barrister wiv five children ter look after. Stll an' all, 'ee supported Emmeline, wot is good fer 'im). Mrs Pankhurst an' some ovver suffragettes wot were in prison, refused ter eat. It were orrible 'ow the prison authorities tried ter force-feed 'em, but it didn't do 'em no good. When the women got real ill from not eatin' they was let out until they got better, and then they was arrested again. It were an 'orrible painful game o' cat an' mouse.

Any'ow, Mrs P an' 'er suffragettes won in the finish, but it weren't until just after she died in 1928, that an Act o' Parliament were passed givin' the roight ter vote ter all adults, includin' women. An' then a statue of 'er was put up in Victoria Tower Gardens, jus' by Parliament 'Ouse. That were just a few years afore Oi was born. Oi went ter see 'er once, wiv Peter. Yew c'n go ter see 'er yerself if'n yew're down that way, 'cos she's still there. An' yew c'n read about our visit, if'n yew want, in "Gang Petition" (http://www.peterstjohn.net/index_6.htm).

Any'ow, that's why moi cart is called Emmeline P; only my English teacher didn't seem real impressed, even though Oi'm passionate about it mesself. Cripes, p'raps Oi'd better go an' chain mesself ter the school railin's…

Luv from Jenno…

Jenno's Gangs Rampaging

Jennospot 96 Jenno's Gangs Rampaging

 

Last week Oi wrote fer yew about as 'ow there are some gangs in moi village o' Widdlin'ton, an' as 'ow Peter St John was makin' a picture book about 'em. Well the book is out now, so Oi c'n show yew 'ere wot the cover looks loike. Actually P St J 'as 'ad the cheek ter put 'is noime on the cover, but jus' between yew an' me, if'n it weren't fer moi 'elp there wouldn't 'ardly be no book, 'cos Oi 'ad ter keep a-tellin' 'im wot ter put. Besides, if'n yew took me out of the book there wouldn't be much left, would there; if'n yew see wot Oi mean.

Any'ow, the book is out an' rampagin' around now. Leastways, if'n it ain't rampagin', it jolly well ought ter be, 'cos it ain't ev'ry day where yew get a whole lot o' village gangs all tergevver under one cover, so ter speak. Cripes, there's enough rough stuff goin' on where they're separated inter their territories, never moind when they're squashed tergevver in a little book.

Wot's more, it ain't moi fault if some of 'em don't get along. People are jus' loike that: They're perfec'ly able not ter loike one anovver fer no good reason at all. But when yew fink that in Widdlin'ton there are lots o' real good reaons fer not getting' along― well wot c'n yew expect…?

O' 'corse Oi get on pretty good wiv most ev'rybody, 'cept "Slug" Snaylor natch, an' that there Heebie Jeebie Phoebe at the Post Office. Yew can't count Bill Bates, wot 'elps 'is dad at the butchers, Oi mean, 'ee's jus' thick, an' 'is two off-siders are pretty much non compos mentis an' all. Oi ain't a-goin' ter mention J.J. 'cos 'ee's moi gang leader in the Pepper Mill Lane, but Oi reckon as 'ow fings would be better between us if'n 'ee 'ad a bit more respect fer girls, 'specially fer girls loike me. Any'ow, Oi reckon as 'ow Oi've made moi point, 'cos Oi'm real easy ter get on wiv if'n yew treat me roight. See wot Oi mean…?

 

Any'ow, if'n yew'd loike ter know a bit more about all that, yew c'd take a look at moi book "Jenno's Gangs" (even though P St J 'as put 'is noime on the cover). It only costs 99 cents, wot ain't dear seein' as 'ow it's got lots o' pictures in it.

 

It's on Smashwords (cripes, makes me fink o' people arguin' over a traffic collision). All yew got ter do is jus' click on http://www.smashwords.com/b/315767 an' then yew c'n be rampagin' along wiv the best of 'em.

'Appy rampagin'.

Luv from Jenno…

 

http://www.peterstjohn.net/

Jenno's Gangs

Jennospot 95 Jenno's Gangs

 Most ev'rybody in moi village o' Widdlin'ton is in a gang; 'cept fer the girls o' corse, but that depends which gang. There's several of 'em:

There's the Streeters fer a start off, wot don't 'ave no girls, an' the Adare Road gang wot don't 'ave no girls neither. An' cripes, they're a real rough lot down the Adare Road.

There's the Chapel Gang up the top end of The Street, but only fer the chapel kids, an' there ain't many o' them. There's the Lions Avenue Lot, wot is close ter where Oi live. They 'ave girls wot are proper members, but then they're a bit posh up there in the Avenue. They've got water closets instead of an out'ouse down the garden. They've got proper barfrooms wiv 'ot water an' all…

Moi gang (well sort of moi gang) is the Pepper Mill Lane Mob. Oi say sort of, because the boys let girls in, but only as second class members as it were, 'cos the boys keep a lot o' stuff secret from us. That's why Oi set up a gang fer girls only. We called it the "Go Getter Girls", only we 'ad a few little problems getting' it goin' properly...

Yew c'd say that them among us wot go ter the same school make up a gang, an' even them wot are in the same class. But that ain't quite the same as a proper gang 'cos it's the teachers wot are the leaders, an' they ain't kids. Still an' all, them wot are in yer class or at yer school are sort o' special, even if'n they're in anovver gang somewhere else; don't yew fink?

Oi'm showin' yew a picture o' some o' them wot live in Widdlin'ton. It ain't ev'rybody natch, 'cos there are several 'undred people wot live in Widdlin'ton, but them in the picture are the most int'restin' fer me, even if'n they come from different gangs.

 As well as them wot are at school, there's also them wot get tergevver in church, wot are a bit loike a gang, wiv their chantin' an their rules an' all; only most o' the church kids are also in ovver gangs, an' there's lot's o' grown-ups as well, wot kind o' mucks fings up, if'n yew see wot Oi mean…

Ev'ry gang 'as it's own territ'ry, an' they don't loike kids from ovver gangs trespassin' on their bit o' Widdlin'ton (cripes, ain't trespassin' an int’restin' word?). If'n yew troi it yew'll see wot Oi mean. The boundaries o' the territ'ries ain't marked on no map, but if'n yew cross one, yew c'n certainly feel it.

Any'ow, Oi'm a-tellin' yew all this 'cos Peter St John is puttin' tergevver a booklet about the Widdlin'ton gangs. It's goin' ter go up soon on Smashwords (cripes, "Smashwords"! Oi ask yew; ain't nobody got no respect fer the English language no more?). It's called "Jenno's Gangs", an' it's got lots o' pictures in it tergevver wiv moi sayings from Facebook. Cripes, Oi never though moi Facebook stuff would ever be made inter a book. Still an' all, that's 'ow it is…

Ju's thought yew'd loike ter know.

Wiv luv from Jenno…

There’s ovver books about Widdlin’ton; real ones wot are proper novels. If’n yew loike, yew c’n find out about ‘em at http://www.peterstjohn.net/index.htm