BC#4 - Thursday 2 June 2005
Host - Janet
Venue – Janet’s House 15 Highclere Street CLAYFIELD
Book - Drinking A Love Story by Caroline Knapp
Comments - First bookclub meeting at Janet’s house. A bit of background relevant to ensuing events. When Janet told her husband Andrew bookclub was to be at his house in a few days he had a fit and said he couldn’t work the next day with a disturbed sleep and to cancel. Janet was not about to do that - once a bookclub date is agreed upon, short of a 100 year flash flood or the sudden and untimely death of the host, the night is set in stone. In the end Andrew agreed but said they had to leave by 9pm. This was patently ridiculous as they were only arriving at 7.30pm. To keep the peace Janet agreed to this. The night began uneventfully. Most enjoyed the book which is a very lucid and honest autobiography of a young woman (Caroline Knapp) who was a columnist on the Boston Phoenix but who had a secret life of alcoholism. The book was only briefly discussed before other topics were broached. In my opinion the group is still getting to know each other and is a little awkward when in book discussion mode but hopefully this will change as we relax more.

Anyway to get back to Andrew. He was there in the background and had even had a conversation with one of two innocent members who were yet to understand his bedtime issues. No one seemed to pick up on Janet’s unease as 9pm drew nigh. She subtly herded them outside to a b-b-q table when it got closer to 10pm. At this stage the ciggies were out, the wine was disappearing fast and the laughter was on the rise. Then Janet’s mobile phone rang. It was Andrew upstairs on the landline informing Janet that he would be coming down naked to break up the night is she didn’t. Somehow she got them out but still has regets that she didn’t allow Andrew to come down naked. At 10pm bookclub were out on the street with Janet inside telling Andrew she wanted a divorce. (written by Janet)

BC#5 - Tuesday 19 July 2005
Host – Helen
Venue – Helen’s House 56 Aveling Street WAVELL HEIGHTS
Book -

BC#6 - Wed 24 August 2005
Host – Prue
Venue – Prue’s House 27 Barwood Street NEWMARKET
Book – Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
Comments - Donna McLachlan, a new member joins us. She has just returned from a 12 day retreat. She told us she had to share her room with a very chatty woman and was forced to pretend she was alseep. We listen to her stories of the sounds of silence, though the general consensus is perhaps it's not for us.
Denise and Paula end up at the Press Club in the seedy Valley, ostensibly celebrating a birthday, trying to Latin Dance. Prue had put the prawn shells in a handbag as a joke, so we sneakily leave these under the bar. (written by Denise)

Host- Denise McLean
Venue Denise’s House 1411/168 Grey Street South Brisbane
Book - The Naked Husband by Mark D'urberville
Attendees - 1.Sue McGrath Anderson, 2. Ingrid Blackett, 3. Prue Dear, 4.Janet Campbell 5. Donna McCart, 6. Denise Kirby McLean, 7. Heley Campbell, 8. Sylvia Ogilvie, 9. Paula Thomas, 10. Anna Wallace

Comments - Food - Denise had worked late, not shopped, so put together leftovers from the half finished jars in the fridge, cardboard biscuits snapped in half and fortunately the baby tomatoes were in bloom in pots on the deck. Everyone was secretly pleased, as they all knew they could easily compete and top these meagre offerings. Ingrid gifted us all a fibre bookmark with a costumed doll from Laos.

Conversation was animated and the book was discussed, as we checked each other out, listening to our stories that the book had inspired, deciding if this BC was what we wanted. Names for BC were discussed- you are all called, and always have been New Fun Bookclub in my group email. We said goodbye to Ingrid, as she was travelling around the world for a year, though she was definite she wanted to rejoin us in a year .

BC#2- Tuesday 5 April 2005
Host- Anna
Venue - Hilton Hotel (author night hosted by Dymocks Bookstore)
Book - Farewell My Ovaries by Wendy Harmer
Attendees -

Comments - Sue and Sylvia decided this was to be their last BC as Sue said she was too shy and the whole BC thing stressed her. Sylvia was too busy travelling, working and dealing with relatives.

Anna remembers there being only a few token men in the audience. Wendy’s presentation was very funny and she wore a very groovy black coat dress with embroidery. After the event we walked up to the Zen Bar and had nibbles and champagne. Anna tried in vain to shake the bookclub off to have Wendy to herself but we chose to ignore the signs and stayed to the end. Wendy talked about her new book and said the main character is based on Francie Perrins who was there with us.


BC# 3 - Thursday 5 May 2005
Host – Donna McCart
Venue - Donna’s House Oxlade Drive, NEW FARM
Book - Silk
Silk – a lovely novella by Alessandro Baricco. We sat on the verandah with wine and cheese. It was a non-eventful evening - not taking into account the usual gossip, story telling and counseling. I recall that Helen was in fine form that evening. Some members had also read Blood of Others, also by Baricco. (written by Doona McCart)

Southbank Bush Chook claims the last 2 posts and this one.

Eventually I may get the hang of this.
Lach has just arrived home. To be greeted by a noisily whirring, more like a bbbbrrrring shaking fridge. I heard it about 2 hours ago, banged the doors, shifted it around a bit- all to no avail. My wild intuition positively tells me it's a bearing in the fan has gone, just I don't want to think of the worst case scenario, where the contents of the freezer thaw and drip. Guess I'll head to the kitchen later on, pretending it's the first time I've heard it.
"Do you know how long that fridge has been making that noise?" is his loving greeting.
"About an hour ago," I answer , wishing I could tell the whole lie I'd planned, instead of a half arsed one.

He's so clever and talented, a regular Mr Fix-it. He's rummaging around in our tool shed looking for a wrench or a screw driver, I guess. He's so resourceful, as the tool shed is a pathetic tiny cupboard that hangs above the washing machine in the laundry. Aren't I lucky to have a fridge mechanic in the house?
" Here's the lock for your bike," he says.

It's not the sort of bike thieves choose to steal, so a lock seems superfluous. This is a fact, as our two bikes were locked together in the car park in the bowels of this apartment complex, robbers hacksawed through the chain on the two bikes, took Lach's expensive one and left my cheap old crate. This is how I discovered our bikes were of different quality, as to my untrained eye, I had no idea that my bike was a lemon.
Looks like the fridge will be bbbbbbbbrrrrring through the night till I find a qualified fridge mechanic tomorrow who will whisk in and repair it.

Weather bureau predicted a miserable day, Ingrid said it would be fine- she was precisely correct, as usual. So a bike ride was planned, where the finale was a vino at Yi, a cute cafe for ladies on the corner of Edward and Margaret in the city. Trisha and I walked and met Ingrid there for a laugh and to try to find conclusions to a few insolvables.
So Ingrid has enrolled me in Bike Riding 101, so pray I will meet up to the high expectations.

Learning to blog n bike ride in one day.

Had blocked out this blogging business, thanks for reminding it exists, Donna. This is my second attempt at posting....so it's shorter than my last rave about Ingrid teaching me how to be a push bikie. Farewell n hope this appears where I want it too.

Back on blog!

OK so it's the day after Valentine's Day which was in itself it's usual non event. Although we did try to go out to dinner and found every joint in a 5 km radius booked out. Even the average restaurants were bulging at the seams. Finally ended up in a Thai place I must have driven past a million times on Sandgate Road. Only 5 tables. Huge helpings. Kind owners. The only fly was that Harriet ate a whole birdseye chilli and cried quietly for about 10 minutes. Did I mention we took children?  And Kitty sulked for the entire meal because she wanted to eat at Hell Pizza 

(a new Pizza place with a hell and death theme. They even deliver in a real hearse.)

Anyway here is the Archives. They are not entirely complete. Please add anything you see fit.

Janet