So many treasures at Writers' Week

So many treasures at Writers' Week

I've had a good week, particularly the three days I was able to attend Adelaide Writers' Week, part of the Adelaide Festival. It was held in the Pioneer Women's Memorial Garden from 9am to 6pm over 6 days (February 28th - March 5th). There are two stages, the East stage and the West stage, and seven 1 hour sessions at each. Over the six days the place is packed full of treasures - the authors, the interviewers, the audience, the staff, the volunteers, the book tent, the blue sails providing shade, the coffee, the food, the children parading in nylon costumes, the Story tent,  the book tent, the signing table, the children playing on the slope (with palm tree fronds as swords), the shadows, the plants on the stage backdrops, the program, the beautiful hand soap in the bathrooms (Aesop brand) and more. 

I made it to a total of 12 sessions. Sometimes it's difficult to choose between the two offered sessions! Authors I heard speak were Helen Castor, Jenny Uglow, Andy Griffiths, Martha Baillie, Elia Barcelo, Omar Musa, Julia Gillard, Nicholas Clements, Miranda Richmond Mouillot, James Bradley, John Darnielle, Smith Henderson, Rohan Wilson, Graeme Simsion, Jenny Offill and Roxane Gay. All (and those interviewing them) were very impressive. One of the highlights for me was the line at the microphone for questions at the session with Andy Griffiths. Lots of confident children aged from about 5 up asking very interesting questions. Unfortunately there wasn't time for them all. The line at the signing table afterwards was one of the longest I saw. 

I love the familiarity of the event, as well as some of the small changes. How wonderful too that it is every year now. It used to be every two years. One of the small changes this year was the backdrops behind the two stages. For the last few Writers' Weeks they have been made up of twigs and looked quite fantastic. As they did this year as well, comprised of small native plants which had been grown by Trees for Life volunteers over the past six months. Volunteers watered the plants during the week. The plants were also used for the arch entrance and you can see them in the photo above. 

As well as the wonderful memories I got to take home a couple of treasures. After hearing Jenny Offill talk I decided to buy her book, Dept. of Speculation and am enjoying it very much. I also brought home an envelope I was given by one of the volunteers. Inside were some seeds to plant so I can grow some Enchylaena Tomentosa (ruby saltbush) at home. 

The envelope I was given. 

Inside the envelope

I'm already looking forward to next year's Writers' Week. And in the meantime I have some reading to do and plants to grow. I still have some books from last year to read too. 

This is a six word Saturday post. See how others' describe their week or part thereof at www.showmyface.com. 

Shadow Shot Sunday - March 1st, 2015

Looking up at shadows on blue sails at Adelaide Writers' Week. 

This is a Shadow Shot Sunday post. To see other people's shadow shots go to www.shadowshotsunday2.blogspot.com. 

Shadow Shot Sunday - February 22nd, 2015

Some of the more shadowy shots from yesterday's zoo visit for Shadow Shot Sunday today. 

Spot the White-cheeked Gibbons in the shadowy trees. 

See other people's shadow shots at www.shadowshotsunday2.blogspot.com. 

Enjoyed some time at the zoo

Enjoyed some time at the zoo.

We went to the SDA Family Zoo Day at Adelaide Zoo today. Thanks to the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees' Association my daughter got free tickets for herself, me and her sister. My sister and her eldest daughter also went. We got free entry into the zoo, a sausage sizzle, drinks and icy poles. There were also free rides and entertainment. What a great afternoon it was! 

Yesterday and this morning we were not sure whether we would go or not as it was forecast for 40C in Adelaide today. We took frozen water and juice boxes and my niece did a great job of spraying water over us to give a little relief. It certainly was very hot but we had a good time. I was quite surprised by the number of animals we saw. I expected more to be hiding or very inactive due to the heat. Many of the exhibits had misted water and the animals were certainly feeling the heat. The Sumatran tiger and one of the tapirs as well as some large black parrots seemed to be feeling it the most. After a couple of hours at the zoo we went to Botanic Park to get our sausages, drinks and icy poles and for the drawing of a raffle for a TV which SDA members could enter. Unfortunately we didn't win this year. After an enjoyable afternoon we certainly appreciated the air-conditioned car trip home. 

One of the animals near the entrance are the Capybara. I don't recall seeing these animals before and what fascinating creatures they are. They are the largest of the Rodent family. Babies were born in October last year and are already quite big. 

The otters seemed to be putting on a show. 

Funi, one of the pandas at Adelaide Zoo is currently experiencing a phantom pregnancy and so has access to her night quarters. I thought we might not see her at all but did catch a glimpse of her. 

I got a close up of a pelican. I wouldn't have wanted to be as close as the Cape Barren Goose that kept getting snapped at when it tried to walk past. 

This cassowary was quite active today. 

I read the sign about the White-cheeked Gibbon before I saw any and was fascinated to learn they change colour after a year and then the females change back again at sexual maturity. 

We were very lucky to see the baby which was born in April last year and saw the mother moving freely through the trees with baby clinging on. 

We saw a very active wombat. I've never seen one move so much before. Usually they are sleeping. They can move quite fast. There was a sign saying this is a temporary enclosure which they are exploring. This one certainly was. 

Despite the heat, it was an enjoyable afternoon but I do hope its a little cooler next year. 

Pictures of people

I saw my two year old niece last night, as well as her mum and sister. All of a sudden my niece has started drawing pictures recognisable as people. How cute! When my daughter saw the drawings on the table she said, "Awwww, when did she reach the potato stage?" I'm fairly sure the lines in the second picture are 'writing' as I saw her doing the same thing on another picture while saying 'M..u..m..m..y'

Fabulous sky, 15-2-15

I forgot to hang the washing out earlier. There was just enough light for me to get it out without having to take a torch. I'm glad I forgot as it meant I got to see the fabulous sky and the great clouds tonight. The photo gives you a bit of an idea. Another gorgeous thing about being in the backyard was the drop in temperature since the cool change has come in. Yay!

Shadow Shot Sunday - February 15th, 2015

Shadows and sunburn. It's 10am and 35C, after a really hot night. Its forecast to cool down a little this afternoon but it doesn't feel like it will. 

This is a Shadow Shot Sunday post. To see other people's shadow shots go to www.shadowshotsunday2.blogspot.com. 

Reading 'Five Go To Demon's Rocks'

My six words for this week - 

Reading Five Go To Demon's Rocks

In the last couple of days of been taking a bit of a trip down memory lane. I was with my daughter in a shop yesterday when I spotted a Famous Five book and decided to buy it. I've been thinking of reading one lately to see how close my memory of the books is to the actual books, how different it feels to read it as an adult. 

I absolutely loved The Famous Five as a child. From the age of 7 until I was 10 I lived at Poonindie which is a very small town close to Port Lincoln in South Australia. It was around that time that I first discovered The Famous Five in the school library. I remember enjoying reading the books during Silent Reading time at school as well as spending many hours reading them at home. I did watch the television series a little but to me it was no comparison to reading the books. How I longed to explore as the five did (and in many ways I did, spending lots of time outside exploring). George was by and far my favourite of the five. For quite a while my mum would buy me one of the books on her fortnightly shopping trip to Port Lincoln. What a treat to begin a new one! I remember lining them up on my bookcase on my bedhead, by number or perhaps in alphabetical order. 

The text of this book is copyright to Enid Blyton in 1961. The illustrations by Betty Maxey are copyright 1974 to Hodder and Stoughton Ltd. This edition was first published in 1970 with a fourteenth impression in 1980. There is a very neatly written name on the first page 'Samantha Rose'. I wonder if she was the first one to own this book and how many other hands it has passed through before making it to mine. 

The description is on the following page - 

The FAMOUS FIVE are 
Julian, Dick, George (Georgina by rights), Anne, 
and Timmy the dog

The five are planning to spend their holidays at 
George's home, Kirrin Cottage, but the house is 
crowded with visitors including Tinker and his 
pet monkey, Mischief. Tinker tells the Five 
that he owns a light-house, so they all decide 
to go and spend their holidays there; and they 
have not been there very long before they sense 
a mystery. 

This is the Five's nineteenth adventure 

I've read up to page 30 so far. I can see why I found it appealing. It is easy to read with lots of interactions between people. I'm noticing things I'm sure I didn't pay much attention to as a nine year old. For example, the adults complaining about the children. I don't think I questioned as a child why a nine year old would own a light-house. In what I have read so far there has been a misunderstanding which results in too many people in the house. First, George's father tried to call the Professor who was coming to visit a week earlier than originally planned to ask him to delay his visit as George and her three cousins and Timmy the dog were going to be there that week. When that failed as the professor was already on his way George's mother tries to phone George to ask them to stay where they were for another week. But it was too late and the children were already riding their bicycles over. 

How different might this scenario be if the book was written in 2015? If the children were allowed to ride their bicycles without an adult being there (something I imagine less likely now), then chances are at least one of them would have had a mobile phone and hence could have been contacted more easily. Not everything in the books is realistic of course, after all part of the joy of reading is fantasy but I'm sure Enid Blyton would have written parts quite differently if writing now. 

I'm going to enjoy reading more, remembering what I loved about these books as well as discovering things I have forgotten. One of those things being that Julian, Dick and Anne were George's cousins rather than friends. Perhaps too, I will get hold of Five Go Off In a Caravan sometime. I remember it being one of my favourites.  

Shadow Shot Sunday - February 8th, 2015

There are lots of shadows around here today! 

The shadow of an old abandoned chair. After taking this photo I noticed how many other shadows are here  too. 

This one looks great on the old trampoline. 

Shadows on a huge leaf

and some intricate shadows of a weed. 

Most Sundays I find shadows around my yard to photograph for Shadow Shot Sunday. You can see lots of other people's shadow shots at www.shadowshotsunday2.blogspot.com. 

Morning shadows on the carport door

This morning, over on my other blog www.pausingforsmallstones.blogspot.com I wrote - How to photograph a shadow without my own getting in the way?

I noticed some great shadows on the carport door when I got home from the morning school bus drop off. I love the boldness and the detail in morning shadows on a bright day. When I tried to photograph them though it was hard to get the angle I wanted without my own shadow getting in the way. The best view was front on but I couldn't get close enough to get a good shot without the shadow of my phone (and me) also in the shot. Eventually by holding the phone at an angle on the left side I got one that I am reasonable happy with.