Shaken, not stirred

Last night while we were watching a recorded episode of From the Earth to the Moon the earth moved. Naturally I made some daft comment about the special effects on this show being pretty good before we realised, actually, this was a doozie of an earthquake and the lights were swinging and the doors were swinging and things banging around and it went on and on and on.

I then thought, oh, if it's this bad here, it must be really bad elsewhere. I was right, and luckily for NZ elsewhere happened to be in the remotest, least populated part of the country, so the 7.8 on the Richter Scale quake which hit at Dusky Sound has done very little damage. We're a lucky country.

Here's what it looked like from GeoNet at the closest drum to Dunedin.



I can do without that kind of Rock n Roll, thanks.

Winter wonderland and Cinema Paradiso

Why would you want to be anywhere else when you can look out the front window and see this...

Erin took the photo - my little point and shoot couldn't do it justice.

Anyway, hello from Wanaka. Haven't been doing much other than going for walks, drinking coffee and drinking wine. The latter two usually to warm up as a result of the walk. It was at a guess -4 degrees when we walked back from the lake last night, but oh so picturesque.

Best things about Wanaka:

The company (I had to put that in because our hostess is two feet from me watching this.)

Snowy mountains and crystal clear air. Chocolate box lid stuff.

Cinema Paradiso!

We took the little folk to see Ice Age 3 yesterday at Wanaka's very boutique cinema. Think low tech seating - sofas (that would do a student flat proud) a few rows of old theatre seating, old aeroplane seating and even a couple of chairs from a Newman's bus. There is also the always popular VW Beetle in the corner that you have to stampede for if you want to get the best seats in the house.

This movie theatre has an intermission - do you remember what they are?! And at this intermission you can buy hot cookies, yes, hot, with melty chocolate bits, or you can order your pizza for half time and bring it in with you, along with your wine or beer. Awesome.

So today we are off to play in the snow. Literally. We aren't ski-bunnies so it will be the low tech approach. We'll be wearing gumboots, and lots of layers of standard clothes and gloves and we'll last an hour if that, then come back cold, and wet, but happy, and drink more coffee and hot chocolate, and may be even, for the adults, wine.

Perfect.

Holiday Reading

We're heading off for a few days, invading the home of friends in Wanaka. As well as the requisite House & Garden/ Architecture/ Dream of a flash new house magazines I'll be taking a few new additions with me to enjoy:


Mothers Raising Boys by Nigel Latta.

This book is subtitled What every mother needs to know to save her sanity. Oops, too late there. The back cover blurb starts with "Why are boys so noisy? Why do they break things? Why are they so fascinated with things that can burn, blind or cripple them? Why do they lose the gift of speech and get so smelly at adolescence?"

Speaking of noise. When we get to Wanaka, between their two and our two there will be four little fellas running around together. Just as well the adults have wine.



Just This. Poems. by Brian Turner.

It seems most appropriate to take Brian's latest collection of poetry to a trip to Central Otago.




Novel About My Wife by Emily Perkins.

I brought this novel a few months ago and haven't had opportunity to read it, so I look forward to finally getting the chance. Novel about my Wife has received great reviews and everyone tells me I should read it so I shall be obedient and oblige. Sigh.

Hand craft

You know it's a quiet day at the office and you're not in a writing kind of a mood when you start making stuff...

Write On Radio Day

Tomorrow (Wednesday) is Write On Radio Show day, which is the show I produce and host for the Otago Southland Branch of the NZSA on Toroa Radio.

It airs live at noon on Toroa Radio 1575 kHz AM if you happen to be in Dunedin, or it is live streamed from the Toroa Radio Website if you are unfortunate enough to live elsewhere.

Here's my bits on my guests:

Michael Harlow is a poet and the 2009 University of Otago Robert Burns Fellow. He has recently released his sixth collection of poetry The Tram Conductor's Blue Cap. We'll talk about his new collection, what it means to him to be the Burns fellow, and also be resident in Castleberg House.






Graham Bishop is a geologist, writer and poet and has published seven books. His latest is a biography of New Zealand geologist and telephoto lens pioneer Alexander McKay. We talk about the man behind the book, The Real McKay.

Ten good reasons to tidy your desk

1. The cheque for $50.00 that was buried under a pile of stuff.
2. $6.40 in assorted loose change.
3. The $40.00 worth of petrol vouchers that were buried under the piles of stuff (see a pattern here?)
4. The newspaper clippings re-discovered that had been inspiration for novel number 4
5. The satisfaction of putting all the doings - drafts, scribbled notes, research notes and newspaper clippings for novel number 3 into a dox-box and away - damn good feeling.
6. A long lost USB pen drive.
7. Rediscovering a brilliant Peanuts comic strip I'd clipped.
8. Finding a 3 free DVD rental voucher for the Dunedin Public Library.
9. Re-reading a lovely letter from my Mum.
10. Discovering my desk actually has a wooden surface!

A Career in Crime

Edited by Helen Windrath

I've been quietly reading my way through what is essentially a book of essays on aspects of crime writing by leading women crime writers. Included is Sugar and Spice and All Things Nice...Character Creation and Development by Val McDermid, and Writing the Villain in Crime Fiction by Stella Duffy, and Aiding and Abetting: Decisions about Style by Sarah Dreher.

It has been great to get interesting perspectives and advice on things like plot, and pace and creating suspense from people who are proven in their fields, and who can entertain as well as teach.


This has been a little gem of a book, a second hand book shop find given to me by fellow Dunedin writer Louise Moulin, author of Saltskin. Thanks Louise!

It will be one of those books I dip into often.