Under The Mallee Bough

  The Pilgrims Progress. The Pilgrims progress. No..this isn’t a review of John Bunyan’s classic book, nor is it a reference to a John Wayne B-grade Hollywood cowboy flick, as in; “John Wayne famously said, “Whoa, take ‘er easy there, Pilgrim” in the 1962 film The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.” (thank you Wiki’)…No, this is about you and me and our journey through the country of ageing. Recently, I had my second cataract removal operation, that makes both eyes fixed..a relief from that common, old age affliction. Many of my acquaintances of a similar age (I am now 74 yrs) suffer from or have been medically treated for a variety of major or minor health conditions so that they are inclined, along with yours T, to declaim that “Getting old sucks!”..and I am inclined to accept that this is the majority opinion of those “pilgrims” travelling this route. So I have decided to do an internal forensic discussion into this situation, concentrating NO...

  Something old, something new, something borrowed . . . Augustus John. Dear Readers. Myself and my “partner in crime”; Helen Tuxford, are considering opening a blog site dedicated to our magazine; “The Scriveners Review” so that we can reach a reading audience more diverse than our local hard-copy recipients. This will involve having people like you reading and subscribing to the blog…and at the moment we are asking ourselves; “Is it worth it? Below is our ideology. *** I invite you to immerse yourselves in a revitalised arts movement we are attempting to create with our humble little magazine called ; “The Scriveners Review”. It can be called ; “The Romantic Movement Reborn”..yes, reborn into the twenty- first century, reborn into a cynical and materialist age where creative arts and crafts are only considered for their “bottom-line value”, ie; what is it worth and is there a market for it? We believe art has a social ...

  The Kitchen Dresser. When I was young, there was one of these dressers in so many homes. It was the centre go-to cupboard in the kitchen, and if the family was called upon to change address, it inevitably went with them. My Irish grandmother had one and it was painted “Irish green” and it went everywhere with them when they moved residences, which was quite often given the gypsy inclinations of that side of the family and the necessity of seeking employment in those years of depression and war. I resurrected this one out of the back shed with the intention of “doing it up” as a servery and conversation piece for our outdoor dining experience on the back verandah, and I am now trying to remember what was kept in each compartment and drawer. If I start at the top with the glass doors, I can recall crockery, cups/mugs and glasses being kept there. Dinner plates (just individual plates, NOT sets) of willow pattern or flowers etc, side-plates and...