Ta-daaaa!
Today my lovely editor at Walker Books Australia sent me the final cover for Violet Mackerel's Brilliant Plot! I love it. Keep reading →
A new doll
I wasn't very well last week and spent quite a bit of time on the couch watching telly, feeling sorry for myself and taking the opportunity to do a bit of sewing since no matter how woolly it gets, my brain always seems to be able to manage that! Keep reading →
Blogging and optimism
Further to ruminating about the false intellectualisation of pessimism, I have been reading a collection of very short essays called What Are You Optimistic About, edited by John Brockman. Keep reading →
Fan mail
This morning I read something I relate to absolutely 100%. It was written in 1943 by the (irrelevantly rather beautiful) American critic Dorothy Parker about a comic strip called Barnaby. Keep reading →
Sanity and things
The cover for Violet Mackerel's Brilliant Plot is very nearly done now. I saw an almost-final-version yesterday and I think it's beautiful! I hope it won't be very long at all now before I can post it here. Keep reading →
My first portrait
I've never had a portrait done before but last night I visited a friend to do some sewing and while we sewed, her utter gem of a son S (who I've mentioned before) drew me: Keep reading →
Editing
This whole editing lark is making me read so much more carefully. Who knew that sometimes four or five emails are exchanged between editor, author and designer over one word? (That said, it's generally me being finicky, not any one else.) Keep reading →
Positive and negative thinking
I've been reading a couple of books lately which reflect critically on the problems associated with what Barbara Ehrenreich is calling 'the relentless promotion of positive thinking'. In her new book Smile or Die, she reflects poignantly on the dark side of this approach for individuals dealing with issues like Keep reading →
Judas
This morning at Sunday school I did my best to respond to the children's recent request for a session on the disciples. So I read up on them a bit, put a list of the names up and invited the group to ask about them. After the predictable sorts of discussions (why fishermen? why a tax collector? why name a man after a rock? why 'Sons of Thunder'? etc etc) we eventually got to Judas Iscariot. Keep reading →
Paddy Pallins
I come from a long line of fairly intrepid people. My family includes explorers, mountaineers, pioneering missionaries, winter olympics competitors, high achievers in the military, hunters, fisherfolk, kayakers and sailors. And yet somehow I've ended up being about the least intrepid person I know. Keep reading →