Suzanne Bowditch's Blog, page 28

Tuesday Quote : 3

For my third quote of Tuesday quotes, I’m going to share with you one of my all time favorite quotes, from the classic book Alice in Wonderland. Alice was also one of my daughter’s favorites (before she discover The Hunger Games), and I think this quote is quirky and enchanting, just like the book itself. Many of the quotes from the book (and there are many) are inspirational, and totally resonate today.

‘It’s no good going back to yesterday, because I was a different person then’

– Alice in Wonderland (1865)

Lewis Carroll 

Here’s a little background info on the author himself :

Lewis Carroll (1832-1898), was born in Cheshire, England. Did you know that –

he was born Charles Lutwidge Dodgson
his poem ‘Jabberwocky’ is considered one of the greatest ‘nonsense’ poems written in English
he was mathematically gifted, writing numerous mathematical books under his read name
he was reading such classics as ‘The Pilgrim’s Progress’ at the tender age of 7
he suffered from a stammer
Alice in Wonderland was one of Queen Victoria’s favorite books
he regarded Alice in Wonderland as ‘a fairy-tale’

 

 

Melbourne Trip

Outside the Hotel Windsor, Melbourne

 

 

The beautiful foyer of the Hotel Windsor, Melbourne (note the Harpist in the background)

Even though I went down to Melbourne to help my son Liam move there, I could not help but take in the sights!

Alice’s Secret, the second book in A Celtic Trilogy, was set in and around Melbourne, a lovely hidden jewel of a city, with enough bars and restaurants to swing a cat at!

We visited the Museum, the Royal Exhibition building (built during the Marvellous Melbourne era of the 1880s) and toodled along The Great Ocean Road.

My characters, Henry and Bella Jameson, lived in Melbourne in the 1880s and ran a construction company,  making a heap of money on constructing the iconic buildings that we see today. The pictures are of the Hotel Windsor, another  setting in the book.

Alice’s Secret A Celtic Trilogy is available on Amazon.

Elen is the first book, set in Van Dieman’s Land (now Tasmania) during the convict era.

Guest Author: Suzanne Bowditch — Blackwood’s Magazine

I am so honored to have a guest spot on Blackwood’s Magazine. Thank you to C.M. Blackwood !

Why historians should write fiction

Great post

Tuesday Quote: 2

For my second quote, I’ve come up with another innovator, a man whose impact on the world and on science is second to none.

“As a child, I often wrote deliberate nonsense to surprise others”

-Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin 1809-1882

 

Charles Darwin (1809 – 1882) is simply described as a naturalist, geologist, and evolutionist who developed a theory of evolution to explain biological change. A remarkable man, he was:

best known for his contribution to the science of evolution


who established that all species of life descended overtime from common ancestors


His writings included the iconic book ‘On the Origin of Species’ (1859), which explains the diversity of life, also known as biodiversity, plus the variability of life on Earth, which he called Natural Selection.

Natural Selection was the key mechanism of evolution, which explains the change of heritable traits of a population over time.

Most of what he observed and wrote was from his experiences on the HMS Beagle, a 10 gun brig-sloop of the British Royal Navy. On her second voyage, HMS Beagle took a young naturalist, known as Charles Darwin, on her round the world voyage, in which he determined his scientific theories on evolution. She is therefore regarded as one of the most famous ships in history.

Darwin himself wrote several other books, including The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex and The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals

He is regarded as one of the most influential figures in human history, and is buried in Westminster Abbey, London, England.

Haiku

The Japanese art of Haiku poetry goes back to the 9th and 12th centuries. At my writing class this week, we practised our own attempts at Haiku, by using sets of images to inspire us. Most of the images were of flowers, greenery, exotic animals (such as cute baby elephants) and of water; lakes, ponds and oceans.

This is my attempt at Haiku from a photo I took of my local beach.

Haiku

He who waits, knows

The sound of rippled

water, brings laughter

Suzanne Bowditch, 2016

Being a writer

Such a great post

Book Review: The Shadowy Horses by Susanna Kearsley

The Shadowy Horse Susanna Kearsley (book mark from Melbourne)

I have just recently discovered Susanna Kearsley’s books, but I’m becoming a fan. Her style is historical fiction, mystery and a touch of romance, a combination I love.

Tuesday Quote

I have decided to run a quote day every week until Christmas. Tuesday is one of those neither here nor there days (too far away from last weekend, not near enough to next weekend), so it makes an ideal quote day. So, Christmas is 13 weeks away (yes, really), so I have 13 quotes to share with you…:)

Let’s start off with one of my favorite quotes by the great Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790):

“What good shall I do this day?”
Benjamin Franklin

A good first choice, Franklin was known as The First American for his fearless campaigns for colonial unity. He was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, and was an inventor, scientist, statesman, politician, leading author and a Freemason to boot.

His inventions included – bifocal glasses; the urinary catheter; and the Franklin stove. He was also a leading figure in the discovery of electricity (see image).Wikipedia

A very gifted individual, who quite rightly deserves first quote day

Food

 

Garden City markets, Brisbane

Food plays a major part in how we live, socialize and interact with each other. For me, it is one of the main pleasures in life, and when I think about getting together with family or friends, or going out and socializing, then preparing or ordering food is a must. Precious memories revolve around the comfort of food in our lives. I remember taking my children out to the park to play when they were younger, and food was always a part of the pleasure of the afternoon. From feeding the ducks, enjoying ice cream, having a picnic or eating a bag of chips on the way home, tired but happy, food has played a large role.

When we moved to Australia, we were so excited to be introduced to new cuisines. There is a large Asian influence on the Gold Coast, so we enjoyed trying out the Thai, Chinese and Japanese restaurants in our new neighborhood. Suddenly our cultural cuisine had escalated. I remember my son Liam (who was 9 years old at the time) coming home from school and telling us that he’d had sushi at school, a food that I’d barely heard of then, but now enjoy. To this day one of my favorite foods is sushi, and my daughter agrees. We always plump for the tuna dishes with lots of soy sauce!

One weekend in the month, Jessica and I have a baking weekend. We spend most of the day in the kitchen, and bake goodies such as pasties, cheesecake, and caramel slices. We don our pinnies to look the part – I have a Welsh dragon on mine, and Jessica has a frilly pink one – so cute! We look at different recipes online, and this weekend it’s going to be apple crumble and custard, and a nice savory beef pie. For St David’s Day a few weeks ago (March 1st) we made Welsh cakes which were eaten 10 mins flat.

Food is a pleasure when things are ‘right’ in the world, and a comfort when things go ‘wrong.’ A world without food would be a very desolate place indeed. It is a main part of the way we socialize, communicate and share our emotions. It has gone way beyond the notion of ‘eating to survive,’ in a physical sense, but is an integral part of our emotional existence too.

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