Wonder of Spring

The spring is here and the sun is shining

The grass is green and flora is budding

The delicate young leaves are uncurling

The young shoots unfurling

Some young leaves turn red to green

Some are bright with glossy sheen

The varying shades of green are beautiful

Contrasting colours with flowers bountiful

The dog roses are a delicate pink

With curly edges of brighter pink

The morning glory is blooming along the fence

The purple and pink flowers dotting the fence

The jasmine covers a huge swathe of vines in white

The perfume of the flowers is heady in the moonlight

It climbs over the trees and through the branches

Covering the fence and the garage as it marches

There are small flowering weeds all over the meadow

Leading charges with minute flowers of white, purple, orange and yellow

There are daffs this year where there were none

Also snowdrops will not be outdone

The cherry blossoms cover the bear branches of its tree

The white and pink flowers covering every tree

The wisteria hangs in bunches all over the roof

The glorious scent of it is spreading as proof

That the spring is here

Renewal is going on around the sphere

The birds are chirping as their young arrive

Bees are buzzing, ready for the pollination drive

A walk along the park is relaxing

The softly flowing water is soothing

The ducks floating peacefully

The parakeets chirping loudly

Cockatoos swooping playfully

Flight of swallows darting friskily

Ibis in the tress are idling

Bats in their riverside colony hanging

The breeze blows gently

The sun warms the morning swiftly

Renewal is everywhere to be seen

Spring is always a wonder I deem

Away with the Fairies by Kerry Greenwood

A good murder mystery for Miss Fisher and for once instead of getting into the mystery on behalf of someone else much to the annoyance of the inspector, she has been asked by the inspector to assist. He wants her to see the crime scene and pick up clues as he feels it needs a female perspective. The murder victim is an author and illustrator of fairy stories in the local women’s magazine.

This time she gets herself on the staff of the magazine to consult for a fashion column. This will allow her to speak to the staff and get to know more about the victim and the motive for murder. The building where she lived also had a few of the magazine staff living there. Therefore, the suspects overlap between the home and workplace. Then Phryne discovered that the victim also was the agony aunt and had been receiving threats over the advice given. She gets Dot to help out by visiting some of the disgruntled receivers of advice.  

Meanwhile in her personal life she is worried about her Chinese lover Lin Chung. He was due to return from a buying trip to China and instead she receives what can be understood as a ransom demand. Lin’s grandmother is the matriarch and agrees to discuss this problem with Phryne. Will she manage to find Lin as it appears that he has been kidnapped by pirates? The first ransom was paid and then it seems someone else kidnaped him and sent one message via his companion and another in the form of a letter to Phryne. So you get historical information about the pirates in the Asian seas during this period.

This time there are distinctly 2 different mysteries that Phryne is trying to solve and speed is of essence in finding Lin. It is interesting to again get an insight into the feminism and cultural attitudes towards women particularly as during the war the women had taken on much more masculine roles and were now trying to hold on to that freedom post war. There is a good airing of the debate about what a good women’s magazine should be about? Should they give in to the gossip approach and pander to the baser needs for salacious behaviours of people? Why would anyone want the victim dead as while she was nosy and wanted information on other people both in the house and at work she had not been misusing that power? Or was she? All seem to have an alibi but someone surely was lying?

There is a lot of action in this mystery as Phryne sets out to recuse Lin. She also sets out to trap the murderer, as while she has an inkling as to who it is, there is no proof. In the course of her investigation she finds out all sorts of things that various people are hiding. A good read definitely for all who love mysteries.

Blood and Circuses by Kerry Greenwood

This is another of Miss Fisher Mysteries that is quite different from the other stories. Miss Fisher is requested by some carnival folks to find out who was causing all the problems in their travelling circus. To do this she needs to become part of the circus so that she can mix freely among the circus folk and ask questions. Her friends get her to take the place of one of the horse riders who has had an accident and hurt her ankle. This is a bold and dangerous step as Phryne will be alone and have no support from her household, friends and the police.

At the time Phryne was approached by the carnival people, the police had been called to a murder of one of the circus artist who lived at a local boarding house during the circus rest period. It was a right puzzle that the door was locked from inside and the window though open was difficult to get to and still the victim was stabbed with great force through the heart, while asleep. The inspector is aware that Phryne is infiltrating the circus when he goes to question colleagues of the murder victim. Thus there are two parts of the puzzle that link with the circus.

There is a wonderful description of the circus life. There strange hierarchy that exists between the circus performers, below whom are the carnival folks and at the bottom of the heap are the gypsies. The life is not all fun and there are many undercurrents in the relationships of different level of performers. Recently the circus has been having problems. There have been all sorts of accidents and if this continues the owner might have to sell it off. Is there any connection between these problems and the taking on of a partner by the owner? No one really likes that man or his friends. Was there a connection between the murder in Melbourne boarding house and the circus woes? Phryne has to learn to ride a horse and perform the simple tricks so that she can accompany the circus.

For the first time, Phryne is totally out of her comfort zone and feels the stress of being alone. Will she be able to get the information to solve the problems of the circus? She is in great danger as the bad men are on to her while she is still pretty much unaware of intricacies of the plot. The police come looking for her only to find she has disappeared. While it is a good mystery and right there with all the other Miss Fisher Mysteries, there is a bigger element of danger in this one and shows a good picture of what life was like for those travelling with the circus during the 20s in Australia. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

Virtually Speaking

Ever have a moment where you have said something

And the next moment knowing it was the wrong thing?

If only we can take back the thought and the words

For it all changes things afterwards

I tend to think faster than I speak out

But even so I have sometimes been caught out

Always take time to think I tell myself

There is no urgency I tell myself

The problem comes from responding

When one should be cogitating

In the age of social networking

We sometimes find that common sense is not working

We are so used to instant gratification

That responding at once provides ego satisfaction

Arguments develop fast

Leaving divides that last

No one is willing to back down

Trying to establish they have won hands down

This illusion of closeness with strangers

Increases the make and break of friendship with strangers

There is little of caring and compassion

Rather more of a competitive passion

Even a lack of response from one will be good

Put a stop to all the expanding aggression for good

An apology no one ever wishes to extend

Even though peace it will portend

The peace is important for all

Both you and the other person are most likely strangers after all

The faceless strangers appear to feel less fellowship

For surely this aggressiveness is less likely to enter a non-virtual relationship?

People want to have the last word and be right

Even when it is evident they are not right

Does one always have to be right?

Even when all it leads to is a fight?

Why do we always want the other person to agree?

Can we not sometimes agree to disagree?