2021 - Chat about whatever you like: the weather, good stuff, bad stuff, family or pets!

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Wonderful! How is he getting home Marianne?

[Marianne]

Brenda wrote: "Wonderful! How is he getting home Marianne?"

A friend is driving me up there to collect him. Not a drive I'd want to make on my own: navigating, parking, collecting him, I'd be a bit of a wreck.

[Dale]

Marianne wrote: "Dale wrote: "No reviews still from me ( unless you count one sentence a review} for quite a while as still sorting out health issues."
Dale, nothing at all wrong with a one-line review.
Hope thing..."
That is great news to hear. Thrilled for both of you Marianne

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Marianne wrote: "Brenda wrote: "Wonderful! How is he getting home Marianne?"

A friend is driving me up there to collect him. Not a drive I'd want to make on my own: navigating, parking, collecting him, I'd be a bi..."

I wondered if he might be going home by ambulance. That would be ideal. Good luck with the pick up tomorrow and I completely understand. I'm the same in Sydney!!

[Dale]

Helen wrote: "Fabulous news Marianne"

Trish wrote: "Dale wrote: "No reviews still from me ( unless you count one sentence a review} for quite a while as still sorting out health issues."

Dale, as much we all love our reading, sometimes it does beco..."
Thanks Helen, Sharon, Phrynne, Diana, Trish and Marianne. Thanks so much for your kind thoughts and good wishes. Good to know a one line will fill the bill till things change .

[Trish]

Happy for you both Marianne.

[Marianne]

Brenda wrote: "Marianne wrote: "Brenda wrote: "Wonderful! How is he getting home Marianne?"

A friend is driving me up there to collect him. Not a drive I'd want to make on my own: navigating, parking, collecting
I wondered if he might be going home by ambulance. That would be ideal. ..."

I agree that would have been ideal, or patient transport, but not to be. Luckily a friend offered to drive up and collect him.

[Dale]

Marianne wrote: "Brenda wrote: "Marianne wrote: "Brenda wrote: "Wonderful! How is he getting home Marianne?"

A friend is driving me up there to collect him. Not a drive I'd want to make on my own: navigating, park..."

What a blessing to have a good friend to help.

[Sharon]

That’s great news that hubby is coming home, Marianne. Having a friend pick him up must also be a load off your mind.

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Marianne wrote: "Brenda wrote: "Marianne wrote: "Brenda wrote: "Wonderful! How is he getting home Marianne?"

A friend is driving me up there to collect him. Not a drive I'd want to make on my own: navigating, park..."

Yes they don't easily give patient transport away - we had the same problem with my hubby.

[Carolyn]

Marianne wrote: "Dale wrote: "No reviews still from me ( unless you count one sentence a review} for quite a while as still sorting out health issues."
Dale, nothing at all wrong with a one-line review.
Hope thing..."

Excellent news Marianne! Good to hear he's doing well. I hope you're all set to pamper him after such an experience.
Great that you have someone to take you to pick him up. I live in Sydney but avoid driving anywhere close to the city - too confusing and parking is a nightmare!

[Marianne]

Carolyn wrote: "Marianne wrote: "Dale wrote: "No reviews still from me ( unless you count one sentence a review} for quite a while as still sorting out health issues."
Dale, nothing at all wrong with a one-line re
I live in Sydney but avoid driving anywhere close to the city - too confusing and parking is a nightmare!..."

Carolyn I take public transport up there whenever I can, but that wasn't an option in this case.
Anyway, home now. He was totally exhausted by the drive, had a cup of tea like any good Pommy, then a two-hour nap.

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Glad he's home safely Marianne - it's a long drive at any time, let alone after major surgery!

[Dale]

Marianne wrote: "Carolyn wrote: "Marianne wrote: "Dale wrote: "No reviews still from me ( unless you count one sentence a review} for quite a while as still sorting out health issues."
Dale, nothing at all wrong wi..."

I can imagine. Well,at least he is now home and can recover.

[Sharon]

Sad to hear the passing of Wilbur Smith aged 88. I’ve not read his books, but I know many have. RIP Wilbur.

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Wilbur Smith was a very prolific author - thanks for letting us know Sharon. He'll be sadly missed :(

[Deb]

I just had a glance over the 2021 GR Choice Awards. I found it a very disappointing selection. Kind of fifty shades of meh, almost whole medium American as far as I can see.
Did anyone here do better with that selection than I did?

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

I managed four out of the whole lot Deborah - typical of every year. Goodness knows who chooses the books!!

[Em__Jay]

Deborah wrote: "I just had a glance over the 2021 GR Choice Awards. I found it a very disappointing selection. Kind of fifty shades of meh, almost whole medium American as far as I can see.
Did anyone here do bett..."

I also found the choices underwhelming.

[Helen]

I found three that I had read

[Dale]

Brenda wrote: "I managed four out of the whole lot Deborah - typical of every year. Goodness knows who chooses the books!!"

I couldn’t do better than four either.

[Sharon]

Oh dear I only managed two out of the whole lot. I’m obviously been reading the wrong books this years lol 😂

[Deb]

Yup, considering how much we read, between the lot of us, that is a pretty dull selection. I had not even heard of most of them (maybe four or five), only read two - neither of which were worth voting for.

[Diana]

😂 I only had one I wanted to vote for (it was my best book of the year) but voted for two as my sister’s best book was in another category and I doubt she’ll vote.

[Trish]

Only 2 for me 😏

[Phrynne, Series Queen!]

Only two for me too and considering how many books I read that is pretty poor!

[Marianne]

So many great books from this year aren't there to choose from...

[Dale]

Hope your husband is recovering well at home, Marianne.

[Andrea]

Surprisingly I have read 3, and there are a handful of others on my TBR. But nothing I felt compelled to vote for.

[Carolyn]

I was also disappointed with this years choices, especially the main Fiction shortlist. I voted in a couple of categories but some of the books I had read, I didn't want to vote for.

[Zoey]

Agree, very underwhelming choices and what happened to the feature where you could write in your own choice in the first round??

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Zoey wrote: "Agree, very underwhelming choices and what happened to the feature where you could write in your own choice in the first round??"

Yes that vanished this year Zoey!!

[Marianne]

Dale wrote: "Hope your husband is recovering well at home, Marianne."

Thanks Dale, taking it one day at a time. Rehab starts next week, He's sleeping a lot...

[Dale]

Marianne wrote: "Dale wrote: "Hope your husband is recovering well at home, Marianne."

Thanks Dale, taking it one day at a time. Rehab starts next week, He's sleeping a lot..."

Sleep is restorative.

[Krystal]

Deborah wrote: "I just had a glance over the 2021 GR Choice Awards. I found it a very disappointing selection. Kind of fifty shades of meh, almost whole medium American as far as I can see.
Did anyone here do bett..."

At a glance, I don't think I've read a single one this year! Really frustrates me that it's so skewed towards the American reading community. :(

[Diana]

Thought you all might interested to know that the book Marianne features in Kitchen Sink Drama by Paul Connolly is a recommended companion text for the Victorian Association of Teachers of English for 2022. I hope you don’t mind Marianne but I shared your story with our English faculty to encourage them to use the book.

[Marianne]

Diana wrote: "Thought you all might interested to know that the book Marianne features in Kitchen Sink Drama by Paul Connolly is a recommended companion text for the Victorian Ass..."

LOL, Diana, I love it!

[Diana]

I had a sick day today (use it or lose it policy) and ‘attended’ two sessions of the Sydney Crime Writers Festival. The sessions I attended were Garry Disher and Jack Beaumont. Especially excited for Jack Beaumont’s second novel that he is working on.

[Carolyn]

I also 'attended' the Sydney Crime Festival by Zoom yesterday - a session on Forensic fingerprinting with two forensic scientists, one who has worked for the AFP and another one with Ber Carroll, Catherine Jinks and Sarah Barrie. Both very interesting.

[Marianne]

I worked as an election official yesterday at my local polling booth and, unlike last time for the Federal election, this was managed by two super-organised women: everything ran smoothly, we got regular breaks and the whole team did a good job. It no doubt helped that pre=poll voting and iVote had been available for two weeks prior, so it wasn't so hectic. And most people had their phones out, ready to QR code in, we're all so well-trained now...

When we finished sorting the ballot papers in preparation to count before 7pm, we were told that that task was meant to be finished by 8.30pm, and counting by 10.30pm. We were finished counting and all packed up by 8.30: early mark for efficiency!

[Sharon]

My Goodreads Challenge completed. 120 books read in 2021 😊🥳👏

https://www.goodreads.com/challenges/...

[Dale]

Congratulations Sharon. Some good reads there.

[Sharon]

Thank you Dale. Yes it been a great reading year and still a few weeks to go 😊

[Phrynne, Series Queen!]

Well done Sharon:)

[Helen]

Fabulous Sharon congrats

[Karren]

Well done Sharon.

[Karren]

The Winter Rose by Melanie Dobson and my latest review.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Sharon]

Thank you, Phrynne, Helen and Karren. 😊

[Carolyn]

Congratulations Sharon!

[Sharon]

Thank you, Carolyn. 😊