Midweek Moment #10
This week, I was lucky enough to interrupt a praying mantis on one of our roses. At first, he seemed frightened of the camera, but after a while he realised I wasn't going to hurt him and lost his camera-shyness. Monique has taken a photo of the first...
My Non-Writing Week
1. I haven't written any new words or edited any old ones in my novel for a couple of weeks. The kids are on school holidays, except for my Year 12 daughter who is sitting her mock exams. There have been concerts, camps, birthdays,...
Midweek Moment #9
I've chosen a photo that captures two beautiful moments from my week: the rose is from our garden, the first blooms since they were pruned in winter; and the programme is from a concert in which my son played. Monique has chosen a moment from her week: while...
Midweek Moment #8
I had trouble finding a subject for my Midweek Moment this week. Nothing I snapped turned out—light too harsh; too many shadows; photo too boring; etc. Until, I hung a bedsheet over a window. Immediately, the bright afternoon sunlight diffused, and I took...
What Not to Say to Young Women
Last week, our seventeen-year-old daughter sang at an Eisteddfod. She's in Year Twelve and hopes to pursue classical singing after school. She always takes care with how she presents herself for a performance, and for this item,...
Midweek Moment #7
This week, in keeping with a Spring theme, Monique and I have chosen birds: My photo is of a honeyeater in a neighbour's cherry blossom tree. I think her nest must have been nearby, because she was a bit agitated, flitting back and forth, and keeping an eye...
Midweek Moment #6
Light and nature have captivated Monique and me this week. I took my photo of a Swamp pea (Eucholypsis linearis) while walking around Forrestdale Lake. The sun behind it makes it glow as if lit from within. Monique snapped her picture of glowing borage...
For Fathers’ Day
I wrote this piece a couple of years' ago. It's some of my early writing so please forgive the errors and simplicity! It was one of the first pieces I wrote in my own 'voice' and was published in the OOTA anthology, 'Jukebox', in 2013. In Memory of...
My Week: Wildflowers and Writing
1. I had a lovely time out and about last Sunday on a wildflower walk around Forrestdale Lake. Being spring, the wildflowers were out, looking colourful and inviting. I just wish I could remember their names—my memory isn't what it...
Midweek Moment #5
Monique and I were outside again for our photos this week. I was photographing wildflowers at Lake Claremont, including this Calothamnus quadrifidus (One-sided Bottlebrush) that was still covered in dew. A bee chose that moment to zoom in on the flower, and...
Midweek Moment #4
Monique and I took our cameras outside this week. I chose a macroshot of a Dryandra flower (Banksia sessilis), of which there are many at Lake Claremont at the moment. While I'm loving learning more about photography, I'm also enjoying getting up close and...
My Week—Errands and Exams
1. I'll skim over the progress of my novel, because it's going slowly and there's not much to report. However, I do have plans to devote myself to it this weekend ... 2. I have two doctor friends who've also written...
Midweek Moment #3
Monique and I have both been drawn to flowers and music this week. My son is learning the first movement of this Beethoven piano concerto, so our house is filled with its sound. Monique has chosen a delicate Jonquil atop a sweet song. Midweek Moment is a...
Midweek Moment #2
For this week's Midweek Moment, Monique and I have been drawn towards the colour yellow—maybe to remind us of sunny days and combat the grey of the current West Australian weather! Monique's photo is a daisy in an old-fashioned wooden...
My Week—Kids, Writing, and Nothing Much to Complain About
1. This week has felt messy, mainly because of kids' illnesses, all minor, but it's meant trips to school in the middle of the day to collect them. Having them at home always interrupts my creative flow, even when they're...