Author: TravellinPenguin

What with some dodgy internet and being exhausted at the end of the day I didn’t post anything but then I hadn’t really planned to.

 We are currently in DaNang  but will be home at the end of the week. I’ll post a few dot points.

 *** The Travel Marvel boat cruise from Siem Reap to Ho Chi Minh city was a lot of fun. We certainly heard about a lot of history and made some friends. The history is so tragic and the guides who took us through it were victims of the Killing Fields during Pol Pot’s reign through the death of their parents. They really wanted all of us to understand what the Cambodians and Vietnamese went through during the war years over several decades and it was quite confronting at times.

 All was balanced out though by a sense of camaraderie with fellow travellers, some lovely people gathered together around some delicious food. It was a good balance.

 The ship had about 60 people on it, almost all couples, so about thirty couples and a few travelling independently that were all invited as part of the family. The ship was divided into the “blue family” and the “yellow family” for ease of transport for various excursions. This made for smaller groups.

 We are now in DaNang at a large hotel for 7 days and ready to finish up and get home.

The kennel that Ollie is in rang us and told us he wasn’t feeling all that good but they jumped right on it and took him to his vet, Dr Jane, who he loves and all “his girls.” He gets so excited to see “his girls” he usually has a little wee.

He had a good check up. He stayed over night and given some TLC and sent back to the kennel the next day. We are told he and Peanut (Peanny) are doing well. It was good to have someone taking care of them that were so quick to notice that something wasn’t quite right.

 I finished an interesting book while lounging by our pool here. There isn’t much to do here except lounge by the infinity pool that is right on the ocean’s edge and eat some amazing food.  I am actually looking forward to getting home and shedding a couple of kilos.

 In the meantime we hear Hobart has gale force winds and is still quite cold so we aren’t missing a lot.

 The book I finished is called 600 Hours of Edward by Craig Lancaster. There are three books in the series but I will stop at this first one. The sequels don’t appeal. Edward is a 39 yr old man with Asperger’s syndrome (neuro divergent by today’s terminology) His father is a big shot councillor and developer/investor. Very right winged Republican. They all live in Billings Montana. His father can’t cope with Edward at all as his only son is not really the son he expected. He bought a house for Edward to get him out of the family home and only deals with him through his lawyer. Though he loves his son he doesn’t have the emotional strength to ever let him know.

 On the other hand Edward records the weather every morning. He looks at the forecast then verifies it the next day to see if it was correct or not. He doesn’t deal in assumptions, he only deals in facts. He goes to psychologist, Dr Buckley every week at 10 am on Tuesday morning . While he waits he sorts the waiting room magazines chronologically each week. He doesn’t like mess.

 At 10 pm every night he watches the 40 yr old tv program Dragnet. He loves Jack Webb as he only deals in facts and he enjoys the stories and the moral compass the two police officers bring to the show. I watched a little of Dragnet back in the 70s 😀.

 Through his psychologist, he has learned not to “go off” at people. He had a habit of sending vitriolic letters to people he thought wronged him. Now he writes one letter of complaint each night to anyone who has annoyed him during the day , but he files it away in his organised file cabinet. (I quite liked this idea as I can certainly relate to this).

 He has other issues to deal with. He tries internet dating. He also makes friends with the neighbour woman who is a single mother of a 9 yr old boy.

He talks about the words he likes. Agog, ostentatious, flummoxed, voluminous.

I loved this book. I really liked Edward and I loved the way he learned to deal with living life on his own. I thought the portrayal of him was quite realistic and I could relate to him a lot, having my own compulsions in life I’m dealing with.

 I am starting the new Elizabeth Strout book today- Tell Me Everything. Old Olive Kitteridge is 90 ! in this story. I love her so much. So stay tuned. I think I’ll like it though I’ve not read the Lucy Barton book I am assured it isn’t necessary.

 When I looked up the books that follow Edward there was too much information and I’m sure they would be pretty much the same format and I don’t think I would enjoy them. Think the Rosie Project and it’s sequel.

 Well I see this is very long and I do want to put a couple of photos into this and also see if DaNang’s internet can cope with sending it out.

 Until later….bye for now

LIFE…

….. is busy right now as we are heading to Asia soon and there is a bit to do before we go. The posts will continue in October. I hope to do some fun photography as it will be an entirely different culture to immerse ourselves in.

I’ll be posting phone photos on instagram so if you wish to follow along you can do so at Travellin_penguin.

READING…

I am at the end of the book The Deed that I mentioned last week. If you remember the four siblings have to come together and build a coffin for their recently deceased father in order to collect their inheritance which will be substantial. I don’t particularly like the characters as they are very self absorbed and the chaos of their activities makes me anxious. I just want them to get on with it. It is not high on my reading enjoyment list.

I did read the short story called The Cut Finger by little known British author Frances Bellerby, from the book A Different Sound: Stories by Mid-Century women writers edited by Lucy Scholes.

From ChatGPT (which I love)

Frances Bellerby (1899–1975) was an English poet, short story writer, and novelist known for her delicate and introspective explorations of themes such as nature, spirituality, illness, and the human condition. Her work often reflects her own experiences with physical illness and personal loss, which she endured throughout her life.

Early Life and Education

Born as Mary Eirene Frances Bellerby in Bristol, England, Bellerby was the daughter of a doctor and grew up in a cultured and intellectual environment. She attended school in Bristol and later worked as a teacher. Bellerby’s early life was marked by personal tragedies, including the death of her father in World War I and her own chronic health issues, which would later influence her writing.

Summary of “The Cut Finger”

The story revolves around a young girl who accidentally cuts her finger while preparing food. This seemingly minor incident triggers a series of memories and emotions, particularly concerning her relationship with her mother. The cut becomes a focal point for the girl’s reflections on her childhood, her feelings of guilt, and her sense of inadequacy.

As the story progresses, the cut on the finger takes on a symbolic significance, representing the emotional wounds the girl carries with her. The physical pain of the cut mirrors the psychological pain she experiences as she recalls moments of tension and misunderstanding with her mother. The girl’s memories reveal a deep-seated fear of disappointing her mother, and the cut serves as a reminder of the ways in which she feels she has failed.

Themes

1. Guilt and Responsibility: The story delves into the complex emotions of guilt and responsibility, particularly as they are experienced by children. The girl’s guilt over the cut reflects a broader sense of responsibility for things beyond her control, highlighting how children often internalize blame for events they don’t fully understand.

2. Memory and Trauma: Bellerby explores how past experiences, particularly traumatic ones, can continue to affect individuals long after the events have passed. The cut on the finger serves as a trigger for the girl’s painful memories, showing how seemingly small incidents can bring deeply buried emotions to the surface.

3. Mother-Daughter Relationship: The story also touches on the complexities of the mother-daughter relationship, particularly the expectations and pressures that can strain such bonds. The girl’s reflections on her relationship with her mother reveal her struggle to reconcile her love for her mother with her fear of failing to meet her expectations.

4. Symbolism of the Cut: The cut on the finger symbolizes the deeper emotional wounds that the girl carries. It represents both the physical manifestation of her pain and the psychological scars that result from her feelings of guilt and inadequacy.

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I find it incredible how a few pages of writing can squeeze so much into a story. When the young girl goes to show her mother her cut finger, her mother is in her room crying so she doesn’t enter the room. From then on this memory is imprinted and stays with her for life. She associates it with other events throughout her life. I’m sure most adults must have associative memories to events in their own childhood.

EVENTS OF THE WEEK

I attended two book launches at Fullers. One by a 90 yr old professor and medical doctor Norelle Lickiss that has compiled a very thick book of her experiences of practice that were far ranging since the 1970’s.

When she signed my book I told her I was a retired speech pathologist and she put her pen down, looked at me and said how important speech pathologists were in her career. I think you get that more working in health than you do in Education as I always felt more respected in health and disability work than I ever did in schools which was sad.

The other event was Sky Country published by Magabala Book, Western Australia by first nations author Aunty Patsy Cameron who grew up on Flinders Island. Lisa Kennedy’s illustrations are beautiful. It took her 3 yrs to finish the illustrations.

This book was launched by Tasmania’s governor, the Honourable Barbara Baker. Both events were sold out.

Finishing off with PET OF THE WEEK