I check each day, watching the unfurling. Spring is taking a few tentative steps forward and the air, but not yet the earth, enjoys a few warm days. It’s been flung back to winter temperatures as a cold southerly change blows through and we have frosts again. The growing season is shorter here than in […]
Yes, you are creative
What is creativity? Can anyone summon this elusive spark on demand? I’ve grappled with these questions for many years. I certainly don’t have answers but can offer suggestions. Creativity is intangible. You can’t touch it or capture it in a bottle. I find the whole concept endlessly fascinating. Where does original thought or expression come […]
Greenhouse fail
The westerly winds have been roaring around many parts of eastern Australia this week, causing damage and power blackouts as trees were ripped from the ground and snapped branches sent flying through the air. The winds are milder today (only 35 km/h gusts – great for drying my washing) but are expected to increase up […]
Books I’ve been reading
I’ve read three ripper books recently that I’d like to share. I’ve also read a few so-so books but I won’t talk about those because it only means they weren’t the right reads for me. Reading is so subjective, isn’t it? Here we go. The Fiction Writer by Jillian Cantor This story is about a […]
Spotted in my winter garden
After a couple of weeks of showers, frosts, and gale force winds blowing straight from Antartica (or feeling like it, at least), it was soothing to spend an hour in my garden this afternoon. I’d written an article for my garden club’s newsletter on one of the worst days. I bemoaned the lack of colour […]
Book recommendation: The Fog
I always enjoy a good Gothic novel. The Fog is a pageturner that has all the classic elements (fear, horror, death, high emotion). Add a remote island location and a sociopath who tries unconventional psychological ‘therapies’ at a supposed writers’ retreat and you have a great read. Lots of twists and turns here! Five stars […]
The stories of things
If you think people collect physical objects and hold on to them solely because their looks appeal, think again. Objects hold memories of people, places and events – stories – and the objects are simply prompts for these stories. It’s no surprise that many memoir writing courses start with an exercise to write about a […]
Writing a memoir
I started a memoir last year but hadn’t made a much progress until recently. Perhaps I wasn’t ready to write or maybe I hadn’t worked out what to write? It doesn’t matter. My thoughts have been slowly coming together as I grapple with my memories. It’s an emotional process, choosing the words that best recall […]
Learning about bluebells
I’ve been researching bluebells this week, to use as background in a chapter of my book. I’ve found useful information but have been sidetracked by pictures of bluebell woods in England. Masses of these glorious flowers (Hyacinthoides non-scripta – the English bluebell) are in bloom there now and, although the photos are beautiful, I am […]
Recording rainfall
For the past four years, we have kept rainfall records based on the amount of rain collected in our rain gauge. We have a lovely spreadsheet where we record the numbers by the day, with monthly and yearly totals. We have graphs! The spreadsheet provides valuable information about the microclimate at our place. I also […]