Kasabushi on film.

Such a wonderful place.

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Oscars 2016: Shaun the Sheep

Always been an Aardman fan!

The Fluff Is Raging

The Film:Shaun the Sheep Movie

The Pitch:Animal Farm meets One Man and His Dog

Shaun and his fellow sheep are disgruntled with the Farmer’s adherence to his rigid schedule, which leaves no room for spontaneous fun, but when he goes missing in the Big City, the flock and sheepdog Bitzer leave their rural home to hunt for their pal, all the while eluding a power-mad animal containment officer.

Number of Nominations: One

Which Category? Best Animated Feature

Will it Win? Most likely, Inside Outwill take the prize (and that’s fine – Inside Out is a good film). Anomalisais a little too weird for the Academy, I think (four words: stop motion animated cunnilingus). I have not seen the other nomintaed films yet (Boy and the World; When Marnie Was There). It would be lovely of Shaun the Sheep Movie won, simply because…

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There’s No Place Like KidLit TV

Love Hildie too… will look out for this.

If you’ve ever wanted to go to Oz, all you have to do is click your heels three times, take the #1 train to Franklin Street, and ring the doorbell at #112. As soon as you enter, you will realize there’s magic in the air. It’s the home of KidLit TV.

Julie Gribble and me (photo by Kassia Graham) 

I had the chance to spend the morning in this wonderfully magical place as I waited to record a reading of Hildie Bitterpickles Needs Her Sleep.

Hildie and I enjoying our KidLit TV debut.

Hildie closeup (Photo by Kassia Graham) 

Kassia Graham

Art by Kelly Light

I would love to take home each and everyone of these loveys. 

Painting of Franklin Street by Roxie Munro 

It was so much fun having my make up done by the incredibly talented Mable Pang. I so wish she could do my make up…

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Taboo!

Another good one to look out for…

The Fluff Is Raging

Tom Hardy has a new television series, co-produced by himself, his dad (the magnificently-named Chips Hardy), and Ridley Scott.

It’s about nineteenth century roguish sea-going adventurers.

And it looks incredible.

Set in 1814, Taboo follows James Keziah Delaney, a man who has been to the ends of the earth and comes back irrevocably changed. Believed to be long dead, he returns home to London from Africa to inherit what is left of his father’s shipping empire and rebuild a life for himself. But his father’s legacy is a poisoned chalice, and with enemies lurking in every dark corner, James must navigate increasingly complex territories to avoid his own death sentence. Encircled by conspiracy, murder, and betrayal, a dark family mystery unfolds in a combustible tale of love and treachery.

Taboo is written by Steven Knight, who has worked with Hardy on Peaky Blinders and Locke.

The eight-episode miniseries, co-starring…

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Love Your Sister

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The City at 2AM

RED GLADIOLA

at last, the lashing rain abates
the howling wind creeps away
tail between its legs
and in the distance
a truck treads and parts slow
puddles in urban lullaby
windows fogged, and silent

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Shattered Windows

Old Swan Brewery Building on the Swan River. Frances Macaulay Forde © 1984.

Highlighting innovative Shift-Focus techniques in 1985, our first music video won the FTI Young Filmmakers Cinematography Award for 18-year-old Peter Aquilina.  The first of many awards Peter has received over a long and very successful career in Media (mostly) overseas.

The video was shot around Northbridge, in the studio at the Film and TV Institute in Fremantle, inside the (condemned) Swan Brewery building overlooking the Swan River, the old Perth Train Station and in the Mid-Western TV Studios.

The original song was written by a breakdancing duo who won the Talent Competition I ran at the Riverton & Kelmscott Hotels in 1983.  Wonder where they are now?

Apart from $1,000, their prize included this video clip made by Sphinx Productions, the little production company a young but very talented Peter and I set up in 1985.

@FrancesMForde  #SphinxProductions  #PeterAquilina  #VideoClip84  #ShatteredWindows    #OldSwanBrewery  #RivertonHotel   #KelmscottHotel  #BreakDancing  #TalentQuests  #OldPerthTrainStn  #Mid-WesternTV

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If you’re alone…

…you’re not really.

There are millions, just like you who either don’t acknowledge this day as anything to do with ‘love’ or find themselves alone either by choice or by circumstance.

So no – you’re not alone.

And if you feel you need a greeting – say ‘Happy Valentine’s Day’ to yourself.

Take all those images, sayings and special touches applied to this day – turn them around to face you.

Take yourself out and do something that makes you feel wonderful – because you must be.

We are all worthy of a celebration every day of the year – not just today.

I’ve seen all of these movies and couldn’t resist sharing these quotes because I know, if you want love it will find you… eventually – if you let it.

Committed Skin

I crave committed

skin.  Pale, pink tones

of a fragile heart.

Silky strands tantalize.

 

Forest of words

– thoughts, forcing

forward movement

careful continuation of

 

soft, subtle actions.

Reassurances

given, refusing

to provide any more until…

 

absolutely sure,

when our surfaces

eventually meet

– rub together in love-making,

 

no other skin will suit.

 

Frances Macaulay Forde © 2003

1^st pub: ‘Hidden Capacity ~ a poet’s journey’ MMB Publishing, Ireland, 2003.

 

 

@FrancesMForde  #FrancesMacForde  #HappyValentinesDay  #ToTheLonely  #IfYou’reAlone #POEM:CommittedSkin  #CommittedSkin

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Valentine

Dear Love Doubters,

I once dreaded Valentine’s Day so much I wrote a scathing article about it.  Then I changed my mind and wrote another one in 2005:

I now believe love can happen at any age.

Yes, I admit I was a doubter for a long, long time and hated – even dreaded Valentine’s Day thinking I’d used up all my chances when I was young and that being older meant love and romance shouldn’t be on my wish list… so it wasn’t!

Well, I am here to prove to you all that it still should be.  I am 54 and have just found romance again.  I’m not slim, rich or famous but I am in love!

I’ve finally married the man I was in love with (in Africa) and ran away from to Australia, 30 years ago.  

In Ireland, he found my name quite by accident (on the net), contacted me,  and although continents divided us, proceeded to systematically smash down my not-inconsiderable barriers.  He deleted all my negatives; wooed me with words, romance, flowers and finally, convinced me to try love again.

Our love story began in 1974.  I was 23 and living in Zambia, I fell madly in love with an Irish rock-n-roller who wasn’t quite ready for me.  Broken-hearted and determined to get as far away as possible, I caught a plane to Western Australia and wallowed in poetry. 

I met and just weeks later married a bronzed Aussie on (wait for it) Valentine’s Day – 14th February 1975, saw him through Uni, produced two beautiful children and divorced in the 80’s.  From then on I hated Valentine’s Day.

But I worked hard at any job I could get, loved my kids and kept busy and distracted from my divorcee label with part-time courses and community work.  I thoroughly enjoyed being in charge of me and secretly kept writing, even wrote a novel but never had the courage to let anyone see it.

Until 1998, I always treated writing as a side dish and love was never on the menu. I couldn’t even write about romance except to say that I dreaded all the hype of Valentine’s Day.  I didn’t want or expect romance in my life.

After seeing both my children through University, they left home happily stepping in their own living-dreams directions.  The empty nest loomed large. There was just me – only me to concentrate on.  So I threw away the safe cocoon of full-time Bank employment. 

At the age of 48 I took casual jobs and began my dream – a full-time degree in creative writing at University.  Surrounded by clever young things used to study, it was very hard. Not the writing – never the writing; but paying bills – you learn never to waste precious sheets of paper again.

But I didn’t give up – I kept going because my kids were so proud of me.  Romance still wasn’t necessary.  I was way too busy with myself to spend any time on or with anyone else. I didn’t recognise that I was busy romancing myself.    

After graduation I was taking my first tentative steps into a new writing career; it was January 2002.  My Irish rock-n-roller recognised my name on the net  – a million-to-one chance!  Both now over 50, he lived in Ireland and I was in Australia, neither of us looking for each other or love.

To prove the point, I sent him a scathing magazine article I had written filled with the hate of romantic hype.  Undeterred on Valentine’s Day he asked if I was accepting Valentines from old boyfriends and my still-youthful heart zinged, surprisingly pierced well and truly by Cupid’s arrow.  I was a terrified cliché! 

Three screamingly silent days later I admitted; “I have always believed that if I ever found my ideal love – a complete acceptance of all that I am; absolute loyalty, unconditional support, encouragement and equality, from someone who would accept and expect nothing less than the same from me… then also mix in intellect, curiosity, humour and chemistry… I WOULD GRAB LOVE – with both hands and never let go!

But I would have to be sure that it was real and not another illusion. An illusion created by my own idealistic and romantic pedestal-placing heart, projected onto a smooth talker; a charming, talented, kind and careful person who has lovely manners, is courteous and doesn’t want to hurt me… I’ve done that before and it didn’t work out!”

Phone lines and emails ran hot for six months between Ireland and Australia, while we explored the possibility of romance and dealt with doubts from both sides.

“I’m not your 23 year old with a ‘girl next door’ look, anymore… I’m over fifty and although I present well socially, once the wrapping is removed… It’s not that I don’t want to consider the possibility and I admit; since the surprising thought hit me, I have spent a lot of time completely distracted by that. But I don’t think I’m ready – I’m not a tease (I’m talking about actions, not flirty words) and can’t promise what I can’t deliver… this is all new…”

He climbed aboard his silver charger, brandished words with conviction, clothed in romance and arrived in Perth. Thirty years melted away when he touched me.  We married last year, surrounded by family and yachts.  I am in love again AND living my dream to write full-time! 

Recently I was asked to write a poem for a wedding.  Three years ago I couldn’t have written any poem about romantic love. Thankfully, my Irish rock-n-roller proved me very wrong. 

 

Frances Macaulay Forde © 2005

@FrancesMForde  #FrancesMacForde  #UnchainedMelody  #Valentine’sDay  #ForeverLove  #LoveDoubters  #LoveRomance

 

 

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GUEST BLOG: Bestselling author Fiona Palmer on what she’s been reading

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