Under The Mallee Bough

  Margaret Fulton’s Cookbook. Margaret Fulton’s Cookbook. A Play.. Characters: Jonty, aged woman (real name; Jeannie) no-nonsense person..grandmother of Cassie. Cassie: 13 yr. old Grandaughter in Jonty’s care for the duration of the school holidays. Scene: Jonty’s kitchen table..Jonty sits alone reading from a letter just opened. Jonty : “ Thanks ever so much for looking after Cassie this coming week, mum…I don’t know what I would do these holidays without you…I hope she is no bother to you and perhaps you will find her good company..(if you can lever that wretched mobile phone from her hands!)..She will drop around Friday after school..Also, I have arranged with the super-nice people at “Foodfast” to deliver a cooler-box of food products to your door this week to save you having to buy in extra for Cassie…there will be products in the styrene box they deliver that we regularly eat here, so Cass’ will feel right at home!… Again…th...

  A Notice of Decision. A Notice of Decision. Made under Part 6A of the Child Support (Assessment) Act 1989. Applicant:                                       Ms. Dahlwitz. Respondent:                                  Jack Dahlwitz. Date of Conference:                     November 2002. [ I have found that at least one reason for departure from the administrative assessment of child support has been established and consequently must now consider whether a change to the assessment would be ; ...

  Night Messages..#2. Casper David Friedrich..1825-1830. Night Messages. #4 : The Writing Blog. Christopher Corridini writes and posts a controversial short story on a social media blog, which elicits some controversial commentary from the “in house cabal”. Noel Bourke.. Corridini, I’ll give you the tip, Henry Lawson, you are not. A fluffy bit of fantasy writing, maybe, but far from believable. Corridini replies to Noel..: ”Corridini, I’ll give you the tip, Henry Lawson, you are not.”……Why, thank you Noel…I’ll pass that on the next time I meet Henry….”Henry”..I’ll say..”I’ve had the good oil from Cyril Connerly’s understudy that YOU are so much the superior writer than I…….like another drink, bro’?” Now fuck off, Noel.. K-Leigh.. Corridini…If we put our writing up on a public post, we are inviting comment and criticism. If you can’t take it, then you don’t have to do it. But as Tich pointed out, we rely on donations...

  Night Messages..#1. Out of the shadows…Edward Hopper. Night Messages. #1; Michael and Meghan. The muted hum of “incoming call” burred on the mobile phone on the bedside cabinet, the soft glow of the phone lit up a middle-aged woman’s sleepy face half covered with dangling bangs of blonde, tangled hair. “ Y’what?” Meghan breathed, already recognising the profile pic illuminated. “I just wanted to say thank you for the delightful dinner date tonight..I really enjoyed it”. “Oh…ok, Michael…I’m glad you had a good time…” she sleepily responded..there was a weary pause in her reply, then; “I had a good time too.” “Did you REALLY!…oh that’s so good…first dates can be rather difficult to get through.” “Difficult?” the woman had woken up a bit more at this comment..”I don’t think I was “difficult”…” “Oh no!…not YOU…I mean …in general…you know, not knowing the other person..the conversation can be a bit…wooden…if you know what I m...

  Sweet Innocence. Sweet Innocence. A Play of one set, one act. Characters : .. Sister Cecilia..In charge of the Choir. Mother Superior (Charity by name)..Head of the college. Father Collins..Senior Priest. (N.B. : Both nuns wear similar dress uniforms of the modern style of Sisters of the faith.) Scene : The office of Mother Superior..lots of timber furniture, religious statuettes and fixtures..a broad desk with tidy, minimalist objects and papers on it. (There is a gentle, unobtrusive knock on the door..it has to be repeated before Mother Superior is taken from her reverie gaze out of the window…She turns to glance over her shoulder). Mth.S. : “Come in.” ( A diminutive nun enters, aged around sixty years, her white hair shining against her white face..her cheeks glow with two cheery pink blushes.) Sis. Cecilia : “ Ah! ..Charity…a pleasant morning isn’t it?” Mth. S. : “Yes Sister…thanks be to the Lord Jesus C...

  The Pencil. The Pencil . A play of one set, one act. Characters..: Narrator/ young tradesman. Mark..Older tradesman. Scene..: Room on a building site, bits and pieces of building materials about. The Narrator stands in front of the stage addressing the audience in a confidential manner..behind in dim lighting can be seen an older tradesman dressed in khaki bib and brace overalls. He sits on the floor with back against the wall, legs stretched and crossed out in front. He is in the action of starting his lunch.. The younger narrator tells of the situation before joining the other tradesman to have lunch. Narrator : “ In all the years I worked as a sub-contractor for the Greeks, I worked on my own. I found that  it was the best way to have control of my time and workload. But every now and then, there would be a commercial building job that required another chippie to keep the schedule moving and up to date. On one of the...