Friday, July 20, 2012

Our wide brown land...


Rest assured I haven't gone off somewhere myself - this pic was sent by a friend who is in Broome for a few days.  (Broome is a five-hour flight from Sydney, in the north west of Western Australia.)  I'm still lapping up being at home, mostly reading, cooking, having friends and playing the piano.  I'm so content, that's why I've barely even been looking at the computer.  (Mind you, I was completely frazzled last night when I tried to look at my emails on my other pc.  When I was asked to put my password in, the letter 't' wouldn't work, so I couldn't get in!!!!!!!!)


Thank you for your compliment, Olga!  That was nice.  I'm glad you enjoy my writing.  Some years back a friend who teaches at a university in England told me she used my blog as an exercise for her foreign students.  That is after all, just like you!  Your English has improved tremendously since I met you.  


Frank, it's nice to know your typing skills are improving!  Always good to get your comments, too, Winifred.  As far as not having time goes, I'm halfway through this book set in Petra, Jordan, where time is plentiful:



The author is the aunt-in-law of the daughter of friends of mine (!) who met her in Sydney at her brother's funeral (after he drowned in the sea in Mexico).  It's about her life in Petra, where there is absolutely nothing to do except look at the sunset.  Heat, dust, primitive hygiene...oh golly, I couldn't bear it for an instant, and she gave birth to three children there.  Funny, isn't it, how we automatically think of what we would like - I'm sure it doesn't bother her that I wouldn't like it!


I saw her son, Raani, just the other night on Kate Humble's 'The Frankincense Trail' and jumped up to ring my friends but it was over by the time they changed channels.  The husband died some years back but she and the rest of the family still live in Jordan - though not still in a cave, I would hope - and all three children now have children of their own.

2 comments:

Winfix said...

I enjoyed this post Diane, you appear to know someone in every country which must be because you value friendships a great deal. I think it is about ten years since we have been writing to each other.
It is amazing to live in a country in which you can take a five hour flight - nowhere in the whole of the UK is much more than an hour and often takes longer to get to the airport! xx

infogenium said...

Which one was Raani? I loved that episode of the spice trail.