Zoe and I headed off early again on Wednesday morning, this time not too far, to the Toorak campus of Geelong Grammar School. In a tree lined street with a beautiful mix of old and new homes, the school sits perfectly in its surrounds. We met the lovely librarian, Helen Taylor and our bookseller was My Bookshop by Corrie Perkins. Helen had put together a fabulous display of my book covers and it was clear that the girls were well prepared to meet Alice-Miranda and Clementine Rose. Although the school is co-ed, I talked to all of the girls in Years 3-6. This was a special treat that had come about through a connection with one of the girls, Jess, whose aunt is a friend of Margie Seale, who up until recently was the MD at Random House Australia.
The girls appeared in their sports uniforms, which I have to say were one of the prettiest I've seen (and I've glimpsed a lot of uniforms in recent times). They were an appreciative and enthusiastic audience and it was great to meet them all and sign their books.
We had three events lined up for the day so we jumped in the car and headed across to Camberwell Girls' Grammar. It's a lovely school too and having been there around this time a year ago, it was great to see the teachers I'd met previously, as well as the girls. This time I worked with Year 3-5 as Year 6 were out on camp. There was one student in Year 5 who was certainly an avid Alice-Miranda fan - I think she knows more about the books than I do! The girls howled with laughter at the scene with Mr Sparks from the first Clementine Rose book and it was a pleasure to answer questions and sign their books. I have really enjoyed telling the children about the upcoming Alice-Miranda diary - which will be released in September. It's been fantastic hearing their ideas for inclusions and one little girl asked me if we could have a page about how to draw Alice-Miranda - a great thought, which I'll be sharing with my publisher Chris.
After CGG we sped out of town to Doveton where we hit the local bakery for some delicious sausage rolls before arriving at Maranatha Christian School. The children were fizzing - the excitement was palpable and it was wonderful to be met with such enthusiasm. Lynne Mitchell, the librarian had done a fantastic job of preparing the children and they were so keen to learn about Alice-Miranda and Clementine Rose. There had been a colouring and collage competition and the lucky winners received signed copies of my books as their prizes. I received a beautiful collection of the children's work and a goody bag with yummy treats. Lamont Books did a great job too with the sales.
After the session, in the beautiful new school multipurpose hall, Zoe and I were treated to a delicious afternoon tea with Lynne and quite a few of the staff. It was great to take a breath and sit down for a while before driving back into the city.
Thursday brought an even earlier start than the rest of the week - except for Monday of course with the pre-dawn taxi ride to the airport. We were off to Ivanhoe Girls' Grammar - one of the most beautiful schools I've ever seen. The houses that have been converted to school buildings are picture postcard and they've done a great job of integrating new architecture too. I met with the girls in their performing arts centre - the largest venue I've had on this tour. As we set up we were treated to one of the strings groups rehearsing.
Heather Dyer from Fairfield Books and her lovely daughter Stephanie were looking after us for the day. The morning was great fun. I love when the children line up to have their books signed and apologise for plonking the whole series in front of me - I quickly reassure them that there are no apologies necessary!
After Ivanhoe we popped into Fairfield Books which is a lovely store in Fairfield of course, where I signed their shop stock. After that we headed over to visit Collins Books at Northland and did the same - the ladies were lovely and it was a pleasure to meet them.
Lunch beckoned and then we drove to St Francis of Assisi in Mill Park, where it was windy enough to blow a dog off a chain. I could barely hold onto the Alice-Miranda standee as we walked from the carpark and thought she might end up a couple of suburbs away.
The greeting from the children was unbelievable. I felt a little like a pop star - with the squeals and screams. The library display was stunning and the staff had gone to so much trouble. The children were again wonderful participants and I signed books for a long time. There was one little boy called Isaac who acted the part of Mr Sparks and was so engaged. I signed the first Alice-Miranda book for him and I believe he's already finished it and wanting to get on with the next.
There was also a girl who had done the most extraordinary research project, which we photographed. She had this very nifty little pouch with a bunch of questions for me - which I answered while signing the books. That was fun.
Our next event was at Preston Library. We made it in the nick of time and I was thrilled to see a large audience and some very dedicated fans with their little piles of books lined up on the floor in front of them.
One of the best parts of my work as a writer is meeting the readers. Leaving school last year was a wrench to say the least. Working with children has been my life and now writing and touring is a dream come true.
Driving to Geelong on the other hand wasn't much fun at all as we encountered a veritable gale. Zoe did well to keep the car on the road. We were certainly tired by the time we arrived at our hotel.
It was nice to have a later morning with our first school about a ten minute drive from the hotel. In the meantime Zoe and I took Alice-Miranda out to have a stroll along the waterfront. As always, she made some new friends!
Geelong Grammar Prep School has students from Prep to Grade 4. It's a beautiful campus on a tree lined street. The library is housed in the main building which is a well restored Federation house. With lots of period features it's a lovely space for the children to read. We had the event in the music room, which is also a great space for the students.
I talked with the Prep to Year 2 children first. There were lots of adorable students and some funny questions and comments. They enjoyed the drama activity and it was great fun. My second session involved Year 3 and 4, another appreciative audience.
Zoe and I had a little bit of time between events and headed to Packingham Street, which had come recommended by some of the teachers. After a spot of shopping and some lunch we found Geelong College. Our bookseller for the day was The Little Bookroom in Carlton and Jess, whose mother is Heather from Fairfield Books was looking after things.
Geelong College is currently undergoing a huge renovation and building program. We went to the Middle School library and students from the Junior School as well as some middle school children came to meet me. It was a speedy session over lunchtime. There were lots of enthusiastic readers and one little girl, who has written to me several times, introduced herself. She told me that her sisters and cousins would be attending my event at the bookshop later in the afternoon.
Our next event was in Ocean Grove, about a 25 minute drive to the coast. We made it with minutes to spare and I couldn't believe how packed the shop was. We could barely get inside! It was a wonderful end to the day with Stacey Moore and her lovely daughters, Erica and Alice. Erica is a devoted Alice-Miranda fan and sat front and centre for my talk. It was great to meet her and all of the other children, including the sisters and cousins of the little girl I had met at Geelong College. I also had a delightful moment when I signed a book for a little girl called Josie. I asked her what she'd be doing in the upcoming holidays and she said that she was going to read and write on her blog. I then realised that she was Josie Miaow (well that's her blogging handle) and she and I had been in touch quite a lot last year. It was such a thrill to meet her. I will have to see if Zoe has a photograph on her iPhone! We finished up signing about 6.00pm and drove back to Geelong for an early night.
The final day of the Melbourne tour dawned bright and Zoe and I had decided that we would take the car across on the ferry to Sorrento from Queenscliff. It was a beautiful day and we had worked out the timing so as not to be too rushed. There was even time for another short stroll along the waterfront where Alice-Miranda met some lifeguards and even took a turn conducting the band.
She was out and about on the ferry too, taking in the views from the upper deck, much to the delight of the ferry captains.
The Mornington Peninsula is a very pretty part of the world. Last time I'd been there, it was for a golf holiday and heading across on the ferry brought back lots of good memories.
Beaumaris has a very busy little shopping village and we found a spot for a snack before the event. The library and community hall are in the same building and it was exciting to think they'd had to move the event to the hall because there had been such a good response. We set things up and watched as the children and their parents arrived. It was so lovely to meet girls who had come from quite a long way away, including the gorgeous Bella and another family who had driven all the way from Traralgon, about two hour's drive away. I received some more presents including the beautifully drawn picture below by Summer.
It was a fantastic event - I really enjoy talking to the children and their parents and it was great to have such wonderful reactions from everyone. The signing queue was long and it took until 3pm to get to the end of the line - such amazingly patient little girls and their parents.
We had a pretty straightforward trip to the airport - we had been using my iPad mini to navigate for the week and it had been excellent until the last few kilometres to Tullamarine - where we ended up next to a field with a bunch of plane spotters. Clearly the back road through the industrial estate was not the way to go!
Never mind, we made the plane in plenty of time and the journey home was smooth, fast and very efficient. The week was fantastic and I loved every minute. Touring is definitely a big part of my life now - in a couple of weeks I'm heading to Perth and Albany too (there is one spare day in the schedule at the moment if anyone is interested!), then Alice-Miranda and I are going to Alice-Springs too. In the meantime there's plenty of writing to keep me busy too with Clementine Rose and the Farm Fiasco taking shape.
I can't thank the team at Random House enough for their incredible support and Zoe was absolutely wonderful, looking after everything, including me, all week!
This week has been a mix of writing and speaking. Which is a good thing when you're on a deadline and I have one that needs to be met before I head off on my next trip to Perth and Albany in just over a week. It's been good to spend some time at home, albeit mostly in front of the computer!
I had a wonderful afternoon on Tuesday talking to the girls from Year 2, 3 and 4 at Kambala in Rose Bay. When we arrived, the children were having a picnic on the lawn, dressed in a colour palette of purple. They were having a mufti day to raise money for Epilepsy as part of Epilepsy Australia's 'Go Purple' campaign.
Chris, my publisher and Sam, who works with the marketing department came along with me to the school. Jo Laretive, the Junior School librarian asked if I'd like to judge a competition that they had run in conjunction with my visit. The girls had to write a short story about where they would take either Alice-Miranda or Clementine Rose if they got to meet them in person. The entries were gorgeous and it was very difficult selecting just one (and I was glad that it was a panel decision, not just me!). In the end we allocated first, second and third place and the winning entries included taking Alice-Miranda to Alice-Springs and Uluru, taking her to Luna Park where she and her friend foiled a bag snatch and then to New York City.
The girls were fabulous during my talk. They laughed in all the right places and we had a sensational snorer for the drama activity.
I also had a very surreal moment. In my current presentation there is a series of photographs of children in my former classes performing plays that I had written. There are two of a play called The Adventures of Texas Jack and in one of the photos you can see me and another adult standing behind the children. When I looked to my left in the auditorium I was stunned to see the student teacher, who had worked on my class (about 16 years ago!) sitting in the hall. I knew it was her - she hadn't changed a bit. When I put the photo up, I looked at her and asked her name. It was Olivia Williams (indeed the same as when she'd been a young student working on my class). I pointed at the photograph and said, 'that's you up there Ms Williams'. She hadn't recognised me because my surname had changed from when I was a teacher at Gib Gate all those years before. But as soon as I said it, I could see her realising that we had indeed spent several weeks together all those years before. My life tends to have a lot of strange coincidences like that. I love it!
It was a pleasure to sign the girls' books and meet some of them afterwards. Unfortunately we ran out of time so I couldn't meet them all.
Wednesday saw an afternoon at Queenwood School for Girls in Mosman. Having visited there last year I knew that the girls were enthusiastic Alice-Miranda readers. And they have certainly continued in that vein, with so many books to sign that Zoe and I had to bundle up a box full and take them with us to the after school event so I could finish them.
Julie Burland, who is in charge of the Children's Books at Random House came along with us too - this is a photo of her and I and Alice-Miranda below.
I spoke with the Year 2, 3 and 5 girls over their lunch break. Year 4 were out on an excursion. Given that it was an optional activity, there were well over 130 girls present out of a possible 150 (I think). The girls' excitement was palpable and I loved meeting them again. It was also fantastic to have not only the new librarian Ms McWilliams present but also the Acting Head of Junior School Mrs Angela Toohey and several other teachers as well.
One of the girls, Phoebe is a huge Alice-Miranda fan. She acted the part of Mr Sparks in our play from Clementine Rose and was wonderful. I loved meeting her.
I signed books in the short break between sessions and then I met the Year 6 girls. They had lots of questions and wanted to know more about the process of writing and how it all comes together.
It was lovely to see one of the girls I had met while I was on tour in the US last year, Georgia. She attended Greenacres Elementary School in Scarsdale New York and came to say hello after the Queenwood event.
Here are photos of Georgia and me this year and another of Georgia and her brother from last year's NY school visit!
After school we dashed up the hill and around the corner into Mosman village to Pages and Pages, one of Sydney's best independent booksellers. When we arrived, there were lots of little girls and their parents already sitting in the 'ampitheatre' (a fantastic stair well that the shop can use for events!) I met Danica who had worked on arranging the event. By the time I started, the stairs were full and I had a great time talking to the children about the books and characters and what's next for Alice-Miranda and Clementine Rose. There was a lot of enthusiasm about the diary and there were loads of good questions from the children and their parents. During the signing I always ask the children where they go to school and I was stunned to find girls had come from Randwick, Woollahra, Bondi, Hunter's Hill and the Upper North Shore and Northern Beaches as well as locally. It's always a pleasure to meet the readers and their parents.
I was particularly thrilled to meet Lola and Evie at the very end of the line with their mother Mel. I've known Mel and her husband Warwick for years and just last week when I was in Melbourne Lola read her first Alice-Miranda book and her mother sent a tweet to say that Lola had declared it to be 'the best book ever'. I was very excited to hear that because Lola reads a lot! I signed the girls' books, the first Clementine Rose for Evie and the second Alice-Miranda for Lola and we had some photos too.
Next week we're off to visit Mt Annan Christian College and Mt Annan Public School, very close to where I grew up in Camden. Happy Easter everyone!
My blogging is a little behind as I've been flat out finishing a new book, Clementine Rose and the Farm Fiasco and working in Perth and Albany WA. This week has been a little quieter and closer to home but I'll get to that later.
A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of visiting Mount Annan Christian School and Mount Annan Primary School. Nestled between Campbelltown and Narellan, an area I know well as I grew up in Camden, just a little further over the hill. When I was a child there was barely a house along this stretch of road, but it's certainly not that way now. Home to a stunning Botanical Garden and large estates, the chicken farms and rolling green hills of my childhood are a distant memory. Zoe and I had set off from Sydney early, in torrential rain, but the day cleared and certainly while it bucketed closer to the coast, the skies were blue where we were.
It was lovely to meet the students in both of these schools and as I often do, make connections with people I've met before, albeit quite some time ago. There was a teacher at the Christian School who had taught scripture at Camden High School when I was there as a student. He must have been but a boy at the time!
I love to entertain an audience and this day was no exception. The children in both schools were enthusiastic and asked loads of great questions. You can tell a lot about a school from the way the students behave and interact and the type of questions they ask - these kids were thoughtful and inquisitive and it was great to meet them.
It's always fun too, to ask children about their ambitions - of course there are always loads of them who are aiming to be professional sports stars, there are some who just want to be stars (not bothered about how they get there) and many who have professional goals - I think vet science must be one of the most favoured responses. As a child I harboured all manner of desires but I knew from an early age that I would be a teacher and hoped that one day I would be an author too. If the children I met today, realise that a very ordinary little girl from just over the hill in Camden can work hard and achieve her dreams, then why shouldn't they achieve theirs too.
I don't know where the past month has gone. Just a minute ago it was April and in a blink it's now May and 12 days in at that. It hardly seems a month ago that I was catching a plane to Perth for a week in the west. I'm usually very good at keeping up with the blog, but lately there has been lots of editing to be done and deadlines don't wait. I spent 7 -13 April in WA, and most of the time I was visiting schools as well as having a wonderful public library event at Brack's Library Melville. there was no time for sightseeing - with a deadline due that same week too.
Day one saw me head north to Kingsley, to Creaney Independent Primary School. I had the most wonderful welcome with the librarian Karen and her library assistant, Ivana both dressed as Alice-Miranda. They had planned a delicious high tea with the staff at morning tea time too. I have a few very ardent fans in the school and meeting these children was a highlight for sure. I spoke with the entire school over the course of the day and it was great to see the students engaged in their own writing activities too. The school has a great warmth too it and the Principal, Trevor Mitchell is obviously a man with vision for his school.
Day two saw me at Moerlina School, a small independent school in Mt Claremont. There are no uniforms and the children call the adults by their Christian names. I loved the children's enthusiasm and their delight in learning. The staff are very dedicated and I really enjoy that the school is small enough that they can all eat lunch together (apart from the teachers on duty of course). Their staff room is big and has a wonderfully equipped kitchen. The food was amazing - thanks to Maria and Angela for keeping me well fed and making me feel so welcome.
Laurie Smith, the Random House Rep in the west picked me up that afternoon and we travelled across to the other side of the river to Brack's Library in Melville for a public event, hosted by Dymocks Garden City. I was overwhelmed by the number of children and parents who came along (that photo was taken as the group was still arriving) and it was a fabulous afternoon. One little girl, Erin who came to see me had recently moved from Sunderland UK to Perth and is a great friend of Lily's who I met in Newcastle earlier in the year. It was wonderful to meet her and her mother (who had driven a long way to come and say hello). I also met another huge fan, Olivia, who came along with her whole family. I was thrilled to meet them both.
On Wednesday Laurie picked me up at the hotel and we spent the day 'Random House touring', visiting three schools in quite close proximity. Bicton Primary, Booragoon Primary and Mel Maria Catholic Primary. All were fantastic and I enjoyed meeting the staff and students. Laurie is the most darling man - and it turned out that between the two of us we were a pretty good 'ideas team' too. Look out WA when next I head west!
Later that afternoon we headed for the airport so I could catch a flight to Albany. There is a new airport terminal servicing some of the smaller airlines. It was huge and gleaming and pretty much empty.
The flight to Albany is just on an hour and I was met at the airport by Karen Bradbury, the librarian at Great Southern Grammar. She is a lovely lady - warm and enthusiastic and keen to show me the delights of this gorgeous town. Albany is very pretty, with a lovely old town hall and a wide main street. I was staying in a motel called My Place (which got a little confusing when Elinor, the other librarian called in the morning to say that she was at 'my place' and where was I? I thought she was at 'her place' as I'd forgotten the name of where I was staying but of course she was out the front!).
Great Southern Grammar School is a bit of a drive from town - about 20 minutes or so. Elinor is a bit of a caffeine addict too and so we headed to a café before driving out to the school. The school goes from Preschool through to Year 12 and quite a lot of the students board too. It's a great alternative for locals on the land instead of sending their children up to Perth. The school is on a big block, right on the water, so they have a great program of rowing and other water sports.
I worked with the Infants and Primary students over the next two days and also met local writers including Diane Wolfer, whose work I have oft admired. I also had the pleasure of spending an afternoon with the Yalari students at the school. Abbie was one of the children I looked after in my camp group a few years ago and it was great to meet her again and the other students. They are all doing so well, despite in some cases being thousands of kilometres from home. They enjoyed hamming it up for the camera too! An unexpected highlight of my visit was meeting the girls below - I saw the one on the left borrowing those three books and couldn't help asking her who they were for. She said, 'Me. I love Alice-Miranda' I thought that was very cool. Alice-Miranda's readers don't have to be primary aged - this girl was 14.
On the Friday evening a group of us had a lovely dinner out, starting with drinks at one of the local hotels which has a very elegant 'saloon' style bar, very much in the vein of the Victoria Room in Darlinghurst. It was most unexpected.
Albany is a place of great natural beauty. It was a former whaling station and there is still a busy port. I was surprised by how expensive it was to buy a house there but that's pretty much WA and the mining boom for you. I've love to go back there for a holiday.
Last time I was in Perth, about 6 years ago, it was relatively sleepy place and the old adage that 'it only takes 20 minutes to get anywhere' definitely rang true. Not anymore! I think the traffic in the city on some mornings rivalled Sydney and it was certainly much busier than I remembered.
I do love the west though - there is something about the light, the air, the red dirt and the notion that you're still in Australia but so many miles from home.
I'm currently hatching a plan to get back to Perth in mid October on my way to Singapore and the UK. Watch this space for more details.
The past month or so has flown by with lots of school visits (which I will write about over the coming week), editing two books and getting some renovations done around the house. At the moment we're having a small extension built - which will mean that I can finally move from the dining room table to the study. It will be great to have a more delineated work space. I might post some photographs once it's done (and finally contribute something to Tristan Bancks' blog about where writers work).
I recently had the pleasure of visiting Sacred Heart School at Villawood. The children were fabulous and so enthusiastic. They had created some wonderful shields and school mottos based on Alice-Miranda At School. Something I talk to the children about is their ambitions - which are always fabulous and range from doctors and lawyers to archaeologists and teachers and just about everything in between. This morning one little girl with a puff of blonde hair told me quite seriously that she was going to be a princess when she grows up. I guess Princess Mary and Duchess Kate are living proof that although openings are limited, being a princess is not completely out of the realm of possibility.
I had a ball doing some drama activities and the students I selected were absolutely perfect in their roles. It was a pleasure to visit.
I hadn't realised just how far behind I have been on the blog (lots of touring and editing lately) and so I've decided to do some big catching up, combining tour weeks together. Life has continued to be a whirl through April and May and I fear if I don't catch up now, I never will!
In early May I had a great time visiting St Christopher's School in Holsworthy where I spoke with the girls from Years 3-6. They were very enthusiastic and asked great questions. Lunch was delicious too!
I loved visiting Mount Colah Public School, which is just a little further north from where I live. Set among the trees, the school is picturesque. The students were terrific and it was great to meet the librarian, Jennifer and her assistant and a local bookseller I hadn't met before, Carolyn Rettalick as well as the Principal who came to watch my presentation. I spoke to the girls (although you may notice there are two boys in the photo below with some of the students - they came along to my talk and had me sign books for their sisters) and they asked great questions and were very keen readers of Alice-Miranda and Clementine Rose.
A couple of weeks later I visited St Anne's Strathfield, a small school with incredibly enthusiastic readers. I couldn't quite believe how many books I signed there - something like 85 books for a population of 140 children. Flory Cavallo, the librarian who looks after St Anne's and St Columba's is a great lady who obviously shares her love of books with the students. She's also a superstar at morning teas - and an enemy of my waistline!
I visited Ascham in Edgecliff the next day and managed to have a dream run with almost no traffic at all. I always enjoy seeing the Ascham girls and they didn't disappoint - although sadly there are no photos from the morning. I wish I had been able to film the little girl who took on the role of Mr Sparks the snorer - I've never seen anything like it and clearly she is destined for a life on the stage.
On Thursday I headed over to Leichhardt for the day. I wasn't worried about getting to St Columba's on time, until for whatever reason the traffic, which had been flowing well, came to a complete standstill on Victoria Road. The minutes were ticking by way too quickly and although I thought I'd left home with an hour to spare, turns out the traffic beat me and I was a little bit late. Grrr - Sydney traffic can be so unpredictable. It was no problem though, as Flory adjusted the schedule and we were on track in no time. Again the children were so enthusiastic and I loved meeting them.
Zoe and I visited Shearer's Bookshop at lunchtime. I'm sad that they've had to move out of their beautiful space in Norton Street but as always Barbara and Tony have done a terrific job with their relocation to The Marketplace - making the best of the situation (and a couple of weeks later winning Independent Bookseller of the Year and Bookshop Marketing Campaign of the Year at the Australian Book Industry Awards). I managed a spot of 5 minute shopping too - at the Italian Shoe Shop in Norton Street :)
In the afternoon I visited Leichhardt Public School - it's a big place and the children were lots of fun. Completely engrossed and wonderful participants. It was great to have the event at the end of the day as lots of the children brought their parents back to buy books and have them signed.
My final school on this leg of the tour was St Luke's Dee Why. I worked with the wonderful Jane Coffey from Novella Books in Wahroonga. I had been looking forward to going to St Luke's as one of my old colleagues, Sue Jenkins is the librarian there for the Junior School. The campus has undergone some major building works in recent times and is looking fantastic. I had a great time talking to the students in Years 3-5. I will add a photo once I can access the one I have :)
Touring is great fun - it's a joy to meet students and teachers and a privilege to have an opportunity to visit so many schools.
Last Sunday morning Alice-Miranda, my mother in law, Joan and I boarded a Qantas plane bound for Alice Springs. It would be a new experience for all of us and I was really excited to be visiting the centre of Australia. To say that Alice Springs is green at the moment is an understatement. The shocking contrast of red and patches of green grass was unexpected to say the least.
On Monday (the Queen's Birthday Public Holiday) my mother in law and I were booked to go on a small coach tour of the West MacDonnell Ranges. When the driver arrived I asked if there were many people coming along (our hotel was the first pick up) and when he said that it was a very small group I immediately enquired if we could take someone else. His response was a very enthusiastic yes - even after he realised that the someone was Alice-Miranda.
So we boarded the bus and set off with Alice-Miranda in the front passenger seat, much to the delight of the passengers already with us. Others who joined us along the pickup were slightly more perplexed. The outback is vast, with a sky that seems to stretch on forever and red ranges that create a spectacular backdrop. We visited Standley Chasm, Ellery Creek Bighole (the most beautiful water hole where lots of locals go to swim but only when it's really hot. Anything sub 35 I'm told is still too cold - and the water is always chilly), the Ochre Pits, Glen Helen Gorge for a delicious lunch and on the return run we spent a couple of hours at Ormiston Gorge. I climbed to the lookout and then walked the long way back, in the hope of getting a glimpse of a black footed rock wallaby. We spotted one - high on the cliff on a ledge. I was glad I had the zoom on the camera to look at him.
The return trip also saw us stop at Simpson's Gap - another beautiful spot and apparently a popular wedding destination, only about 18 kilometres from Alice. Our final point of interest was John Flynn's grave - which up until recently had been marked with one of the Devil's Marbles. It was returned not so long ago and a new stone of similar proportions installed. Flynn is the pioneer who started the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
Our tour guide, John, was a mine of information, from the fact that the layer of red on the rocks is thinner than a strand of human hair and below it the mountains are quartz, to the history of Alice Springs and that Sir Charles Todd, Superintendent of the Telegraphs named the place Alice Springs after his wife Alice - who never visited the town. At least my Alice visited the Alice!
I only wished we'd had more time to explore. I'd love to see Hermannsberg and King's Canyon and of course, Uluru. But there were schools to visit and children to see and I couldn't wait to see what the rest of the week would bring
What a week! Alice Springs was fabulous with amazing hospitality from our hosts and tour guides Celia Otley and Ruth Jones. Both ladies are former librarians and have been dedicated members of the NT CBCA (with President and Secretary roles to name but a couple of the many jobs they have done over the years). Ruth was the brainchild behind the Alice Springs Children's Literature Festivals, of which they have now had three and Celia took over the reins of the last festival.
Tuesday morning, Ruth picked me and we headed across town to Living Waters Lutheran School, which we'd passed on our West MacDonnell Ranges tour the day before. It's a beautiful school and the children were fantastic. Their facilities are excellent too and the whole school has a lovely warmth about it. The librarian, Kate was from Shrewsbury in Shropshire, England and then she'd lived in Preston in Lancashire (where Ian and I had visited during our trip to the UK in February and where we are heading back to in November). That was a lovely coincidence. Her daughter Scarlett is an avid Alice-Miranda fan and it was great to meet her too.
Our second school of the day saw us cross town (Ruth was hoping not to encounter any trains - as apparently they take about 7 minutes to run through). I would have loved to see the Ghan while we were out there but it was not to be. School number two was Ross Park Primary where I was greeted by three little girls dressed as Alice-Miranda, Millie and Jacinta! I was so overwhelmed - they were absolutely gorgeous.
Ruth and Celia swapped over chaperoning duties and Celia then took me to lunch at the Bean Tree Café in the Olive Pink Botanic Gardens. Lunch which was delicious and highly recommended. Olive Pink was a remarkable woman who campaigned for the rights of Indigenous people at a time when this would have caused considerable eyebrow raising - she also lobbied to have a garden in Alice Springs dedicated to arid zone plants. Ruth joined us again and we headed into town to visit Bev, the owner of the very beautiful Dymocks store and meet up with my mother in law Joan, who had been on the hop on, hop off bus, visiting various sites around town that morning. We found her in the shop along with a lovely display of Alice-Miranda and Clementine Rose books.
On Tuesday evening Joan and I walked down to the Juicy Rump restaurant at the hotel where we were staying and were surprised by how busy it was - then we realised that it was half price Tuesday and it seemed like half of Alice Springs had come out to get a steak! We met a gorgeous couple from a property a long way north of Longreach in Queensland. They had flown into Alice Springs on their way to Broome. Joan was particularly fascinated that they were flying their own little Cessna all the way across the country. We had dinner with them and heard all about their life in the bush.
Wednesday morning saw us visiting ABC Alice Springs for an interview with the lovely Nadine. It was great fun to talk to her and I hope that I can get a copy of the podcast at some stage.
We then made our way to Our Lady Of Sacred Heart in town where I talked to the Year 1-2 students, then Year 3-4. There are three campuses for the school which goes from Kindergarten to Year 12. It was great to meet the kids and the school was very welcoming.
It was then over to Yipirinya Indigenous School on the other side of town. The Headmaster, Ken Langford-Smith greeted us warmly and we had lunch in the dining room with Margaret Kemarre James, the author of the Honey Ant Readers. It was great to talk to her about her work developing these readers, which have now been produced in six Indigenous languages. As it happened Margaret was on the same flight to Sydney as Joan and I on Friday and it was good to talk to her a little more about her work.
Lunch was a delicious tuna pasta bake. All of the children are given breakfast and lunch each day and are bussed in from the various town camps. I worked with one of the Year 3-4 classes. The school caters to some of the most underprivileged children in the town. I talked to the kids about where I came from and who my family was and showed lots of pictures. I also told them some stories and asked them lots of questions. I got a lot of cuddles too.
In the evening we were treated to a wonderful dinner at Ruth and Bob's place, a short drive from town. It was great to meet the dedicated members of the local CBCA and some friends of Ruth and Bob's too. Dinner was delicious.
On Thursday morning we headed to Bradshaw Primary School where I spent time with the Year 3-4 students, then the Year 5-6's. Again, another group of interested kids with lots of great questions. It was good to see the teachers enjoying themselves too.
Sadadeen Primary School came next. It has a relatively small student population of just over 100 kids and is 85% Indigenous. The librarian Ailsa was so enthusiastic and had really prepared the children well for the visit. It was great to meet so many staff too, including one of the teachers that the children thought was my double. Apparently when the posters went up around the school, they kept asking her when her sister was coming to town. I could see why they thought we had a resemblance.
Our final school for the day was Larapinta, one of the largest schools in town, where Ruth had been founding librarian and where there is a plaque commemorating her work in the library. Current librarian Sue greeted us very warmly and we had a wonderful time meeting the students, some of whom then came to the public library event immediately after school. Sue came along too.
It was wonderful to have such great support, so far from home. I was thrilled to see quite a few of the children I'd met earlier in the week at the library as well as students who I hadn't seen but had heard I was in town. One little girl and her family were from Ceduna in South Australia and were travelling and heard I was going to be there. The little girl was a great fan and it was amazing to be able to meet them in the middle of Australia.
Friday came far too quickly. Our final school for the tour was Braitling, one of the larger schools with about 300 students. There is a large number of Indigenous children, many of whom are bussed in from the town camps. The librarian Sara explained that they have a number of initiatives as part of the Northern Territory Intervention and they were seeing great results. I have to say that their students were fantastic - so well behaved and interested. It was a joy to work with them.
Ruth took Joan and I for a cup of coffee and I managed a quick last minute visit to some of the galleries. I had been for a look on Wednesday afternoon - and had fallen in love with many art works. My husband is an avid collector of Indigenous art and hence there's not much space on the walls at home. I had the pleasure of meeting Mary Pitjara when she was delivering some paintings to one of the galleries. I'm in love with her Bush Yams and am hoping she might deliver a slighter smaller picture soon - I think it could have my name on it.
Our trip was over way too soon. Ruth drove us to the airport as Celia had left earlier in the morning enroute to Turkey! I was amazed that she'd had any time at all to drive me around during the week but she is a seasoned traveller and seemed completely unfazed. I hope she's having a terrific time on her tour.
I haven't seen anywhere near as much of Alice Springs as I would have liked, so there's only one thing for it - I'll have to go again!
On Monday I had the pleasure of visiting Wiley Park Public School for their Books In Homes Assembly. This is a fabulous program which allows students to select books that they get to take home and keep. Books are given at the end of Term 1, 2 and 4 just before the school holidays. Librarian extraordinaire, Gillian Maugle is an inspiration. She was responsible, with her students for making the Books In Homes mascot and her library is somewhere that you just want to be.
I had a ball talking to the K-2 students first then the 3-6 children. They were engaged and attentive and it was a lot of fun. I was so impressed to hear their diverse range of ambitions from doctors and paramedics to postal workers and policemen.
Congratulations to Books In Homes and the University of Western Sydney for their support of this fantastic initiative. As you can see from the photos - the children were thrilled to receive their books.
I'm really excited to be visiting Adelaide very soon. I've never been to South Australia and Adelaide has always appealed. While I'm there, I'll be presenting some writing workshops for public libraries, doing an interview on ABC radio and visiting bookshops; four of which I'll be doing Saturday events with over the coming month. The primary reason for the visit is to write - courtesy of the May Gibbs' Trust. I'm looking forward to finishing Alice-Miranda In Japan and writing Clementine Rose and the Seaside Escape as well as becoming acquainted with the city and surrounds.
If you have a keen Alice-Miranda or Clementine Rose reader I'd love to meet them on:
Saturday 20 July Dymocks Rundle Mall 1-2pm
Saturday 27 July Dillons Norwood 1-2pm
Saturday 3 August Collins Edwardstown
Saturday 10 August (National Bookshop Day) Mostly Books Mitcham 11-12
Looking forward to a fantastic time! And apologies for the poor quality of the scan.
Earlier this year I received the very exciting news that I had been awarded a Creative Time Residency Fellowship from the May Gibbs Children's Literature Trust. With several city options for the retreat, I chose Adelaide. Having never been here before, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to write and explore a new location. I arrived last Monday and was picked up at the airport by Barbara James, one of the lovely ladies on the Trust Committee. She drove me to the apartment via the city so I could get a glimpse of Adelaide. A few things struck me immediately. As we flew in I noticed that it's very green and hilly around the city (guess that's why the Adelaide Hills are so named) and once on the ground, the buildings in the city and suburbs are beautiful. The apartment is in Norwood - which is a gorgeous area. Small and perfectly formed, it reminds me of being at my grandparents' house when I was little. It's cosy and has everything you need for a writing retreat including a lovely big desk at which, I am sitting now.
As I flew in after midday, I spent the first afternoon getting acquainted with the apartment and the surrounding area. It's a short walk to the Norwood shops which seem to have everything you could need and more. I popped into Dillon's Bookshop, which is huge and has a big reputation. I met Laura, the manager and am looking forward to doing an event with them on Saturday week (27 July). There are supermarkets and a cinema and lots of boutiques including far too many tempting shoe shops.
It was a wonderful surprise to find several treats in the apartment including home made shortbread (there goes the reformed diet plans) and fresh cut flowers too.
I find it hard being away from Ian, as we're such a great team. It's something I've had to get used to over the years - initially with school camps and excursions and this year, with touring. Although he's been with me on the overseas trips, I've taken several interstate excursions and he's stayed in Sydney working. He's coming down for part of the time and I can't wait until he's here. You see, I write better when he's around - we talk about plots and characters and he's a fantastic listener and excellent critic.
After a fitful sleep (it's always like that the first night away), I awoke to the sounds of silence - until 7.30am when a chainsaw buzzed to life on the block behind the apartments. Then the giant tree eating mulcher cranked up and the noise reached unbearable heights. I headed off to the shops in search of coffee and breakfast and a quiet place to read the manuscript thus far. My goals for the month are huge. I have another 30,000 words to write on Alice-Miranda In Japan and after that I plan to write Clementine Rose and the Seaside Escape. The plot for Japan is fairly well embedded with various things percolating but Seaside Escape is still forming.
I arrived back at the apartment hoping to find the noisy beasts gone, but alas that wasn't to be. They did break for lunch and lull me into a false sense of security. I left to go to the ABC studios about midday to do an interview with Deb Tribe on 891 Adelaide. That was fun - a little nerve racking and over way too quickly. I think I'd like to have my own show, as anyone who knows me is well aware that I could talk the leg off a pot. There would be no dead air on my shift! When I returned to my little home, I saw the giant tree shredding mulcher being towed away - Hooray! Until about ten minutes later when another machine started up. That's it - I went to investigate. The tree shredder had been replaced by a stump grinder. Yay! And when I walked around the block I counted at least 20 stumps. So I imagine they'll be back again tomorrow. That's okay - I'm teaching a masterclass for young writers and hoping that by the time I return, the stumps will be dust.
On walking around the block I decided to visit the Norwood Library to check on a few things for my upcoming visits. I met the lovely Debi and together we sorted out the technology requirements for the events. On the way there I came upon a sight you don't see everyday. A little girl, a smaller boy and their mother were walking towards me and the little girl was carrying a floppy eared bunny in a basket. His name was Boston and he was adorable - and so was his owner, Abbey. I stopped for a chat - one thing led to another and it turned out they live just a few doors down from the apartment where I'm staying.
Abbey is also an Alice-Miranda fan. Fingers crossed I have at least one friendly face at my signing in Norwood.
Heading home I knew I had to get on with it. There are goals to be met. So all up on Tuesday I achieved 2500 words of the book, quite a few more in my planning journal and this little blog post. Not quite enough on the book but tomorrow's a new day and I'm hoping for some peace and quiet - at least until the stump grinder arrives.
Norwood is a fabulous location and I'm enjoying my daily walks around the neighbourhood and marvelling at the beautiful homes. Wednesday morning saw Alle Goldsworthy, one of the Trust volunteers arrive bright and early to take me to my first official workshop at the St Peter's library. She very kindly brought me some delicious home made soup too.
St Peter's is not far from Norwood - really just down Osmond Terrace. The library has recently undergone a complete renovation and is absolutely stunning. A very sympathetic restoration of the old building incorporated with dramatic modern finishes. My workshop took place in what used to be a hall but is a much swisher venue now. Alle and I met with Debi and got everything set up. The only small difficulty was a lack of white board, which I find invaluable when teaching and demonstrating writing techniques. Some butcher's paper and pens provided a work around solution.
The students arrived eager to get on with it. There were five boys and ten girls ranging in age from about 8-13. As soon as we began it was obvious there were a few very creative thinkers and I really enjoyed the time with them. Two hours flashed by.
Alle then took me for lunch in Norwood - we were both very keen for a coffee by this stage and then it was back to The Burrow to get writing. But to tell you the truth, I had lots of emails to catch up on and was feeling very restless. About 3pm I set off to go for a walk - I wanted to explore some of the other streets on the way to The Parade. The Norwood shopping precinct is lovely and I had already spotted about 6 shoe shops, two of which I passed on yesterday's walk. There were some fabulous boots (half price!) out the front and so I ventured in. And the boots ventured into a shopping bag and back home with me.
I stopped for a coffee and met a friendly Colombian girl who was working in the café. She was telling me she'd recently moved to SA from Bondi and was finding it far more affordable in Adelaide - although harder to get work in her field as a social worker. We chatted about Colombia and whether she wanted to go back and live there permanently. Her comment was that Australian's don't know how lucky they are and that she's reluctant to go back due to safety concerns.
I'm sure that I'll see her again - the coffee was great.
So last night I spent quite a lot of time thinking about the manuscript, researching some more Japanese quirks and customs and planning my work for Thursday. I also made some updates to my website and found that the cover for Alice-Miranda In New York was already on the Random House UK site in anticipation of it's April 2014 release.
Thursday morning and it's bright and sunny - and very windy. Last night the rain was intermittently torrential, but the Burrow is very warm and cosy.
Today I need to make serious progress on the manuscript if I want to have any chance of finishing it by the end of next week - and getting Clementine Rose done too.
So, back to the post after many hours at the computer. Good progress - and fun research. Looking forward to Ian arriving tomorrow.
I waved Ian off in a cab on Sunday afternoon - he headed home to Sydney for the week and will be back next Friday night. I wish he was staying. We had lunch in Glenelg and talked through plot issues and character developments and I'm feeling so much better about getting on with it.
The past three days have been fantastic. On Friday morning Ian arrived, followed closely by Clive Jackson, the Random House rep for South Australia who picked us up for the day. We headed into the Art Gallery of South Australia for the launch of a wonderful new book, Affairs of the Art by Katrina Strickland. It's about the management of artist's estates and their legacies. Katrina spent a significant amount of time with the widows of many of Australia's most famous artists, pulling together her research for the book. We met her briefly after the talk and she's absolutely delightful. Having read several chapters now too, I can highly recommend it as a very interesting and insightful read.
We then drove to Pegi Williams bookshop in Walkerville, another stunning suburb. Pegi Williams is a fantastic Australian success story. The shop is in a gorgeous heritage building and it was fabulous to meet owner James and the lovely Rebecca, sales consultant and avid reader. Both of them certainly know children's books and have a dedicated following around the country. I'm looking forward to heading back there next Friday evening to make a short video for their website.
Then we were off to Griffin Press for what had to be one of the most exciting afternoons I can recall in a very long time. We were going to see the process of how books are actually made - so that instead of saying 'well, I see the page proofs and then it goes back and it's a bit like magic - it returns to me as a book' I can tell children what really goes on - from how the orders are organised, covers are created, to the way the offset printing works, to how the pages are collated, bound, cut, trimmed and packaged. As an author I have wanted to see the process for a while now - but to arrive and find out that they were printing Alice-Miranda Shows the Way while we were there was AMAZING! Not only that, there were reprints of Alice-Miranda At School happening too - so we got to see the covers being created and two Clemmie books were being reprinted on the smaller run digital machines.
I felt like Charlie in Willy Wonka's chocolate factory - and I'm pretty sure Clive and Ian felt the same way. You couldn't wipe the smiles off our faces. Adrian, the factory manager was a gem. He explained the entire process and Dani and Ian, who both take care of front of house goings on, explained exactly how the files arrive and what happens prior to and following the printing process. Their generosity was incredible and I loved every minute. We went to the plate room and they were apologising that there was no Alice-Miranda or Clementine being pressed at the time. However, when I looked at what was coming through, it was a reprint of Stories for 8 Year Olds - and my short story, Gruesome Grandads and Nasty Nans was there in the corner. I couldn't believe it - and I don't think they could either.
The paper store is incredible with 4 months worth of giant paper rolls piled high like a pre-publication forest. I was impressed with Griffin's dedication to recycling and the use of recyclable materials.
Adrian has been with the company for a long time - three decades I think. He was obviously very proud of his work and team and I suspect it was a bit of a thrill for him to be able to show us exactly how it all happens. I know it was a huge thrill for me and an afternoon I will never forget.
On Saturday morning we met Mary Wilson, who along with her husband Ian was responsible for setting up the May Gibb's Children's Literature Trust. Mary kindly came and picked us up. Then we drove over to get Elizabeth Hutchins before heading to Mary's magnificent home for a delicious morning tea. Sadly, Mary's husband Ian passed away recently. He sounds like a wonderful man and his work both for the Trust and in the community as a member of parliament have left an important legacy.
Mary's home is one of those places that ooze family and history. Her own grandmother was born in a timber house that sits adjacent to the main house.
Morning tea consisted of home made scones and cake - and was absolutely delicious. I hope to spend more time with Mary and Elizabeth during the visit.
Mary then drove us to Rundle Mall where I had a book signing at Dymocks. That was great fun too and I met some very enthusiastic Alice-Miranda fans. We also met Linda from Dymocks who was a fabulous host and Jo, Clive's wife, who also works in the store.
Rundle Mall is currently undergoing a substantial renovation so we're not seeing it at its best. Suffice to say it reminds me a little of Pitt Street Mall with the usual array of shops. The weather was very chilly on Saturday with snow falling on Mt Lofty - which we learned is a none too frequent occurrence. Ian and I returned to the Burrow and decided to walk to Norwood and find a cosy place for a late lunch. On the way down the street I was surprised to see this giant sign on the window in Dillon's Bookshop advertising my upcoming Saturday signing.
Sunday dawned just as drearily as Saturday and we decided to take the tram to Glenelg. Wow - the weather was wild and woolly down there - but I can imagine that on a clear day it is absolutely beautiful. We found the marina with lots of shops and restaurants and enjoyed another late lunch before Ian had to head back to Sydney and I had to reacquaint myself with the book.
All up, my first week in Adelaide has been great. The ladies from the Trust Committee are so kind - Alle brought me some delicious soup early in the week and Mary stopped by on Saturday evening with Osso Bucco, Minestrone and a bottle of red - from the family's own vines. I can't thank them all enough for making me feel at home.
I'm ooking forward to a very productive week ahead. The goals are lofty with at least another 25,000 words of Alice-Miranda In Japan to write (hopefully by the end of the week). I don't mind if the weather stays chilly - it's wonderful for writing.
PS I have a lot more photos from the visit to Griffin Press and will post them as soon as I'm allowed.
The first two days of the week were head down, tail up working on the book. I managed 3600 words on Monday and Tuesday did a complete read through with changes, adding another 1500 words. Still, not as many as I would have liked.
I've been getting out each day, making sure that I walk to The Parade in Norwood, grab a coffee and speak to people - even if it is just at the checkout in Coles. Complete author isolation would drive me batty; I need people to energise me.
On Tuesday afternoon I walked to the bakery on the corner and on the way back I decided to have a closer look at the sculpture in the middle of the very large median strip in Osmond Terrace. It's a series of circles and inside there are stories. Although I suspect to the passing motorists I may have looked a little strange as my head followed the great big loops, the stories are wonderful and tell snippets of Norwood's history from local residents. One tells of a well to do couple who stayed at a local hotel. The wife was devastated to find her jewellery gone one evening and reported it to the owner. A chamber maid was accused of the theft and sent off in disgrace. Some time later the owner discovered a magpie's nest with a an outstanding collection of jewels.
On Wednesday I had the pleasure of talking to two groups of students from Norwood Public School at the beautiful old Norwood Library. Mary Wilson came to collect me from the apartment. The sky was finally a dazzling blue and the warmth after quite a few chilly days was heavenly.
The children and teachers were a most enthusiastic and appreciative audience and I loved sharing stories with them, answering questions and doing some drama. Cutest question of the day was, 'do you play any sports?'
'Yes, I love to play golf,' was my response.
'Wow, you're the first girl I've ever met who can play golf.'
I didn't realise I was so unusual.
There were some great actors among the classes and they really got stuck into the group audition process.
Mary and I then headed back to drop off the bulky gear at the apartment.
Before I go any further I have to say that Mary Wilson is an extraordinary woman. She's one of those people who exude warmth and kindness - and wisdom. I have loved spending time with her and look forward to a few more visits before I head home. I wish I could have met her husband Ian too - he really sounds like the most extraordinary man and I'm sure they must have made an indomitable team.
As it happened, when we arrived at the apartment, another of the committee members, Jacqui Holdich telephoned to check on some arrangements for next week. On the spur of the moment we organised to meet her in Norwood and have a bite of lunch in the sun. It was great getting to know more about Jacqui's career and her recent travels. Mary and I then headed off down The Terrace to the corner where I was meeting Eliza, one of my former Abbotsleigh colleagues in the Development Office. It was great to see her too and hear about her new life in Adelaide.
Today I've struggled a little bit. I had to finish off an edit for my US publisher and so had my head back in Alice-Miranda At Sea yesterday afternoon and evening and then again first thing this morning. I have found it hard to get into the rhythm of things. I was also cross with myself for being a bit of a cranky pants yesterday. I know I'm missing Ian terribly and can't wait for him to arrive tomorrow night. This afternoon I received the most beautiful email from a reader, Violette - who certainly cheered my day. I've inserted an extract below:
I love the Alice-Miranda series!!!!! I also love your blog, it's so interesting to read. I had an idea for a blog post...I don't know if you'll like it but here it is anyway!
Alice-Miranda is such an inspirational character, and is many people's, including myself's, role model. Lot's of your readers try to be like her. For other characters in other books, or TV shows, or things like that, there are usually posts on line with tips on how to be like them. For example, I love CeCe from the show Shake It Up, and there are lots of posts on the internet on how to be like her, dress like her etc.. You could do one for Alice-Miranda!!! I don't know if you'll like that, you definitely don't have to, it was just an idea, but if you did do it, some of the tips could be like "Always introduce yourself, be kind......." and so on.
It was very timely. Kids have told me that often when they find themselves in a bind, they will ask, 'what would Alice-Miranda do?' I need to take their advice. I know I've got the passion, but Alice-Miranda could teach me a thing or two about grace.
This afternoon one of my former Abbotsleigh colleagues, Jane came and picked me up and we went and had coffee in the city. It was wonderful to see her and catch up on all the news.
Tomorrow I need to make serious headway on the book. The threads are all there - it's just a matter of pulling gently and seeing how they unravel. I would have loved to be finishing the last few thousand words but that's a little way off yet - not too far, I can almost see it.
Friday was a great writing day. I needed to make good progress and I did. For whatever reason, a whole lot of threads started to unravel, characters came into focus and I can see where I want to take things. Heading up to 40,000 words with about 16,000 to go - so the end is in sight.
Eight hours of solid writing was followed by a visit to Pegi Williams Bookshop in Walkerville. The lovely Rebecca Bird came to pick me up and we headed to the store to do an interview for their website. James Williams was on the camera and Rebecca asked the questions. Afterwards we went out to dinner in Norwood with James's lovely wife Chrissy and their two gorgeous little boys Jonah and Tobias.
After dinner I got back to the apartment and Ian and his mother arrived shortly afterwards, having flown in from Sydney for the week. Joan is staying at a nice little apartment a few streets away. I couldn't believe when she hobbled in, having strained her knee getting off the plane. Fortunately things have improved over the weekend. Probably helped by sampling a couple of the very tasty wines at some of the local vineyards :).
On Saturday morning we headed out for breakfast and then back to the apartment for some work. At 1pm I had a signing at Dillon's Bookshop in Norwood. I was thrilled to see a group of children already milling about when we arrived and the children kept coming for over an hour. At one stage I looked up and the queue snaked up the road to the Nordburger shop on the other side of the mall. The children were so lovely and there were quite a few 'number 1' fans among them. It would be lovely to be doing more school visits while I'm here but it's about balancing the writing and work for the Trust. I can certainly foresee a trip back to Adelaide next year and a very big school tour.
We finished up around 2.15pm. The staff at Dillon's were wonderful - so well organised. I loved the balloons and the colouring competition which I had the pleasure of judging. It was great to see Abbey and her little brother and their gorgeous rabbit Boston too.
After the signing we decided to spend a couple of hours in Hahndorf. It's not far up the mountain and is such a pretty place. A lot like Berrima in the hills. There are plenty of quaint cottages and crafty shops as well as the obligatory lolly shops.
We had afternoon tea and took a stroll. Joan managed a reasonable distance too.
On Sunday morning I was keen to write and capitalise on Friday's progress. But I was also hoping to explore as we currently have a hire car. So we took off to McLaren Vale at midday. Ian had booked a table at a lovely small winery called Coreole. They served delicious platters to share for lunch with kangaroo, chicken salad, some stunning cheeses and sour dough bread. My diet went out the window!
We then decided to make the most of the lovely weather and drive on to Victor Harbour, another 40 minutes further to the coast. It is a gorgeous place and we were so lucky to get there just before a huge storm blew across the peninsular. We saw a baby whale frolicking off The Bluff and watched a steel grey sky engulf the coastline.
I would love to have a holiday in Victor Harbour - and take a proper walk to Granite Island. It's absolutely beautiful and I'm sure a favoured holiday destination with Adelaide locals.
You can just see the little whale coming up in the picture below.
This week I've had the pleasure of visiting East Marden Primary School where I spoke with two groups of students and today I visited Glenelg Library to speak to over 80 girls from two of the local Catholic Schools. Both events were lots of fun and I really enjoyed meeting the children and their teachers. Lots of great drama - the mass auditions for the roles of Mr Sparks and Clementine Rose received plenty of giggles from the kids and teachers. I also had the pleasure of meeting Janeen Brian, one of Australia's best loved children's authors. She came along to my event at Glenelg and afterwards we had a chat over coffee. Sue Nosworthy from the Trust came along too. It was great to meet another of the dedicated members of the group and I am looking forward to seeing her again next week. The Glenelg librarian, Tracey Glover is also the president of the SA Branch of the Children's Book Council and it was wonderful to meet her too.
I've still managed to do a few thousand words on the book and I've enjoyed a couple of lovely dinners with Ian and his mother. We went to a beautiful restaurant called Red Ochre on the river and tonight, on Sue's recommendation, we tried Paul's which is a local fish and chip restaurant in Norwood. The whiting fillets were ever bit as good as Sue said they would be. A lovely highlight of today was meeting a young student who is currently doing a project on Alice-Miranda and me as the author. She had no idea that she was coming to see me at the library and it was the most wonderful surprise (for me as much as for her!).
Zoe and I headed off early again on Wednesday morning, this time not too far, to the Toorak campus of Geelong Grammar School. In a tree lined street with a beautiful mix of old and new homes, the school sits perfectly in its surrounds. We met the lovely librarian, Helen Taylor and our bookseller was My Bookshop by Corrie Perkins.
The girls appeared in their sports uniforms, which I have to say were one of the prettiest I've seen (and I've glimpsed a lot of uniforms in recent times). They were an appreciative and enthusiastic audience and it was great to meet them all and sign their books.
We had three events lined up for the day so we jumped in the car and headed across to Camberwell Girls' Grammar. It's a lovely school too and having been there around this time a year ago, it was great to see the teachers I'd met previously, as well as the girls. This time I worked with Year 3-5 as Year 6 were out on camp. There was one student in Year 5 who was certainly an avid Alice-Miranda fan - I think she knows more about the books than I do!
