Yes this weekend we were swamped by ten year olds as Hugo celebrated his birthday. Some things were a bit disorganised… the games. Some worked out as expected – the hot dogs were a hit (Prontos sausages are fantastic). And some better than expected – the Azzura icecream cake was a hit!

The best part for me was when most of the kids had been picked up (I know it’s hard to believe!!) and I got to sit round our big table with my best friends and drink wine. The rest of the kids went off and did their own thing and we just talked and laughed and drank and ate. If we had played a game of pictionary I’m not sure it would have been any better.

Eventually the sun went down, and my weary head hit the deck.

Next day… nippers and stuff and then My Favourite Book on the ABC. I was pleased to see I had read or at least attempted to read all but one of the books. For those who didn’t watch it…

1. Lord of the Rings – read it when I was 16 – loved it – read it again when I was 37 – found it too dense and gave up – does that mean I’m too dense??

2. Pride and Prejudice – have read this several times and everything else Jane Austen wrote – love it! Hilarious.

3. Holy Bible – read bits of it. Some good stories.

4. To Kill a Mockingbird – have to confess haven’t read this one but will.

5. Cloudstreet – read it several years ago – found it pretty dull as most of his work.

6. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – needed a good editor but generally love the HP books.

7. Nineteen Eighty-Four – read it when I was about 17 – remember loving it. Very dark.

8. Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy – first read it when I was 16 – loved it then, love it now. It’s just so black…
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=9. The Da Vinci Code – a good airport novel.

=9. Catch 22 – tried to read this last year – couldn’t get past the first chapter but will try again – apparently it’s funny…

10. A Fortunate Life – another WA author in the top 10… yeah it was okay.

I thought Hugo and pals would like to know that number 16 was Captain Underpants And The Invasion Of The Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies From Outer Space by Dav Pilkey and at number 30 the Deltora Quest Series by Emily Rodda.

Also in the top 100 a couple more faves…

22. Magician by Raymond E. Feist (and the ongoing series is great too)

25. A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

27. A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth

32. Perfume: The Story Of A Murder by Patrick Suskind (changed the way I view/smell the world)

43. Persuasion by Jane Austen

46. Life Of Pi by Yann Martel

75. Emma by Jane Austen

87. The Secret History by Donna Tartt

91. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

Loved the TV program – sometimes the ABC does something so well you feel really really proud!

When I was a gel my mother gave me her old copies of The Billabong Series. She had three books of the many in the series and I soon found the rest in libraries and devoured them.

Years later, they were polished up and made politically correct and I must say I didn’t seek them out.

I saw them there on the bookshelf this week and picked one up for a walk down memory lane. They are quick reads and transport you back to the world at the start of the century. I love them. Life on a station reminds me of Ennuin and I will look at the station with fresh eyes when next we visit.

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By now most of you will know that Groover is leaving work for at least six months. I am going to do the same. The chance for both of us to be off work is too great a chance to miss.

We are both very excited and have lists and lists of things we want to achieve – will six months be enough?? Stay tuned for further developments!