There have been a few comments about various stories and authors in the last couple of weeks.
If you want a real treat read Bronwen Welsh's 'A Foreign Country'.

There seems to be a disconnect between various parts of the site. There have been no new comments registered for nearly 3 hours and 'Home' shows an entirely different hit and kudos count to 'My Stories'. Even logging in seems to make no difference.

Hurry, Hurry, Hurry!

First let me restate that this is in no way an endorsement of any of the stories submitted for the 2024 New Year’s Contest. That ain’t my job.

My name is Joanne Askew
I am an Aussie girl
A glass of wine with you sir
And the ladies I will swirl
All New South Wales and Queensland
Is measured up by my own hand
It was my fate from birth
To make my mark upon the earth

Apologies to Mark Knopfler for mangling his beautiful
“Sailing To Philadelphia”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtxuWycNgfo

And apologies to Andrea Lena for giving me the idea which I have stolen.

Now that I have been Press-Ganged by Emma and Jill into making the ultimate comment on Comments, it's probably reasonable to give you all some very rough hints as to how I will go about it. The two kind ladies have given me total discretion and I will try to use it benevolently.

The first criterion is that a comment MUST relate to a competition entry. That should be obvious.

It doesn't matter if the story to which it relates is not one of the winners. I am judging the comment, not the story.

It's already December 23 over here, so I wish all you adherents to Big Closet a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and, of course special thanks to Erin and our Admin staff.

I'm sure you will all join me in a huge round of appreciation for all their hard work in making sure that this site is the best place on the internet for folks like us. It's what they do behind the scenes that counts. Thankyou. May you enjoy next year as much as I think we, the audience,will.

Joanne

I'm only the messenger here but anybody who has not read Dimelza Cassidy's stories does not know what writing is all about. They were originally posted here but have ended up on FM. Don't ask me why,Just read them and be thankful that they are still here.

An article in today's Australian newspaper (Newscorp's description, not mine) claims that "new evidence" supports limiting childrens' access to blockers. The article claims that 34% of children in a survey reported deterioration in their mental health one year after using blockers, while 29% said they felt better and 37% felt no difference.

The article then quoted "a leading child psychiatrist" as urging restraint in prescribing blockers for trans children on the grounds that they could be deleterious to their mental health.

I have spent five holidays in Hawaii and every time I have spent most of the time on Maui, and each time I have been in close proximity to Lahaina. I never stayed in the town itself but always in Ka'anapali, a couple of miles north and Lahaina was where we would go to dine and just walk around for enjoyment. The banyan tree was a favourite sitting spot and Front Street was where all the good cafes and restaurants were located, so it is with a heavy heart that I see the devastation which has befallen the town.

It's only a matter of time before we join the list of books banned in many states of the USA. When the Right-Wingers have finished going after the children and their parents and the doctors who treat them, then they are going to come after what they see as those who encourage and/or educate them.

That's US, folks. They can't burn our books but they can ban us from the internet and restrict us in many ways. Do you think we'll get any help from the tech giants?

Think again.

I post this as a warning to other users. A couple of weeks ago I decided not to renew my subscriptions to McAfee and Norton for protecting my computer from malware and viruses. I did this because another provider was offering the same services for less than half the price that the two former outfits were offering.

This is notable for being Laika's birthday, Julius Caesar can eat his heart out.

It's November 11 where I live so here's a reminder of what governments can do to kids who can't even vote.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGDhzVi1bqU

I just heard that Charlie Watts, the drummer of The Rolling Stones, died.

I met him back in 1963, when The Stones were just getting started, and he was a lovely guy, the only one of them who wasn't either so far up himself or high on something, who gave a fan a little facetime and some conversation, without being in any way condescending.

Apart from that, he was one of those mostly unsung brilliant drummers who anchored the group for over fifty years. It makes me feel very sad and very much mortal to hear of his death as he was only a few months older than me.

I just watched a movie named Predestination (on Netflix). I won't give too much away or I will be spoiling.

It is a time travel story but its interest to many of us is that one of the central characters is born and grows up female and then becomes male. The part is played by the same actress, who received an award for her performance and, in my opinion, deservedly so.

It may not be to everybody's taste but I found it intriguing.

Andrea Lena shared these pictures with me and they are so beautiful I just have to pass them along.

https://www.emmalesliephotography.com/transcend