Suzanne Bowditch's Blog, page 21

Birthday

Today is my birthday – 12th March. I’m a Pisces; romantic, dreamy and hopefully creative!

Here are a few fun facts on a day that we love to celebrate:

Many religions celebrate with significant holidays:

Jesus Christ, the founder of Christianity has a significant birthday, celebrated on 25 December. 

Prince Siddhartha Gautama the founder of Buddhism, has a birthday around April/May.

In the U S, Martin Luther King Day is a federal holiday, the third day in January.

Accordingly, the Greek historian Herodotus states that the Persian people loved their birthday celebrations. The rich celebrated with whole baked cow, horse or camel, while the poor made do with scraggy bits of the animals!

Moreover, in Japan they have the Coming of Age day at 20 years.

In Korea, the 1st birthday is significant, known as Doljanchi.

A 100 year old birthday warrants a birthday card from Queen Elizabeth ll herself, as part of the British Commonwealth.

In Judaism, 13 year old boy has a significant birthday, a bar mitzvah.

Me? I celebrated with a bottle of red and some lovely tiramisu!

#birthday #celabrations #wine #italian

Source: http://www.wikipedia.com

Two year anniversary!

My blog is 2 years old today!

To celebrate, here’s a couple of pics of cool Aussie foliage ☺

#anniversary #Australianfauna 

My local library

Since starting the creative writing course this week, I am already spending extra time at my local library, ordering reading materials (Helen Garner books are on this course, love her style) and getting back into study mode.

But its no hardship really as the library is a new state of the faciliity that shines like a cultural beacon in its surroundings (namely old folks duplexes and a quaint shopping centre). Opening in 2013, it promised a new cultural experince with a digital media lab, 200 seating auditorium, recording studio and meeting rooms.It has extra study nooks, fab children’s area with slides and more computers – no more booking your time online!

Here are a few pics I took today, whilst browsing the YA section for my daughter. The art feature is of a very colourful koala bear – they are dotted all over the Gold Coast. ☺

A weekend at Brisbane

Here are a few photos I took of my time at Brisbane on the weekend.Founded in 1824 it is the capital of Queensland and the most populous city in the state. It was one of the first penal colonies in Redcliffe, now a suburb in Moreton Bay. 

It was named after Sir Thomas Brisbane, a governor of New South Wales and a Scots. Severe contrasting weather around the areas, in particular the Lockyear Valley, has meant that the heart of the city, the Brisbane River, has been known to flooding, the last floods in 2011 (in which it rained constantly for 11 weeks solid). The river overflowed into the areas shown in the photos known as South Bank, and has undergone a rejuvenation. 

A lovely city thats still expanding and growing, for the better. ☺

Writing seminar

Spent the afternoon in Brisbane at a writing seminar, ‘A Conversation with Joanna Penn.’ Joanna is a successful self published author, who was very open and honest in how she went from having a job that she was unhappy in, to being a happy creative writer. She has one of the Top 10 blogs for self publishing advice and has written fiction and non fiction with titles such as ‘How to Make a Living with your Writing.’

I very informative and inspiring afternoon, I came away feeling motivated and confident to continue my own writing journey.☺

Book choices

I headed down to my local library this week. I had printing to do and thinking to get done. I’m starting university next week, a part time creative writing course. Am really excited but nervous at the prospect. I’ve already looked at the work schedule for one of the units (a research one ) and there’s group work to do! Yikes. Even though I have a degree in English, the studying was all done online,including the group work. 

Here’s hoping that I get a mix of people to share my work with and compare notes….

Haiku:Nighttime

The weather is still in the 40s here, so we took to the beach at night to enjoy the cool breezes. It seems other people had the same idea – the beach was filled with families cooling down on the shore.

Here’s a haiku I wrote, inspired by this image:

Sooty black ocean,

A smatter of games, shoreside,

Bring a moment, joy.

#haiku #surfers paradise # australia

Book Review: Dead Man’s Land -Robert Ryan

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Deeply entrenched as I am in WW1 (no pun intended!), I happened to come across this book whilst browsing my local QBD book store.

Its a fictional crime thriller, which (for me), makes a refreshing change from the more factual aspects of the Great War.

What was so appealing about this book is the POV of the main character. A strong older man and a doctor, Watson’ s previous claims to fame are as Sherlock Holmes’ sidekick.

With his relationship with Holmes estranged, Watson finds himself tending to the wounded along the Western Front. Surrounded by the carnage, a series of bodies turn up, and Watson has to use his detecting skills once more to solve the murders in a place where thousands of soldiers are dying every day.

This book is so well researched, with heaps of historical facts and settings. Added to that, there are both strong male AND female characters. It is a great read, even more so as the character of Dr Watson has always been shrouded in mystery, always one step behind Holmes.

I think Conan Doyle would approve. 4/5 stars.

Short Story: Middle Earth

[image error]Windsurfer: Gold Coast, Australia

Rhian parked up in the last available space in the tiny school car park. Just one space left! Quickly, she manoeuvred the car into the spot.

Looking down at the brand-new dashboard, she switched off the engine, still coming to terms with driving the large jeep-like people carrier that they had bought the previous week. Matt’s enthusiasm as they left the car sales showroom the previous week was entrancing, and they’d taken advantage of the powerful engine as they drove down the Pacific highway,

‘What would they think of this back home?’ he’d laughed, ‘We can drive onto the beach and allsorts, it’s awesome!’

Jack and Carys had giggled at his enthusiasm, strapped in the back of the humungous vehicle, Carys looking small in the large car seat.

They’d been living in Australia for just over a month now, and were loving it. The lifestyle was laid back, the weather fabulous, the scenery breathtaking. The route to the border to New South Wales had taken them past eucalyptus trees, glimpses of azure blue ocean, and the smell of frangipani overwhelming the senses. They were lapping up the sights and sounds of this new landscape. Just last weekend they had picnicked up beautiful Mount Tamborine with its gorgeous views of the Pacific Ocean, and the high-rise apartments that made-up Surfers Paradise. From this height the apartments looked like little Lego pieces arranged along the coastline.

‘Mam, hurry up or I’ll be late. I can see Ryan over there, waiting for me!’ Jack’s voice broke into her thoughts.

She glanced at his eager face and smiled. He had settled beautifully into his new school with the minimum fuss and bother, enjoying the Australian school environment. Any nerves that she had felt were diminished the very first day when Jack had skipped out of school, chatting away to a group of other boys. At nine years old, he was young enough to adapt quickly to his new life. Carys on the other hand, was not so keen on the crèche that they’d enrolled her into. Rhian thought that she was still cranky from the long plane journey and the heat. She was not sleeping as soundly as she had in Wales. Rhian made a mental note to buy a free-standing fan to help cool the evenings.

Unbuckling the car seat, she held onto their hands whilst they crossed the road to the school gates. The sun was already a golden globe in the sky, promising another day of hot sunshine. She smiled to herself as she remembered the first week that she had stood at the school gates waiting for Jack to appear. She had been chattering away to Carys when they were surrounded by a group of nine-year-old boys, Jack included.

‘Hi mam, this is Ryan, and Tyler, and Blake. I told them we are from Wales.’

‘Hello boys, how did school go?’ Rhian replied, looking at the faces gazing up at her with what can only be described as utter confusion.

Jack giggled as he looked at their puzzled faces.

‘You must speak slower, mam,’ he giggled.  ‘They are just getting used to your Welsh accent. Either that, or they think you are from Middle Earth!’

‘Don’t be cheeky, Jack!’ she replied, adjusting Carys t-shirt, Across the front were the words: I Heart Australia in bold gold and green letters.

Suzanne Bowditch

 

 

My reading companion

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This is a recent photo of my dog Billy. He’s a fox terrier whose also my reading/writing buddy. Many words have been written on my computer with Billy next to me to offer moral support. I also discuss my characters, settings, and plots with him. If I am writing a tricky patch, I usually make a coffee and bounce off ideas with my pooch. He never answers, just looks at me with those soulful brown eyes. He’ s just turning eight next week and is a sweetie.

Does anyone have a favored routine for ideas? Creativity can be gushing and flow like a huge river or can be a trickle or even a dry river bed (perish the thought!).

“Writing is its own reward.” -Henry Miller