Cat quote modelled by JoJo @ Gretchen Bernet-Ward 2022
Read the card…
There are 24 quotes in The Cat’s Whiskers box (little affirmations to encourage a pawsitive life) and the next card purrs “The primary business of a cat is comfort” which surely comes under the same banner as relaxing, catnapping and sleeping.
All of which cats probably invented and certainly claim superior mastery.
Charles Dickens is reputed to have said “What greater gift than the love of a cat?” because cat-lovers around the world know that feline love is sometimes hard-won but worth it.
Machu Picchu Citadel, Aguas Calientes, Peru + Photographed for Bartel Calendars The Last Diary Company, Mascot NSW Australia – www.bartelpublications.com.au
It’s usually five or six new wall calendars every year. Or more if they are a seasonal gift. They hang in various rooms in our home, sometimes two at a time and used constantly. Some are intensely written on, e.g. appointments, special events, new recipe, etc, while others are purely decoration.
As the new month is flipped over, there is always much comment on artistic merit. Some are better than others. Purchased early in December is better; the mundane scenery ones (even beach scenes can wear thin) are the last on the newsagent’s display rack.
“Hey, what is the meaning of the Andes Mountains Machu Picchu Citadel photograph?” you ask.
Well, as the year draws to a close, I looked at this final entry and thought “Wow, that camera is very good!” I looked closely and saw what every single tourist is doing, frozen in time! I could even see two people on top of a nearby mountain, perhaps the ones who photographed this shot using an aerial drone?
Young backpackers, trip-of-a-lifetimers, honeymoon couples, students and many nationalities. Guides and guards seem to be at various points. Did they know where their image would end up?
I hope you can see what each tourist is doing. My reproduction resolution may not be clear enough so let me explain a few:
Posing for photos, taking photos, taking off jackets, chatting, fixing hair, climbing with apparent degrees of speed up the ancient stone steps, the rocky terraces, the top platform. A young woman presses into a wall niche. At the pinnacle there is a man with his arms and legs spread as though shouting “Here I am, I made it.”
This mysterious, ancient citadel seems to be well treated and well preserved and hopefully will still be standing into another millennium or two.
Just to bore you, listed below are calendars hanging around here waiting to be removed from their wall-hooks to make way for the 2022 intake. No movies, no sport, no cars, but I am willing to bet you have had at least one of these in your home at some time or another:
Remember Snoopy, Garfield and Gary Larson’s “The Far Side”? And what about Australia’s own Red Tractor Designs. I love their country calendars!
I like the ritual of changing a calendar over every month. It’s not a chore, it’s not a device, it’s not generated automatically, it doesn’t need recharging, it doesn’t make a noise. Except the lovely sound of rustling paper.
Real calendars give me back some masterly (mistressly?) control over my daily routine. No programming or click-tap-swiping, just me and a pen. In fact, that pen often doodles. Seeing as Christmas is coming, I have sketched a couple of jolly holly sprigs on my calendar entries. No doubt I will do a spray of fireworks for New Year’s Eve.
Wishing you safe, interesting and happy times ahead.
I was absorbed and entertained all the way through this book. Pared down storytelling, laced with moral ambiguity, shouting Australian crime noir. Does author Bryan Brown know these blokes, hear good stories down the pub, or possess a very robust imagination?
Love his unabashed style ‘Clinton buys himself a pepper pie and a chocolate milk’.
Australians need no introduction to Bryan Brown, an actor of many characters in many movies around the world yet he remains true to his homeland (see ABC1 TV series ‘Old School’) and this new book of short stories highlight his considerable talent as an author.
It is refreshing to read a book of short stories which speaks to my generation of Australians: relationships, morals, turn-of-phrase, scenery, all genuine and if you can’t keep up that’s your problem – work on it.
Even if short stories are not your thing, be surprised at how well these work in such a compact way.
Professor Leong asks why Frank missed his last counselling appointment. ‘It gets in the way of my revenge,’ says straight-forward Frank. My favourite!
These men love their families yet, like Frank, they show questionable behaviour to avenge them.
The bookcover image, a Phalaenopsis orchid, ties-in with a story where both sides of the law are involved.
Alert – Sexist comment ahead…
From a woman’s perspective I thought Typical Males but I think from a male’s point of view the characters could be genuine mates in a bad place. Not their fault, they scheme, they seek revenge. They plot their way through sad, unjust or criminal situations which end with a tenebrous finale.
Also, there is one story I consider to be a Stephen King homage.
This compilation encapsulates the essence of crime fiction. Reminiscent of Peter Corris’ Cliff Hardy series, Bryan Brown plays it low-key but maybe one of his laconic blokes will soon score their own book.
This alluring information comes from The Black Stump, a Stringybark Stories newsletter, with reference to their Stringybark flagship open-themed short story award which commenced 15 November 2021 and closes 13 February 2022. Plenty of time? Maybe polish that special draft…
StringybarkShort Stories are open to Australian and international authors of all skill levels.
While the Stringybark Short Story Award2022 is open-themed, your submission does require some reference to Australia.
The size of this reference doesn’t matter says Stringybark Stories. It could be a mention of a Vegemite sandwich, or the fact that Australia is the world’s largest coal exporter. The story could be set in Australia or have an Australian in it. Stringybark doesn’t mind. Even a discussion on the habits of ‘drop bears’ is okay with them.
Head over to the StringybarkBookshop and get inspired by some great short stories from their past anthologies. Please note Stringybark Short Story Award isnot accepting poetry or illustrated tales.
Stringybark Stories have over AU$1000 in cash and books to award the winners, as well as publication in a paperback and ebook. The entry fee is the same as last year — AU$14 with discounts for multiple entries.
INFORMATIONBELOWplease check Stringybark Stories website thoroughly for details:
Subscribe to The Black StumpStringybark Stories newsletterhere.
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Stringybark Stories Hints and Tips on Entering their Awards…
“Don’t let potential problems affected the likely success of your entry. The comments provided here are relevant for all short story competitions — not just Stringybark ones.”
1. Never put your name on your story. Put it on the entry form (a Stringybark requirement) or on a separate page. 2. Follow the formatting requirements. All competitions describe how they want your entry to look. We explain our requirements here. 3. Try and ensure that your entry and your payment are made as close together as possible. That is, don’t pay your entry and then submit your story a month later. It makes administration very tricky. It’s always best to do both together. 4. Related to number 3 above, if you are paying by Direct Deposit (and we love entrants who do) please remember to put your surname in the reference field so we can marry your entry and your payment. 5. Ensure that your story meets the theme of the competition!
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Tempting isn’t it?! I’ve a story in mind and this is just the incentive I need.
♥ Gretchen Bernet-Ward
— Footnote —
“Any entry in any short story writing award must meet the specified wordcount.
Cats sleep anywhere, any table, any chair. Top of piano, window-ledge, in the middle, on the edge. Open drawer, empty shoe, anybody’s lap will do. Fitted in a cardboard box, in the cupboard with your frocks. Anywhere! They don’t care! Cats sleep anywhere.
The inspiration for this post came from Platypus Man, blogger of Now I’m 64, and the beautiful cats which sleep on, or in, many objects around his garden which aptly demonstrate feline Extreme Sleeping techniques.
The year is 2019, and backpacking tourist Kate explores the sights of Auckland in New Zealand’s North Island, sampling food and wine pre-Covid, unaware she will become involved in a mysterious incident. It all starts on a vineyard wine-tasting tour when Kate meets Vivian Anderson, an eccentric and wealthy older man who talks in great swathes of dialogue. When calamity strikes, causing Kate to miss her flight back home to UK, Vivian suggests a stopover in his country residence ‘Cardamine’.
Kate appears naïve but weighs up the pros and cons and accepts Vivian’s offer of accommodation which certainly makes her holiday more enjoyable. However, not everyone is happy with this open-ended arrangement. Outspoken housekeeper Elly thinks her boss Vivian is yet again being taken advantage of by a woman, namely Kate.
Also, Elly doesn’t have a good word to say about Vivian’s ‘mail order’ wife Tatyana who suddenly vanished, leaving everything behind. The big question is ‘Where did she go?’ When exploring the house and grounds, Kate sees an abandoned pond at the bottom of the garden which strikes her as being rather peculiar.
Thirty year-old Kate texts and writes on-again off-again emails to her boyfriend Orlando who would like her to come home. Kate is undecided on this, having developed a crush on Silvio who works in the local Red Lotus café. She seems to fall on her feet meeting nice people like the café owner Lawan who fills her up on food and local information.
It’s all glorious beaches and swimming with Silvio, driving an Aston Martin and playing a baby grand piano, but Kate does appreciate Vivian’s hospitality. At one stage she overhauls the kitchen cupboards and makes him wholesome meals instead of the usual pre-packaged deliveries, thus cooking becomes her daily task.
Vivian enjoys Kate’s company and talks like an endearing encyclopaedia, causing her to suspect he may be on the autism spectrum. He obviously misses his wife Tatyana. Kate grows inquisitive and decides to investigate Tatyana’s disappearance. Events heat up and nasty things happen which lead the impulsive Kate into a messy and dangerous situation.
Walk from Campbells Beach to Murrays Beach, Auckland NZ
‘Cardamine’ is suitable for a general audience, but for me the overall tension could have been stronger, particularly with the themes of xenophobia, drug references and immigration fraud. In parts of the story, telling is used instead of showing (e.g. pohutukawa tree?) and I think greater use of the five senses would not have gone amiss—then along comes a glowing chapter like Kate’s first hot southern climate Christmas. Worth reading!
An intriguing combination of travelogue and cosy mystery, author Jennifer Barraclough has created an excellent cast of characters with a neat plot twist and unexpected ending. GBW
With more to explore, perhaps there is a possibility of further NZ adventures for Kate.
Quote “Most novels contain elements of autobiography and the setting for this one was informed by my own memories of visiting New Zealand for the first time, discovering the beautiful beaches and countryside, the enticing vineyards and coffee shops. Several North Island locations – Waiheke, Browns Bay, Riverhead Forest, Muriwai – are featured in the book.”
My thanks to author Jennifer Barraclough for a review copy of ‘Cardamine’.
My photograph of the window (and view to Mt Coot-tha on an overcast day) was taken from Royal Queensland Art Society building on Petrie Terrace, Brisbane.
I don’t know the age of this window but the visual wobble was initially disconcerting until my eyes worked out what was going on! GBW
It wasn’t until afterwards that I saw the bubbles in the glass pane following my visit to the RQAS portrait exhibition. In this case, the bubbles clustered together are called ‘seed bubbles’ and enhance the old-fashioned charm of the window.
Bubbles in old glass bottles and windows are actually air pockets that became trapped during the manufacturing process. True air bubbles are rare in glass produced after 1920, so the presence of a bubble may help to date a bottle or window.
Crude glass almost always contains bubbles, which often adds to its appeal and value among collectors. Apparently collectors do not view bubbles as ‘flawed’ or ‘damage’ and some even prefer bubbles because they add to the visual appeal of the glass.
Years ago, I wrote on the office whiteboard “Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty is going to be huge.” And it was. Now comes Apples Never Fall, another exceptional addition to the Moriarty canon, an enthralling novel of thought-provoking misdirection, a blueprint of interior family life, a drama so emotionally complex that I thought it was either a memoir, or years of studying suburban families.
In this case it’s the Delaney family with their tennis fixation, the obsessive training and competition of tennis, and its aftermath soaking into decades of their family relationships.
I followed the sudden arrival of stranger Savannah Pagonis, a cooking wiz, into the unsuspecting Delaney household, and discovered how Joy and Stan Delaney handle this peculiar arrangement while coping with retirement and the dysfunctional lives of four Delaney children now adults.
When matriarch Joy mysteriously disappears, the overarching plot hinges on “Joy, dead or alive?” and is set in present time with flashbacks. Husband Stan and deceptive Savannah are under suspicion, and here clues are planted, the trail of breadcrumbs laid for the observant reader.
Sprinkled throughout the story are friends, neighbours and comic relief from police duo DC Christina Khoury and PC Ethan Lim who struggle with their missing person investigation.
In the case of Savannah and the Delaney siblings Amy, Troy, Logan and Brooke, as youngsters they never seemed to trot off to school. Perhaps an alert teacher could have helped. However, I am sure readers will recognise their fraternal traits as grown-ups. Character-wise I think son Logan is great, followed by unfathomable dad Stan.
Seventy-one domestic drama chapters unfold in all their glory; chapter 52 is cataclysmic, chapter 53 almost poetry. At times the plot framework showed, the screenwriting element intruded, and I did not particularly like the odd use of “Troy’s father” or “Amy’s mother” instead of their names but these are minor points; the dialogue pulsates and glows.
Liane Moriarty writes breathtaking dialogue and suspenseful moments leaving no stone unturned on this rocky domestic landscape.
The sense of place is strong and even though there is a lot going on, Moriarty has written an intimate narrative of social and relationship enlightenment which got me recalling my own younger life, the missed cues and insights the older me now recognises.
As the innermost workings of the Delaney family are laid bare, Moriarty’s writing transcends game, set and match, particularly relating to Joy and motherhood. Wow, I could read out pages of Joy and defy any woman to say she hasn’t felt the same at some point in her life.
Thoughts Become Words 