Storytime

Yep, that time of the year when folks everywhere are panicking and asking 'so what do you want?' As a gardener there a million things I dream over. Oh and ah over. Drool and imagine over. As a writer, it gets a bit more difficult. I have pens, in fact a LOT of pens. The really cute and quirky ones magically disappear and I'm left with those 'buy a packet of 20' ones that still work. When used. Notepads and notebooks are always nice to receive. I have a few writing friends who I envy because their novel ideas are neatly put into these A4 notepads. They have images and pictures, they have maps and terrains marked out. I dream of someday doing this. But what to get me as a writer?  How about a place to write...perhaps a cabin in the woods? Hmmm actually I live in a log cabin, in a forested area. A place by the beach so I can wander the shores while dreaming of my characters? This could be a contender folks! Watch this space... Actual...

Once upon a time there was a woman who wrote short stories. Sometimes very short stories, sometimes a little bit longer. Every now and then she wrote a poem, not very long poems it must be said. She enjoyed this dipping into here and there. Testing her abilities. Then one day, in a burst of over enthusiastic belief in her capabilities she began a novel. It began with a simple idea...what if I did this... (very much like how this garden bed grew...a simple idea)  This was only the first attempt at a novel. Over the years, and there has been a lot of those as well, she began quite a few novels. She finished first drafts of many of them. Three novels made it to second draft, and one famously made it to third. Thousands and thousands upon thousands of words were written, re-worked, re-jigged, re-wired, re-edited, refused, rejected. These many thousands of words lie forgotten and neglected deep in her computer's brain (hopefully). She is now working on another WIP...this s...

Last week daughter and I (and baby boy) ventured to the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show. This has been an annual event since daughter was 15...with only a few years missed in all that time. It's a great day out, wet or dry, sunny or windy...and I come away inspired and filled with new ideas. It's always nice to see what is on 'trend'. This year it was obviously garden rooms... Hanging baskets of all kinds... native gardens are still big. And pampas grass is HUGE. It was not only in gardens but in so many floral arrangements as well. As I said it is good to see what is on trend, and if you have to have the latest in your garden, then you zoom home and start planting. But of course, next year something else will be in vogue. And if you have to be on trend, then your garden will have to change... and change again and again. I have never been one for trends. I know what I like, what I don't like, what works on ou...

Sometimes, when I want to write but have no real idea what, I like to have a word or phrase and see where it leads. A good way to jumpstart the writing process. Sometimes the word or phrase can be innocuous, other times fully cliched and even loaded with meaning. It's up to the interpretation then. Or where you can be taken. Often an image is a good way to start. This popped up in my FB memories the other day...our brand new tank. With all the shrubby bits and bobs cut down around it. It's totally different now...full of fruit trees (and a bit of a jungle at the moment) but the brown has turned lush with greenery. I find it interesting to see how different the ending/ or even the idea is from the initial thought. Often we go on a tangent. Weave this way and that...loop back on memories....have ideas that spark off from the initial thought. At the moment I'm working on a poem with the inspiration of summer. I don't do summer well (I melt and can never ...

It's known that I work with children (and I love it).  However the past few weeks I've spent more time with children than I have with adults.  From babies of a few months, to teenagers. I went on holiday with Little Miss, and over the past few weeks not only ran my usual programs but have picked up a few extra. We also had Little Miss and Toddler With Attitude stay with us for a few days as well. This has really got my head spinning with ideas!  And frankly the more I work with children, the more time I spend with them, the more I am amazed at how they think. How they work things out. How they see the world. It is such a revelation to discover what matters to them. What drives them. On Monday I had a Tinies Time, there I was singing away while babies crawled and toddled and basically did what they wanted to do...when I looked down to find three little boys had crawled up to me. They sat there, looking up at me, with the most beautiful smiles on their faces. Wh...

On Saturday, just as Melbourne decided to finally have some rain, daughter and I headed off to the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show.  I thought I had an umbrella in my car, she thought she had one in her car...neither one of us did. However we had a fun day out, no matter the weather. And of course the weather did force a lot of folks to huddle under cover. The Royal Exhibition building is just amazing.  I think we spent just as much time looking up as down at the exhibits. This is a place where you have to come home with ideas. A floral bee...come on. Surely EVERYONE wants/ needs one of these!  Wasn't too keen on this idea. But there was definitely something for everyone. I do love these 3D pictures, created with succulents.  My kind of artwork for a garden wall! This was stunning. Pink and green and lush. And check out the kokedama. Something else on my 'attempt to create' list. Some ideas are...

How on earth is it Christmas already? I'm sure the last time I looked at a calendar it was April...well maybe August. Definitely not December. Yet here it is and tis the season to share the love. So what are some wonderful presents you can give a writer? I have a few ideas. There are the usual notebooks and pens. I don't know about you but you can never have too much stationery. Well, actually you can, but a nice notebook never goes astray. Pens, unfortunately do. Grand children do love a cute pen...and if it's yours they seem to love them even more. There is of course writing software. I have tried one of these, and alas, not for this little duck (too much of a distraction). But others rave over them...so for some, it works. And works well. A massage never goes amiss. Espeically when you have been hunched over a computer for hours straight, trying to solve a huge plot problem. Or working tirelessly to a deadline. Yes, a massage is a good idea! Som...