Snippets

Snippet 1: My favourite author William Trevor died this week; he was 88. I loved his spare but heartfelt writing. Yes, it was a lot of doom and gloom but it was so human, sad but often funny. He actually started off as a sculptor, then began a short stint as a copywriter until he found success as a writer when he was 36.  Special favourites which you might like to try are the short story collection Cheating at Canasta, a Booker prize nomination The Story of Lucy Gault, and my all-time favourite, Love and Summer. This novella was written only a few years back and I recall the reviewers saying that he was mellowing in his old age because this was a more positive story than many of his others. Its theme was a constant one of Trevor's: romantic ideals, frustration and thwarted love.

Source: Goodreads

Snippet 2: May Gibbs published her first Australian book Gum-Nut Babies one hundred years ago this week, on December 5 1916. I have just re-read the delightful biography May Gibbs Mother of the Gum Nuts: Her Life and Work by Maureen Walsh. Well researched, it follows her birth in 1877 in England, the family's migration to Australia, her struggle to be an independent women in a time when women were expected to marry and have children, her life in Western Australia then back to England, and her constant ambition as an illustrator and writer. There are lots of interviews, notes from sketchbooks and letters to enliven the text. I especially liked the fact that she lived in South Perth (where I lived) for a number of years before moving to Sydney. It's wonderful to read of the birth of the gumnut babies and all her other creations - her fame was certainly not an overnight thing. She lived a full life and died at 92. From 1918 to today Tales of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie, her most famous work, has never been out of print. Even as a child I loved the gruesome and often frightening pictures she created. Here's the terrifying bad banksia man.

Source: Wikipedia

Snippet 3: In praise of my husband!!!!!!!  A photo he took when we were in Chefchaouen, northern Morocco, won Image of the Year at the South Coast Camera Club final judging last month. It had already won the best photo for the theme, Umbrella, back in winter. We loved this blue city (all the buildings are painted shades of blue) and we were there when it was cold and raining constantly. Then the rain paused and became a drizzle so off we went exploring.  This photo was one of those throw-away ones when you glimpse something, take it and hope for the best. While judging photos for a competition is always very subjective (one judge may like a photo, but it may not appeal to someone else), the judges agreed that they liked the air of mystery and the contrast of colour in this photo. Luckily for us, we get the photo enlarged and framed!!