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You are here: Home > Forum > A Place of Safety > Literary Merit > Boy on the Towpath
Boy on the Towpath  [message #69525] Wed, 29 April 2015 23:32 Go to next message
timmy

Has no life at all
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13739



Time to go afloat again with a classic tale of suspense. But suspense about what? The Boy on the Towpath starts now.



Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
Re: Boy on the Towpath  [message #69527 is a reply to message #69525] Thu, 30 April 2015 00:31 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Matthew is currently offline  Matthew

Toe is in the water

Registered: February 2015
Messages: 73



I really enjoyed this story and it is great to see it appear here and just like the rest of his stories this will be very popular, Andrew is just an exceptional author and derserves all the praise he recieves
Re: Boy on the Towpath  [message #69528 is a reply to message #69527] Thu, 30 April 2015 16:44 Go to previous messageGo to next message
timmy

Has no life at all
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13739



This is the tale Andrew is, I think, the proudest of. There are some unusual elements all the way through.



Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
Re: Boy on the Towpath  [message #69538 is a reply to message #69525] Fri, 01 May 2015 04:48 Go to previous messageGo to next message
ChrisR is currently offline  ChrisR

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Location: Western US
Registered: October 2014
Messages: 136



There must be something special about towpaths in England. I had the good fortune a few years back to stay at the Runnymede-on-Thames. Runnymede was a dreadful disappointment (chain-link fenced, not much more than a few acres, badly littered, walkway in non-repair - looked like a building site for a future McDonald's or something).
But walking the Thames, I even got to help one couple through the locks, met quite a few great folks, and enjoyed myself thoroughly. There are a few lock-based stories out there, and they make me wish I could go back again! Thanks for bringing back The Boy On The Towpath. Great memories of the place.
Re: Boy on the Towpath  [message #69652 is a reply to message #69538] Mon, 18 May 2015 09:17 Go to previous messageGo to next message
timmy

Has no life at all
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13739



Quote:
ChrisR wrote on Fri, 01 May 2015 05:48There must be something special about towpaths in England. I had the good fortune a few years back to stay at the Runnymede-on-Thames. Runnymede was a dreadful disappointment (chain-link fenced, not much more than a few acres, badly littered, walkway in non-repair - looked like a building site for a future McDonald's or something).
But walking the Thames, I even got to help one couple through the locks, met quite a few great folks, and enjoyed myself thoroughly. There are a few lock-based stories out there, and they make me wish I could go back again! Thanks for bringing back The Boy On The Towpath. Great memories of the place.

--
Runnymede itself is wholly unspecial. The one time island upon which the Magna Carta was signed is not apparent. But it is not the place itself that is at all significant. The act of forcing the king to sign the document, that is the important thing.

Not ever heard anyone claim that the hotel you stayed at was particuarly excellent before. I just remember it from multiple sales conferences and tedious business meetings, and meeting job agents in the foyer. But the time one can spend amusing ones self watching the lock keeper instructing no hopers as he locks them through, that is amusing.



Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
Re: Boy on the Towpath  [message #69670 is a reply to message #69652] Fri, 22 May 2015 03:53 Go to previous messageGo to next message
ChrisR is currently offline  ChrisR

Likes it here
Location: Western US
Registered: October 2014
Messages: 136



Perhaps I was fortunate with the hotel, as it was off-season and quite peaceful.

We seem to have a different view of history. Over on this side of the pond, of course we think anything over 150 years old is a "historical building". There's a farmer's storage shed, fully in use, near Windsor with a 1606 cornerstone, so we'd have it wrapped in cellophane.

And when I was teaching at Old Windsor I asked one of the locals about the "Old" moniker. He explained that the castle had originally been there, but was disassembled, moved, reassembled and expanded right along the river as more defensible. "Oh," said I. "When was all this?" "Um... that would be 1066!" Yoiks. That was 426 years before Columbus even bumped into our place!

But the rosy red cheeks of the little children are forever fresh. Like those of The Boy on the Towpath.
Re: Boy on the Towpath  [message #69671 is a reply to message #69670] Fri, 22 May 2015 07:49 Go to previous messageGo to next message
timmy

Has no life at all
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13739



Quote:
ChrisR wrote on Fri, 22 May 2015 04:53Perhaps I was fortunate with the hotel, as it was off-season and quite peaceful.

We seem to have a different view of history. Over on this side of the pond, of course we think anything over 150 years old is a "historical building". There's a farmer's storage shed, fully in use, near Windsor with a 1606 cornerstone, so we'd have it wrapped in cellophane.

And when I was teaching at Old Windsor I asked one of the locals about the "Old" moniker. He explained that the castle had originally been there, but was disassembled, moved, reassembled and expanded right along the river as more defensible. "Oh," said I. "When was all this?" "Um... that would be 1066!" Yoiks. That was 426 years before Columbus even bumped into our place!

But the rosy red cheeks of the little children are forever fresh. Like those of The Boy on the Towpath.

--
I live in a small terraced house built in about 1868. It's not the oldest in town by any means. We do have a few historic buildings. One is an old coaching inn that was trading way before Francis Drake. Walter Raleigh was one of the locals who used to moor his ship in the river a bit upstream from here.

We have three or so castles, one of which was sacked in the English Civil War.

We don't exactly have a towpath. We have a quayside, and kids fish for crabs. This is the nearest I have to a boy on a towpath

http://forum.iomfats.org/?t=getfile&id=1976&private=0



Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
Re: Boy on the Towpath  [message #70617 is a reply to message #69525] Thu, 10 December 2015 13:45 Go to previous message
Barking Mad is currently offline  Barking Mad

Getting started
Location: Ft Benning , Ga
Registered: December 2015
Messages: 4



Boy on the Towpath Was my first, story by Mr. Foote Quite sometime ago over at Nifty .
I enjoyed it completely, and had several conversations via email with him .
Then I, found the first chapter of loneliness, and fell in love with the, boy's, Oh how I, hated, to read the, part where, Jus was hurt and missing, as it actually brought tears to my eye's .
It is not often, that I get that deep into, even, the best of novels and the characters come to life, as if they were the, young Men down the lane .

On my side of the puddle, narrow, boats are uncommon, and, after expressing my ignorance, He was, kind enough to educate me to the point I am considering getting something similar to have on the lake nearby .

Once again Mr. Foote, I want to thank you, for, the many hours of very pleasant reading you have provided me, and for the kindness you have shown in answering a silly Yank's, questions over the years .
Also for pointing me to this forum, for, more reading, materials ., As stated in several, emails, much prefer a well thought out and, paced, story, to, the normal fare, out on the net, I rather, read a dozen chapters, of plot and setup, that bring the story to life, than, the penny to a dozen, stroke tales . I find, a story, that, gives, the motivation, behind the, love, more erotic than someone writing details of each and every sex act, I can imagine them in your tale without the graphic, description .

ROFLMAO, as usual have been long winded, and went in circles to get to the point if I ever did,

Please continue to write and know that there are many out here that enjoy your efforts.
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