blogs - 2019 - march 2 blustery day 4 bank of england€¦ · bank of england. not to deposit my...

Images & Text © Beryl L Pratt www.long-live-pitmans-shorthand-reading.org.uk

2019 March p1 A of 12Blog Archive Pitman’s New Era Shorthand


2019 March p1 B of 12Blog Archive Pitman’s New Era Shorthand

2 Blustery Day

4 Bank Of England

7 Misspellings 5

10 Short Letters 16

PDF Date: 8 April 2019

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Images & Text © Beryl L Pratt

Blogs - 2019 - March

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Blustery Day

I went out to see if the fish wanted feeding.When high winds are tossing the treesabout, the fish get spooked by all themovement and tend to stay below in themurky depths. The foam lily leaves (madefrom cut-up kneeling pads) were travellingaround the surface of the pond like littlecircular rafts. They keep the fish calm andsecure, giving them somewhere to hide inwinter when there are no real lily leaves,but today their swirling movements justadded to the general commotion*. A fewpellets brought a few fish to the surface,followed by more of them anxious* not tomiss out. They were not basking as theynormally do when there are warm sunnypatches on the water. I realised that thepresent sunshine was too fickle and if it is

too chilly to stand by the fishpond for morethan a minute or two, then I am not goingto enjoy sitting on a cold bench in a coldpark looking at the scudding clouds andwatching the grey strip of merging rainclouds in the distance gradually*approaching and wiping out the blue, anddropping straggly plumes of grey towardsthe ground.

* "commotion" Not using the Con Dot, asthis makes a better outline

* "anxious" Omits the lightly-sounded K

* "gradually" Full strokes, to distinguish itfrom "greatly"

Blustery Day

I have spent all day torn between thesunny but blustery day outside and thecosy computer corner, vacillating betweengrit and determination not to be kept inand common-sense in keeping fingers, toes,ears and nose warm and comfortable. Itstarted sunny with bright blue sky and theoccasional fluffy cloud, but while I spenttime wondering what to make of the day,the clouds came over, so I settled in frontof the computer screen. Then the skycleared again and returned to sunny andbright. I thought maybe if I wrapped upreally warmly it would be worth venturing

out for a little journey somewhere. Thenthe clouds came over again and the coldwind became much stronger and gustier.There was the strong possibility* that thebeckoning sunshine could mostinconveniently disappear the moment Iarrived at my destination, with gatheringclouds looming again and rain cloudsstarting to spit. I would be wondering why Iwas not at home out of the cold north-eastwind. A decision had to be made.

* "possibility" Optional contraction





Blustery Day

So it went on throughout the morning, sungoing in and out like a yoyo behind chunksof cloud with dark grey middles and sunlitfluffy edges. By midday I was relieved ofmy wavering, as it was now rather too lateto venture out any distance. I had got

several items completed in advance ofbeing needed, and made good progress onthe latest project. I had listened to my ownadvice: do as much as you can of it nowand get ahead, and later on you will beglad that you did.

Blustery Day

The month of February was uncommonlymild, with spring flowers coming out veryearly, and we have had many pleasantdays out here and there*. Now we are backto normal March weather, cold, wet andwindy, sunshine and showers. A fewhailstones and sleety bits blew past mywindow, travelling almost sideways in thewind. I finally came to the conclusion* thatthe only wind I wanted blowing near mewas the slight warm airflow coming fromthe computer fan, an acceptable

substitute* for a properly* warm springday, at least until the weather changes.(571 words)

* Omission phrases "here (and) there""came (to the con)clusion"

* "substitute" Omits the first T sound

* "properly " Always insert the first vowel,and the diphone in "appropriately" as theyare similar in outline and meaning





Bank Of England

I felt the gold bar calling to me, to comeand see it in person and allow it to show offits golden loveliness*, to warm the hearton a chilly winter day. Museums andgalleries are kept for the colder months, aswe don't like to be inside when the weatheris pleasant and warm. And of course it wasmy solemn duty, as a born and bredLondoner and British citizen, to check out

my local supply of gold, in order to*ascertain that the country's finances are ingood heart, with a solid backing of a goodlytonnage of the shiny yellow metal.

* "loveliness" Helpful to insert the vowel,so it is not misread as "liveliness"

* Omission phrase "in ord(er to)"

Bank Of England

Last week I thought I would call in on theBank of England. Not to deposit my stash*of treasure, take out piles of cash or talkwith the manager, but to see their museum.It has been on my bucket list for sometime*, but had dropped down to a lowpriority, as I felt there would not really bemuch there, just old notes and coins that Ihad probably seen before. Then I lookedmore closely at the website where theypromised that I would be able to actually

hold a real gold bar. That was too enticinga prospect to delay any further and so thevisit was instantly moved to the top of thelist.

* "stash" Stee Loop is not used before Ishstroke

* "for some time" Halving to represent theT of "time





Bank Of England

Having inspected the various cabinets withcoins, gold coins, raw gold nuggets* andsmall gold bars, we eventually came to thefamed perspex box with the big gold barinside, and a large hole in the front throughwhich to pass one's hand. The heavy barseemed immovable* and it took me threegoes* to lift the bar even slightly off itsrubber mounts. This may have beenbecause it was so awkward trying to raise itwith just my palm underneath, rather thangripping from above which would be morenatural and easier. Then I read thedescription of its weight, 28 pounds, andthe fact that* gold has twice the weight oflead. Clearly, movies showing robbersrunning off with gold bars in a sack areentirely out of order, as they would not be

able to lift it. On that day this gold bar wasworth 397 thousand pounds.

* "nuggets" Distinguishing outlines:"nuggets" has halved stroke, "ingots" hasfull stroke T

* "immovable" Has an extra M stroke, sothat it does not rely on a vowel sign toindicate that it is a negative

* "goes" Does not need a vowel as it is ashort form, but helpful to insert it herebecause it is being used in an unusual way,as a noun

* Omission phrase "and the (f)act that"

Bank Of England

We exited at Bank tube station, suitablynamed of course, which has a goldenhandrail at the top of its stairs, a sign ofthings to come. We made our way toThreadneedle Street, skirted along the sideof the unassailable-looking building, andfound the museum entrance inBartholomew Lane. Much to my surprise,the museum was far more interesting thanit at first* sounded from the brief* websitedescription. The whole history of the birthof the banking system was there, not onlyin the descriptive captions, but in the actualhandwritten* documents themselves, suchas the promissory notes that were issued tothe owners, who had deposited their gold

for safekeeping. These notes were thenpassed from person to person in lieu ofpayment in coin or gold, and so the systembegan to take shape where the gold neverleft the vault, finally resulting in papermoney.

* Omission phrase "at (fir)st"

* "brief" Advisable to insert the vowel, as itis similar to "number of"

* "handwritten" Note that "written" and"writing" are special outlines, othervariations of these sounds e.g. rotting,rating, etc, have full Ray and T strokes





Bank Of England

It was very interesting seeing the wholeprocess of making our coins and banknotes,and all the ways in which they are made tobe forge-proof, with examples of the itemsas they progress through their manufacture.I especially liked the engraving machinethat drew out the converging wavy lines onthe bank notes, a big version of the toySpirograph that we had as children. I thinkthe most thought-provoking item wasseeing the sheet of metal with circularblanks cut out of it, that would becomepound coins. I realised that it was not the

metal itself that was worth the pound, butthe creation of a unique design, one thatwe all agree will be considered* as beingworth one pound. So it is really all down toagreement between ourselves and thesystem will only work if we all play thesame game, as it were*. Without that, theyare just flashy metal ornaments with noparticular value or purpose.

* Omission phrases "will be (con)sidered""as it (w)ere"

Bank Of England

Then it was time to take a selfie, apparentlyin front of racks of thousands of gold barsin the vault. We went into the little alcoveand stood in front of the wall with the giantprint showing the vault scene. Instead ofmy usual slight frown when out in thedaylight, squinting at the lens*, in this oneI had a smug and satisfied smirk, as Istood, so it seemed, before 200 billionpounds worth of ingots*.

* "giant" Generally full stroke after atriphone. This fuller outline distinguishes itfrom "gentleman" which is halved

* "lens" The plural "lenses" has stroke Nand S Circle

* "ingots" Distinguishing outlines: "nuggets"has halved stroke, "ingots" has full stroke T





Misspellings 5

Our friend Mr Speller is a dictionary worm.Not a bookworm but a dictionary worm. Adictionary worm cannot resist grabbing thenearest dictionary and opening it at random,for the excitement of discovering newwords, new meanings, or derivations thathelp a word or its spelling make moresense. Mr Speller does all this because he

writes his diary and other notes in pen andink, and so he gets annoyed with himself ifhe has to cross out mistakes. Here is hisdiary entry where he met up with our otherfriendly wordsmith Fraser and discovered astrange new dictionary that he had neverseen before.

Bank Of England

Last of all was the perusal of the shopitems, including gold bar chocolates andgold bar keyrings. I found it easy to resistthem, as it was not my intention to comeout of the bank less wealthy than when Iwent in. After filling our eyes with all thegold and wandering through the subduedlighting where the documents are displayed,emerging into the bright daylight outsidewas a pleasant change, apart from thenoise of the traffic. We went off to one of

our favourite* places by the river toconsider* our real treasures of the day,free time to ourselves, good weather, verywelcome sandwiches and an interestingview of the city life going up and down theThames. (895 words)

* "favourite" Note that "favoured" has a leftVR stroke, to distinguish it

* Omission phrase "to (con)sider"





Misspellings 5

Fraser and I love books, and he showed mehis literary POSSESSIONS andCOLLECTIBLES, including English andforeign dictionaries, which he was able toACCOMMODATE on lots* of PARALLELshelves in the spare bedroom. While Fraserwas making the coffee, one big fat reddictionary caught my eye and I opened it tosee what was within. I wondered whatlanguage this was, as it was full of shapes

and squiggles, as well as English words.The title page revealed it was a shorthanddictionary. I was IMMEDIATELY overcomeby an IRRESISTIBLE urge to know more onthis subject, the EXISTENCE of which I wasentirely ignorant.

* "lots" "masses" Insert the first vowel, asthey are similar in outline and meaning

Misspellings 5

Whilst looking through a box* full ofSEPARATE PIECES of paper, IACCIDENTALLY came across the contactdetails for Fraser, whom I have not seenfor some time. I IMMEDIATELY emailed*him and he replied, inviting me over to hisAPARTMENT the same day. AfterUNFORTUNATELY having to spend agesQUEUING at various bus stops* and trainstations, I arrived at the BEGINNING of theafternoon. Having GAUGED the HEIGHT ofthe stairwell*, I drew up all my STRENGTHand PROCEEDED to climb the stairs,PREFERRING EXERCISE to theCONVENIENCE of taking the lift. Fraser toldme that he had acquired thisACCOMMODATION in a BASICALLYAPPALLING* state of MAINTENANCE andwas only now just BEGINNING to replace

the BIZARRE and WEIRD paintwork withsomething COMPLETELY different and muchmore APPEALING*.

* "box" Advisable to insert vowels in "box,bags, buckets, pockets" as they are allsimilar in outline and meaning

* "emailed" Insert the vowel, so it does notlook like "mailed"

* "bus-stops" Using the large circle for thetwo S's to help with reading back

* "stairwell" Insert the W sign for this lesscommon word

* "appalling" "appealing" Essential to insertsecond vowel sign, to differentiate





Misspellings 5

Fraser kindly gave me a spare book ofinstruction and a MINIATURE shorthanddictionary to get me started. HeRECOMMENDED that I should bePERSISTENT in following the SCHEDULE oflessons and CONSCIENTIOUS aboutPRACTISING, always REFERRING to thebooks, and OCCASIONALLY revising all theearlier PRINCIPLES. Other than these and anotebook* and pencil, there were no otherACCESSORIES that were NECESSARY toACHIEVE a SUCCESSFUL outcome. This isall going to be EXCEEDINGLY useful andRELEVANT when I write my diary andreports in future. Although writing in

shorthand will not SUPERSEDE thelonghand and typed text that I need to usewith my FRIENDS, it will most certainly* bePREFERRED over longhand to speed up mycreative activities. What a wonderful daythat was, a chance OCCURRENCE of findingthe address list, that has turned out to bethe start of an exciting and useful journeyof discovery. (613 words)

* "notebook" Helpful to insert the vowel in"note", so it does not look like "handbook"

* Omission phrase "mos(t) certainly"

Misspellings 5

Fraser returned with the coffee and cake*,and, with a MISCHIEVOUS twinkle in hiseye, he said, "Oh, you have found myfavourite* book. I believe you areDEFINITELY going to like this one." Heexplained that the shorthand was inventedby someone who had trouble with Englishspellings versus their PRONUNCIATION*,and to avoid future EMBARRASSMENT withthis, he had given himself the lifetimeCOMMISSION of creating a system ofwriting entirely by sound. His system wasPRECEDED by many others, which he foundmost unsatisfactory due to their unscientificand HAPHAZARD* nature. His efforts werePUBLICLY acclaimed throughout his lifetime

and towards the end of his life heRECEIVED a knighthood for hisACHIEVEMENTS.

* "cake" "cookie" Insert the vowel todifferentiate

* "favourite" Note that "favoured" uses aleft VR stroke, to differentiate

* "pronunciation" One of the few wordswhere the vowel sign is written to anattachment

* "haphazard" Optional contraction





Short Letters 16

Thank you very much* for sending thereport to me, giving your point of view* onthis important subject. We will be having ameeting to discuss all this as soon aspossible*. We will be taking intoconsideration* all the new information thatwe have received* and we hope* that wewill be able to make some firm decisionsthat will be satisfactory to everyone in theplanning group. It is certain that there willbe some differences in the costs but pleasebear in mind* that we have taken into

account* all this in the directors' financialreport*.

* "very much" It is faster to include the Mstroke, than to lift the pen for separateoutlines

* Omission phrases "point (of) view" "assoon as poss(ible)" "taking (intocoon)sideration" "we have (re)ceived" "we(h)ope" "bear (in) mind" "financial (re)port"

Short Letters 16

These hundred word passages are to helpyou speed up your writing. They are shortenough not to cause fatigue ordiscouragement, but just long enough sothat you have to keep up with the speakerall the time. The aim is to finish writing atthe same time* that the speaker stops,then you know you have achieved thatspeed, which is not quite the case if youwere trailing far behind and continuing towrite the final sentence from memory.These have been written to include manyomission phrases and to avoid lesscommon words, so that you can get ataste* as soon as possible* of writing in afast flowing manner, without stopping orhesitating, and so leave behind forever theheavy-handed halting manner of writingthat cannot lead to fast shorthand. It is

important to remember that an artificiallyeasy passage, either specially written orone that you have practised many times,will give you an artificially high figure,which may drop when you take a normalunseen passage with no editing to removeobstacles. However, having become used toflying along the lines of your page, you willthen not be satisfied with any other way*of writing.

* "at the same time" Halving to representthe T of "time"

* "taste" Insert the vowel, as "test" couldalso make sense here

* Omission phrases "as soon as poss(ible)""any oth(er) way"





Short Letters 16

We are pleased to announce that we arenow providing our maintenance services tohomes in your area. It is certain that everyhouse needs constant attention in order to*keep it in good condition. As we have nowopened a new office in your town, we wish*to let you know how we can help in thisregard. It is important to keep your homesecure and running well, and we are certainthat we can help with this. If you areinterested in our* maintenance services,

please inform us by returning the slipgiving details of your requirements.

* Omission phrases "in ord(er to)"

* "we wish" Write the outline moreshallowly to get the Ish through the line,and a little more steeply for "we shall" tokeep it on the line

* "in our" R Hook to represent "our"

Short Letters 16

We would like to thank everyone on thecommittee for their work in bringing thistask to a satisfactory conclusion. It hascertainly been a long time since we firststarted this project but up to this month*we have found that everyone has donetheir part as quickly as possible*. There willbe some delay in making out a full report ofall the facts* because of the staff holidays

which take place in August. Our number ofcompleted projects is very satisfactory ascompared with last year*, and we wouldlike to thank the staff for their efforts.

* Omission phrases "this (mon)th" "asquickly as poss(ible)" "all the (f)acts" "as(com)pared (with) last year"





Short Letters 16

Dear Reader, We are delighted to be ableto give you this month's* new book list foryour consideration*. Attending the WritersConferences over the past year* hascertainly been a great help in bringingmany exciting new authors to our attention.We hope that you will visit our websitewhere we have samples of their writing and

artwork, in order that you can see foryourself the many new books that we willbe stocking. It is important to get yourorder to us as early as possible*, so thatwe can send the books to you withoutdelay.

* Omission phrases "this (mon)th's" "foryour (con)sideration" "pas(t) year" "asearly as poss(ible)"

Short Letters 16

This letter is to inform you that there will bea staff meeting held in these offices onMonday next*. There seems to have been*a difference of opinion* over the scheduleof work and we wish to resolve this matteras quickly as possible*. If you have anycomments or questions* that you wish tobe considered* at the meeting, let meknow as soon as possible*, so that I caninclude them on the agenda. I am sure that

we have no cause for concern but it willmost certainly* be better to talk thisthrough with everyone. (804 words)

* Omission phrases "on Monday ne(k)st""there seems (to have) been" "difference(of) opinion" "to be (con)sidered" "as soonas poss(ible)" "mos(t) certainly"

* "questions" Optional contraction

Short Letters 16

Thank you everyone for inviting me tospeak to you* this morning. First andforemost* I would like to point out thatover the past few weeks* I have received*several requests to speak on this matter. Iam glad that I am now able to make someuseful comments on this subject whichseems to have been* forgotten by manypeople. We do have several things thatneed our immediate attention. In the

circumstances*, I feel that* these shouldbe given some consideration* before wediscuss anything else on this subject whichis so important in the business world.

* Omission phrases "speak (to) you" "first(and) foremost" "pas(t) few wee(k)s" "Ihave (re)ceived" "which seems (to have)been" "in (the) circumstances" "I fee(l) that"

"some (con)sideration"

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