.:. a promise

He makes my feet like the feet of deer, and sets me on my high places

Psalm 18:33

.:. childhood favourites

Growing up in Australia was wonderful. I especially loved the Australiana children's stories, many of which are now perennial favourites. They include:

This is still under construction... enjoy what's here!

"Snugglepot and Cuddlepie" by May Gibbs. This is a wonderful story about two gum nut babies... it's a world full of adventure and of big bad banksia men ... I was terrified of banksia bushes for many years!

"Bib and Bub" by May Gibbs. These came out as a comic strip which I avidly read. The book is available.

Find out more about May Gibbs at the Nutcote website

"The Magic Pudding: Being the Adventures of Bunyip Bluegum and His Friends Bill Barnacle & Sam Sawnoff" by Norman Lindsay. This story recounts is the adventures of Bunyip Bluegum, Bill Barnacle and Sam Sawnoff, the penguin bold, and their amazing, everlasting, and very cantankerous puddin'. It's a very unusual pudding. And though the puddin' thieves are cunning and masters of disguise they are not a match for the puddin' owners.

"The Complete Adventures of Blinky Bill" by Dorothy Wall. Blinky Bill is a mischievous little koala who gets into all sorts of scrapes and adventures.

"Seven Little Australians"by Ethel Turner

The DVD of the TV series is available at Amazon but lacks the last 2 episodes. The full set is available from The ABC Shop (Australia).

"We of the Never-Never" by Mrs Aeneas Gunn.

One of my aunts gave me some other wonderful children's books which are still treasured (and safely in storage).

"Winnie the Pooh" by A. A.Milne.

"The Water-Babies" by Charles Kingsley. One of my aunts read this to me at an early age. It was magical and I still have the book.

It was sometime during 5th grade that something switched on in my head and I discovered the joys of reading. From then on I began to devour books, sometimes one a night... needless to say schoolwork often suffered. My love of reading continued all through high school and on into my adult life. Here are some of my school day loves:

During late primary school (grades 5 & 6) I discovered the "Dimsie" books by Dorita Fairlie Bruce. The "Dimsie" stories were about a girl in boarding school and all the trials and tribulations she went through. Incredibly they can still be found through Amazon, though at a price... (click image)	Then I discovered the "Biggles" books by W. E. Johns and fell in love with all things to do with flying. There are many "Biggles" books and each one was an adventure to be lived! They seem to have been reprinted and are now available through Amazon (click image).
My love of flying took me to books about the famous pilots of World War II, including "Reach for the Sky", the story of Douglas Bader, the legless flying ace. I was so impressed with his story, I even had a goldfish name "Douglas Bader"!	.
Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery. I have a boxed set and read through the eight books every year or so. There is something very pleasurable in doing so. Maybe I got back to a child state. I don't know but I can get lost in the delightful tales of Anne's adventures. I also have the videos and enjoy watching them. However, I must say that I do not like the video entitled, "Anne of Green Gables, the Continuing Story." The story was so drastically changed it really spoiled things and I am glad I didn't buy it. Some day I would like to get a DVD set of the books.	Narnia Chronicles by C. S. Lewis. I actually didn't discover the Narnia Chronicles till I was an adult. However, the stories still appeal to the child in me. This is a set I also read all the way through every year or so. I especially love the description of the creation of Narnia when Aslan sang it into being... it still gives me goosebumps to think about it. (Interested in buying? The images at left is a link for the book sets. Image at right is link to DVD set.)
Little Women by Louisa M Alcott. I first read this as a young teen and enjoyed this story so much. However, I always remember how upset I was when Jo died. It was so hard to deal with, it did not seem at all fair. More recently I've enjoyed the the movie starring Winona Ryder.	There are many more books and authors that will be added as time permits.

Some more fun books for children that I've come across

Diary of a Wombat by Jackie French. A seriously fun book about a wombat and his training of humans. As I have a resident wombat on my property I enjoy the book hugely!

Jackie French has written another wombat book... this one about a young wombat who gets into all sorts of mischief