Sue Jackson - Therapist, Trainer, Writer

Intensive start to the new year.

2012-01-24T15:28:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR! or FELIX ANO NUEVO! as we say in the Spanish Intensive course that I have been sweltering through the last several evenings.

As I have mentioned before I normally attend a wonderful Spanish conversation class on a Wednesday evening at the Brunswick Neighbourhood House, and have been doing so for the last 18 months or so. Group members are a fascinating bunch who have travelled, studied or worked in Spanish-speaking countries as well as having studied Spanish in formal settings locally. So I am frequently out of my depth in their company and struggle to keep my head above water.

What I thought would be a great idea was to sign up at a Language School for a Spanish grammar intensive over the quieter period in mid-January, so that when we resume conversing at the Neighbourhood House at the beginning of February I might be slightly better equipped to hold my own. That was the plan.

Unfortunately, one thing I hadn't realised is that it is a long time since I have done any academic language study, in fact not since French in first year Uni. The text books have changed utterly. They are much more attractive, but obviously owe lots to the youth-driven communication revolution. It has taken a huge amount of effort for me to figure out how to understand their instructions, especially of course because they are all written in Spanish. One of my class mates - a sweet girl about to go into Year 12 - finds the texts a breeze as she uses similar ones all the time at school. Fortunately, she lets me copy.

Something else I am realising belatedly is that an 'intensive' conducted from 6-9pm inevitably carries over into bed time. Last night I rolled around in bed intensely for hours, not counting sheep but revolutions of the ceiling fan, all in Spanish of course.

One of the other reasons I am motivated to improve my Spanish is that I would love to visit Cuba, and soon. It is changing rapidly. Apparently in the last couple of months, for the first time ever, it has become legal for people to sell their property. Before long, as is the case for Canadians, Cuba will no doubt be the number 1 travel destination for Americans. I would love to experience it before that happens...

Speaking of Cuba, I was delighted to have an article on international urban farming (which is integral to Cuban food production) published in the most recent issue of The Big Issue. They re-named it 'Spades and the City', which is a very direct way of 'sexing it up', I guess. Then Alan Atwood, the editor, contacted me last week. He asked my permission to offer the article to something called the International Network of Street Papers, which he suggested means it 'might be read from Boston to Botswana'. I couldn't say 'yes' fast enough. In fact I only just restrained an 'ole'.

Happy Happy Christmas

2011-12-21T15:28:00.000-08:00

I admit it; I'm a Christmas nut. I don't mean I'm totally undiscriminating.

There are rituals like sending cards that I dumped years back, and re-gifted, re-cycled, home-made and re-directed presents generally take pride of place at our celebrations. Although there was one year when I exclusively gave people cows or ducks for recipients in the majority world when the grateful smiles were a bit forced. Except for our brother-in-law that is. He is a plumber and said that 'his' toilet in an Indian village was the best present he had ever received. But there are some rituals I do love.

We always buy the tree early so we have more days pre-Christmas to wake up to that unmistakable piney fragrance. I know I shouldn't have a live tree but it's one sacrifice I can't quite make, at least not yet.

Over the years the kids and I have always decorated the tree together, amidst lots of disputatious hilarity. The photos taken on the day capture that along with the growing up of family members - them not me. As this is the last time I am likely to have a 'child' left at home to help me, there was a particular bitter sweetness to the experience this year.

As always in pride of place atop our tree is a small bird which started life beautifully coiffed, with impeccable, eminently stroke-able red plumage. However over time it started looking as if it had attended one too many festive season celebration; it was ageing dis-gracefully rather than gracefully. So a few years back Alix decided the time had come for a total make-over.

He carefully painted the bird in Em's bright red nail polish, so that the tatty thinning feathers morphed into a gleaming form-fitting body suit. Eat your heart out John Travolta. Our made-over bird is a disco queen, with eyes raised heavenwards towards the great disco ball in the sky. S/he is always the last ornament we place on the tree and as we do so the band strikes up for one of our family's favourite times of year.

I wish you joy over Christmas if you celebrate it and if you don't, paraphrasing the wonderful John Ralston Saul, President of International PEN: I wish you peace and harmony at the beginning of the Roman calendar's new year.

Hip Hip Hooray! Happy birthday to me!

2011-11-09T18:41:00.000-08:00

What a week! Thank you Senate, for choosing the eve of my birthday to pass the clean energy bill. I needed no champagne to get high this year; I was so elated that I even forgot to stress about getting older.

Congratulations to all, including the parliamentarians, but particularly the thousands and thousands of us ordinary Australians who have done our bit to bring about this outcome. It was great to hear from Adam Bandt who credits our electorate, which returned him as the first Greens member of the House of Reps, with leading the way into the future. As a long-term Greens supporter, it doesn't get better that this.

I'd like to sign off with some comments that Al Gore, who deserves lots of credit himself, sent to the ACF among others -

I’ve spent enough time in Australia to know that your spirit of independence as a people cannot be underestimated. This motivation, this incredible energy, is what has powered you to victory. There is no doubt in my mind that your work made the passing of this legislation possible.

Of course, our efforts do not end here. This victory will be tested; it will be pushed and pulled and twisted by those very interests you have triumphed over. We need to keep up our work as concerned citizens and activists.
Today, we celebrate. Tomorrow, we do everything we can to make this legislation successful.

Multi-tasking: Bring it on!

2011-09-28T17:31:00.000-07:00

Community activist and gardener extraordinaire, Alby Clark

I had a revelation recently. I have been writing for Earth Garden Publications for some time now about urban farming and other aspects of sustainability. Even though EG had always insisted on high quality photos to accompany articles, I was in the habit of paying scant attention to them, seeing the photos as mere 'add-ons' to the writing, after-thoughts that I often had to remind myself to even take. But slowly, the realisation began to dawn - photos were increasingly integral to EG and other publications. The time had come to lift my game.

If I'd required further convincing, the need became starkly evident a fortnight ago when I visited the Collingwood Housing Estate to interview the inspiring resident and Yarra Council Sustainability Award winner Alby Clark. Attempting to take photos and talk to Alby at the same time, I got into such a tangle that I dropped my notebook into the garden. He ended up having to retrieve it, and carry the camera - so much for my professional image!

Fortunately, only days later, my friend, Ponch Hawkes, who over the years has often saved my bacon, stepped in. Ponch, who is a renowned photographer, suggested I attend a talk by Alan Attwood, editor of The Big Issue and a keen photographer, one Saturday morning at the New North Gallery in Fairfield.

The audience was packed with photographers keen to make themselves more marketable by learning how to write words to accompany their pictures. I, of course, was coming from the opposite direction, wanting to learn how to take half-decent photos to enhance my articles.

Reflecting on his 30 year career, Alan said that when he started out as a journalist, he was always accompanied on assignments by a photographer. He felt it could almost have turned into an industrial issue had he attempted to take a photo himself. But these days, with budgetary cuts all around - even Obama's travelling media roadshow is a shadow of its former self - if journalists want photos, they frequently have to take them themselves. Everybody is multi-tasking. In fact one person in the audience, currently studying photojournalism, said that today's students are required to be equally adept at writing, photography and videoing.

Although I can never imagine developing proficiency as a video journalist, I felt inspired by the seminar to improve my photography skills. I was also grateful for a simple tip of Alan's. He has found that it works best to clearly divide up the time spent with a subject. First do the interview and then take the photos - if only I had known that when I visited Alby.

I have been writing steadily over the last little while. Ponch kindly took some wonderful photos to accompany my article 'High Density Honey', which appeared in the Spring edition of Earth Garden magazine. (I wish I had the technological know-how to reproduce them here, but perhaps one day...) The article featured a young couple, Ross Waller and Nicola Patron, who are producing their own honey and keeping quails in inner-city Melbourne.

Luckily, in that I had taken no suitable photos while in Spain, another recently-published article 'Lapsed and Loving it', about falling under the spell of Spanish Catholicism, that appeared in the Travel section of The Australian a fortnight ago, didn't require them.

And at the top of this post I have included a picture I took of Alby that accompanies the article 'Flourishing Against the Odds' recently submitted to Earth Garden magazine.

But from now on for me, it's practise, practise, practise.

Dark pleasures

2011-08-10T18:43:00.000-07:00

I have just emerged from two feral weeks down the Melbourne International Film Festival rabbit hole. I saw some whacky and wonderful films and just love the whole experience: the chance to immerse myself, virtually, in other cultures without the cost, angst or in some cases the danger of actually having to travel there; the sense of being in the midst of usually packed audiences of people who share a passion for 'art house' films; the insanity of choosing to spend glorious Spring-like days hunkered down inside; and even the red-eyed decantation into the twilit city and stumble to the tram stop after a day's over indulgence in dark pleasures. Bring it on - I feel very grateful that this opportunity comes around annually, as it has for the past sixty years.

I had my favourites:

Life in a Day, a distillation of film taken by people across the globe on a single day in July last year, was intensely moving and amazing, not least because of the speed of its post production, which enabled such an ambitious project to be aired in less than a year.

Foreign Parts was uber confronting as it trawled through the daily lives of a marginalised community of auto workers and their families living in a streets-wide junkyard in the shadow of New York's multi-million dollar state-of-the-art new stadium. With its pot-holed streets, predominance of Spanish speakers, homeless occupants and blighted buildings, for the first ten minutes I misunderstood and thought I was looking at an impoverished area of Puerto Rico. I have never before seen a film devoted exclusively to investigating the underclass in one of the world's richest countries, and their resilience, care for each other and attachment to their community was extremely moving.

The Hungry Tide, by veteran film maker Tom Zybrycki, who both introduced the film and participated in a Q & A afterwards, is the film I am hoping to write an article about. It follows Maria Tiimon, an environmental activist from Kiribati currently based in Sydney, as she struggles to alert the world to the devastating impact of climate change on her Pacific homeland. Maria was part of the Pacific delegation to Copenhagen, where she argued passionately (to small audiences) that climate change is fundamentally an issue of social justice. The film addresses the hard question of relocation, what it means to individuals and communities and the inevitable grief and loss of culture and identity it entails. Although President Anote Tong argues for ‘up-skilling’ and the advantages of experiencing other cultures, Kiribati workers who travel to Australia’s Robinvale pick almonds on huge farms by day, return to their isolated housing at night and have no real contact with locals. Forget the fact and figures, the generalisations and the political wrangles, the human face of climate change is unashamedly what this documentary is about, and it captures it brilliantly.

You can see why I don't need to travel all the way to Queensland to escape Melbourne's cold hard winters!

Inching into the 21st century

2011-07-15T03:53:00.000-07:00

Over the last few weeks, thanks to my kids, I have acquired a new g-mail address plus an i-Phone on which I can viber and skype. So what? I hear those of you - seemingly the majority - who are technologically well-endowed, retort.

You have to understand that for years I have even resisted owning a mobile, so for me these acquisitions are monumental. I'm still tentative, haven't got the hang of things completely, but my skills increase, if minutely, day by day. And last week, as I registered all the films I'd booked at the Melbourne International Film Festival on my iPhone, obviating the need for paper tickets, and later, initiated an interview via skype for an article I was writing, I felt very pleased with myself. There must be a downside to being more techno-savvy - after all, there is to everything - but I've yet to discover it.

Apart from playing with my iPhone, I've also been busy writing over past weeks. The interviewee I skyped was no other than the renowned film maker, Helena Norberg Hodge, whose wonderful documentary 'The Economics of Happiness' is currently screening around Australia. I managed to see it at a local bar/cinema with a group of food swap friends, and subsequently wrote an article about it What the happiness balance sheet looks like for new matilda. Check it out and don't miss the discussion afterwards.

En mi casa

2011-06-12T21:32:00.000-07:00

The view of the Los Picos mountains from our hotel, Posada del Valle

Segovia's Roman Aqueduct

Hola!

We have been back from Spain for a full 2 weeks now and the smell of paella and orange blossom is fading a little, though not entirely. That is one of the frustrations of travel, you can bring back images, but the wonderful sounds, like the church bells and cow bells and the sharp rat-a-tat-tats of the storks of Northern Spain and the evocative smells like orange blossoms, paella and even Barcelona's eau de drains aren't transportable. I just wish they were, although on second thoughts, I'm happy to leave the drains behind. I'll never forget the fragrance of the huge waxy clusters of cream flowers (below) surrounding Segovia's magical Arabic Alcazar, the prototype for Walt Disney's Fantasyland castle. I didn't recognise the tree, so if you do, I'd love to hear from you.

The Alcazar in Segovia

Particularly because the white history of Australia is so very short, I can never get over the sheer length of time that people have been going about their business in Europe. One evening we sat to the left of the 2000 year old aqueduct (the one you can see at the top of this post) - I was too scared to sit underneath in case it chose that night to fall down - drinking our vino tinto and savouring our tapas and watching the swallows swooping between the arches and the storks flying overhead. I could almost hear the marching feet and clinking breast plates of the Roman legionnaires who could have winked at us as they passed.

We spent almost a whole week drinking in the sights at the World Heritage Los Picos mountains. Spring is absolutely the time to visit Spain, when the hedgerows are full of briar roses, wild irises and elder flowers and the bees are wild with buzzing energy. We stayed at a hotel on an organic farm, called Posada del Valle, where they breed local threatened species of sheep and produce most of the food served at the hotel themselves. Highly recommended.

That's enough for today. The only thing I don't miss about Spain is the very late evening meal. 'I get too hungry for dinner at 8', let alone 10, so I'd better start thinking about cooking now. And by the way, thanks Peter for the great photos, which you may have noticed I have now learned to incorporate in my blog.

Hasta la vista!

Adios!

2011-04-27T20:49:00.000-07:00

It's a glorious autumn day, just perfect for drying those last stubborn items of clothing to be rolled and packed in my suitcase. Because on Domingo (Sunday to you non-Spanish speakers) we are heading off for a month in northern Spain. We've been slogging away at Spanish conversation for over a year now, as is no doubt obvious from my effortless use of complicated words like Domingo.

Storks roosting in Medieval chimneys, which you see best from a tower in Caceres built by Muslim craftsmen, the famous Roman aqueduct at Segovia, the charms of Santiago de Compostela and the port town nearby from which Christopher Columbus headed out to the New World, walking in the World Heritage Los Picos mountains, while staying at a boutique hotel whose owner we are assured is Basil Fawlty's double, a visit to the crazy museum of the weird and wonderful Salvadore Dali and the Basque delights of the Peggy Guggenheim museum - and these are only the things we know about!

I have no prescribed writing agenda this time, which makes me feel particularly free. It doesn't mean of course that I won't be writing while I'm there; no doubt it will prove irresistible.

I wish you all more of these gorgeous autumn days and the leisure to savour them. Hasta luego!

A hive of activity

2011-03-05T17:32:00.000-08:00

The last few weeks have been particuarly productive ones for me.

I have had an article on food swaps - 'One Good Turn-ip Deserves Another' published in the latest Earth Garden Magazine and another on permacultural responses to pesky possums - 'Possum Magic' - featured in the biannual book Back Yard Farmer put out by Earth Garden Books. To learn more about where you can get copies click here.

I have also had an article on the world-wide bees crisis published in The Big Issue. To learn more about The Big Issue click here.

All of a sudden there seems to be lots of publisher interest in pieces on environmental themes. I must have read five articles on bees alone in the newspaper over the last few weeks. Clearly the Zeitgeist is changing rapidly; maybe we will be able to adapt quickly enough to avert disaster after all.

Keeping hope on the menu

2011-02-16T16:52:00.000-08:00

The State election seems ancient history now and you all know what happened. Cattle are already back grazing in the high country, chomping and stamping to their hearts' content. It is hard to think about anything but the environment and the climate, when one climatic catastrophe after another wracks our country. It is so unpredictable - a mere 2 years ago we Melbournians were terrified for our rural neighbours as fires raged; now we fret as their lives and homes are destroyed by floods. And that's just Victoria.

Climatic disasters are escalating world-wide and yet still our leaders fiddle while we burn. I wake up some mornings in despair about their short-sightedness and idiocy. And then I give myself a shake and remind myself of all my buddies in the food security network, who are working so hard to change things, and I start writing another article...

I have a piece on food swaps ('One Good Turn-ip Deserves Another') coming out in the next edition of Earth Garden. And there are two more under consideration. The first is a report on an amazing local bicycles advocate who, with the permission of his Body Corporate and help from friends and neighbours, recently transformed his unused car space into a tiny piece of Eden. The other is an investigation of the global bees crisis. It feels good to be doing my small bit to get the environmental message out there.

Of course the other thing that feels good is contact with my buddies. Yesterday I made pots of glorious beetroot chutney for home consumption, and gifts, with my friend Anne. Tonight another friend, Judy, has opted to celebrate her birthday here with me as chef. Guess what her present will be?

This morning, as I assembled the meal, I realised what a story of support, generosity and sharing it tells. The eggs for the frittata were donated by my sister Jude, who lives on a bush block north of Bendigo. Anne gave me silver beet and basil to enhance the chicken. And the plums for the piece de resistance - the birthday cake - I got at the last food swap. No wonder I enjoyed doing the preparation; I had my gang all around me in the kitchen.

And one of that gang, Grace McCall, someone I haven't yet met, is interviewing me tomorrow for her new blog. Share the grub.com, dedicated to 'ordinary communities living a little more sustainably', is brimming with great recipes and photos. Check it out.

Then there is next Monday to look forward to. That's when Michael Reynolds, the visionary American architect, will be talking to a sell-out audience, including me (I got the last ticket!), at Ceres. Michael has been building 'earthships', completely self sustaining homes made entirely with recycled materials, for over 30 years now. Taos New Mexico, where he lives, features many of his amazing creations, made from things like bottles and cans and used tyres covered with rammed earth. The houses look spectacular and as they capture all their own energy and water, require no auxillary services. I can feel another article coming on...

Elections and ascensions

2010-11-11T14:36:00.000-08:00

Last time I wrote we were on the edge of a Federal election, and soon it's the (Victorian) State's turn. What exciting times we have had over the last months. From my point of view as a Green, the outcome couldn't have been better. What a thrill it was to see Adam Bandt taking his seat in Parliament. There are bound to be contentious times ahead, but so be it - at least there is a chance now for the important issues to remain on the radar.

Personally, I have been having a good time with my writing. After a lot of effort - opportunities for free lancers seem to be disappearing in the conventional print media - I had my Flamenco piece published in 'The Australian'. The inaugural 'City Permaculture' put out by Earth Garden includes my article on guerilla gardens (with photos). A piece on the wonderful Indian environmental activist, Vandana Shiva, and her views on the Murray Darling Basin conflict appeared on new matilda's website on Wednesday. And an article on Burma and the plight of Burmese journalists under the current regime, stimulated by the film 'Burma VJ', will appear in the next Pen newsletter. You can check all these out soon in the 'writing' section, as Luke is about to update this website as part of my birthday present. Thank you Luke!

I often think how lucky I am not to have to write for a living. It means I'm free to explore what I like, at a pace that suits me. And when I feel the urge I can abandon writing altogether and just hang out in the garden.

Which is looking lush at the moment, full of burgeoning veggies, thanks to all this wonderful rain. The vines are circling the pergola posts with abandon and the broad beans seem to shoot up between breakfast and dinner time. I've had to stake them back firmly or they'd be knocking at the front door,Triffid-like. Jhonan loves it all. As soon as he arrives, he makes a bee-line for the garden. Probably to him it seems like a real spacious farm.

Since our trip to Spain and in anticipation of another trip next year - yippee - I have been throwing myself into learning Spanish. There is a great conversation class on Wednesday evenings at our neighbourhood house. My sister, Jane, is a founder member and it is a terrific group. We are a very diverse bunch and we have a lot of laughs trying to communicate. Fortunately there is always plenty of vino to aid disinhibition. I'm the dunce, but what I figure is - for me, the only way is up.

Backwards to the Future - no thanks!

2010-08-18T17:20:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday at the Walk against Warming rally, you could have found us, along with several hundred other crazies, struggling to avoid the puddles and each others' toes, as we walked backwards en masse across Melbourne's City Square. This exercise was designed to symbolise that even in the face of the global climate crisis and with a mere week until the Federal Election, the two major parties are still determined to lead Australia backwards. No wonder the Walk against Warming's catchcry is 'We're doing our bit on climate change. It's time for our leaders to do theirs'.

And ordinary people are doing much more than their bit. Last weekend, thousands of volunteers hand-delivered leaflets outlining the respective stances on climate change of the Coalition, Labor and the Greens to letterboxes across Australia. No prizes for guessing whose proposed policies came out on top. But despite that, rally organisers were determined not to give up on the Coalition or Labor, but instead to continue exhorting them to change their policies right up until the eleventh hour.

It is particularly nerve-wracking and exciting at the moment to be living in the electorate of Melbourne because Adam Bandt has a real chance of being returned as the first ever Greens member of the House of Representatives. The Greens calculate that it would require only one in ten Labor supporters to change their vote for this to happen.

Wandering around our neighbourhood, which admittedly is the Greens' bastion - Yarra Council appointed the first ever Australian Greens mayor a couple of years back - I'd estimate Greens placards in shop windows and front gardens are running at about double those of Labor. And I haven't spotted a single one for the Liberals. We can but hope.

Yesterday I watched Cate Blanchett's 'call to action' on a very uplifting video, produced by the Australian Conservation Foundation. Outlining the necessity for Australia to become a trailblazer in the production of clean energy she concluded: 'If we don't speak up, who will?' Go Cate!

I intend to hunker down in front of the TV this weekend, with football the last thing on my mind. If you are inclined to pray, now is the time.

Home again, home again

2010-06-16T17:41:00.000-07:00

Spain is wonderful.
For a start, the food was fabulous, particularly once we discovered that selecting tavernas where the menu was displayed only in Spanish meant the other patrons were likely to be locals and the atmosphere authentic. Our very first night in Barcelona was a prime example.
As we weren't there in high season, the taverna's owner was delighted to sit and chat with us in Spenglish. On his advice, we opted for the menu dia, which included, for Peter, tortellini bolognese, followed by eggs on a sizzling platter with salami and potatoes and for me, avocado salad then squid decorated with tiny octopus and rice. We finished with the most delicious tart lemon sorbet. The menu dia included a bottle of local red wine. We also had tea and coffee and complimentary locally-made apple liqueur and the whole bill came to the equivalent of $25 a head.
We were seated next to Sergio, a flamenco guitarist and cat lover, who sang beautifully in 5 languages and chatted with us during his breaks. Even though that was only night one, we felt the trip had already been worth the ordeal of the plane flight.
Here are Peter's comments on other highlights -
In Barcelona - 'Today we went to the Picasso museum, located in five medieval houses.The collection is mostly his early work and his wonderful ceramics were also on show. As well there was an intriguing video presentation showing how Picasso used Velasquez's group masterpiece of the Spanish Infanta as the basis for his own compositions.

The day before yesterday - May Day - was Gaudi day. We visited the famous Sagrada Familia, the Parc Guel, where Gaudi made his home, the apartment block La Pedrera and the Casa Battlo. All are beautiful and amazingly quirky.

We find we are using heaps of our Spanish, such as it is. The only problem is that Barcelona is Catelan country and lots of signs, menus and directions are in Catelan.'
In Toledo - 'We are in one of the strongholds of the knights templar who emerged during the crusades and became the unofficial police force around this Don Quixote region. All armour and crossbows and very da Vinci Code. Yesterday, we explored their keep and even their dungeons. I wanted Sue to try out the rack, but she wouldn´t be in it.
The whole city is replete with ancient buildings, with turrets and battlements. It´s very steep because of having been built on a hilltop.There are also lots of synagogues and mosques blending in with the visigoth and christian sites. Enough travelogue - last night in a taverna the bullfights were on TV above our heads as we ate. The bulls won 2 to 1 and the toreadors´ outfits looked stunning - at least before the fights.'
In Seville - 'Flamenco. We have learned that it`s more than just a dance - it is the soul of this region. The people from the flamenco museum have been incredibly helpful and we have learnt a lot. It helps to share their passion and to be writing about it. We are going for our own flamenco lessons tomorrow, and fortunately we now know that flamenco is not only for glamorous exhibiition dancers but for social dancing for all ages and shapes and sizes. That lets us in - especially after all the tapas and vino tinto.'
In Granada - 'We have just come back from a restaurant in the old muslim quarter that looks across the Rio Darro valley to the Alhambra fortress, which is lit by floodlights, and is probalby one of the most spectacular views in the world. The fortress is over a thousand years old and it was the last of the muslim strongholds to fall to the Christian Spanish in 1492. Quite a spectacular backdrop for chomping on your steak and chips - not that we would eat such things. Spanish fries are not great - the only thing they cook badly.'

All I can add is 'hasta pronto!'.

Vamos a l'Espagne!

2010-04-24T22:00:00.000-07:00

We leave tomorrow for Barcelona.

I can finally say that with a degree of confidence. Iceland has had us up in the air - unlike many others - for weeks. But flights are now apparently pretty much back to normal, at least on the route we are taking.

I'm fundamentally a home-body, so I'm beginning to experience the old familiar pre-trip cocktail - two parts excitement to one part anxiety, with a twist of anticipatory home-sickness. I just hope I return in a month stirred, but not shaken.

Peter and I had great fun doing the research for some travel article pitches. I hope they give you a sense of some of the many things that draw us to this fascinating country.

1. Gorgeous Gaudi

Visionary, vegetarian, Catalan nationalist and a local hero who was left to die in the street, Antoni Gaudi’s life was full of enigmas and contradictions. But the legacy he left is irrefutable. We will be crisscrossing Barcelona in Gaudi’s footsteps, visiting the streetlamps, parks, buildings and iconic unfinished Sagrada Familia church that he worked on for 30 years. Hopefully in the process we will learn more about the man, the architect and his unique contribution.

2. The Strawberry Train (Tren de la Fresa)
Every spring since the early 20th century the antique Mikado steam train has pulled out of Madrid’s Atocha station taking members of the royal family to Palacio Royal in Aranjuez to escape the heat. The train acquired its name from the family’s habit of whiling away the travel time sampling the region’s earliest strawberries. And that’s exactly what we’ll be doing, attended by staff in period costumes, serving the delectable fruit on silver trays – at least that’s what we’ve been told. Arriving in Aranjuez, we will spend our time wandering through the palace and gardens, just like the royals.
3. The More-ish Moors
Toledo’s famous Balal Madar gate, the various Al Cazars, Cordoba’s gorgeous tiled patios and Mezquita, Granada’s Arabic baths, its world-famous Alhambra and the Al Bayzin, the old Muslim quarter where we will be staying – we aim to steep ourselves in Moorish culture and will be keen to tell all.
4. So you think you can dance – Flamenco
Imagine - two mad keen Latin dance enthusiasts on the loose in the home of Flamenco. We are determined to track down flamenco for afficiandos in the crooked alleys of Al Bayzin, Granada’s Muslim quarter, in Madrid and in Seville’s Los Gallos, renowned for its dark, passionate atmosphere. No promises, but we may even be tempted to give it a go.
5. The thriller that is Spain
Visigoths, Romans, Muslims, Jews, Christians – all have fought and plotted and struggled to control parts of this wonderful country, leaving their indelible marks seared into the landscape and towns. We will be sifting through the remains and exploring the wonderful melting pot of what was and is Spain.
6. Tilting in La Mancha
Rich in castles and ancient windmills, Toledo and Madrid are key towns in Castilla – La Mancha, the heartland of the world’s favourite nutty knight, Don Quixote. We follow in his footsteps, and in the process hope to tilt at a few windmills of our own.
7. Welcome to Madrid’s Sobrino de Botin – the oldest restaurant in the world.
Established in 1725, today’s patrons can dine on specialties that have changed little over the past three centuries. The restaurant’s suckling pig and roast lamb have delighted generations of writers and film makers, who have featured the restaurant in their works about Madrid. It’s amazing to think that Hemingway may have been musing on ‘The Sun also Rises’ as he tucked into his pork at our very table.
8. Picasso
Barcelona’s renowned Picasso museum, composed of 5 adjoining medieval stone mansions, is home to numerous works particularly from the earlier periods of the artist’s life. We will be staying just around the corner and would be keen to report on the experience of seeing lesser known Picassos ‘in bulk’ in this exceptional setting.
9. El Greco’s Toledo
Toledo, described by Lonely Planet as an ‘open air museum of medieval buildings and cultural sites’ is where El Greco made his home. The city is peppered with works by its most famous son, who died there in 1614. We will be on a quest to track down his works and to understand why he called Toledo home.
10. Ancient Italica
Move over Pompeii, Spain’s wonderful Italica has it all. Founded in 206BC, this site, situated 6 kilometres north-west of Seville, features a huge ampitheatre, broad paved streets, a theatre and several houses with gorgeous mosaics. No wonder the second century AD emperors, Trajan and Hadrian, made it their home. We look forward to visiting the best known Roman ruins in Spain.
11. Concurso de patios Cordobeses
Every year scores of beautiful private courtyards in Cordoba are open to the public for two weeks only in May. These ancient patios have a unique charm. Many of them were built by the Romans and modified later by the Arabs to include fountains, Islamic tiles and engravings. They provide a direct link to the past and the rich cultural mix that is Spain. We are keen to report on the experience of visiting them and, hopefully, meeting with some of their current-day owners.

The pitch that appealed to our magazine of choice was number 4. They want an article on Flamenco, on the proviso that Peter and I take lessons while we are there. So we've enrolled at a dance school in Seville, and Peter is trying hard to grow a pony tail.

Hasta luego.

Happy New Year

2010-02-22T23:29:00.000-08:00

I hope the new year is off to a great start for you. Ours has been transformed by baby grandson Jhonan's presence. It is amazing watching his curiosity - those tiny wide-open eyes taking in absolutely everything. We have all fallen totally in love.

Recently I was delighted to be invited to submit to an upcoming book - 'City Permaculture' - put out by one of my favourite organisations 'Earth Garden Books'. The book aims 'to showcase real people growing organic food, keeping healthy chooks, turning compost, tending worm farms and producing wonderful flourishing produce in cities and inner suburbs across Australia.'

I have 2 pieces under consideration. One is 'Green Light for Guerilla Gardeners'. The other is called 'Possum Magic', which is inspired by the permaculture principle of changing negatives into positives and making them work for you. This is how I tried to approach the possums who decimate our back garden, with some success. But I must admit I'm still struggling to find inspiration for the benefits of the dust mites which are currently terrorising us in our sleep.

Another article I have written in the last little while was also about the environment, although on a different aspect. I was particularly taken with Kate Grenville's idea about the unique capacity of art to change attitudes and the brain itself in ways that logical argument can't. I'd experienced that myself when I was deeply moved by the river poems read by poets at a soiree organised to support Melbourne's river keepers by a poet friend of mine, Anne Carson. My article is called 'My River's Keeper' and you can read it on new matilda.com.

Gaudi, Valasquez, Don Quixote, flamenco, Moors, ancient Italica - guess where we are off to soon. You've got it. In April/May Peter and I are spending three and a half weeks in Spain, which neither of us has ever visited before.

A couple of weeks ago, when we were lucky enough to attend a dinner dance with El Salvadorean friends, we cornered whoever we could to practise our Spanish. I now have an extensive vocabulary of words for alcohol, food, dancing and flirting - what more do you need for foreign travel?

Hasta la vista.

Celebrations

2009-11-18T18:34:00.000-08:00

Further to our gardening coup, I wrote an article entitled 'A Green Light for Guerilla Gardeners' which was published on newmatilda.com and will also be appearing in the final Pen newsletter of the year. I was also interviewed by Rosa on 3CR, who was delighted to hear a success story about environmental activism. Even now I find it hard to believe that we actually did it, and at the last Yarra Neighbourhood Orchard food swap a few weeks back we were all still patting ourselves and each other on the back.

I have further cause for celebration. This Saturday, our elder son, Luke, the designer of this website, is marrying his long-term sweetheart, Kelly, at the National Gallery of Victoria. Work and writing have been pushed aside as we assemble our festive gear, do our nails and hair and in some cases fake tan. Of course baby Jhonan will be the guest of honour and I've prepared well by selecting an outfit which will only be enhanced by patches of puke on the shoulders.
Congratulations Luke and Kelly!

Guerilla Gardening Granny

2009-09-30T17:15:00.000-07:00

Well it's nothing like three months, but here I am again.
I can't resist crowing from the rooftops (or at least from this blog) that I am now a grandma. Last Saturday, to the delight of our younger son Alexander (Alix), his partner, Jode, gave birth to baby Jhonan at the Women's Hospital here in Melbourne. Jhonan was around 7 pounds at birth, is long and dark-haired and a study in miniature perfections. And his timing was impeccable.
This is a household of Geelong supporters and Saturday was the Grand Final, where, unless you've been on the moon you will know, Geelong were the victors. Obviously Jhonan didn't want to miss the top sporting event of the year and was keen to take up his position as the youngest fan of Geelong.
He is a gorgeous-smelling and cuddly baby and already has brought great joy to family and friends. There are so many emails, presents and good wishes to pass on to his exhausted but thrilled parents that I haven't stopped smiling all week.
I was also smiling back in August when Yarra's street farmers had a coup. Yarra, together with a few other inner city districts, is increasingly dotted with community-initiated gardens. These include council-supported community gardens, planter boxes and guerilla gardens, established by residents on abandoned public land.
I'm involved with the flourishing Windmill Foodgarden @ Tramstop 22 on Queens parade. We were shocked in early August to receive a council notice stating that we either raze our plants within 30 days or the council would do it for us. We later learned that this notice had been sent to all unauthorised street gardens across Yarra.
Gardeners responded immediately, organising strategy-planning meetings and blitzing the council with emails and phone calls. And at the next council meeting, on 18 August, around 60 of us arrived to challenge the draconian proposal.
To our delight, faced with this level of community opposition, the council did a complete about turn. It now supports community-initiated gardens, and hopes to inspire other councils to do likewise.
We didn't need trams or cars for transport after the meeting; we all went home walking on air.

Scribblings

2009-08-30T16:56:00.000-07:00

Some people, like Clive James, come up with things to say on their blogs every single day. While I imagine I've only just written and then discover the last posting was nine months back.
Although I've been a quiet blogger, I've kept busy scribbling elsewhere since the summer, working in a variety of different genres.
There's been a travel article on New Zealand's old 'cream trip' in the Bay of Islands and an essay about St Kilda entitled 'Fashion Victim Savaged by Bow Tie at Luna Park'. A therapist's response to the impact of the conflict in the Middle East - 'Bridge Across the Wadi' - proved very controversial.
I was thrilled to hear a piece I wrote last year on climate change - 'Sign of the Times' - has been doing the rounds of the Climate Emergency network. And although I was extremely nervous, I accepted the invitation to read a shortened version at Pen's inaugural winter salon at the Athenaeum.
The young Afghani activist, Malalai Joya, who presented to a packed audience at the Abbotsford convent, most appropriately on Bastille Day, inspired me to write a piece called 'The Bravest Woman in Afghanistan'.
I've also accepted commissions from an e-magazine to write on topics as disparate as 'Farmers' Markets', 'Big Birthdays', 'Learning a language at any age' and 'The Stages of Grief'.
As with my therapy practice, where seeing a combination of individuals, couples, families and supervisees from a range of different agencies keeps me on my toes, so too mixing it up works best for me with writing. Also the articles that pay subsidise those that don't.
I'm not tempted (yet) to write another book, mainly because it puts you out of the action for ages, particularly if you only write part-time. And changes seem to be happening in the world at such a pace that I want to be in the thick of them, and have my say.
Until next time - it won't be tomorrow, but maybe in three months...

My Web-site Makeover and Melbourne Pen

2009-01-10T15:26:00.000-08:00

I am thrilled that at the start of a new year I have a new look web-site. No doubt any of you who have visited my web-site before will notice the difference. My son Luke offered the makeover to me as a recent birthday present, or to be more correct, I asked him for it.
We collaborated on the practical aspects but the aesthetics are all his. And as orange is one of my favourite colours, he couldn't have got it more right. I can't stop admiring the way he has presented my writings, so the web-site now doubles as a state-of-the-art artist's folio. Thank you, Luke.
I couldn't help but contrast the ease of this project and how I just take it for granted that I'm entitled to speak my mind with another writing experience I had recently.
Last year I joined Melbourne Pen. This local branch is part of International Pen, an association of writers, with 145 centres in 104 countries, dedicated to promoting literature and defending freedom of expression.
One of Melbourne Pen's regular activities is an annual meeting where members gather to send messages of greeting and support to imprisoned writers.
Just before Christmas, twenty or so of us met at Cafe Italia in Carlton. That evening the focus was on Cuba, the Ivory Coast, China and the Basque region. Sitting there chatting and scribbling in comfort amidst the debris of a pleasant meal, it was shocking to think how different life is for the recipients of our cards. Many have been in prison for years for speaking out, and in some cases that has merely been for expressing their opinions on their blogs.
It did feel a bit like flinging messages in bottles into the sea - especially as a circuitous route is usually necessary and there are plenty of rocks en route - so that some messages never reach their destinations. But we know that people do sometimes receive our cards and are heartened to know that fellow writers on the other side of the world feel for them.
If you'd like to join, Melbourne Pen always welcomes new members.

Food glorious food

2008-10-25T17:22:00.000-07:00

The 100-mile diet, organics, slow and gm(genetically modified) food - I've had articles published about them all in recent months. I've also talked on Radio National's Bush Telegraph about urban farmers and street farming. And next month I'll be reporting for The Big Issue on the inaugural Growers and Eaters forum - an entire day set aside for spades and blades to talk to each other.
Although cooking for people I love and eating have always been amongst my favourite activities, I never imagined I'd find myself writing about food. But when I heard that the ingredients in a typical North American meal travel on average at least 1,500 miles from spade to plate I couldn't resist. I believe we need to totally reassess the impact of what we're putting into our mouths three times a day (if we're lucky) on the planet.
These days I'm likely to consult the food miles before the price of produce at the wonderful Ceres farmers market, where I shop. And although I'm a big city girl through and through - fifty kilometres beyond the CBD and I get breathless - I'm also spending more and more time planting heirloom vegetables, Indigenous edibles and anything else I can rescue from the possums and the snails in my small inner-city garden. Think the '70s British sit com 'The Good Life': Barbara Good - that's who I'm turning into.

No to Notoriety

2008-08-27T18:13:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's almost a year since my last post. But here goes...
All of a sudden 'nesters' are everywhere. There's a reality TV show, based in Sydney, called 'The Nest', which includes a home visiting family therapist. And just this week Channel 7 launched a show called 'Packed to the Rafters'. I haven't been directly involved in either project though the wording for the promo used for 'The Nest' sounded uncannily/suspiciously like the wording in my book. One day last week I was bemoaning to a friend how I'd been overlooked. But you have to be careful what you wish for...
The very next day I was called by a producer from Channel 7's Today Tonight programme inviting me to be involved. I'd never seen Today Tonight. (Where does she live? you might well ask. All I can say in my defense is that I can't bear ads. But I do recognise there's a yawning gap where my knowledge of popular culture should be.) Anyhow, in my innocence, I agreed. And it was only my 21-year-old daughter's response 'Mum, you can't possibly go on there!' that alerted me to the fact that it mightn't be such a smart career move. It wasn't easy saying no or convincing the producer that I'd prefer to forgo the opportunity to publicize my book. But in the end I felt greatly relieved, particularly knowing that I wouldn't have to wear that false beard in public after all.

'The Crowded Nest' on Life Matters

2007-08-31T20:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was on Radio National's Life Matters, on a programme devoted to the Never-Empty Nest. It amazes me that over a year since the book was published, all of a sudden the crowded nest has become a hot topic. Or that's how it seemed yesterday.
The ABC switch board was jammed with callers of all different ages and those who managed to get through presented a fascinating range of issues. (Perhaps it's time to stop worrying about the fate of my book. I could cope if it ended up 'remaindered', I'm sure. I just didn't want it to be 'pulped' - a harsh word for a harsh process, and I'm not even thinking about Tasmania. In fact no body had ever mentioned the 'p' word, but that didn't stop me worrying. But maybe the time has come to relax.)
Anyhow, I enjoyed being part of the show (and not just because since the hair/makeup fiasco at 'Sunrise' I've always been a huge radio fan). For one thing, I got to talk face-to-face with a real live person - the presenter Richard Aedy - instead of to a disembodied voice on the end of a phone in the 'Tardis Booth'. And it was great to hear from people from distant parts of Australia, who are struggling with similar issues, but who might now feel a little less alone.

Travels and Travails

2006-11-29T18:50:00.000-08:00

I LOVE travel writing. The piece about Mozart was followed by one on Venice, as seen through the eyes of the wonderful Commissario Brunetti (Donna Leon's creation). Then I wrote about being a WWOOFer - a willing worker on organic farms. I was very pleased when both articles were accepted for the upcoming issue of YL (Your Life) magazine. Another piece - on Freud's Vienna- is scheduled to appear in 'The Australian' before Christmas.
Writing travel articles requires you to be succinct, to create 'colour' with only a few words. It's also a real challenge to come up with fresh angles on heavily visited areas. But because it gets you remembering and researching, you can extend the holiday feeling indefinetely. My partner's photos have been featured too, which is a real buzz.
To something quite different- in October, I attended a meeting hosted by the Victorian Women's Trust on 'Water'. The featured speaker was my hero, the Canadian activist, Maude Barlow. Inspired by her, I wrote an article - 'Water: Drawing a Line in the Sand' - for my local family therapy journal.
As for 'The Crowded Nest', since its small homegrown publisher (Lothian Books) has been gobbled up (or maybe that should be axed) by the huge multinational, Hachette Livre, I've felt totally unsupported. All the publicity has fallen to me, and I must say I've felt like a very small minnow in a huge roiling sea.

Home again!

2006-07-28T18:17:00.000-07:00

The very day after we returned from our travels the phone rang at 6.45. am. I shot up in bed, thinking: what day is it? where am I?, to be confronted by the producer of Mike Carlton and Peter Simmons' Breakfast Show on 2UE . She wanted me to go on air to respond to a Sydney Morning Herald article on 'nesters'- in 20 minutes! I agreed, but have absolutely no memory of the conversation. The producer contacted me afterwards to say that the presenters had enjoyed themselves - I think that's good.
The latest offering of the popular novelist, Joanna Trollope, called Second Honeymoon is all about 'homing pigeons'. The book highlights how Gens X and Ys' financial success and capacity to maintain their own nests is so dependent on the vagaries of the work place. Even though, ultimately, I found it somewhat superficial, the novel does draw attention to common stresses and strains that can occur when kids return home to live.
The latest edition of YL (Your Life) magazine features an article called 'Happy Landings', based on an interview I did before I left for overseas. And I'm delighted that the same magazine has accepted my first ever travel piece, 'Wild about Wofgang', for publication in the next issue .

Fiscal Foibles

2006-05-12T18:05:00.000-07:00

Last week the Daily Telegraph phoned for my comments on their op ed piece about the Budget, which had been annouced the previous day. They wanted my thoughts on how baby boomers and Gens X and Y had fared in comparison with each other. Initially I hesitated. I only got 24 percent for Maths in Year 10 and then couldn't drop it fast enough, so my credentials as an expert on numbers are just a wee bit suspect. But that was only until I recalled what some of our leaders are currently advancing as 'economic truths' and 'fiscal realities'. By comparison, I reckon I'm eminently well qualified.
I'm about to fly the coop and head off to Prague, Vienna and Italy for Mozart's Birthday party. A lovely magazine owner who interviewed me about the Nest said that she might be interested in an article about the trip when I get back. I had intended making an artist's journal anyhow, but now am really looking forward to experimenting with writing in a new genre. Though I don't think Bill Bryson should worry just yet.

Anxiety at 'Sunrise'

2006-04-28T19:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, at short notice, I was invited on to the 'In focus' segment of 'Sunrise' to talk about the book. For those of you who, like me, have never heard of it - where have we all been? - 'Sunrise' is Channel 7's high-rating, national, morning chat show.
I don't know exactly where I got the idea, but I KNOW someone official told me not to wear makeup or do my hair, and they'd take care of everything. So that's how I arrived, in a taxi, right on schedule, straight from the shower, with glasses on, face fresh and moisturised, my bed head intact.
I sat happily reading a magazine in the foyer for quite a while, thinking to myself that the beauticians must be incredibly efficient, able to transform their charges in mere minutes into the uniformly glamorous images we see on the screen.
At last the cameraman came to find me - 15 minutes or so before we were due on air. Such was his professionalism that he made no comment about my hair or unadorned face, but instead said he'd show me the studio to familiarise me with the set-up. Of course I enquired about when we'd be going to Make-up, and that's when he informed me that no arrangements had been made and in fact none of the beauticians were at work yet.
When I recovered from the shock, I started rummaging round in my handbag. Eventually I found an ancient, dried-up tube of foundation at the bottom, loitering with one of my daughter's hot pink lipsticks. Unfortunately there was nothing as useful as mascara, and so I appeared on the show entirely innocent of eye make-up.
Friends who watched the programme commented that I did fine as soon as I warmed up. But at the start I looked very stressed. Wonder why?

Flying by the seat of my pants

2006-04-22T18:35:00.000-07:00

The last week the whole crowded nest phenomenon has been in the media spotlight. Sometimes I've been involved and sometimes I haven't.
But certainly the high point of my week, which could so easily have been the low point, was the radio interview with Wayne on River 949 FM on Thursday.
I was already on air when the interviewer said they always like to sign off with a piece of music that encapsulates the theme, so what would I suggest? Talk about maximum pressure under exam conditions. I was so grateful I'd just seen 'Failure to Launch', because I remembered they'd played 'Hit the Road, Jack' while the credits rolled. Otherwise, I'm sure I would have drawn a complete blank.
Their phone line was crackly, so the interviewer's voice kept fading in and out. Periodically, I could only make my best guess at what he was actually asking. I just kept responding in a confident tone, while hoping I wasn't making a complete idiot of myself. A question though that came across with bell-like clarity was one that Wayne said originated with his producer. I had my doubts - it sounded suspiciously like the old 'my friend wants to know' to me. Anyhow the question was: 'Did your sex life improve when your sons moved out?' Visions of how my partner would feel about me taking the whole of Queensland into my confidence about our sex life flashed across my mind. After I'd stopped gulping, I said that the producer was a bold lad, and quoted some relevant stats!

'Failure to Launch'

2006-04-16T22:53:00.000-07:00

Today we saw the new movie 'Failure to Launch'. The sub-title says it all: 'To leave the nest some men just need a little push'. And that's what the advertising poster displays - Sarah Jessica Parker pushing the improbably good-looking Matthew Mc.Connaughey, whose heels are dug firmly into the ground. The film also stars the wonderful Kathy Bates as Mc.Connaughey's baby boomer mother, called Sue!
Though the film is predictably light-weight, a couple of the wider social and familial themes I've covered in 'The Crowded Nest' are touched on. Without giving too much away - one of Mc.Connaghey's best buddies, who also lives at home, has moved his business back there as well. And Bates confesses she was initially reluctant for her 35-year-old son to move out because he was a useful buffer and she was anxious about how her marriage might fare in his absence. To some degree the film moves away from the unhelpful though popular notion that kids are staying on for longer simply because they are lazy, spoilt layabouts.
Despite its obvious flaws, I found it amazing to see a general release movie addressing a topic that is so close to my heart. And what's becoming increasingly apparent, if the flurry of media activity is any gauge, is that I'm far from alone in my interest in crowded nests.

The Crowded Nest in the News

2006-04-14T23:53:00.000-07:00

The Daily Telegraph
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,18792261-421,00.html

Courier Mail
See below for an extract.

Luke's speech: Crowded Nest Launch

2006-04-13T18:15:00.000-07:00

At the launch of my book 'The Crowded Nest', I was fortunate enough to have my son Luke write a speech, which many people have suggested is really an unofficial introduction to the book itself. A sample is included below. To read the full text, visit my homepage and click the appropriate link.

'Every artist needs a muse – a reason for doing what they do. Johanne Vermeer had his ‘Girl with a pearl earring’. Leonardo Da Vinci had the Mona Lisa. When I heard that I would be featured in the first chapter of my mum’s new book, I tried to find the right mixture of surprise and humility. ‘Me?’ I thought. ‘Surely I’m notsignificant enough …’ But my mother insisted, chapter one was written and chapter two began … and I forgot about the book for a while. It was six months later, when it had already been accepted for publication, that I heard the book’s title for the first time. ‘It’s called The Crowded Nest,’ my mother told me. And the fear began to set in...'

Technology and book selling

2006-04-01T16:09:00.000-08:00

It's interesting how different this whole business of book promotion and selling feels from 8 years ago, when my last book came out.
Back then my co-writer and I were responsible for writing the book, but what happened afterwards was pretty much out of our hands. Sure we spoke on the radio, TV and to magazines and newspapers, but I can't even remember the name of the person at our publisher - Allen & Unwin - who was actually responsible for promotion. We responded obediently and no doubt enthusiastically, but essentially took no personal initiative. I had no idea how the book was selling or even if it was selling.
You can obviously put that down to the fact that we were novices, but there's more to it. Because the times in publishing and technology have changed. Not to mention that, especially due to the input from my sons, Luke and Alexander, so have I (at least a bit).
Luke made my website (and this blog) as gifts. So as a woman of my generation and profession I'm very unusual - none of my friends have a website or blog. And initally, apart from looking at them and admiring Luke's handiwork, I didn't really know what to do with them. But as it got closer to the publication date, I realised what a gift they really were. Suddenly I had some influence over what happened next after the book left my hands and landed in the publisher's - I could direct people to my site so they could buy the book online. I could also communicate with readers and potential readers. And it felt great.
Because another thing that's happened over the years is that small publishing companies have been having a hard time making ends meet. In fact Lothian, the publishers of 'The Crowded Nest', after being a family company for over 100 years, have been taken over twice in the last couple of months.
It seems to me that many of these companies no longer have the resources to promote books, especially by 'unknown' authors, that they had in the past. Don't get me wrong - Georgina Way, who's the Marketing Communications Manager at Lothian - couldn't have been better. See I know her name - in fact I feel we're part of a team, certainly with limited financial resources, but lots of energy and enthusiasm. This time round I couldn't feel more involved in the whole promotion process. And I'm surprised at just how much I'm enjoying it.

'The Crowded Nest' publicity update

2006-03-31T21:16:00.000-08:00

This week I received a copy of the article in the Courier Mail written by Fran Metcalf and entitled 'Out of the crowded nest at last'. It was a thrill to see a reference to the book in a newspaper for the first time. This is some of what Metcalf had to say:
"A rapidly growing global trend dubbed the crowded nest syndrome is seeing more and more young adults living in their parents' home well into their 20s and 30s.
So universal is the trend that Hollywood has seized the theme for a new movie, 'Failure to Launch', to be released in Brisbane next month and starring Matthew McConaughey as a 35-year-old man still living at home and indulged by his doting mother.
According to family therapist and author on the phenomenon, Sue Jackson, more than a third of Australians aged 18-29 still live at home with their parents.
But it could be worse, she says. In Italy, 82 per cent of 18-30-year-old men live under the parental roof.
'There's a lot of reasons why baby boomers and the younger generation find themselves in this situation,' Jackson explains.
'Work is a lot more casural and vulnerable. In my generation, you left school and got a degree and then a job so you were able to be independent.
'Now with redundancy and down-sizing, university fees, casual, contract and part-time work, it's really difficult to set yourself up.
'And credentials take a lot longer to acquire. Some young adults would love to leave home but they're not in a financial position to do so...'
'That fear of ageing affects children as much as parents, says Jackson in her book, 'The Crowded Nest: surviving the new togetherness'(Lothian Books. $24.95).
'Kids see themselves as being young for longer... because there's a lot of environmental and other scarey issues they'll need to face as an adult so it feels safer to be in that adolescent world,' she says.
'For parents, when their kids live at home for longer, there's a perfect anti-ageing device - a live-in best friend whom they socialise with, shop with and go to the gym with.'"

One of the other interesting experiences I had in the last week was an invitation to talk on an ABC radio programme that is broadcast to Queensland, WA and Victoria. I'd made a pact with myself that I'd accept all promotional invitations, but this one was a real challenge - my time slot was 4.15 - 5. Sounds okay I know, until I tell you that was a.m. The odd thing was that everybody else - Anne Marie, the presenter, the producer and all the callers sounded fresh and alert. The guest speaker, with a croaky voice and lapses of concentration, seemed to be the only one in the least fazed talking about loaded issues on air in the middle of the night.

Next week I'm scheduled to speak on ABC Tasmania - luckily in the day time- and for that gig have to record in the aptly named 'Tardis' booth at the Southbank studio. And of course Thursdy 6th is the Big Night - the Melbourne launch at Retro Cafe in Brunswick street.

'The Crowded Nest' is launched in Adelaide!

2006-03-08T17:41:00.000-08:00

On Thursday 2nd of March, at the Adelaide Narrative and Community Work Festive conference, my second book was launched. This was immediately followed by an interview on Adelaide's 'Drive' program with Grant Cameron, and an interview with the Melbourne Herald Sun and the Brisbane Courier Mail, with both articles to be released very soon.

The book is called 'The Crowded Nest: Surviving the new togetherness', and lifts the lid on life in the 'crowded nest'. As you can imagine, this has been an incredibly exciting time, and nothing beats seeing your book on the shelf in your favourite bookstore. Now, I am looking forward to the Melbourne launch on the Thursday 6th of April.