The Last Post

Telling Tales Bookshop

In the last week of the Arts Centre Residency in Christchurch I signed books at the wonderful new children's bookshop called Telling Tales, I gave a writing workshop at the Arts Centre, had a farewell dinner at the wonderful Hannah Wilson's (Arts Centre organiser) place, saw the latest James Bond movie on the big screen, did my last school visit (at Shirley Intermediate), gave a talk about writing Sir Ernest Rutherford biography for teens, and had a photo shoot with the Arts Centre residents. Busy. But the last of those engagements for the year. I was heading back to Auckland and Alert Level 3 on Wednesday 20th October. 

Arts Centre

I said my goodbyes to the Art's residents. I enjoyed getting to know them. Nathan, the playwright and poet, for his humour and exuberance. A.J. the science fiction writer for her kindness (she baked!) and her fierce work ethic. And Matilda, the artist, for her wit and daily Gildermesh (cat) updates.

On Wednesday, my good friend Fifi Colston joined me on the car ride north. We stopped for a garden tour and coffee at Jenny Cooper's (illustrator) place. Then carried on up the coast, past seals lounging on jagged rocks. We had a coffee and customary cheese scone in a small town. Reversed back when we saw Nim's Seafood place, just past Kaikoura, and had fresh fish and chips. Waited in the queue to get on the Interislander in Picton. Then carried on working on board the ship. Fifi was designing a birthday card for her husband. I was tweaking my junior fiction novel. 

That night we stayed in Wellington at Fifi's place and celebrated her husband's birthday. Her son, Rory, cooked us a feast and we washed it down with bubbly.

The next day we drove to Taupo, topped up with cheese scones and coffee, and then had a swim at the hot pools. It was divine. I dropped Fifi off at her mother's place and stopped the night at a hotel. (I had to cancel so many hotel and air bnb bookings that I had been going to share with my family. By the time I got to the Taupo booking, I thought, why not spoil myself - my last night before I go back into lockdown.) If only ...

The next day, ten minutes before I was supposed to pick up Fifi and take her to the bus station so she could get home, my husband called me with terrible news. He had had a meeting with his boss on Wednesday (outside), and now his boss was experiencing Covid symptoms. They were both off to get tested. I couldn't come home. 

I think I was in shock when I dropped off Fifi. "Stay another night," suggested Fifi. So after much deliberation of what I should do, I did that. For twenty-four hours I thought I was going to be homeless for two weeks if his boss tested positive. After half a day of moping and indecision, I went for a walk around Taupo coast and then a swim in the hotel pool. 

The next morning, I received the good news that they were both negative. I could come home and spend my birthday with my family after all. There were no troubles on the trip back to north Auckland apart from a long detour (was that to avoid a Covid infected town?) and a road block to have my papers checked. Five hours later I arrived home. That night we toasted my 60th with my Auckland family bubble.

It is weird being back in lockdown. I keep thinking I can just pop down the shops to get something but apart from the supermarket, I have to click and collect. But I'd rather be safe than worrying about catching Covid (I am double vaxed).

My hopes for the rest of the year ... The country gets to 90 percent vaxed. I send my junior fiction biography off to a publisher and they like it. My latest book 'The King's Medal' gets plenty of reviews and sells well. And I get to spend Christmas and the summer holidays with my family.

Huge thanks to the following people who made my Christchurch residency possible:  Fifi Colston, Hannah Wilson and the Arts Centre team, Creative New Zealand, Ruth Parkyn, and the three other residents: Nathan, A.J. and Matilda.

Take care everyone!

 

Maria Gill

Alert Level 2 at the Arts Centre, Christchurch

17 September 2021

 

Last week I typed three chapters, this week one. I've been processing 'writers block'. My inner voice or imposter syndrome voice has been questioning whether I've written the right version of the scientist's life. I tried out a more expository style but it just felt like I was talking at the reader, so I've gone back to the third person point of view, creative nonfiction style. 

I'm struggling with what to leave-out and what to include. The scientist was a student for a long time and I can only say he sat exams and then waited for his results back home, so many times. I'm not going to edit what I've written so far, I'll tackle this problem when I'm doing a structural edit. But each sentence seems to deposit on the page in very slow fashion.

But I haven't just been writing this week... I also visited two schools in the Akaroa region. I traveled down on the Monday, having a late lunch at the Little River cafe. I had the best salmon frittata I've ever eaten. The buttery scalloped potatoes on top made it stand out from the rest.

I then checked into Akaroa Waterfront apartments and when they say five metres from the water, they're not joking. Sometimes accommodation is not as good as the photographs online, but they were for this place.

In dusk light, I strolled to the Akaroa lighthouse. The temperature had dropped to 5° Celsius and therefore was a brisk walk. Not many people were on the streets. Akaroa is such a pretty town with its boxed windowsill flowers, colourful houses, and a picturesque bay. I was so enamored with the place, I persuaded two writer friends to spend a weekend early October just so I could come back again.  

Around the corner from where I was staying, I had dinner at a restaurant 10 metres from the waters' edge. As soon as I saw blue cod on the menu, I was sold. Fish is a specialty in this area.

The next day I taught three classes at Akaroa Area School. A talk about writing animal stories for young students and an author talk for the older students. They were a great audience. Then I drove over the windy, hilly road to Little River school. I delivered two more talks to extremely well-behaved students there. The young ones loved the puppets and enjoyed the animal stories. The older students were interested in my 'Ice Breaker!' story about Akaroa born Captain Frank Worsley, and other Cantabrian famous people such as Captain Charles Upham and Kate Sheppard.

Unfortunately, I had to leave that beautiful area that afternoon, but I'm looking forward to returning in two week's time with friends.

The rest of the week went in a blur; lunch with my writer friend Lorraine Orman, dinner with my cousin Mark, and a radio interview with Kapiti Beach FM. Interviewer Catherine Scullin had worked with the SPCA in Australia and had met Little Miss Sunshine, the chicken in my 'Remarkable Animal Stories from New Zealand and Australia' book. I hope her enthusiasm for the book will encourage people to buy it. I happen to know that Scorpio Books has a large collection of signed books to sell.

Tonight I'm going to paint the town pink by stepping down one flight of stairs to the cinema. How lucky are we to have a picture theatre so close! They tend to specialise in smaller films, film festivals and movies with subtitles. I'm going to watch the French film 'Eiffel'; a true dramatization of how the Eiffel tower was built. I'm always interested in how writers/playwriters treat true stories.

So, not many words written this week but my brain is processing the story. I'm also tweaking the front sections every time I sit down. And I do sit my butt down to write from 9.00 - 6.00 pm every day. Though, this weekend I plan to visit an illustrator friend, see more of the Canterbury countryside, and get ready for another school visit on Monday.

Fingers crossed that Auckland goes into Alert Level Three on Monday. Friends and Family in Auckland are bursting to get out of Level Four.  I'm also hoping that the 90 percent target for vaccinated New Zealanders works, so that we can have a more normal 2022. I get my second vaccine on the 30th.

Take care,

Maria

Lockdown version of the Arts Centre Residency

26 August 2021

Well, a lot has NOT HAPPENED over the last week. I had to cancel my night's accommodation in Akaroa and the two school visits the next day. The WORD festival has been postponed until November, alas I'll be back in Auckland by then. Radio interviews cancelled. And in anticipation that we'll likely only go down to Level 3 next week, I've postponed another school visit. I'm hoping school visits can resume once we're in Level 2 - I have done them before, all masked up. Also, the Rutherford talk on 1st September has also been postponed. So much organisation down the drain. But there's nothing we can do about it. It is, what it is. I need to also cancel my flight to Auckland for a visit home early September, and two more book launches (there were going to be three altogether).

While all this has been going down, my website failed and my hubby has been trying to fix it. He has to fit it around his own busy work schedule so I've drafted in a techie person to fix it. 

It feels like a world discombobulated ... At least, we have a leader who answers questions honestly, communicates with us regularly, and puts people first in our latest lockdown. Every day, Tilly and I eat our lunches and watch the 1pm update. 

Notes for my work in progress

But it is not all bad ... I've written three chapters since last week and I'm feeling confident I picked the right story to write. I had wondered whether to have the point of view from a contemporary boy or write a creative nonfiction story of the scientist's life. I've chosen the latter. He had quite a few dramatic things happen in his childhood - enough to hook young readers in. 

Hagley Park

I'm enjoying looking up what sayings, equipment or games were around in the 1880s. For example, did people use the word 'awesome' back in the 1880s - yes, they did but not in the context we use it today. Cows were milked in the evenings not the morning, so that the cream would separate from the milk by breakfast time. Chickens and pigs were fed milk waste and vegetable scraps (but no meat). And, though people in the 1880s were aware of electricity they weren't using it as an energy source at that time. And they didn't know how thunder and lightning worked, that wouldn't be proven until the 1920s.

Hagley Park

Meanwhile back at the residency, there's been no more spooky happenings, drug deals going down at the supermarket, or protest marches. The Preacher has listened to the police and moved a little further away from my window so I'm not woken by his rantings at 6am.

We've had beautiful spring weather this week and the daffodils and jonquils are spreading their love through their perfume in Hagley Park. (Not spreading their legs like Chris Hipkins.) I've ridden around the very big Hagley Park most days.

 

While back at home, Covid19 has arrived in Warkworth. Possibly even in my mum's retirement village. That's too close for comfort. 

I have fingers crossed the South Island moves to Alert Level 3 but better still 2, tomorrow. Then I can spend that book voucher that A.J. Fitzwater kindly gave me - wasn't that a thoughtful gift from a fellow creative resident

We're in buildings that resemble
Mt Eden prison a friend said!

My gorgeous new bike waiting
patiently for me to return from shopping
. 

Keep safe!

Week Three of the Arts Centre Residency

18 August 2021

Riccarton College talk

After an exciting week last week, attending the book awards in Wellington, I had a much slower week planned out for this week ... a lunch with good friend Lorraine Orman at the Turanga Library; a swim at the New Brighton pools - where I met a writing friend from way  back - Karen Phelps; a school visit to Riccarton College, talking to two classes at a time in the Upper Riccarton Library - very attentive audiences; and then Covid raised its ugly head once again. 

Good friend Tania Roxborogh texted me to say there was a case in Auckland - at first I thought she had texted me by mistake as I couldn't see how it would affect me while I'm in Christchurch ... little did I know. Within one hour the country was told we were going into Level 4 lockdown at midnight. Now there are only two of us at the residency. Two of the other residents live in Christchurch so they went home. We toasted each other's health, rang family to tell them we were alright and settled in for the duration. 

Today I was supposed to have a radio interview for my new book 'Remarkable Animals' - that's been postponed until next week. The book launch at the Great Hall in the Arts Centre on Saturday was cancelled. And just after arranging a school to attend the book launch at the Kelly Tarlton's Aquarium on 3rd September - I had to email them back to say it will be postponed until Auckland is back at Level 1. I guess the same might happen to the book launch at Dorothy Butler bookshop on Sunday 5th September. (I will let people know if it is postponed.)

 

I'll be listening intently to the 1pm Covid announcements from now on, as I have a nights accommodation booked in Akaroa for Sunday night in preparation for the two school visits I am supposed to be doing in Akaroa and Little River. Plus I'm on tender hooks wondering whether the WORD festival goes ahead next week.  I'm keeping all my fingers crossed that Christchurch does go into Level 2 (at least) by Saturday/Sunday so the numerous events at the WORD festival still go ahead. So much planning went into this and I'd be very disappointed for the organisers, participants, and audiences if it is cancelled. I am supposed to be doing two events for WORD. All fingers and toes crossed here.

In the meantime, I biked to my (now) local chemist to pick up a prescription (that I can't go without), and saw protesters standing in a crowd, wearing no face masks. One man was barracking another with lots of sweary words. I didn't stop to listen. 

A crowd of homeless people were on the corner of Ballantynes in their usual places, tucked into their sleeping blankets. The police were talking to them and then came over to the chemist. I thought they were going to question why I wasn't at home and I immediately volunteered I was picking up a prescription. But they hadn't come to talk to me. Instead they questioned the pharmacist to inquire whether the homeless peoples were being a nuisance and asking after the health of one of them. 

On the ride back, I saw some ducks waddling along a usually very busy central city road - possibly wondering where all those noisy, annoying humans were. I felt like a bit more exercise, so I rode to the Botanical Gardens but they were closed. Luckily Hagley Park was open and had many walkers and bike riders taking exercise, with quite a few not wearing face masks.

For the rest of the week, I'll continue my research and hopefully start chapter one. I've been reluctant to begin because I'm still not sure whether to write the story as a creative nonfiction biography or a junior fiction with a character connecting with the scientist.  I'm sure the right way will reveal itself.

Hope you are keeping safe and wearing your face masks!