Wood for the trees

Wood For Trees

Are there ground rules for claiming writer’s block? You know, thresholds? Do you have to be a published author or at least earning a regular income from word craft to qualify as being ‘blocked’ when you stop?

I’ll ponder this as I write.

That’s The Socialite in the picture above and The Mutt beside her. We’ve walked to the Mt Coot-tha Lookout a few times lately. We’re supporting each other out of our respective doldrums. I think it’s working. For the first time in months I’m attending to this diary. And my walking buddy is… less unhappy, despite the bumps in her road. Her headaches persist. She misses her old boyfriend, who’s moved on, but continues to haunt her social scene. She even ran into him, with his new girlfriend, at a farmers market on the weekend. In a town this small it’s impossible to hide. Still. The farmers market? That’s tough.

Today I sold a pair of The Husband’s shoes. He’d bought them to wear on our Nordic Adventure to Berlin and Norway. But he decided they were too small so when we returned home he bought another pair a half-size bigger. The sales assistant at the hiking goods store, a skinny boy with a wispy ponytail and plaited leather wrist band, said we should sell the barely-worn originals on Gumtree. So I signed up, took some pics of the shoes, wrote an ad and reactivated my Paypal account. A couple of punters nibbled. Then a determined buyer offered me half what I’d asked (I told him he was dreamin’) before finally agreeing to my terms. And now I’m looking for more things to sell. The process is addictive.

In other news the national Parliament continues to dwindle as yet another member announces he’s a dual citizen and therefore, probably, ineligible to hold office. This time it’s the Deputy Premier, Barnaby Joyce, whose been outed as a Kiwi-by-descent. The news is another head-smacking moment for the country, not least because Joyce’s departure would rob the Government of its one-seat majority. The Parliament unanimously referred the matter to the High Court to determine. Naturally, Twitter has erupted.

 

Angela Bensted Bw 1x1
Angela Bensted is a Brisbane-based freelance writer who likes to listen first and struggle with syntax later. She pitches stories to magazines and helps businesses produce compelling copy for print and online.
Connect with me: