Here is the fourth post of my Highlights. Today, Roma Street Parklands, Brisbane. Reclaimed from a railway goods yard (and using land which was, of course, prior to that, used for thousands of years by the local indigenous peoples for ceremonies and meetings), these exquisite parklands are a joy to wander through and to restContinue reading “Highlights of My Australian Journey 2022: A Travel Diary #4 Roma Street Parklands, Brisbane”
Category Archives: life
Highlights of My Australian Journey 2022: A Travel Diary #3 The City of Brisbane, South Bank
Here is the third post of my Highlights; today, the south bank of the Brisbane river, with its Art Galleries, Performing Arts Centre and State Library, along with the headquarters of the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation, where my daughter Abigail works on the news programme), the Big Wheel, and the inspired South Bank Parklands, formerlyContinue reading “Highlights of My Australian Journey 2022: A Travel Diary #3 The City of Brisbane, South Bank”
My Australian Journey 2022: #10 Tenterfield New South Wales and Approach to Cunningham’s Gap, Queensland
As we passed through New South Wales to the border with Queensland, we stopped off at Tenterfield, known as the ‘birthplace of Australian Democracy’. Sir Henry Parkes signed the all-important document, and is commemorated in the museum named after him here in this town. I love the area of the New England Highway which becomesContinue reading “My Australian Journey 2022: #10 Tenterfield New South Wales and Approach to Cunningham’s Gap, Queensland”
My Australian Journey 2022: #9 Norman Lindsay Art Gallery, Blue Mountains, NSW
I was delighted to visit Norman Lindsay’s property in the Blue Mountains. He was an extraordinary man who lived from 1879 to 1969 and he was a writer as well as a children’s writer poet and illustrator, a wartime cartoonist, a propaganda poster designer, artist, garden designer and sculptor. His home is now an artContinue reading “My Australian Journey 2022: #9 Norman Lindsay Art Gallery, Blue Mountains, NSW”
My Australian Journey 2022: #8 New South Wales views
After watching and listening to the beautiful and moving occasion of the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II yesterday (19 September 2022) from Australia I offer you today scenes to calm the soul. To me the queen deserves the title Elizabeth the Great Unifier. She made her impact worldwide, among a huge section of humanity.Continue reading “My Australian Journey 2022: #8 New South Wales views”
My Australian Journey 2022 #4: #ShiotaGOMA
This post is dedicated to an amazing exhibition we saw at GOMA (Gallery of Modern Art) on Brisbane’s South Bank. Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota presented ‘ The Soul Trembles’ – an astonishing collection of artworks and installations with the power to change the way you see the world. The first installation put these ideas intoContinue reading “My Australian Journey 2022 #4: #ShiotaGOMA”
Book Review: ‘The Little Ice Cream Shop by the Sea’ by Lizzie Chantree
Today I am pleased to be sharing with you my review of ‘The Little Ice Cream Shop by the Sea‘ by Lizzie Chantree. I discovered this author through a Facebook support group for writers, and my decision to read this book is an example of how good feelings towards an author purely on the basisContinue reading “Book Review: ‘The Little Ice Cream Shop by the Sea’ by Lizzie Chantree”
Book Review: ‘The Last Princess’ by Shelley Wilson
Today I’m pleased to be reviewing this excellent Young Adult novel by Shelley Wilson: The Last Princess. The Last Princess was published in May 2022 by BHC Press. Loosely based on what is known of the period when Vikings regularly raided Northumbria, this novel is strong and dramatic; in particular, the first few chapters areContinue reading “Book Review: ‘The Last Princess’ by Shelley Wilson”
Book Review: ‘The Fever of the World’, book 16 in Phil Rickman’s Merrily Watkins series
Today I review The Fever of the World by Phil Rickman, who is one of my favourite authors. Phil’s genre defies categorisation, but Amazon often kindly list him under Welsh crime, and he variously takes the tags contemporary horror, horror thrillers, paranormal, women sleuths, gothic romance, and mystery, the last two being the case withContinue reading “Book Review: ‘The Fever of the World’, book 16 in Phil Rickman’s Merrily Watkins series”
Book Review: ‘Braver’ by Deborah Jenkins, published by Fairlight Books June 2022
Today I am delighted to share with you my review of a new novel, ‘Braver‘, prior to publication on 30th June 2022. I’ve met its author, Deborah Jenkins, during a recent writing conference and we are fellow members of the Association of Christian Writers, and often in touch via our Facebook group. Deborah is veryContinue reading “Book Review: ‘Braver’ by Deborah Jenkins, published by Fairlight Books June 2022”
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