Part 1: Friday, November 13th, 1987
*I've combined the three blog posts about my sister's death into a single essay, which might be easier to read and which you can find here. On Friday, 13th November, 1987, my sister, Fran, and I were in the thick of end-of-year exams at the University...
Burial Rites, by Hannah Kent
I’d read the rave reviews of this novel prior to buying it. I knew that it had won the inaugural Writing Australia Unpublished Manuscript Award, that it had been sold in 18 different countries and that it had sparked a bidding war for the movie rights. I...
Photos of spring …
The skies might be grey and the rain may be falling, but I can taste spring ... Daisies in the garden Lemon tree blossoms And lone lemon Peeping over the fence By the pool Even the clothes line looks ready for spring And the fence Gargy's not happy -- he...
When a Pet Dies …
We knew the time had come, yet it was still hard to make the decision to let her go. Ending the life of anything goes against the grain -- death is final. That's it. The end. No going back. So we kept putting it off, until we couldn't avoid the inevitable....
Trusting My (Maternal) Instinct
I had a fairly run-of-the-mill first delivery -- sixteen hour labour, overnight of course, episiotomy, forceps. Then I was rewarded with my baby, a purple bundle in my arms. Obviously we'd never met before, yet she was so familiar. And when I spoke, she...
An Unknown Sky, by Susan Midalia
In but a few words, some writers can create whole stories, rich characters, and stir emotion in their readers. Sue Midalia is one of them. This, however, is the problem that I have with short stories. You see, when I read I like to snuggle down in bed or...
12 Good Things About Homeschooling
I didn’t think I’d be able to homeschool. It seemed too huge a responsibility. What if I taught the wrong facts? What if I omitted a vital part of the curriculum? Plus, I hadn’t quit work to start teaching—I had a novel to write. But when one of our sons...
Meme: Books and Writers Q & A
I’ve been tagged by Laurie Steed at The Gum Wall to join in a fun Books and Writers Q & A. I always enjoy a game, so here goes: Book Q&A Rules 1. Post these rules. 2. Post a photo of your favourite book cover. 3. Answer the questions below. 4. Tag a...
On Smacking Kids
This post is about something personal and very important to me: the physical punishment of children. On Friday, the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) issued a Media Release with their Position Statement and brochure on the use of Physical...
Elemental, by Amanda Curtin
Elemental is Amanda Curtin’s second novel and it is a huge work, richly researched and steeped in atmosphere. It takes the reader on a geographical and chronological journey – from the isolated fishing village of Roanhaven on the north-east coast of Scotland...
Career Advice: Medicine
Nemo / Pixabay Our elder daughter is in Year Twelve, approaching the final half of her last year of school. Consequently, there's been much discussion about careers and universities around our dinner table. She's considering Medicine, which is not so strange...
Fractured, by Dawn Barker
WARNING: Possible spoiler alert -- I’ve tried not to divulge specific detail in this review, but found I couldn’t do it justice without hinting at some of the events. Dr Dawn Barker, who is also a child psychiatrist, has tackled a courageous topic in her...
Piano Lessons, by Anna Goldsworthy
I learned piano as a child and gave it up at fourteen, a decision I will regret for the rest of my days. My kids now learn music, all four of them. I’m quite, how should I put it, uncompromising, some say obsessed, about their music. Perhaps it's because of...
Whisky Charlie Foxtrot, by Annabel Smith
This is my second book review for the Australian Women Writers Challenge 2013. I recently finished Annabel Smith's second novel, Whisky Charlie Foxtrot (Fremantle Press 2012). It is the story of two boys, identical twins, Charlie...
How I learnt there were no lions in Tasmania
One of the lions in my imagination... I had a few weird beliefs as a child. Some of the stranger ones were: that my grandmother was alive at the same time as Jesus; that the place where I lived constituted the whole world; and that there were about a hundred...