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October 2018

October Summer

Portraits

All About You 1

All About You 2

October Summer (14 October 2018)

In these blogs I like to record the passing year and seasons. The British summer is a very unpredictable season, as indeed they all are, but summer is a special case. People go on holiday for a week or two and they do not want to be interrupted by rain and cold, as they cannot move the holiday forwards or backwards in their diary to match the weather forecast. There is the desire to have weather warm enough to be able to go about in shorts and tee shirt, and hope or pretend to themselves that this will* last for their* entire vacation. A wet day will only be* acceptable or tolerated if it coincides with a planned visit to an indoor attraction. Even a hot sunny* day has its enjoyment somewhat hampered by the possibility* of the clouds suddenly gathering, the sun disappearing behind them and the cool breezes getting up.

* "that this will" Downward L in order to join the phrase

* "for their" Not doubled, only use doubling for "if there/their"

* "will only be" On its own "only" has full strokes

* "sun/sunny/snow/snowy" Always insert vowels

Just the fact that tomorrow could be completely different may intrude on thoughts as one lazes around dozing in a deckchair. After all, there is the thought that one must get as much as possible* done and visited today, while it is still pleasant* weather. Fortunately I don’t have to do that as I prefer to be seeing things rather than lounging about, although I too prefer not to lug a jumper and coat around with me. As our own visits to places of interest are planned according to the* weather and opportunity, they are easy to move, change or reschedule at a moment’s notice. This year everyone’s hopes and dreams came true, but to an unreasonable* degree of intensity. May is the first month that can be truly* warm and pleasant, but this year that lasted the whole month, and then the next and the next. The daytime temperatures* just continued to rise, rain failed to appear, people baked and sweated, and plants wilted and died. It was often too hot to move about, and so travel was kept to a minimum and our plans to go roaming around London were mostly* abandoned.

* Omission phrases "as much as poss(ible"  "according (to) the"

* "pleasant" "pleasing" Helpful to insert the first vowel, as they are similar in outline and meaning

* "unreasonable" It is helpful to introduce a little angle between N and Ray

* "truly" Always insert the vowel as it is similar to "utterly" in outline and meaning

* "mostly" Omits the lightly-sounded T

Now we are several months away from that and have had many periods of rain reviving the plants, grass, trees, animals, people and suffering commuters on their stuffy and uncomfortable train journeys. However, although at the time of writing it is very windy with strong gusts, it is bright, sunny* and mild. All this is at odds with the gradually* increasing appearance of Christmas cards in the shops, they just don’t go with teeshirts and sunglasses somehow! The mild weather has to end some time* and I think it will be quite a shock when the forecast says arctic airflow coming from the north, with overnight frost and ice, and the possibility* of a dusting of snow. Really cold weather now is also unusual for Britain, especially the south where I live, as most of that happens from January to March and sometimes later. I think a chilly snap will feel more extreme than it is because of the contrast with the last six months.

* "sun/sunny/snow/snowy" Always insert vowels

* "gradually" Full strokes, to differentiate it from "greatly"

* "some time" Halving to represent the T of "time". Note that these are two separate words in the longhand.

* "possibility" Optional contraction

I am quite surprised how well most of our greenery has survived and this must have been* due to the ground water, which is not immediately affected by summer drought. I welcome the heavy rain of winter as I know it is replenishing that supply which will see the farms, countryside, parks and gardens through next year’s summer. All that remains now is to catch up with the garden’s late summer exuberance, although it is difficult to cut back plants that still have blooms on them. No doubt the first blast of cold will finish them off and remove any hesitation in clearing them away. Then I shall swap my daily activities to their more wrapped up and hurried winter version and reacquaint myself with the pleasures of having a radiator right next to the computer corner and spend more time consulting my lists of blog and shorthand revision items. (661 words)

* Omission phrase "must (have) been"

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Portraits (15 October 2018)

In August we visited the National Portrait Gallery in central London. It is located behind the National Gallery which faces onto Trafalgar Square, and is the rear part of that building. In our searches for places of interest, we seemed to have overlooked these large and important institutions* and so we felt it was time to correct that. As born and bred Londoners, we could not possibly allow visitors from all over the world* to be better acquainted with our national art treasures than we were.  A portrait is a drawing, painting, depiction or description of a person, but the term most often refers to a painting showing their* face and figure. The word comes from the Latin "draw forth" and this is certainly one of the chief aims of the portrait. They are designed to draw forth the person’s character, achievements*, position in society, history and ambitions.

* "institutions" Outline corrected 28Feb2019

* Omission phrase "all over (the) world"

* "showing their" Doubling to represent "their"

* "achievements" Using -nt, as -mnt cannot join

John Wesley

We started on the top floor where the older paintings are displayed, as those are the ones that most clearly adhere to that objective, and are without exception realistic representations. I like to see exactly what the person looked like and, of course, as they did not have photographs then, paintings and statues were the only likenesses that could be achieved. However, one must bear in mind* that there would have been* enhancements* to their apparent health, vigour, bearing and good looks. There is a delicate balance that the artist must observe between faithful representation and pleasing the patron. The artist Gilbert Stuart is supposed to have said what was on his mind when his client was dissatisfied* with a portrait of his wife, "You brought me a potato and you expect a peach!"

* Omission phrases "bear (in) mind"  "that there would (have) been"

* "enhancements" Continue the Hay circle after the N stroke anticlockwise

* "dissatisfied" Note the first circle is single, and not Ses. The only diss- words that use a Ses circle are "disseize, disserve" and their derivatives, to distinguish them from "disease, deserve".

It is good that one can go right up to the paintings to inspect all the details of their execution, as they are behind glass in their frames, and I find it very interesting to see the minute detail in which most of them are painted. Every fold of clothing, every loop and stitch of fine lace, every hair on their head and the twinkle in their eyes is painted with the finest of strokes*. A long-sighted artist would certainly not have been able to carry on such a trade, although with advancing years the master painter would work on the face and have his apprentices complete the clothing, the various objects that tell their story, and the background or scenery.

* "of strokes" In phrases like this, it is possible to show both the circle and the R hook

William Wilberforce

I especially liked the draft painting of William Wilberforce, the Member of Parliament* who, after 20 years of constant effort and work, successfully achieved the passing of the Slave Trade Act 1807. The painting is by Sir Thomas Lawrence. His soft kind eyes look out of the canvas and they seem to speak volumes, entreating the viewer to open their eyes to the slaves’ suffering and the injustices, and to support his mission to bring it to an end. I am sure his facial* expression would have been* quite different when arguing the case in Parliament, with more determination, strength and resolve.

* Omission phrases "Member (of) Parl(iament)" "would (have) been"

* "facial" Insert the vowel, so it is not misread as "official"

Samuel Pepys

This portrait of Samuel Pepys* painted by John Hayls* in 1666 is easily recognised. He kept his diary for nine years as a young man, using Thomas Shelton’s shorthand. He was a naval administrator for the Admiralty and a Member of Parliament*. Shorthand has been used by many to obscure and keep private their diaries and documents, but it must be* remembered that longhand writing, as you now know only too well, is unbearably slow and laborious, and shorthand is the easiest and quickest way to record one’s thoughts. It also saved on expensive paper, which was not the cheap and abundant disposable resource* that we enjoy nowadays.

* "Pepys" Pronounced "peeps"

* "Hayls" A reminder to always check the spelling of names, as this spelling is unusual

* Omission phrases "Member (of) Parl(iament)"  "it mus(t) be"

* "resource" Insert the second vowel, so it is not misread as "reserve" which is similar in outline and meaning

John Loudon McAdam

Amongst all the glorious portrayals of kings, queens and other famous personages, I was interested to see a painting of John Loudon McAdam, painted by an unknown artist in 1830. He was a civil engineer and road* surveyor who in 1811 brought to the attention of Parliament the bad state of the roads. He invented a superior method of road construction, using layers of compacted stones, called macadamisation* which was widely adopted* and was an important element in the development* of Britain as a commercial and industrial nation. This was later improved by the invention of tarmacadam, or tarmac*, by the addition of cement, tar, bitumen, resin, pitch or asphalt. I wonder whether these various names for the processes would have been* different if John McAdam’s surname had been something less easy to pronounce and make other words from.

* "road" Helpful to insert the vowel on the first occurrence, as it could look like "route"

* "macadamisation" Note that this word starts "mac-" although the surname is "Mc-"

* "adopted" Always insert the second vowel in this, and in "adapted"

* "development" Optional contraction, also be used for the verb "develop"

* "tarmac" This is the proprietary name for tarmacadam

* "asphalt" This outline is the correct pronunciation, although some people say "ashfelt"

* Omission phrase "would (have) been"

After a few hours one gets picture overload, and so we left the gallery and found a seat by the river where we could eat our sandwiches. None of those people in the portraits would recognise what the City of London* has become, and I wondered what they would make of it. It has become an alien landscape full of strangely dressed people, noise and weird wheeled and flying machines. I am sure most of them would enjoy having a look around and certainly Samuel Pepys would have a grand time writing about it in his diary. (849 words)

* Omission phrase "City (of) London"

A portrait of you, practising your outlines. You must have obtained a good job, as you have a velvet jacket with gold braid and gold buttons, and an expensive marble table.

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All About You 1 (22 October 2018)

These blogs, all 350 of them so far*, are all about you, for your learning benefit. Maybe you like the word "you", especially when someone says: this is for you, you are wonderful, you are successful and you have passed your shorthand exam. Maybe you don’t like the word when someone says: you have to do this, you must not* do that or you should have done that. You might* be interested to know that the shorthand sign "you" was originally a pair of signs (upward or downward facing) for the Yay sound plus a dot or dash vowel, in exactly the same way as the left and right facing semicircle is still used for the Way sound plus another vowel for convenience in certain circumstances*. In one of the early revisions, all these signs were mostly* replaced by the Way and Yay strokes, although as you know, the* Way semicircle is still with us. All we have left is the downward facing "you" sign on the line and "beyond" above the line, and as a normal diphthong occurring after a consonant*. A tick is added for the triphone and a hook for the word "have".

 

* "so far" Note that "far" on its own uses full strokes

* "you might" If you phrase "may" but avoid phrasing "might", this gives an extra distinction, similarly "can/could" and "know/note"

* Omission phrase "you mus(t) not"

* "in certain circumstances" The last word is written separately, if it was phrased it might be misread as "instances"

* "mostly" Omits the lightly-sounded T

* "know, the" Do not phrase over a pause

* See next article, para 3 "Euphrates"

As you are a pupil or student of shorthand, I am sure you are very studious.

I hope you have found a suitable room or studio in which to work.

You have to avoid* the dubious distractions of college and office life.

He was too puny and feeble to lift the heavy cube-shaped box.

I have a music room where I can practise musical tunes on the tuba.

A quiet room would suit you very well* to carry on your work duties.

The medicines are helping to strengthen his immune system.

Your job remuneration will be hugely improved next year.

My hotel window looks out over the sand dunes.

* "avoid" Insert the diphthong, and the second vowel in "evade", as they are similar in outline and meaning

* Omission phrase "very (w)ell"

I amused* myself watching the white spume from the crashing waves.

I have a huge painting of some pumas roaming in a forest.

The view from the office lured me away from my work.

I came to work on one of the new tube trains.

It would be stupid to walk that way with all the traffic fumes.

In my lunch break I had some tuna sandwiches.

The doctors found a new cure for the disease* which they thought was incurable.

They have now cured many people of the disease*.

This entrance door is very strong and completely secure.

The house has been secured with new door locks and security lights.

* "amused, amazed" Always insert the second vowel

* "disease" See https://www.long-live-pitmans-shorthand.org.uk/distinguishing-outlines-4-care-c-d.htm "disease decease"

When it is the final vowel at the end of a plain stroke, the sign can be joined, but it is not joined in the plurals because the circle occupies that place.

I spent some time* in the queue to visit Kew Gardens but I don’t like queues.

I sat in the back pew in the church as the front pews were all occupied.

I admired the statue of the king as well as the other statues in the park.

Patience is a virtue and I hope* we all have many other* virtues as well.

I had a few problems with the lighting, as the fuse had gone and there were no spare fuses.

The neighbours carried on a feud about their garden fences for several years.

We all agree that feuds are a stupid way to behave*.

There is a wonderful view from the building and distant views from the tower.

This issue of the magazine is very interesting, it is one of the better issues.

There is a dispute over pay but we believe we can resolve these disputes.

* "some time" Separate words

* Omission phrases "and I (h)ope"  "many oth(er)"

* "to behave" Through the line, based on the short form phrase "to be", similarly "to become"

The Prime Minister* issued a statement about the plans for building a new motorway.

I have a cute little tissue box on the table full of colourful tissues.

My subscription is due soon, and I always pay my dues on time.

The actor missed his cue to speak but the others never missed their cues.

This month’s unusually* high figures will skew the average for the period.

The income for December always skews our calculations for the year.

His hat was skewed and his clothes were untidy.

They saw the truck spew its contents across the entire motorway.

The people saw oil spewing from the crashed* vehicle.

The overturned milk truck spewed its load across the road.

* "Prime Minister" Omission phrase that leaves out a repeated consonant

* "unusually" The short form includes the "-ly" version, but here it could read as "unusual" as well, so add the L stroke

* "crashed" Insert the vowel, as "crushed" could also make sense in this context

I used to pursue my hobbies* but now I am pursuing the subject of shorthand.

The man escaped his pursuer by hiding in the building.

The judgement was made pursuant to the new regulations*.

I need to renew my strength with a day or two off work.

A change of activity always renews one’s energy for further work.

Accounting and office skills are of great value nowadays.

The manager’s name is Matthew and Matthew’s office is on the left.

I attended the first lecture* but I missed the next two lectures*.

The patient had a very high temperature* all morning.

We have had some rather high air temperatures* this summer.

* "hobbies" Insert the first vowel, as it is similar to "habits" in outline and meaning

* "regulations, lecture, temperature" The intervening diphthongs are shown, but generally not necessary in normal writing, as the outlines are quite distinctive

I continue to take down the news in shorthand every evening.

Often the news continues for over an hour of fast speaking.

Dinner will be vegetable stew or one of the other stews on the menu.

Cooking and stewing is hot work especially the stewed fruit recipes.

I am going to review my timetable* so that I can be more efficient.

We all heard the cat mew, in fact* it always mews outside our window.

Sometimes a fight will ensue and the ensuing battle is very noisy.

* "timetable" Halving to represent the T of "table"

* Omission phrase "in (f)act"

The outlines pursue ensue and sue change the stroke to a circle for the past tense, to obtain a briefer outline.

They sued the firm for a lot of money after the accident*.

I pursued the subject of shorthand as well as computer and keyboard skills.

I am enjoying my new pursuit of business studies at the college.

A fight ensued near the entrance to the Tudor Restaurant.

The Tudors were a ruling family several centuries ago in England.

I had a long talk with my business studies tutor.

All the tutors are going to the staff meeting tomorrow.

I queued for a long time* in the rain and snow.

The cats mewed and the dogs barked all night long.

* "accident" Insert the first vowel, as it is similar to "incident" when written less than neatly at speed

* Omission phrase "for (a) long time"

We had to draw a nude at the life drawing class.

The insects will denude that beautiful fruit tree very rapidly.

I renewed my energy with a good night’s sleep.

Then I continued with my work and studies the following morning.

The firm discontinued the practice of hiring agency staff.

I have had my house valued and its value has continued to rise.

It has been viewed several times in the last month or two.

The department has reviewed its policy on staff hours. (1100 words)

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All About You 2 (23 October 2018)

The valuer arrived at the house to discuss it with the viewers.

Those people will be viewing my property tomorrow.

The pastry was made with suet, flour* and water.

This college is the issuer of certificates for the commercial course.

They will be issuing their guidelines at the end of next month*.

This valuable car will need more fuel for the journey.

You may remember our mutual friends Samuel and Mr Newby.

The famous singers are going to perform a duet on the stage.

There were* fewer than twenty people in the office building yesterday.

I seem to spend a long time queuing in the supermarket.

* "flour" Plain diphthong, as this is deemed to be one syllable. "Flower" is deemed to be two syllables so it has a triphone.

* Omission phrases "ne(k)s(t mon)th"  "there (w)ere"

I will be renewing my subscription to the magazine at the end of the month.

We are continuing to learn shorthand three days a week at the college.

We shall be reviewing our progress at the beginning of December.

The apprenticeship was a continuation of his technical college* course.

He worked as a steward at the local golf club.

Miss Newton is a stewardess on a newly established airline.

He was barbecuing the food on long metal skewers.

A skua is a large brown seabird that attacks other birds.

* "tech(nical )college" Omission phrase that leaves out a repeated syllable. This could also be phrased more fully by retaining the N stroke, as "techni(cal) college"

Use a stroke and dash vowel when the sound begins a word.

It is no use to read the book if you do not practise the contents and exercises.

The users of the computers were annoyed at the long delays in getting the information.

This book is much more* useful than the others which are mostly* quite useless.

Your electricity usage will be itemised on your utility bill every three months.

You should* utilise a calculator to reduce your energy consumption.

A female sheep is called a ewe and a male is a ram.

A ewer is an old word for a water jug or pitcher.

The university students dreamed of living in a Utopian world.

Some of the youths spent all their time watching YouTube movies.

You’ve just time to see Eunice’s photos of Papua New Guinea and Yugoslavia.

The exception to the rule is the outline for River Euphrates.

* Omission phrase "much m(ore)"

* "mostly" Omits the lightly-sounded T

* "you should" It is better not to phrase these two unless there are more words following in the phrase (e.g. you should be, you should have), it otherwise it looks like "you the". A misleading phrase can cause you to misread the surrounding outlines as well to make it fit.

His comments were ambiguous and not clear at all to many of us.

It was an arduous climb to the top of the mountain in the stormy weather.

She is an assiduous student who is working hard to succeed* in her exams.

Her red* coat was very conspicuous against the snow*.

The soldier remained inconspicuous by wearing the camouflage clothing.

The factory produces a continuous* supply of glass for the industry.

This is a continual* problem that we are working very hard to resolve.

A deciduous tree is one that sheds its leaves in winter or periodically.

He is an impetuous man who makes very rash decisions.

* "to succeed" Circle S is often reversed in phrases, so that it comes outside the angle

* "red" Helpful to insert the vowel, and always vocalise "ruddy" as that is the more unusual word, although unlikely to be misread as such here

* "snow" Always insert vowels in "sun, sunny, snow, snowy"

* "continuous, continual" Note that "continuous" means without stopping or ceasing, and "continual" means occurring repeatedly at intervals

His remarks were quite innocuous and not at all fatuous.

It was very presumptuous of him to invite himself to the party.

It was very strenuous work chopping down the enormous tree.

They laid on a sumptuous feast for the king and queen.

The relationship between them* has been very unpleasant and tempestuous.

He has a very tenuous hold on the behaviour of his two children.

The crowd cheered the footballers with a tumultuous roar.

That girl is vacuous and slow but her sister is intelligent and virtuous.

* Omission phrase "betwee(n) them"

The examples in the above two paragraphs change the stroke to a circle for the adverb.

He worked assiduously towards his shorthand and commercial subjects exams.

He spoke most impetuously without any thought for the consequences.

They feasted sumptuously on the best food and wines in the hotel.

The factory operates continuously day and night, in other words, without stopping.

He spoke continually about his successes, in other words, repeatedly on different occasions.

ambiguously conspicuously presumptuously strenuously tempestuously vacuously virtuously

The exception is arduously, as using the circle would not be clear. (635 words)

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