charles barrow's writing

Peace on earth and goodwill to all. Photo is the author's own

I've never read Peter Pan and I don't think I've ever seen the (Disney) film either; though I did once sit through the awful Hook, starring Robin Williams. Strolling through Kensingston Gardens earlier this week, however, I came upon this bronze statue of Peter Pan. I guess I knew it was there somewhere but wasn't really expecting to see it where I found it. It was a gift to the gardens from author J.M. Barrie, and the boy who never grew up has been in residence here since 1912. It's a lovely statue, with Peter atop a tree stump with woodland creatures and fairies around his feet. He doesn't look anything like the Disney version, thank heavens, he maybe most resembles Christopher Robin from the Pooh stories, or perhaps they both look like regular Edwardian boys, straight out of the nursery, with mops of hair and smock tops. Boys who believe in the magic and mystery of childhood. When I got home I picked up a copy of Peter Pan and began to read. I though...

Further to my Joyland post below; the ultimate big wheel - or The London Eye to give it its official name - to be found on the South Bank of the Thames in London (I've posted a photo of it previously). This boy is huge. I took a ride in one of those glass pods years ago and the view of the City from the top of the wheel is incredible. It revolves very slowly and doesn't stop, so you enter and leave your pod while the wheel is still turning. It's the ultimate funfair ride, albeit at a walking pace, I don't do thrills and spills. I don't recall the Eye being used as a location in either films or books, though I'm sure it must have been. One of those glass pods would make a great place for a lovers' tryst (think Sleepless in Seattle atop the Empire State Building), or an exchange of information in a tale of espionage (imagine James Bond trapped in one of those pods with a ninja assassin). Hitchcock would have put it to good use without a doubt. ...

I'm currently reading Joyland by Stephen King and enjoying it very much. I read many of his early novels when I was younger, the horror novels (The Shining, Carrie, Salem's Lot) and they scared the pants off me and I had to give up on him. But I've came back to him lately when I picked up 11.22.63 and raced through it. It involves a time-travel conundrum and the assassination of President John Kennedy (the title refers to the date he was killed). Anyway, that wasn't a horror story, it was a tense thriller and I admired it a lot. I'd forgotten what a good writer King is and it was nice to be reminded. Similarly, Joyland isn't a horror story, though it has some creepy moments, and I'm enjoying it and the writing.  I suppose the world of the carny and the funfair, as we in the UK would call it, has been in my subconscious then, and as I've travelled around this winter I've spotted a couple of merry-go-rounds at Christmas Fairs and taken snaps of th...