It's February. It's summer. It's hot - and I'm happy. I love this weather, even the 40 degree days. But then, that doesn't mean that I'm anti the cold weather. In fact, I really enjoy the minus 30 weather of Siberia in mid-winter, or the Arctic Circle, when there's almost total night. Am I just a creature of extremes? Or do I lack discrimination? Maybe both.

So summer is rolling on, and I seem to have done very little new writing. The hectic socialising of the Christmas two months meant of little - let's be accurate - NO spare time, with non-stop house guests, and months of housewife/hostess activities. It wasn't writer's block I was experiencing, but it was Writer Deprivation. It's amazing that I actually did manage to write two poems in amongst all that cooking/washing/ironing ...  But so good now to be getting back to my desk and writing again.

The two Studio reviews of Passion Play appeared in the latest issue of the journal, and gave me great joy. They are both now on the 'reviews' pages of the the Passion Playsection of this web site, if you'd like to share my pleasure in them. I suggested to someone that I'd like them on my tombstone; she pointed out tersely that I'd need a mausoleum to fit them. Too true. 

My other main activity at present is preparing for the publication of Bystanders - the new book Wakefield Press is releasing in May, ready for the June 4 launch by Lynn Arnold. I hope very much that all friends and anyone interested will come to that event at the West Torrens Council Library Auditorium  - but do let me know if you'd like to join us, just for catering numbers. I'm interested to see responses to this new book - my sixth, but the first full length prose publication. Up to now, my published fiction has all been shorter pieces, mainly short stories. At least my non-poetry-reading friends are feeling great relief about the new book ...  Strange, that!