I have been here – I have just been working. 🙂 Last week I emailed off my latest book to my editor at HarperCollins, Steph Smith, and now I can get back to the garden.
The book, The Devil’s Diadem, has been a life saver. It has given me something to do each day, something to look forward to, and I have loved every moment of writing it. I hated finishing it – so much so that I am now deep in planning for my next venture. It is almost as if the book has been a charmed talisman. Most of it I wrote while undergoing chemo – one week sick as a dog in bed, one week not so sick and sitting in front of the computer typing away as if my life depended on it, and trying to fit in all my medical appointments as well. As far as chemo goes, I am having a break for it for a while until the cancer springs back – no one knows how long that will be … but not long, unfortunately.
But, in the meantime, there is the garden. First a huge thank you to Paula Moss who arrived one day with cup cakes and a willing pair of hands and who toiled away in the woodland pruning and weeding for me. That was so wonderful – thanks again Paula. 🙂 Every time I go down to the woodland now I am amazed by how much Paula managed to get through.
I am slowly getting back into the garden myself. Doing a bit of weeding, a bit of clearing, a bit of digging (not much as I still find this very hard). Just little bits, here and there. But the little bits mount up. Yesterday I amazed myself by digging up six shrubs that had completely overgrown a brick path. The shrubs are still there, lying on the path – so today’s exercise will be to shift them to some infill and reclaim the path. Pruning and more pruning. Why did I plant so many robinias??
The vegie garden is still there although needs much work. I have leeks and beets, carrots and still some capsicum coming through (although the capsicums are soon for the next world). I also have some old-ish potatoes sitting under the car port . Every night the industrious rats come along and steal some potatoes and roll them about 5 metres to the rat hole to under the house. There the potatoes stay as the rats can’t get them through the hole. 🙂 It is good of the rats to point out to me so conveniently where their rat hole is so I can contemplate some rat extermination. Every morning, without fail, three potatoes exactly sitting about this hole where the rats have tried furiously to get them down. I have to admire their industry.
We have had virtually no rain at all this year. The garden is incredibly dry – last year was fantastic for rain. This year, ghastly.
Thank you again to everyone who replied to the Silence of the Dying post. The response has been amazing.
I apologise for not updating the blog more often. Sometimes everything gets too much and I just can’t cope with things – then I tend to go into hibernation.
Heya Sara, congratulations on the book and on feeling well enough to do it. I’m glad you have some help in the garden too. The dang snails ate nearly everything I planted this year, even the broccoli, so I had to do two plantings, arrggh. I have *all* your rain — every last bit of it came here. Probably that’s why the snails are here too, therefore next year please take the rain and make it stay in Tassie so I won’t have such grey days and so many snails, lol. Smiles and wellness to you dear.
I am glad the garden is there now that your book is finished (congrats) because my hobby has such a way of bringing a special happiness to me when I have time for it. Please don’t apologize for not writing too often. I am sure I am one of very many that check back to see “how are you doing” and are just glad when we see a post like this one. Enjoy your garden and know you still are in my prayers from the United States.
Hi Sara,
Glad to hear you are having a rest from chemo and congrats on finishing the book. You sound victorious.
I was so moved by your Silence of the Dying post, I was unable to comment before. Tried, but was wordless with anger for you for some time, and also grief-stricken, in this strange world of virtualfriendship/pseudo knowing someone you have never met. Still don’t know how to say it, but then realised there is no need, you said it all.
Just two years ago, I lost 3 members of my family in the space of 2 months and I have been largely inarticulate on the subject ever since, due to the fact that no-one else wants to talk about it, so I felt every keystroke you wrote.
I am so far away, I am no use at all, but I would come and labour in your garden in a heartbeat, were it not for the rats 😉
Welcome back to your Blog & garden Sara, although I see your updates most days on Facebook, it was a thrill to check here this morning & find a new post.After your advice that Infinity Gate wouldn’t be released until Nov in the UK I cancelled my pre-order & got a copy from Oz. I am totally absorbed.It’s wonderful. I resent putting it down to come to work! I’ve nearly finished it & don’t want it to end – saying goodbye to the Sunsoars after so many years is sad… Thank you so much for the alternate universe you allow me to escape to so often. Still raking xxx
Its marvellous to hear you’re getting back into the garden, Sara!
Last spring was the wettest in 40 years for southern Tas- previous wettest was spring 1966 which led to the big flush of growth that in part fed the fires of feb 1967. I’m expecting a much drier spring this year but it is, as ever, impossible to predict the weather that far in advance here.
With your rats- if you know anyone with a ferret, get them to put an old jumper or similar in their hutch for a week or so, and then put it near the rathole. The rats will not hang about once they get a whiff.
Hi Sara, I am glad you are feeling a bit better and looking forward to getting out to your garden. I am so pleased for you that such a good friend pitched in with the clearing and the cooking, those cupcakes sound good.
Sending you big hugs and many prayers from Canada……..:-)
All the best in your recovery, your strength of character shows thrugh your writing 🙂 Totally absorbed in the book and wanted to wish you the best, you are truly an inspiration. your Silence of the Dying post was vey moving and I have subscribes to yoru feed as a result. Very moving, very touching, fantastic writing and thank you for the emotional journey.
Hi Sara
That’s a shame about the rain. In Melbourne it’s been gushing down. My in-laws’ dam is beyond full. The water sits about a foot above the jetty!
Your rat story made me laugh out loud.
And giant pat on the back to Paula.
All the best
x
Gee that Paula Moss is a good chick!
Hey Sara, hope today treats you well (as I hoped yesterday was and tomorrow will be) ~ thought about you this morning and wanted you to know! *grins* Bit like a ‘you awake still’ greeting…
Nothing really interested to share – just saying hi! HI! *waves*
Bloody nice at sparrow’s fart in the morning here in the bowels of Ballarat gripped in winter ~ least its not snowing, raining and in the minuses (yet) today however the day has only just begun!! Here’s to a damn sight finer day your way, even if just from the window! Always warmer from the window.
Ok – toodle pip!
The rooster is roaring, the kids are still snoring
A Cuppa – then on with the day!!
Mands
Congrats on completing the book! You “hate” finishing the writing. I hate finishing reading you. Am still using the book mark thingys you sent a couple of years ago in response to my letter to you regarding “The Troy Game.” Thank for the response and markers.
Been awhile since I went to your site. Am glad I tripped over this blog and “The Silence of Dying” is incredible! Garden well.
Just wanted to let you know that I’m thinking about you today. 🙂
Hi Sara
Thanks for touching my life with the DarkGlass Mountain series. I just finished it tonite. Kind of glad Maxel and Ishbel weren’t in it too much, as it would’ve been agonising for me to let them go. That was magnificent, their story in the first two books. So thanks for that.
I hear what you say about society’s uncomfortableness with aspects that are undeniably part of society. I remember watching a ‘leave it to beaver’ style show when I was a child. It looked like it was set in the fifties or sixties. The teenage son of the tv family was doing a live theatre group project. The female student playwright had written a short play about parents arguing and the dad also yelling at the daughter. The boy teen says something like ” say, why is the script so nasty?” {Obviously the tv show writers forgot what they were taught in school about conflict being necessary for drama}. The girl teen says ” Aren’t all families like that?” Now the boy, being part of the tv starring family and therefore inherently superior, could have said, kindly, ” No, not all families are like that. There’s lots of ways to be. By the way, lots of kids are coming to my parents’ fourth of july barbecue, do you want to come too?” Could’ve kept it light but done a good deed. Spread the love a little.
But nooo. That’s not what happened. I’ll never forget this moment, it’s burned into my brain, and I internalised it for many years. I’m not sure if my memory is playing tricks and it comes next in the narrative or after some other action. But I remember the boy looking at the girl like she’s the lowest form of life and saying emphatically ” I feel sorry for you.” As if she really was ‘other’ and could never be normal. Then he walks away.
So what sort of message is that? “You wear nice sweaters, no-one dies or gets ill or has family problems. If you do, you’re the wierdo. Distasteful. We’re justified in walking away from you. How dare you pollute our pretend universe? How dare you be different.”
Shows like that on tv have a lot to answer for. TV is still doing it, as are cheap romance novels – often the hated villain woman is a perfectly normal girl with a slightly more complex psyche than miss passive agressive in the lead role!
We need to lose this fantasy that life is clean and glossy and perfect. Stop watching tv. Accept all the bits of life. We sweat. Our inner character is just as important to focus on as our wardrobe or appearance. Some people are born beautiful, others not, but we all have something to offer. We’re none of us perfect and some people have family challenges or health challenges or other things to admit to and deal with. This is part of life and not a reason to reject somebody.
So yes, I’m all in favour of accepting life and death as it really is, including our honest reactions to the vicissitudes, and I want society to internalise this acceptance too.
Thanks for your honesty.
I would so love to offer help with the garden, but alas, am worse than useless. Would probably pull up treasured plants, and prune vile weeds. Just hopeless.
Hi Sara,
Been reading this blog for sometime now but am yet to comment. I just feel compelled to tell you how much I adore your work and am utterly thrilled to hear about your new book. Thankyou for taking me to new places along the bounds of imagination, you are my all time favourite author. I own everyone of your books. I love you and your work.
Lovely to hear you’re back in your garden, I planted my first few plants (herbs) in my new backyard and it truly is a serene therapy. Don’t have any rats to shift potatoes at my place but I do have a burrowing labrador. Both frustrating and hilarious.
Zanita
Hi
I am a new visitor to your blog and even just the little bit I have read here from about the garden makes me realize there are two ways a person can react to life and life’s circumstances. The first one of course is to sit around and feel sorry for yourself (amazing how many people do this who are in perfect health) Or you can take to route you have taken and that is quite simply to live each day to its fullest…you are truly an inspiration to all
RIP Sara. You are missed by your many fans and friends 🙁