26.05.2008

seed(ling)s

This week I planted an apple tree in my garden. It is a wonderful apple tree which has two different sorts of apples grafted onto the one tree, a greeny/yellow apple and a red one. This will join the white nectarine I already have growing. I also planted a blood plum tree, a clematis and some bulbs: irises, tulips and freesias. I have always wanted to have my own little orchard, but was further inspired by a website www.fallenfruit.org It’s a start, and I have my eye on the nature strip over the road from me. The fruit trees will flower in the Spring and will produce fruit in Summer. The bulbs will flower in the Spring.

In the mail, I received a copy of the latest Meanjin (a literary journal), in which the prologue of my novel has been printed. I was proud. I am working hard on the novel and it may be that more of it will be published, either in Meanjin or elsewhere.

I finished work on a television series and also recording a talking book, The Forgotten Garden, by Kate Morton (I had previously recorded Kate’s first book The Shifting Fog) both of which were very satisfying projects. Met some new and wonderful people and had a lot of fun.

Right now, here in Melbourne on a sunny day, everything is fresh and clear, the leaves have turned and are falling, there is more space. Nature is becoming dormant (the work situation not so much) but there are lots of lovely things brewing, bubbling away, settling in the ground. I love this time of year, it can be a bit melancholy, but it’s beautiful and full of promise.