Sally Murphy's Blog, page 3

Christmas Lunch

Another Christmas poem from my file. Here’s to all the people who are hosting Christmas get togethers this year, and are a little stressed trying to get it right.

Lunch

It’s Christmas

and Granny and Granpa

and Nanna and Pop

and Aunty Sue

and Great Uncle Bob

and old cousin Mal

and the cousins

Timmy and Steph

Lexie, Louise and Leticia,

the twins,

Baby Belle (who sleeps all day in the pram)

and the  Smiths next door

and Mrs Harris (who has no family of her own)

and Cheryl from down the road

are all coming for dinner.

Mum’s stressed.

 

(Copyright Sally Murphy)

 

Too Many Sleeps: A Christmas Poem

Yet another Christmas poem from my archive – this one first appeared on the Poetry Tag blog.

Too Many Sleeps

Run, days, run!

Stop dragging leaden feet

And scurry, hurry, flurry

To Christmas Day.

Hop, days, hop!

From one to next to next

Quicker, slicker, ticker

To Christmas Day.

Skip, days, skip!

With speed Santa would envy

Racing, pacing, chasing

To Christmas Day.

Glide, days, glide

Like runners on a sleigh

Dash, slash, smash

To Christmas Day.

(Copyright Sally Murphy)

 

 

A Christmas Swim

Another Australian Christmas poem from my files.

A Christmas Swim

Our backyard pool is loads of fun.

Most days it’s just me and Trent

and maybe a couple of friends

splashing around and keeping cool,

but once a year, on Christmas day,

our pool is the coolest place ever.

After Christmas lunch is over

and digested

and the adults are finished with their

post-lunch snoozes

me and Trent head outside

and bombie into the pool.

Soon we are joined

by Uncle Bob and cousin Phil

in their fluoro boardies.

Uncle Bob always takes a running dive

and half the water disappears.

Next come the aunties;

Aunty Daph saying ‘now don’t wet my hair, boys’

and Aunty Pru bobbing at the deep end

like a lost whale.

Mum and Dad come out

and, even though the pool’s getting crowded

they jump and splash like teenagers.

The funniest bit of all is when granny comes out

in her flowery cossie

and latches onto a pool pony.

She might look pretty helpless

but when she gets hold of a noodle

she whacks and bats

and gives as good as she gets.

Aunty Daph’s hair isn’t just wet –

it’s saturated

and so is everything else

as we splash

and dive

and noodle joust

and submarine

and bombie

and stay cool

until it’s time for Christmas dinner.

(Copyright Sally Murphy)

Christmas Tree

Another  Christmas  poem – today it’s a shape poem.

 

(Copyright Sally Murphy)

An Australian Christmas Song

To add to yesterday’s end-of-school-year poem, here’s another from my files, which I’ve posted on my blog before.

 

We sing of jingle bells and snow

Of warm red suits and ho ho ho

But none of this is quite the way

When it is Christmas here below

 

Downunder in good old Aussieland

It’s time for sun and surf and sand

It’s hot, not cold, it’s summertime

And summer treats are in demand.

 

Hard work for reindeer in this heat

Hot roofs would burn their tender feet

And racing through the summer skies

Would soon see them feeling beat.

 

And as for Santa in fur and such

He’d soon feel overdressed a touch

Being snug and warm in blistering heat

Is not likely to impress him much.

 

Santa needs roos for the job

Of sleigh-pulling – an Aussie mob

To get him moving all around

From Sydney town to Iron Knob.

 

His suit, too, needs an overthrow

A new outfit, from head to toe

Some boardies, a singlet and some thongs

Would seem to be the way to go.

 

So let’s not sing of snow and ice

Instead I’ll give you this advice

Roos, utes and summer are the go

For Christmas songs that sound real nice.

 

So ripper, bonza, beudy strewth

Though you might think my song uncouth

It’s true blue and its ridgy didge

To sing a song that tells the truth.

 

(Copyright Sally Murphy)

 

An End-of-School-Year Christmas Poem

We all know Christmas is coming, but today I’m sparing a thought for all the kids across Australia (and their teachers!) who are plodding their way through the last week(s) of the school year. Having been there many times – as a child and as a teacher, I know it can be both exciting and exhausting in equal measure.

Anyway, here is a poem from my files to hopefully make you smile.

Christmas is Coming

Christmas is coming.

We’ve stopped learning stuff at school

except how to sing Jingle Bells

while standing straight and tall

so the folks can get good piccies

at speech night;

and how to get glitter to stick

to a polystyrene ball

to hang on the Chrissie tree.

And how to make a gazillion cards

one for Mum

one for Dad

and two for the grandmas.

And how to carry homeaAll those scrapbooks

And artworks

and dead textas.

And how to concentrate

on all this

even though it’s 40 degrees

and our classroom isn’t airconditioned

and all we really think about

is that Christmas is coming.

 

( Copyright Sally Murphy)

Books for Christmas

Looking for a Christmas themed book for a child in your life?

Snowy’s Christmas is the story of a joey who doesn’t like being different – until he meets Santa and realises that only he can help with the sleigh. I have a stack of copies which can be posted anywhere in Australia for $18 (postage included). You can email me directly for details, or buy through this ebay link.

Copies will be signed to the recipient.

And, while it isn’t Christmas themed, you might also find a chapter book just the thing for a reader aged 6-10.  Doggy Duo was my first ever published children’s book and the only place you can now buy it is direct from me.  Super discounted, at just $5 (including postage, again posted anywhere in Australia.  Again available through ebay  or  you can email me for payment details.

If you’re reading this page, you probably don’t need convincing that books make excellent Christmas gifts, but I’m telling you anyway: not only are they great gifts, they are easy to wrap and fit into smallish parcels. Also, buying one of these books helps me to clear much needed storage space on my office! I don’t usually sell my books directly, so now is your chance.

Not interested in either of these books? That’s okay – I urge you to consider heading to your local bookstore and supporting any author (especially Australian ones) by buying a book, or three, this holiday season.

 

What I Read in November 2024

Hard to believe it is December already, but my calendar says so, so I guess it’s true. And, as always, a new month means time to post what I read last month. A bit of an eclectic mix – eight books in all. Here’s what they were:

Books for Children Tweet, by Morris Gleitzman (Penguin, 2024). I was lucky enough to be on the same festival line up as Morris Gleitzman at the Scribblers Festival, and of course had to buy his latest book at the festival bookstore.  A fun story even while also dealing with big issues around  human impact on the environment, as well as grief and loss.Encyclopedia Brown Carries On, by Donald J. Sobol (Scholastic, 1980). One of the many books from my to-read cupboard which were rescued from a discard trolley years ago. I’m gradually getting through them. Can imagine young readers trying to solve the mysteries along with the main character.The Best Train Set Ever, by Pat Hutchins (Bodley Head, 1979). And another from the discard trolley. I loved Pat Hutchins’  Titch books but hadn’t come across this little offering which includes three sweet family stories.Too Many Babies, by Rose Impey & Shoo Rayner (Orchard Books, 1993). A third from the discard trolley (I do seem to read them in batches) featuring a family of tenrecs (Madagascan shrews), as their parents battle to raise their very large littler of babies. Blabber Mouth, by Morris Gleitzman (Pan Macmillan, 1992). Also a book I rescued from somewhere a while back and had in my to-read pile, this caught my eye because I’d been reading Tweet (above) and thought it was time I read this older Gleitzman. He has a knack for mixing humour with difficult concepts.Books for Young Adults My Family and Other Suspects, by Kate Emery (Allen & Unwin, 2024). A witty, entertaining murder mystery set in the WA’s Southwest.  Ruth, the narrator, is obsessed with murder mysteries, but she doesn’t expect to have one to solve at the family holiday house – but when her step Grandmother dies suddenly, the whole family becomes suspects.Books for Adults It All Makes Sense Now: Embrace Your ADHD Brain to Live a Creative and Colorful Life, by Meredith Carder (Hay House, 2024). I came across this one in  a bookshop and am glad I did, because it’s one of the best books on ADHD I’ve read – very accessible, good examples and some helpful strategies.Selected Verse, by Colin Thiele (Rigby, 1970).  I didn’t actually read all of this in November – I have been reading a few poems at a time for several months. I know Thiele best as an author for young people, but this poetry is definitely for adults, dealing with a range of topics from the everyday to the truly confronting.

 

That brings my total for the year so far to 108. Hoping for a little extra reading time in December as my work year is winding down a little. Currently reading two books – fiction on audio and nonfiction in hard copy, so off to a good start.  I’m also hoping to get through more from my to-read cupboard, to free up some storage space.

What are you reading?

What I Read in October 2024

It’s a new month which means I’m sharing what I read in the old month. In October I managed 10 books, with half being new purchases and the other half from my to-read pile which I had hoped to reduce significantly in 2024.  It is a wee bit smaller, but with two months to go, I know I won’t be getting that extra shelf back any time soon. So many books so little time! But what a lovely problem to have – too many books. Is that even a thing?

Anyway, here’s what I did manage to finish in October.

Books for Children Hester Hitchins and the Falling Stars, by Catherine Norton (Angus & Robertson, 2024).  One look at the cover of this delightful hardcover offering and I knew I had to buy it. And I wasn’t disappointed – an adventurous story of girl-power set in England in 1866 and following the adventures of Hester Hitchins as she tries to take up a place at a Nautical navigation Academy usually only open to boys. Mouse and His Dog: A Dogtown Book, by Katherine Applegate & Gennifer Choldenko, illustrated by Wallace West (Welbeck, 2024). I hadn’t read the previous Dogtown book, but this one sat alone pretty comfortably. Set in a dog shelter and told from the perspective of a mouse called Mouse who is determined to help the dogs who, it seems, may never find homes of their own.  Really cute. The Long Walk, by Kerry Greenwood (Hachette, 2004). This one has been in my to-read pile for quite a while after I bought it from a library discard trolley. Set during the Great Depression, and against the backdrop of the building of the Great Ocean Road, it is the story of Isa Wyatt who, left alone with her three younger siblings, sets off  on a journey from Melbourne to Apollo Bay, looking for their father. Heroes of the Secret Underground, by Susanne Gervay (Angus & Robertson, 2021). More historical fiction – this one a time slip between Sydney in the year 2000 and Budapest in 1944, during the German occupation of Hungary. As such it deals with some really challenging times, but does so in a way with which young people can connect. Leo and Ralph by Peter Carnavas (UQP, 2024). It’s a Peter Carnavas book so I knew before I opened it that I would love it. About imaginary friends, real friends and being true to both.Hey, Kid, by Rita Golden Gelman, illustrated by Carol Nicklaus (Franklin Watts, 1977). Another from my to-read pile. This caught my eye on a library discard trolley ages ago, and has lived in my to-read pile ever since – even though it is a quick read.  It’s quirky – and, if Google is to be believed, a bit of a collectible, selling on Abe Books  for $32 US.  Maybe I should sell my copy? The King and the Sea, by Heinz Janisch & Wolf Erlbruch (Gecko Press, 2015). Another quirky offering from my to-read pile. 21 extremely short stories about a little king – some funny, some to leave you thinking. I loved it.Books for Young Adults The Happiness Quest, by Richard Yaxley (Scholastic, 2018). Another from my to-read pile, and glad I finally got to it. As Tillie tries to understand why she is sad, her counsellor suggests she try to find out what happiness is – leading to a lot of realisations not just about herself, but also about her family and friends.

 

Books for Adults How to Not Work Forever: Start Investing and Build a Life You Love, by Natasha Etschmann & Ana Kresina (Wiley, 2024). Not my usual type of read, but that’s the point, I think. A really clear guide to the how and why of investment. Inspired me to make some changes to my finances. A Girls’ Guide to Winning the War, Annie Lyons (Honeysett Books, 2024). I’ve spent much of this year delving into the role of women in WW2, so I couldn’t not read this novel, set in London where librarian Peggy Sparks joins the wat workforce for the Ministry of Information. A pleasing blend of history, friendship and romance.

 

That brings my total for the year to a respectable 100 books read.  Happy with that. What have you been reading?

What I Read in September 2024

September has come and gone, and I managed to read 9 books. I’m not reading at pace these days, but I am enjoying what I read, which is key.  Here’s what I read.

Books for Young Readers

The War that Saved My Life, by Kimberley Brubaker Bradley (Puffin, 2016). I listened to the audio version of this one and couldn’t stop listening when I got out of the car – which is always a sign that a book has drawn me right in. Set in WW2, the story follows Ada, a girl whose very difficult life in London is replaced by a life of hope and healing when she joins other London children sent to the country for safety. The War I Finally Won, by Kimberley Brubaker Bradley (Text Publishing, 2017) And, since I had already fallen in love with young Ada, I had to read the sequel straight away. Really satisfying. The Sky in Silver Lace, by Robin Klein (Text Classics, 2017). This is the third book of a trilogy, the other two of which I read a year or so ago, with this one sitting in my to-read pile till now. I love robin Klein’s writing, and this is no exception – a poignant slice of life of the Melling sisters, struggling against poverty as they move to the city in the late 1940s.

 

Books for Young Adults

One Night, by Margaret Wild (Allen & Unwin, 2003). Being one of the first verse novels I ever read, I love to keep going back and rereading this one – the first time in a few years, and still really powerful.

 

Books for Adults

The Ghosts of Roebuck Bay, by Ian W. Shaw (Pan Macmillan, 2014) . I have spent much of this year delving into WW2 history, and this was part of that exploration, telling the story of the bombing of Broome in 1942, a tragedy I knew only a little about. Sometimes the Magic Works: Lessons from a Writing Life, by Terry Brooks (Ballantine Books, 2003). I picked this up second hand in London earlier this year, and finally got round to reading it.  An excellent blend of memoir and writing advice.Iris is More than Okay, by Natalie Cooper (Audible,2024). Every now and then a contemporary romance is what I need, and this one, recommended to me by Audible, fitted the bill.  I thought it was going to be predictable and, being a romance, there was some of that, but there was also a twist I didn’t see coming. How to Keep House While Drowning: A gentle approach to cleaning and organising, by KC Davis (Cornerstone Press, 2022). Not sure why it took me so long to read this – I bought it after hearing the author on a podcast – I can’t even remember which one – and falling in love with her attitude. Key takeaway, for me: having a messy house is not a moral failing. Best Wishes, by Richard Glover (ABC Books, 2023). I really enjoyed this one – witty in some places, serious in others, as Glover makes, and explains, a series of wishes to make the world a less annoying place – from banning pre-ripped jeans, to wanting the ‘debate’ over climate change to end.

 

That brings my total for the year to date to 90.  What have you been reading?