J D Salinger: author of Catcher in the Rye and creator of the Glass Family, dies at age 91

Vale (go well) Jerome David Salinger, who died on Wednesday (US time) at aged 91.


I feel quite sad about this. All my books are in storage, but if feels time to read 'Seymour: An Introduction' again. Or even 'Catcher', which I haven't read in years.


I have this image of the Glass family sitting in their living room in their brownstone walkup, in deep mourning. Waiting, now that their protector has gone, for the horrible tide of publicity and the bunfest over filmrights and the unpublished works to wash up the hallway.

Thank you, for an imperfect life, and so much inspiration.

The new Mac's iPad: Where was Peggy Olsen when Apple needed her?

The new Apple iPad has just been released, which looks pretty cool and is another step towards making e-books more friendly... but what were they thinking (or not thinking) when they named it?

They definitely needed Peggy Olsen (from MadMen) in their marketing department to point out the obvious.

 Or Sam, perhaps, from Bewitched to smile apologetically at the new name suggestion and go 'We-ell..'

Or maybe they just needed to watch more (Mad) tv... (This skit is from 2007.)

If they wanted a name that instantly went viral and got blogged and tweeted about... well they got it.

Have fun reading these riffs on the iPad concept collected by Jezebel and make sure you scroll down to the even funnier comments from its readers (including comments from a few from men who don't find it funny).

And before you ask, No, you are strongly advised not to go swimming or horseback-riding while using the iPad. Gotta wait for the iTampon before doing that.

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Howard Zinn, radical historian and essayist, dies at age 87

The great US historian Howard Zinn died this week, at age 87.

I remember reading a piece of his on historiography when I was at Monash University in the late 1970s. This was before post-structuralist historiography was in vogue, or even heard of, and it stood out for its passion and intelligence. Zinn argued that history was like a terrain, with many ways to map the same event or moment. And which method of mapping we use depends on what we want to do, and where we want to go.

Here's one of my favourite later quotes from him:

"To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic.  It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty, but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness.  What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives.  If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something.  If we remember those times and places - and there are so many - where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction.  And if we do act, in however small a way, we don't have to wait for some grand utopian future.  The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory." 


-- from You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train:  A  personal  history of our times (p. 208)


Thanks Howard.
Namaste.

Delicious poetry chapbooks free to download, from AhaDada Books

I love poetry chapbooks. Perfect size for a bedtime read.

AhaDada Books (great name) has a selection of free chapbooks by wonderful poets that you can download and read from their website

I just read (and recommend) "the meh of z z z z" by Pam Brown

download it and others here

Australian Bush Santa 2: late for Christmas

This one was seen racing across a paddock on the Great Ocean Road, in between Nullaware (great Aussie name that one) and Warrnamnool in Victoria.

more santas

On small houses, van dwelling, cocoons and life

I'm often asked how I handle living in the confines of a Van.

Actually, I find the small space quite comforting.

You have to run a tight ship - everything has to go back in its place as soon as you use it. But housework is so much easier - sweeping the floor takes about two minutes.  (Although changing the sheets is a bit of an event, best done with a friendly helping hand.)

With the door open and breezes blowing in from all the windows, I don't feel hemmed in. I can live half outside under the awning if I wish. And besides, I spend a good part of many days inside other people's houses.

But I like returning to my tiny space. It wraps around me like a cocoon. It has everything I need. It both shields me from the world and takes me out into it.

When you live in a cubby house on wheels life feels just that bit more playful.

The other advantage, when your budget is tight, is that when I do come to live in a building again, even a studio or small flat is likely to feel palatial after the van.

So, while so many houses these days are getting bigger and bigger, consider the small house movement. (For every reaction, there is an equal and opposite one.)

"The Small House movement is to homes what the Slow Food movement is to dinner: a celebration of sustainability, simplicity and nourishment. It’s a trend that’s gained momentum in recent years thanks to the trifecta of increasing climate change awareness, the global financial crisis and rising real estate prices...."

This quote is from Sanctuary 9 which features a Size Matters theme with 40 pages of smaller homes, some as tiny as 3 x 2 metres (about the size of my Van).

Or check out the amazing tiny houses here at Designboom

There's also a magazine at

http://www.tinyhouseliving.com/

which you can also follow on Facebook (ie become a fan).

And a really wonderful book by Shay Solamon, with photos by Nigel Valdez

Little House on a Small Planet, which has interviews with people who live in small houses.

I love the epigraph from this book, by the poet Rumi:

Someone who goes with half a loaf of bread

to a small place that fits like a nest around him

someone who wants no more,

who’s not himself longed for by anyone else.

He is a letter to everyone. You open it.

It says ‘Live!’

Bush architecture: corregated tree house cubby

This great cubby was designed and built by my nephew Paul in country Victoria.

It was originally a tank, then became a home for geese,

was transformed into a tree house for William..

Later occupied by Kaitlyn..

And now, complete with (rusty) satellite dish, it belongs to Sally.

How to catch a fly or other insect in a van without using sprays or chemicals

Some annoying little flies decided to hitchhike a ride yesterday.. Those small silent ones that wake you up by crawling gently over your nose while you sleep.

I try to minimise my use of chemicals, especially in the confined space of a van. So here's my technique for dealing with flies and insects.






1) negotiate an agreement with the insect world that inside is your space, and if they come inside, you may accidentally or on purpose kill them. (They have been warned.)

2) locate annoying or frightening insect and speak softly to get its attention and calm it down. Give a final warning to vacate the premises now (and point out the nearest exit).

3) if this fails, take a tissue in one hand and -- while speaking soothingly or apologetically, as appropriate to your intention -- swiftly encase the insect in the tissue.

4) depending on your personal philosophy and skill at tissue-catching, either lovingly remove the encased insect outside and set it free... Or squish it inside the tissue with your fingers as you catch it (fingers protected from insect-guts by the tissue).

5) dispose of tissue (and any contents)

With a minimum of practice you should be able to do this in one easy movement and be back happily relaxing in a few moments.

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PS: this method has been known to fail.

PS2: not suitable for stinging insects.

In Praise and Honour of Chooks: Rooster and Hen paintings by Jennifer Kremmer

I love these chook paintings by Jennifer Kremmer...

In a world of battery hen farming, these finely wrought tributes to individual chooks are really special.


Jennie is selling the paintings thru her website at http://www.jenniferkremmer.com/chickenart/


I hope lots of people buy them to honour the birds who give up their lives by the millions each day to feed us. (Hanging them in among the family portraits perhaps.) I'd buy one, if I had a wall to hang one on.


She also does commissioned paintings of pets (any kind).


If you live in the central coast, she might even be able to supply you with free range eggs. 


....Or if you're thinking of writing, or mired down in the midst of a book or story and think it might be time to get some professional help and coaching... check out her manuscript services at http://www.jenniferkremmer.com/whitecow/

Favourite salad greens to grow 1 : Perennial or 'wild' rocket

When I sold my house and garden last year I made sure I gave lots of cuttings and seeds of my favourite greens to friends, so I can enjoy fresh salad when I visit and in case I ever get a garden again.

Ate yummy lettuce and rocket tonight at Anita's.

This is a rare 'Seven Year Rocket', which grows from cuttings and turns into a sprawling bush.




If you ever come across it, grab some. If you grow no other vegie, I recommend this one for all year round abundant tasty and healthy salad and sandwich greens.

It doesn't bolt as soon as the weather gets warm, like common rocket. And can even survive with little water.

The more water and shade, the more tender it is. Less water more sun, and it gets a hotter flavour. So why not grow several bushes in different spots in among your flowers.

Australian Bush Santa

Seen trudging along the road, between Wallan and Romsey in central Victoria*..







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(*Thanks to the folk at Lauderdale Lodge)