Hello, hello!

I had to let the dust settle on the Australian and American elections before I ventured back into the world and tried to breathe again. You know my feelings so I’m saying nothing else other than _aarghhïñïäê‚øÀ_¸Óõåäÿêþõ÷õøå÷ïÞÝÛçÝ’ç’áñõøÀÓöÚÚýÓargghhÜ¢[öÞ¤£¢!!!

In 1996, when I took early retirement from Flinders University, I thought life would be calmer. I thought I’d have more time to potter about and see my friends. I thought my working week would shrink to something more manageable. I thought being my own boss would mean less stress and more sleep. I thought I’d be at home most of the time, cooking, gardening and writing, in blissful, longed-for peace.

The opposite has happened. I’m grumpy, overworked, over-stretched and so tired I’m downright ugly!

But I had a brilliant two weeks in the USA, in spite of the election, rushing from one conference to the next, north, south, east and west, lauded and applauded to such an extent that when I got home I had to spend three hours one morning de-cluttering and spring cleaning the entire laundry, to bring myself back to earth.

And I also had an OK week in London researching picture books to find out why the English won’t publish my books. I came to the conclusion it’s because my books are too foreign for England, just too different, too gorgeous, too brightly out there. Basically too darn Australian. Darn. Darn, darn darn.

Many of the British picture books were highly sophisticated, superb in their own way, but terribly English nevertheless, class conscious still, for example, in the 21st century. Incredible. And most were, I felt, far too long for the very young.

Even though I feel more at ease in England than I do in the States (having been to college there, and having married an Englishman), the cultural gap between the US and Australia is far less obvious than the gap between England and Australia. The Aussie character is more like the American, except in its sense of humour. It’s strange, really, since the majority of Australians have generations of connection to Great Britain. When I ask myself where I would rather live if I had to make a choice between the USA and England I can’t decide: each has its very good and very bad points, from an Australian perspective. Neither compares to my own country, which is Paradise on earth, of course! In spite of the election.

Chloe did very well in the election, with a swing towards her for the Labor Party which was amazing considering Labor was massacred. Of course she didn’t win since she was running in a safe seat for the government. However, she has now been pre-selected for a seat in the 2006 State election and is very excited about the possibility of being able to make a difference as a Labor politician. (I hope I have made a difference as a non-politician, frankly.) She continues to teach meantime and loves it.

Now in case the above hot news hasn’t been hot enough to catch your attention (and I do admit to having rambled on and on without much direction), here’s a gruesome item to match the gruesome item of my leg in the last hot news space. Malcolm went on vacation to Egypt, to the deep south, to see the Aswan Dam and Abu Simbel. Every day his feet got filthy in the dust. One evening as he was attempting to wash his feet he scalded his left foot so badly with hot water that he has second degree burns. He had to fly home two days early. He’s in ghastly pain. He’s on crutches, but barely moving. And a wound nurse comes every day to change the dressing, a process that takes 20-25 minutes. I flee upstairs. POOOOOR Malcolm! I feel desperately sorry for him. We have no idea how long it will take to heal.

To add to his woes it’s been very hot, a run of days of around 37 degrees Celsius, 100 Farhenheit, so he’s barely been outside in the garden, let alone away from the house.

All this means that in a busy, hot-summer time, between this important function and that more important event, I also have a patient to care for, dogs to walk and errands to run. When Malcolm is out of action I realise just how much Malcolm-in-action does for me. If I had the time I’d stop and howl, but I don’t have the time, and anyway I tend to look appalling with makeup streaking down my face.

Cheerful news on the writing front. While I was in the USA I had a brilliant few days with my stellar editor Allyn Johnston in San Diego. She and I work so well together we literally read each other’s thoughts as we sit and discuss this sentence and that. We finished a new book! I am SO excited. It’s called WHERE THE GIANT SLEEPS and I’ve promised that it will be my last bed time book. It will be out in about 5 years since I have so many books in the pipeline, completed, being illustrated, or waiting for an illustrator.

I think that’s enough for now. I hope your Christmas is totally divine, wherever you are in this big wide world, whoever you are, and, get this - whoever you voted for!

Much love

Mem Fox xxx