I'm blogging a day early this week because this time tomorrow I'll be winging my way back to South Australia for four weeks. It's my daughter Billy's birthday on Tuesday and I'm also hoping to catch up with my friend Annalou while I'm in Adelaide. Then it's back to Mount Gambier for three weeks to spend time with my sisters Erica and Anne. It's Erica's birthday on 7 June and I want to be around for that.

I'm sure I'm not alone in finding that family has become more and more important to me as I get older. With both siblings and children, one has many shared memories and these form the basis of the ties that bind, I think. After all, we often have nothing else in common with other family members. That's certainly true in my case, at least. But then, how many people does one meet, family or otherwise, who love things as diverse as Shakespeare, Astrology, Family History, Meditation, Yoga and reading and writing fantasy? I don't know many people who share even two of those interests with me. That means I move in a variety of circles, most of which never intersect. Family is one of those circles, and an essential one.

I'm going home with an extra item of luggage - a brand new laptop! I was lucky enough to get it for only $490 after cashback (for which I have to wait six weeks or more) and by going into overdraft I was just able to grab it while it was going. It's an Acer Aspire 5315 with an Intel Celeron CPU 550@2.00GHz. Not that such facts mean a lot to me, technophobe that I am, but the nerds among you will no doubt have strong opinions as to its worth:-)

At the Shakespeare Club today we read Acts 1-3 of Cymbeline. I read Imogen for the first time ever. She is a lovable character: feisty, excitable and utterly devoted to and faithful to her husband, although one wonders why: Posthumus comes across as rather unlikeable. It's an incredibly complicated plot. Even more complicated than my WIP!

Apropos, the newest outline of book one of The Trilogy is taking shape. Perhaps I'll have it finished for next time I post. Then I just have to write the durned thang. A mere bagatelle.

Thanks for looking at my new website! When I return to Perth in mid-June I'll prepare posters to put up at the universities for second semester and also get some business cards printed. But right now I'd better go and pack, because tomorrow will be busy. There is a meeting of the Katharine Susannah Prichard Writers Centre's Specfic group tomorrow morning, after which I shall have to hurry to the airport.