Motor Lodge

Pine paneled walls...plastic ice bucket....paper wrapped toliet seat...tiny soap....grainy sheets.....scent of moth balls and cigarettes....trace of mildew on the shower curtain....traffic noise from the two lane blacktop...TV flickers...guy in the office is wearing a Molly Hatchet t-shirt and gunk in the corner of his mouth...thin walls and worn carpet. But damn that neon is wonderful.

Email Received from a Student

Hello Shaun,

I attended your talk to my school Dover Grammar School for Girls earlier this evening. I just wanted to let you know that I find it remarkable at how you can tell others about things you regret earlier in your life, and the decisions you wish you had never made.

It must be hard for you to tell everyone about the hard situations you went through when in prison. Also, I find your commitment to letting the world know how awful these prisons are, and trying your best to get it recognised uplifting.

I was the only year 10 student in the hall this evening, and the reason I decided to attend was because last year you had talked about this with our year when in year 9. When you told it the first time, I found it amazing. It was full of information, and really made people realise the conditions at which you could be put through as a consequence of taking illegal drugs. I thought it would be good for me to come again since I loved it last time. You don't hold back on the truth which is great because then we find out the truth about what it is really like.

I thought it was wonderful this time that you showed the video of your mother talking about how she felt when all this was happening to you. 

I think this added a lot to the story as it made me and the people around me think about how our parents would feel if we put them through a similar situation.

That's all I really wanted to say.  I wish you all the best in your future. I am so happy that you got out of prison just to tell us your story because it is full of emotions and you are truly an inspiration in my eyes. Thank you.

Yours Sincerely,

Becky Arman, Year 10

Click here for another email received from a student:

Shaun Attwood

Video 2: Shaun Attwood Answers Questions May 2013

Sporting Art by Ripley

Aiden Lassell Ripley(1896-1969) was a Boston native and a prolific painter of sporting scenes. He served in WW I and upon returning made his living doing New England pastoral scenes and paintings of urban Boston. The dawn of the Great Depression compelled him to move to a more marketable genre...and the subject of his personal passion: hunting and fishing.He frequently traveled to the plantations and estates of the wealthy to do commissioned works. Recently one of his originals sold at auction for $89,000.00.

In my parent's attic I came a cross a scrapbook made by my Uncle in the mid 40's. He was an accomplished hunter and had taken pages form Field & Stream that featured Ripley's work. Each page had an accompnaying essay by the prolific outdoor write Nash Buckingham. As to this painting, Nash commented:

        "Wherever fowlers debate the comestible or sporting values of favorite marsh or river ducks,confirmation is usually predominant that for all-round toothsomeness and thrill packed shooting glamour a corn fed,rice-heavy,cooked-just-right mallard brings home the bacon."

At nearly $100,000.00 a pop....I wish I had found an original up in the attic. I would have been banging on Southeby's door faster than a pointer after a downed quail.

Pics/Videos from Guildford Party Time Book Launch/Banged-Up Abroad Premiere

A big thank you to all of the people who showed up at The Boileroom in Guildford on Sunday for the Party Time launch. A combination of karate, BodyCombat and yoga people made the atmosphere spot on. The Banged-Up Abroad episode gripped the audience, and was followed by almost an hour of questions and answers.

Setting up with Mike Hotwheelz and Stuart

Mum

Mum and Callie

With my sister and partner Callie

With Judy from the BodyCombat front row

Mike Hotwheelz

With Martin, a karate black belt

With Mark a teacher from Aldershot

With Seb from Poland

With Josephine

With Sam from the School of Hard knocks

Watching Raving Arizona

With Fotini (far left) from Greece

With BodyCombat instructor Steve from Zimbabwe

With Nige, who just got his karate black belt

With fellow karate friends

With Jon, a former BodyCombat instructor

With Claire and Jill, my senior proof readers 

With Tony, my BodyCombat instructor and his daughter

With Mary from BodyCombat

With Gemma from BodyCombat

With Mike and Elizabeth from BodyCombat

With Dawn from BodyCombat

With Carol from BodyCombat

With Stuart the sound engineer extraordinaire  

Shaun Attwood

Where are you reading Party Time? Menorca, Spain

Review of Hard Time by Gill Hoffs

Click here to read the review.