Sometimes it’s hard to
find a subject to write about, so to move on to the next blog I decided to
count my blessings and write about things that have made me happy in the past
few weeks.
One of those things is
the weather. Here in the west of Australia in the summer the temperature ranges
from hot to extremely so. Winter has just ended, but the thought of putting an
extra blanket on the bed and snuggling under it is still a real and pleasurable
memory – as were a couple of good storms with some drenching rain.
Another pleasure was
being nominated for an award. That is the Alice Award, which is bestowed by the
NSW branch of the Society of Women Writers every two years. The award goes to
an Australian woman who has made a distinguished and long-term contribution to
literature. Only one candidate per state can be nominated. The outcome of the
award has yet to be decided. There are other candidates for the award. I’d like
to wish them luck, and hope they’re feeling as good about being nominated to
represent their state as I am to represent mine. The list of previous recipients
of the award are drawn from all walks of academia, and many well-known names
are there. Thank you to the committee of the Western Australian branch for the
nomination. I feel honoured.
Several lovely letters
from readers arrived: from Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Ireland, and from
Canada. I do answer them all, but a couple of messages I sent and answer to
bounced back . . . so apologies if my answer didn’t get back to you. Thank you
all for your best wishes and compliments. Reading your letters is indeed a
pleasure.
The fourth pleasure
was to open the front door to a ring on the bell a couple of days ago, to find a surprise
- my youngest daughter and my eldest granddaughter standing there on the
doorstep. They’d flown over from Victoria, a distance of 2727 Ks (1700 miles)
to support my middle daughter as she celebrates one of those scary birthdays with
a nought on the end. As I write, the birthday girl is unaware that her younger sister
and niece are in town. The party is today and it will be a lovely surprise for
her, and their brother. Happy birthday Sandra girl!
It’s always a pleasure
to finish a novel, and the final book in my “Tall Poppies/ Secrets and Lies,” trilogy
is now with my editor and scheduled for publication in February 2013. Its title
is I’LL GET BY. As you can probably guess this one has a WW2 setting.
As I’m a very early
riser, over the past few weeks I’ve been watching a couple of bright stars move
across the sky, sometimes in company of the moon. I don’t know anything about
stars except they’re pretty. I do know that this pair gave me a feeling of awe.
So clear they were, in a vast, silent, dark sky. It was just one of those
moments you experience now and again, an emotional connection between the stars
and me. (If that makes sense).
It’s amazing how many
blessings there are in life when you stop and think about them. Best wishes to
all.