Mother’s Day ~ 2024

How was your Mother’s Day – lovely I hope! I have to confess I was spoilt by my children but also my husband who takes any excuse to buy beautiful flowers for me. So it all started on Friday and ended on Sunday.

Apart from dinner and spending time with my grandson Bodhi, my very talented daughter gifted my portrait which was a total surprise – and I absolutely love it! Also because we had an early Mother’s Day celebration on Friday, after work, she didn’t have time to buy flowers so made me some purple ones to match my card and portrait! She and Wayne also gave me a beautiful hand-made notebook which has become a sort of tradition – I always need a new one. This time Jess found one with watercolour paper so I get to sketch and write…

Saturday my son took his beautiful family to visit his Nanna Leigh who is still going strong at 94. I am so proud that he does. She was thrilled. Aparently the other residents were a tad jealous but Nan said she’ll share her gifted bottle of Bailey’s with them later… Although the girls have grown so tall now, fitting them all into her tiny room at the Aged Care home gave them an excuse to take a wander out into the Autumn sunshine.

• 

Sunday my son James, his gorgeous wife Sa and beautiful daughters Sonja & Bella met us at Lamonts Winery in the Swan Valley for a late lunch (the place was very popular) at 2.45pm. It meant we had lots of time to find it along wind-ey backroads on the outskits of Perth, just below the hills. One our way home we saw much more of the hills because we’d taken a wrong turn but the view of the City laid out below, was breath-taking. They arrived with beautiful white roses and a lovely gift. Their card make me shed a tear because each writes a little something heart-felt which always hits the spot. The food was divine too – loads of it came really quickly. Apparently quite resonable according to Sa who knows all the best places to get an excellent meal. It’s a favourite spot for the family.

So, did you celebrate Mother’s Day on May the 12th, where you are? Are you near to your children? My whole family live in and around Perth, Western Australia which is a rather spread out city. When visiting my children who live South of the city and over the river, it’s a 50km trip. We live North of the city – a 17min train ride down the freeway. Do your trains run down the middle of your freeways? It take us half an hour to the city with good traffic and another half an hour to their houses… The city is very spread out and none of us live on the outskirts.

So as I said, I am lucky to have my family close by. I hope you and yours found a way to enjoy and celebrate being or having a mum every day of the year, not just Mother’s Day.

My wish for you

May your lips be bruised from kisses
and your ribs be sore from hugs…
May you spend some time with your children,
but if not, still know – you are loved.

Frances Macaulay Forde © 2010

#MothersDay #PerthCityWA #WestAustralia #LamontsWinery #LunchAtLamonts #CelebrateMums

Year of the Dragon

Firstly, may I say G’day from Western Australia! I haven’t been on here because life and family have been my focus so I do apologise… Hope this finds you all well – Happy New Year too! Thought I’d make up by posting a late Valentine’s Day greeting to you all which contains a new poem…

2024: Happy Valentine’s Day, may you be surrounded by love… just like I am. We spent the afternoon at Sir Charles Gardiner Hospital getting the results of Paudie’s current MRI. As is my want, while waiting for an appointment, I wrote a poem. To celebrate the ALL CLEAR result and because it’s Valentine’s Day, we had a lovely Indian buffet at Koh I Noor Restaurant in Padbury.

Year of the Dragon.

Found a Red Envelope next to my morning tea…
It’s Chinese New Year but also Valentine’s Day.
Traditionally, one contains money, the other love
far more valuable…

My routine cup of sugerless tea brewed by hubby,
is in a ‘Nan’s Biggest Fan’ mug given by my grandies,
and matches gold on the card adorned with Red roses
from my Valentine…

My grandchildren will open their Chinese envelopes
with equal anticipation. One would save – the other
splurge. I do both; savour the beautiful words and try
to reply in kind…

Our hug is full of 22 years of caring – sharing our lives
together. The beige liquid swirles in circles recently
stirred, echoing our everyday routines like a cup to
gently wake me up…

His hug at the airport all those years before, after
28 years apart told me everything I needed to know
then. Trust the love, surrender to his arms, believe
Cupid hit his mark…

No matter what the future holds, we will step forward
still exploring the possibilies of each Valentine’s Day .
After all, it’s the Chinese Year of the Dragon and
I am a dragon…

Frances Macaulay Forde © 2024

#FrancesMacaulayForde #POEM:YearOfTheDragon #ChineseNewYear #Valentine’sDay #LovePoem #Romance #Poetry #RedEnvelope

Such good news for Australian Producers.

Making gravy: Why Australians are producing so many Christmas films

By Garry Maddox

December 2, 2023 — 5.00am – Sydney Morning Herald

KEY POINTS

• Since the start of the pandemic, Australia has become such a prolific producer of Christmas films that it could be called the new tinsel town.
• Ten examples include two that have been released in cinemas in the past fortnight … A Savage Christmas and Christmess.
• Queensland producer Steve Jaggi, who specialises in uplifting female-driven films set in idyllic locations in North America, has made three Christmas films this year and plans another four next year.
• Streaming services have largely driven this new boom, with Stan leading the way with A Sunburnt Christmas, Christmas on the Farm, Christmas Ransom and Jones Family Christmas.
• A film version of Paul Kelly’s celebrated How To Make Gravy recently finished shooting in Queensland.

On a warm May afternoon in the far south-western suburbs, Heath Davis is directing a low-key Christmas scene in a rundown house that has been donated for the shoot.

The resourceful DIY filmmaker, best known for the rugby league drama Broke and the wry high school comedy Book Week, has Steve Le Marquand playing a famous actor, Chris Flint, who gets a job just out of rehab as a shopping centre Santa in the comic drama Christmess.

Heath Davis directs Steve Le Marquand, who plays a famous actor fresh out of rehab who gets a job as a shopping centre Santa in Christmess. CREDIT: BROOK MITCHELL

Flint tries on his red suit for his two amused halfway housemates: his cheerful sobriety sponsor (Darren Gilshenan) and a free-spirited musician (Hannah Joy). “This is going to be the best character you’ve ever played,” the sponsor says. READ WHOLE ARTICLE

#SydneyMornHerald #SMH:GarryMaddox #Christmess #HeathDavis #SteveJaggi #AustralianFilms #FilmInAustralia #AussieXmasFilms #AussieChristmas

HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to WA’s talented film-makers!

2023 WA Screen Culture Awards announced

#WASCA #ScreenWest #WAFilmakers #WAScreen #WACulture #LunaCinemas #PerthWA #PACScreenWorkshops #AnnieMurtaghMonk #DavidVincentSmith

Worth another read?

I’m seriously considering doing another run or making my ‘Rail Tales’ book and others available again. Print On Demand is preferable although with the original print run I published myself, I sold them very quickly and wish I’d printed more at the time.

A couple of years ago, I set up some e-books on Amazon for $1.99 but within three days of publication, they were all available for free on a German website! I was very disappointed and disillusioned and took them all off Amazon. It wasn’t about the money, it was about the discourtesy. Now with the current AI controversy, I may as well publish, so at least I made them available first?

I have friends overseas who have asked to read my previously published words – e-books seem a convenient and cheap way of putting them out there…

What do you think? Any suggestions of who to use? Who did you use – was it an enjoyable journey?

“Trips into Town”

#BOOK:RailTales #ReBlogging #ShortStory #RidingRailLines #WritingRailStories #Print-On-Demand #E-Books #AmazonPublication

Sultans of Swing

I loved watching Dire Straits in concert in the early 90’s in Perth, Western Australia in what is now affectionatly called ‘The Trash-can’. This Chilean guy Miguel Montalban, does an amazing version of the iconic ‘Sultans of Swing’ while busking in London, so I thought I’d share it. Enjoy!

#DireStraits #SultansOfSwing #PerthTrashCan #FavouriteMusic #ExcellentMuscicians #BuskerInLondon

Congratulations to Poetry D’Amour Winners 2023

Today, I received my WritingWA newsletter which included a link to the report from this year’s judge Glen Phillips and the winning poems for the Poetry D’Amour Love Competition 2023. After reading his report and the poems, I have now ordered my copy of this year’s Anthology from WA Poets Inc. Judging by the winners, I am sure the whole anthology will be a wonderful read.

WA Poets Inc 2023 Poetry d’Amour Love Poetry Contest Winners

#WritingWA #GlenPhillips #PoetryJudge #PoetryD’Amour #LoveAnthology #2023ContestWinners #WAPoetsInc #LovePoetry #LovePoems #PoemsAboutLove

On Poetry & Painting : Glen Phillips

Photo : Glen Phillips presenting his words at PoetsCorner@PagesCafe © Frances Macaulay Forde.

Today, I found this Podcast on WritingWA with Glen Phillips, my mentor at University talking about Poetry and Painting. It was lovely to hear his voice again but I was astounded to hear him say he (unsuccessfully) tried Calligraphy but is now ‘too old’ to learn it! I have always admired his thirst for learning and ageless approach to life. A national treasure who still enthusiastically shares his love of words and art with so many at ‘just a couple of years off 90’.

Glen Phillips is such an interesting and supportive poet and painter who, apart from publishing more than 50 books, is one of the founding Professors at the ECU Landscape and Literature Centre. From the moment I met him as a nervous mature-aged student during a Creative Writing lecture at Edith Cowan University, I have basked in his support and sincere encouragement of all my writing endeavours.

This continued after my graduation during the early establishment of Peter Cowan Writers Centre, WritingWA, the first couple of Spring Poetry Festivals, writing the foreword for my first book of poetry and 3 years of monthly poetry meetings and book launches held during Poets Corner @ Pages Café in the Perth State Library.

Often hosting or as a revered guest, Glen shared his wonderful words with the public, novice and established poets. After my 14months in Ireland, his invaluable support whilst establishing a public arena for poetry in Perth at Pages Cafe, was always very much appreciated.

May I say thank you, Glen, (if you read this). I am most flattered to find you are using this photo from the PoetsCorner@PagesCafe days, on your website Host page. A lovely conscious link to wonderfully never-forgotten, creative and inspiring associations.

#FrancesMacaulayForde #GlenPhillipsPoet #OnPoetry&Painting #WAWriting #WAWPodcast #Poetry #Painting #EkphrasticPoetry #PoetsCorner@PagesCafe #CreativeWriting #EdithCowanUni #PoetsCorner #PagesCafe #Poems #WritingWA #PerthPoets #WAPoets #Writing #PoeticWords

For Father’s Day

Flt Lt J.A. FORDE D.F.C - 1944

PATHFINDER

Even after all these years
I miss you, Dad. Your solid
guiding presence, care
kept me safe as I grew.
Just like those brave 
young men of your crew.

Your pioneering spirit, 
lead with confidence, 
convinced me to fly
toward adventure,
the exciting unknown
my far-away future.

Explore new landscapes,
Striding with pride, guided
by you, still lighting my way, 
Like you did in your youth.
My Pathfinder always, 
knowing the safe route.

Frances Macaulay Forde © 2023

#POEM:Pathfinder  #RAF-WW11  #Father'sDay  #Poetry  #Tribute  #ProudOfDad

POEM: Bagdad Ballet

Thank you to the American reader who unearthed this posting from 2014 today. I thought it worth re-blogging because there is the threat of war in the air again… just like in 2003.

‘Trucker’s Moll’