Fabbo Friday and How I would like to hang out the washing

The Magic Hat Bookclub (the fab bookclub I'm in) met this week. The selected book was The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak. It's been a long time since a book has uplifted, inspired and moved me as much as this one. I was on the bus reading it last Saturday and had to restrain myself from jumping up and screaming, "Read this book everyone!" It's become one of my all time favourites. I'm sure Markus would be chuffed to know he was up there along with Enid Blyton, Daphne du Maurier and Agatha Christie. Warning - this is a book you need several boxes of tissues near as you reach the ending. I'm sure my sobs were heard all over Sydney. I cannot stop thinking about the characters. Hats off to Markus Zusak and Liesal, Rudy, Hans, Max, Rosa, Ilsa and Death.
It's Mother's Day in Australia this Sunday. Below is a little piece I wrote for the lovely Kate Lord Brown's writing Blog (which is one of my favourites) called What Kate Did Next. This was a writing exercise about what I saw that morning. There's also a photo of my daughter and myself taken at drop-off time at her school. Excuse our windblown look, and my daughter's hair is filled with olive oil as I had to cut a rather large piece of chewing gum inventively hidden by some crafty child. As you can see from the piece, my daughter loves to tell stories as much as I do. I think it was written just after this photo was taken, one of a collection of photos for the school's Mothers Day Mass celebrations. And so Happy Mother's Day to all Mothers and Grandmothers this weekend.
My daughter beside me skipping to school in the Autumn Sydney sunshine. Long navy legs, blonde ponytail. Grey tunic. A dancing dappled fairy as she recites a story to herself, "Don't listen, Mummy! It's MY story!"
Commuters in suits rushing past us to catch their trains. Planes flying overhead, low on their descent. Trains rushing past and the commuters run faster. My daughter collecting fairy-clocks and bits of rubbish. Garbage lying discarded. An old street man lies amongst his discarded oranges. My daughter glances briefly at him before she springs in the air to continue her story. Nearer the school, Nannies and Mothers rushing with small children. We swoop through the gates together like a steam of tunic wearing fish. Hugging my daughter goodbye - she smells of innocent stories and her dreams of the night before. Racing home, kicking clouds, heart singing with joy at the laptop waiting in my untidy bedroom. Now it's time for MY story.

When it comes to Blog posts I enjoyed this week, I'm still thinking about a post the beautiful Vicki Archer did for French Essence on lingerie shops in Paris. Sigh. Exactly what every Mother needs. The post is called Thinking of Paris. Lingerie and Lace. I hate to ruin any illusions but that is not me hanging out washing in my Parisian underwear, sadly. That is from the amazing link on Vicki's post to Fifi Chachnil.
And sorry Isabelle, but you're up again for your post on perfumes. I'm addicted to perfumes and so when Suzy's Vintage Attic opened her perfume cupboard, of course I was right there salivating. The post is called The Power of Scent.
And whilst we're salivating over French lingerie and perfumes, then we may as well salute Johnny Depp. Somehow it all seems to go together.
So many fab and lovely things this week!

Enjoy your weekend and thanks for visiting me. xx