Time is of the Essence What do the following animals have in common: Estuarine Crocodile Loggerhead Turtle Gulbaru Gecko Retro Slider Southern Cassowary Northern Giant Petrel Glossy Black-Cockatoo Eclectus Parrot Powerful Owl Gouldian Finch Greater Bilby Koala Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat Mahogany Glider Grey-headed Flying Fox Dugong Humpback Whale They are included in the 226 species, […]
Storm Boy by Colin Thiele ‘Storm Boy’ by Colin Thiele is listed in Jane Gleeson White’s ‘Australian Classics: 50 Great Writers and Their Celebrated Works‘ and it is one of my favourite books. I read ‘Storm Boy’ again this week and it had as much impact on me as when I read it as a […]
‘The Magic Pudding: The Adventures of Bunyip Bluegum‘ is a classic Australian children’s book that was written and illustrated by famous artist Norman Lindsay in 1918. It has never been out of print. I refused to read this book as a child because one of the main characters is Albert, a talking puddin’ who is […]
Wow, I’ve just finished a ripper of a book – a rundown on some of the best of Australian books and writers, the 2010 edition of ‘Australian Classics: 50 Great Writers and Their Celebrated Works‘ by Jane Gleeson-White. If you want a crash course in Australian literature, you could do a lot worse than start […]
I’ve just finished reading ‘Grafton Elliot Smith, Egyptology & the Diffusion of Culture: A Biographical Perspective’ by Professor Emeritus Paul Crook. It was a gift from my father, the author Paul Crook describes Sir Grafton Elliot Smith (1871-1937) as a ‘great forgotten Australian’. He was an Australian medical doctor who rose to the top of […]
Skin Painting by Elizabeth Hodgson A few weeks back, as part of National Poetry Week we were encouraged to buy Australian poetry, so I got online (as I live nowhere near a bookshop that sells decent poetry) and bought a few collections. One collection, ‘skin painting‘ by Elizabeth Hodgson, totally blew me away with its […]
The picture book all cats have asperger syndrome by Kathy Hooperman is a highly recommended read/look if you know and love someone with Asperger Syndrome (AS). I absolutely love this book! Gorgeous and hilarious photos of cats and kittens are matched with descriptions of Asperger Syndrome in a touching and humorous manner, highlighting the unique […]
The news has broken that Brisbane born Scott Rush of Bali 9 (drug smuggling) infamy has escaped the firing squad and will instead serve life in prison. I was very relieved on hearing this and wrote a poem ‘Death Penalty’ for the occasion. My poem has been published today over at Poetry24 (‘where news is the […]
I have just finished reading ‘The Ode Less Travelled: Unlocking the Poet Within’ by Stephen Fry. I am a big Stephen Fry fan and have immense respect for his intellect, expansive knowledge and talent. If you watch QI (9.30pm, Tuesday on ABC1) or have followed his comedic and writing career, you will know what I […]
Autism Heroes Many people on the Autism spectrum (which includes Asperger’s Syndrome) have reached dizzy heights in their chosen career or creative endeavour. There is a wonderful book for children (aged 8-12) on the autism spectrum called Different like me: my book of autism heroes by Jennifer Elder. It is very inspiring. The book describes […]
