Wishing you a very happy Christmas. You might like to take a moment to listen to this wonderful rendition of Jingle Bells by Maeve Lander, arranged by Bob Driggs. Maeve plays all the parts. You can see more on her youtube channel here and while you are at it, check out the Galaxy Brass website with music samples here. Thank you, Maeve, for allowing me to share your music on this site, and to Sarah for the heads up. 

Storyteller Bea has recorded four more of her stories and another stunning villanelle poem in this episode. Two of the stories are set in wartime Britain, and the poem features the famous poppies that remind us of the horrors of war. Another story is about a young woman who finds herself inadvertently caught up in the orbit of a group of Bohemian artists, and yet another is inspired by the title "Arsenic and Old Lace".  

Towards the end of this recording there is a little bit of background noise, so apologies for that, but Bea's voice is quite clear above it. Let's just say it adds to the ambiance! 

As promised, some of the episodes on this podcast will be celebrating creativity. In this episode, Bea reads some of her short stories. The first is based on an old Jewish folk tale, and features a silk jacket. The second will resonate with anyone who has dabbled in amateur dramatics. Another is about a married couple negotiating their retirement dreams, and yet another involves a mysterious lady, a man, and a pansy-decorated umbrella. The poem, a villanelle, honours Monet's garden. Enjoy!

Professor Ian Reid is the author of a dozen books - fiction, non-fiction and poetry.  His work has been widely anthologised, awarded prizes, and translated into several languages. We met to discuss his writing, his views on how the publishing industry has changed over the years, and advice he might give to other writers (and himself). Ian has an excellent blog, which is accessible from his website:

http://ianreid-author.com/

Today's guest, Barbara Gurney, is a writer and a musician in a pipe band. In this podcast she talks about how each form of creativity informs the other.

Barbara lives in Perth, Western Australia, and writes across several genres including fiction for adults and children and free verse poetry. She enjoys creating memorable characters and exposing life experiences – often of the ordinary person. Her next novel, Doors of Prague will be released in March 2021. Find more on her website:

www.barbaragurney.webs.com

Jillian spent four and a half years sailing around the top end of Australia with her husband following his early retirement. Here she shares stories of some of the many adventures they had along the way. 

Hello friends and followers. It's been a while. I'm hoping that the coming year will be a happier one for everyone. In coming episodes I will be making room in this podcast not only for more audio memoirs and reflections, but also for some of my writer friends to share samples of their creative work. I hope to grow this podcast as an inclusive platform and am excited to see where it goes in the coming months. For those who tune in, I hope you find it entertaining and inspiring. 

In this episode of The Australian Baby Boomer Podcast, I speak with Kath Moore. Kath has always had a love of making art, of drawing and of seeing the beautiful colours in the world. Her artistic expression has formed the background of her work throughout the time she spent in the teaching profession. Now, since her retirement ten years ago, it has again come to the fore. As soon as she retired, Kath enrolled in "everything" at the Claremont School of Art, and then travelled to Florence to the Angel Academy of Art for an intense Summer School (web address below) which concentrated on life drawing. I was fortunate to be invited to Kath's home to see the beautiful range of artwork that she has made, and to talk to her about her art. 

http://www.angelartschool.com/

This is part two of the interview with Stewart. His post-Duntroon career has ranged from the CSIRO dung beetle project (see link below) to working with early technology related to the internet, and more recently to being involved at the forefront of current technological innovations across a range of industries. The interview ends with his views on how training and education approaches in Australia have changed over the years. 

https://www.csiro.au/en/Research/BF/Areas/Invasive-species-and-diseases/Biological-control/Exotic-dung-beetle-to-tackle-Aussie-flies

This episode contains information that some listeners may find distressing and a link to Lifeline counselling services is included below. 

Today's guest is Stewart. He quips that he did his growing-up in the army, at the Royal Military College of Duntroon. Because he had been a year ahead of his peers in high school, he had not yet turned seventeen when he was admitted into Duntroon. While he took well to the basic training, when his year-group returned to Duntroon, things turned sour as they were subjected to the now notorious process of bastardisation. This is his personal account of encounters with this system. 

The episode is in two parts; the first deals with his time at Duntroon, and the second follows his career afterwards.

https://www.lifeline.org.au/

https://www.abc.net.au/4corners/marking-time/2831588