books, smoke, fire, heartbreak, hope - hello, 2020

a chirpy cockatoo on my walk this morning

Well, the year has started with a firestorm. Literally. The loss has already been incalculable, and there's more to come. Australians are drenched with grief and distress at the lives lost, the animals lost (current estimate is at 1 billion), ecosystems lost, houses and other structures lost, including heritage buildings. It's been too much to bear for so many.

Wherever you are, whatever you're experiencing (and I am so very sorry if you have experienced deep loss), I hope you are finding comfort in the support of our amazing - AMAZING - community of compassionate, generous, selfless and supportive people. I hope you have found a place to rest, whether metaphorically or literally. I hope you are refusing to feed the trolls, and are finding beauty and peace and calm in whatever ways you can.

Here in Canberra, we have been consistently achieving the illustrious title of the most polluted capital city on Earth. And this is a city that's normally endlessly pristine. I've had friends who've had to leave, it's that bad - and it will likely continue for many weeks yet. It's not been pleasant to feel like you're suffocating (or literally suffocating if you have asthma or health issues) but of course, it pales in comparison to what others have been through.

Being someone who has not experienced personal loss at this time but has nevertheless been overwhelmed with grief, I've found that lifting myself out of misery has been helpful. My family and I are so lucky - and I've wondered how helpful being miserable is to those who are really suffering. So I've tried to lift myself out of that place and focus instead on supporting others, and making a difference in even the smallest way.

I'm sure you have ways you are helping out, too - and there are many and varied ways to do that, especially if you can't actually be on the ground to help those who've lost everything. You can always donate directly to the Red Cross and the Salvos, as well as the state Fire Services. If you're bamboozled and unsure about who to give to, and don't want to risk giving to scammers, I recommend:

Celeste Barber's Fundraiser - now over $50 million - the money will be shared with fire services across all affected states, and will also go to those who have lost so much, including the families who have tragically lost loved ones.

Wires Wildlife Emergency Fund - countless animals will directly benefit.

I've also tried to lift myself by focusing on and sharing beauty and happy-making things. Cooking lovely things. Cleaning our dust-caked home, especially windows. Going for walks when the air is clear enough - at the top of this post, you'll see the gorgeous cocky I spied on my walk this morning. I've been taking much delight in hearing the birds chirping their heads off and frollicking in the trees the moment the air is clear.

I've also been repotting some indoor plants, wiping them free of dust so they can breathe, and replanting succulents that have been struggling of late ...

Caring for anything is so important at this time. It lifts us out of ourselves and pours attention on helping other things thrive. And it lifts our spirits.

I've also been reading. I know - are you shocked!? And I wanted to lift your spirits by sharing my bookish acquisitions of late. Um, can you tell I'm obsessed with birds??

And this year's Christmas treasures...

The Tree That's Meant to Be (above) and The Incredible Hotel (below) are two of my favourite books in a very long time.

I'm also obsessed with Julia Sarda's work. I would have loved to see more illos in this book - there are lot, but not enough for me!!

Seems to be an England theme going on here - maybe I need to travel soon???

I rarely read fiction now - not because I don't want to, but because I've been going through a non-fiction phase (actually - I've been in this phase for a couple of decades now, truth be told). Charlotte Wood is eking me towards fiction again.

This amazing treat arrived in the mail on Friday - from the illustrious Jane Brummitt, May Gibbs pro extraordinaire. She has created a book that honours the May Gibbs Garden at Carrick Hill Estate in Adelaide. This book is a treasure and a true labour of love. And Mamie gets a mention!

My copies of Evie and Pog (books 1 and 2) also arrived last week - oh my, it's so glorious when your books turn out even BETTER than you had hoped! They look divine - and I can hardly believe they're here after so many years on this junior fiction journey. Here is my little living room display, with crocheted Evie and Pog joining in.

Here is a little video - a peek inside the books.

And on videos, here is a work in progress peek of one of my illustrations for Evie and Pog: Party Perfect (book 3, out May). This is Granny and the lovely sausage dogs.

I recently made a switch to creating illustrations on the iPad Pro, using Procreate. It has changed my life. Truly. It's not only faster, easier, more slick and more happy-making, it has cut my workload considerably, which is having a positive effect on my body, especially my shoulders. I just love it and am excited about where I can go with this programme.

And here are some of the very first illustrations I tried. They're a bit woeful, but they do give you an idea of what's possible, even with zero training. I want to take some online courses and will do that on my upcoming sabbatical (April/May).

Fauna has been out and about in the wild (sometimes literally!), with some great reviews. I just love this picture by the Younger Sun Bookstore. So cool.

Have you seen the Story Time Australian Children's Literature Exhibition at the National Library yet? It's SOOOOO worth it. Stunning. Click the image below for more. The thing is, it ends 9 Feb, which is soon, so if you're interstate and need a reason to make a trip, I have another tempter for you...

On Sunday 2 February, the Library is having a Little Day Out for kids - it's going to be an absolute hoot, with a heap of fabulous activities over the day. I'll be there doing several things, and other authors include Dub Leffler, Stephanie Owen Reeder, Cate Whittle, Shelly Unwin, Jack Heath, Harry Laing and Leigh Hobbs!

Click the poster below for more.

And if you need more reasons to hotfoot it to Canberra - are Matisse and Picasso enough?? Click the poster for deets.

Speaking of events, Stephanie Owen Reeder, Cate Whittle and I are planning a little shindig sometime in February - to celebrate our upcoming books. If you're in or near Canberra, keep at an eye out for that. It's going to be heaps of fun. AND I'll be doing some more bookstore windows in early Feb - more on that soon.

I'll be in Sydney the weekend of 22/23 February to do some promo for Evie and Pog, so I hope to meet you - keep an eye on my blog or Facebook page for more details.

And I'm thrilled to be appearing at the Newcastle Writers Festival this year. I'll be in Newcastle 2, 3 and 4 March. Click here for more details.

Well, I think that's about it for now. Wishing you peace and calm as you enter 2020. May you find comfort, as always, in the power of books.

Tx