Valentine, be mine

Happy Valentine's Day!

Rather than reminisce about this momentous occasion (for some), I thought I would share with you some of the persistent thoughts that enjoy swimming around my head ...

OK, here goes.

I want to write and enter my first ever writing comp! The deadline is at the end of March, and it needs to include the motif South (Country Style, Jan issue, for those of you who are interested in following suit). I know that I LOVE writing. The challenge is coming up with a great idea which can be brought to life - using South - in no more than 1,500 words. I'll keep you posted ... I don't have the confidence to share my ideas online, yet!

I've been asked by the lovely Ellie at Extra Curricular to contribute another interview - this time with Belinda Kennedy who is a ceramic artist based in Melbourne - and I am really looking forward to having a chat with her and writing something up for the next issue! This will be my second contribution, which makes me very happy and proud! The first was my interview of Susie Stubbs of flowerpress - a process I really enjoyed! Not only was Susie a really nice person, she is a really talented graphic designer! Let me know if you want me to email you a copy of that interview (a little test to see if you are reading this blog post!).

The other desire I have is to write a book - I remember telling you about the cheeky Danish rabbits tottering up and down the hills, and the idea for a childrens' book; but this latest idea is a little different. A bit more serious. Potentially heart wrenching, without being too heart breaking. I hope. I have recently read quite a few books partly, or entirely, influenced by people's experience of war - Amandine, The Kite Runner, City of Thieves (David Benioff), The Botticelli Secret, my list goes on, and on, and on. It got me thinking about the war diary my mother's father kept when he was a Prisoner of War (POW) during WWII. He wrote a daily entry for his wife - my grandmother - every day, from May 1942 until May 1943. In Dutch, it's fully vetted by the Nazis, so it's not overly revealing. However, it certainly gives a realistic  sense of what he and his fellow inmates endured, how he coped, what preoccupied him ... and so I asked my mother for permission to copy and read the diary … and use it as a source for my first novel. Luckily she said yes, and so I have begun. Slowly. I have scanned and printed hundreds of small, very thin, pages and look forward to reading the whole lot! I have read a few snippets already and it is definitely going to be a great inspiration. I’ve found out the names of the Stalags (camps) he was imprisoned in - Nuremberg, Bavaria and Stanislaw, Poland. I know which barrack he slept in, what he ate, what his overriding thoughts were, day in, day out. Part of me wants to rush ahead and read every page thirstily, the other part wants to take my time, and let it slowly wash over me, trying to imagine what it must have been like to be completely dominated, fearful, brave, hopeful ...

The other thing pre-occupying me is my proofreading course, which I started over five years ago. "Remote learning". Easy peasy. Not. Should I ask for another year's extension? Which reminds me, that the next issue of Dumbo feather is due to be proof-read in the middle of Feb, which is about now. I should send the new Editor another email and find out what his deadlines are!

So. Last, but not least, blogging (and lack thereof) has also been keeping me awake too. I am so slack! I love it so much, yet I resist the urge to blog with futile activities - like doing the washing up, cleaning, reading, work, faffing about. As I near 40 (I'll write another blog post about this milestone), I really should be spending more time doing all those things that make me happy. Blogging is certainly one of them, hence this post! I hope you enjoyed it.

Thanks to the Ashbrook Estate red from the Margaret River for accompanying me back into blog land. A nice sip every now and then certainly doesn't hurt anyone!

To those of you who read this, thank you. To the inventor of the blogosphere, thank you.

Adieu, good night, sweet dreams, Happy V Day, and until soon!

Ike

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