A while back I gave a plug for Icelandic band Of Monsters and Men, whose album My head is an animal I had recently discovered. Since then, they've become seriously popular here in Australia (and possibly the world) and concluded their Australian tour with a concert last night at Melbourne's Palais Theatre -- which I … Continue reading Of Monsters and Men at the Palais
My introduction to Tolkien came when my dad read The Hobbit to my sisters and I as we sat around a campfire. Could there be a more perfect scenario? Our family was camping in South Australia's Flinders Ranges. I was about 11, my sisters younger. Our evening's entertainment consisted of hunkering around the fire that … Continue reading A campfire memory
ASH Ah, that paladin survived the wights after all... Although I fear Alix, despite fighting bravely, will bear emotional scars for a long time. Euphoric with relief at their triumph, I became rash and demanded to try one of the mysterious vigour leaves recently given us by Ergosh. We did after all need to find … Continue reading D&D Chronicles: Of gods, monsters and travelling
ASH The plains are calling me home. We've found the sacred vessel those cursed goblins stole from our village. We've avenged the deaths of our loved ones -- never have I enjoyed a battle as much as when we slaughtered the humanoids. My sword sang in my hands. For once, that paladin and I were … Continue reading D&D Chronicles: The paladin’s tale
In this life there are always things we want to do, and things we have to do. Then there are the things we should do... All this has me writing really long to-do lists, at which I often stare perplexedly trying to decide which item to tackle first. Sometimes it's a challenge to figure out … Continue reading Identify what’s important and make time
There are many days as a writer when all I do is question myself. Is this novel any good? Do I have any talent at all? Should I just give up the whole writing thing as a bad idea? Who would actually bother reading anything I've written? Do I really want to add to all … Continue reading Your stories matter
My 10 year-old niece rang me this morning, all excited, to tell me she had won a top reading award at her school. Basically, they get points for the books they read, the harder books accruing more points and so forth. She's accumulated more points than anyone else in her school, and so was the … Continue reading Oh, to be a bookworm again
I recently saw The Conjuring, a new thriller/horror movie about a family which moves into a haunted farmhouse, and . . . well you can probably guess what happens next. It's based on the case files of Ed and Lorraine Warren, paranormal investigators around 40 years ago, who were also involved in the well-known Amityville … Continue reading Movie – The Conjuring
A very quick post today... Our Friday theme is: FUNNY -- post a joke, a hilarious video, a lol-funny graphic. I'm not sure the following video is hilarious, but 'funny' is not really my thing. Simon's Cat is, however, and his animations always make me laugh. They remind me so much of my Devilcat. This … Continue reading Hungry cat
Resuming our 1993 journey through Greece, we pick up our intrepid travellers in the ancient town of Delphi, headed by means of public buses and trains to the equally ancient town of Olympia, birthplace of the Olympic Games... (The Travelling in the 90s series of posts features extracts from my original travel journal with minimal … Continue reading Travelling in the 90s – to Olympia
Ellen Gregory 