A Non-writing Activity

Last week was one of ‘those’weeks! Full of meetings, YABBA (Young Australian Best Book Award) Award Celebration Day, Children’s Book Council of Australia (Victorian Branch) AGM and the SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) Victorian Gathering which I run four times a year in my role as Assistant Regional Adviser, Victoria.

In between the meetings and some writing, there has also been cause for celebration – a relaunch of ‘Queenie: One Elephant’s Story’ for the paperback edition with the date set for January 22^nd, 2012 (no further details yet) and then an enormous thrill to learn that Queenie will now also be published in hard-back in the US.

Friday night a dear friend had invited me to a ladies craft night at our local church (which I am ashamed to say I don’t visit all that often) and although I was tired, stressed and  totally ‘over it’, I had promised I would go.

I was greeted by a smiling girl with a showbag of Christmas goodies and I went on to spend one of the most enjoyable and relaxing activity evenings I have ever had. I am not at all crafty with the exception of a short burst of Paper Tole many years ago – just before deciding that the pen would take over my life.

I managed to come home with a mini Christmas tree made of toffees, a Christmas candle and a couple of Christmas gingerbread angels (not so successful) and a ChristmasTree card made of buttons. I was thrilled.

Sometimes, even when you don’t feel like it, it’s good to step out of your comfort zone and escape for a while into something you’ve never tried.