Yes it’s catch-up time again because as per usual I have failed in my commitment to blog more regularly.

So looking back to APRIL …

My wife, daughter and I had a lovely holiday with some good friends, here at Euramella Shores, Noosa Lake on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland.

During our stay we were visited by the local wildlife.

The views around Noosa Heads were beautiful.

Except when some clown stood in front of them!

I was part of a QWC celebration of Queensland authors at a West End Bar where I read from Steven Herrick’s lovely verse novel By The River (which I highly recommend).

I drove 250 kms to visit Tiaro, Bauple, Gundiah and the surrounding districts where my ancestors settled after they arrived in Maryborough by ship from Germany in the 1860s.

While there I attended the Tiaro Dawn Service commemorating 100 yrs  since the Gallipoli campaign. My grandfather Arthur whom I never met came from Tiaro and was part of the Light Horse Brigade that ended up at Gallipoli.

I spent a morning in Maryborough where I visited the fountain and plaque dedicated to my Great Aunt, Nurse (Cecilia) Bauer and Nurse Wiles.

I also bumped into Mary Poppins and found her to be practically perfect in every way!

I decided to tidy up and re-organise the book shelves in the study. It took me two days to finish it but only two hours to regret ever starting it in the first place! Still, the Happy Dogs seemed happy when it was all done and (literally) dusted.

In MAY I was part of the Newington Literature Festival in Sydney which was a great experience as always. I got to catch up with lots of writerly friends and colleagues there including (below) Brian Falkner, Tony Thompson, Barry Heard, Jack Heath, Arnold Zable, Mandy Ord, James Roy, Richard Harland and Scot Gardner.

I also got to stay at Susanne Gervay’s beautiful Hughenden Hotel which is filled with lots of lovely things including stunning original picture book illustrations.

New Eric Vale covers came out in Spain and Poland.

I read the final book in the exciting Pandora Jones series by my good friend Barry Jonsberg and the wonderful Life in Outer Space by Melissa Keil who I met at the Somerset Festival. Thoroughly enjoyed both books.

I made friends with the wildlife sharing our house.

My wife and I had our first game of tennis for quite a few years. I didn’t play that well mainly because I’m pretty sure there was something wrong with the court, and my racquet, and the balls … oh and the sun was in a bad position too, and there was a bit of a breeze as well, and I think I might have been suffering from multiple cramps because my legs didn’t move anywhere near as fast as they used to, and the grip on my handle didn’t feel right, and apparently someone has stolen all the cartilage in my knees, and …

And finally I watched the whole season of My Kitchen Rules and was shocked that in all the times they went on about various food combinations being a ‘match made in heaven’, not once, NOT ONCE, did they mention the perfection that is the peanut-paste and banana sandwich.

And they call themselves a cooking show!

Cheers
Michael