On the Wings of an Albatross

Woo hoo .... Just published! A children's book, suitable for kids from 3-8.

Children's book: suitable for ages 3-8

This book is available as an ebook or as Paperback. 

This is an iso-book, unplanned but fun to do and here is the back story.

In May I joined an online art group that decided to draw an animal a day. I drew birds. At that stage of the pandemic it was very comforting to join others in a regular occupation. We shared our artwork  for comment and although I didn't know any of the participants personally, by the end of May I felt I knew some of them quite well.

As the month progressed I learned quite a bit about the birds I was drawing and I developed a particular affection for some of them ...the New Zealand Robin for example.

New Zealand Robin

One thing led to another and by mid June I was busy developing this children's book. It took a while to learn how the publisher software worked, in particular how to format for print editions.

But now it is done and I have just heard that the Paperback as well as the eBook versions are available online. I have linked them, but perhaps it takes a while to update the links so you can see both versions from the same page.

I tried to order a couple of copies of the print edition but Covid 19 has led Amazon to suspend deliveries to Australia for the time being, so I will have to wait.

In the meantime, if you have a young friend who would like an A to Z of Australian and New Zealand birds, it is available as an ebook ...and as Paperback in the USA, UK and other places with a local Amazon publishing operation. 

Addendum.

I have just looked at the price of the paperback on the various Amazon sites.
The price of you buy in the USA is extraordinary, even without postage. IIt is much less expensive elsewhere.

Amazon.com (USA) :
Paperback Price: USD 24.68 = £19.76 =€21.91
eBook: USD 3.43

Amazon.de (Germany)

Euro 5.33 ebook

Euro 13.84 for paperback (Taschenbuch)

https://www.amazon.de/Wings-Albatross-Z-Australian-Zealand/dp/0987312251

Amazon.co.uk (UK)

£11.75 Paperback 

£ 4.83 ebook

Horrible Harriet - 'awesome' but LOUD

Horrible Harriet set at the Sydney Opera House

Horrible Harriet is a children's theater piece currently at the Sydney Opera House Drama Theater.  It is based on the book of the same name by Leigh Hobbs, or perhaps one should say 'loosely based on' because the seven year old I was with said it was 'nothing like the book'.  That it was not like the book didn't seem to matter though as she later reported to her parents that 'it was awesome'.

There were only three actors in various guises and I couldn't help but admire their energy. You need lots of energy if you want to keep a whole mob of youngsters concentrating for over an hour.

There were also lots of songs - VERY VERY LOUD SONGS AND MUSIC. When I later related the deafening noise levels to my young charge's parents, her father remarked: "Oh all music mixers are deaf, that's why!"

Better than an iPad

Nature is extraordinary and can keep children occupied for hours and hours.

Dug up from the beach and brought home carefully in salt water,  these two little clams were the subject of hours of scrutiny by my two recent young guests.

The clams were touched, poked, argued about and watched.  There always seemed to be a small figure crouched over the plate where they were kept, observing nature's marvel.

Now the small people have returned home, back to their screens and interminable arguments with their parents about how much screen time is appropriate.  The clams have been returned to the ocean to survive ... or not.

Yes, you too can paint

Painting the pot plants

When I paint in public people come and look over my shoulder. I am always surprised how many of them tell me, "I can't paint, my teacher told me that years ago when I was in school." Sometimes they add wistfully that they have a yearning to paint despite their teacher's advice.

Whatever can the teachers have been thinking, telling children they can't paint? Perhaps it is primary school teachers who were themselves told that they were inept?

My advice to teachers is to lay aside any expectations of how things should look. Painting helps us see things properly and sometimes this takes years.

In this regard I take inspiration from the talented plen-air watercolour artist David Taylor. I took a course with David many years ago. His classes were conducted outside and everyone painted the view except one gentleman who

Painting a figure from a computer game.

produced a series of paintings of colourful circles.

At the critiques each evening, David always found interesting to say about the colour combinations of these circles and every evening I felt enriched by what he had found.

Accepting children as they are

"Accept the children the way we accept trees--with gratitude, because they are a blessing--but do not have expectations or desires. You don’t expect trees to change, you love them as they are." 
--Isabel Allende




This quote is taken from the blog of a father who has struggled with his son becoming addicted to drugs. It has been a long journey back, but the family seem to have made it. All power to them. 

Being a mother

Smiling through the clamour
Oil on canvas 45 x 60 cm

It is not easy being a mother, especially when your two  boisterous younger children are eternally in competition,  each demanding 150% of their mother's attention.

It is a gift to be able to keep smiling through the noise and demands, a gift I esteem very highly (not having inherited it myself). Greta has the gift, as you can see. Her lucky children are too small to know how rare it is, but one day they may look back, reflect and appreciate.