End of Year High Note

So the year is coming to an end. Thank God. I hope never to have another year like it. I have spared you the details in the usual way that people do when they’re writing at Christmas, pretending that everything has been totally fabulous on every day of the year. Hah! I guess people look at me and my life and my success and think that I must be touched by fairy dust, but believe me I’m only a human, a doting wife and a mother like the rest of the doting wives and mothers in the world, with all the attendant love, and stress, and joy, and flat-out caring. Just let’s say I have come through with flying colours, albeit colours stained with waves of tears. I’m strong. Get this: my proud moment this last week was moving up to 7 kg weights at my fitness class, only three months off turning 64. That’s 7 kgs in each hand, people! For those in the USA that’s 15.43 lbs in each hand. The guy who sold me the weights said, ‘They aren’t for you, are they?’ (I am only 160 cms tall, that’s 5’3”, so I look really weak and tiny.) When I told him they were indeed for me, and I lifted them, he said, ‘Man, I’d hate to get into an argument with you!’

2010 will be filled with all sorts of joys to make up for the all sort of sorrows in 2009. I’m excited. I love burying sadness and I love new beginnings, especially new books, and at least two are appearing in the coming year. The first, on March 29th in Australia, is A Giraffe in the Bath, by me and Olivia Rawson—a terrific co-author story in itself, and which I will tell closer to the publication date. The artist is Kerry Argent. She has beautifully illustrated two of my books already: Sleepy Bears and my classic Christmas book Wombat Divine. The 15th anniversary edition of Wombat is in the shops right now.

Also in the shops, for this year only I believe, is a gift pack of Where is the Green Sheep? The green sheep toy is so like all the sheep in the book (the smile is adorable) that it looks as if it’s stepped right out of the book to say: HELLO AND HUG ME NOW! Under the Stories Behind the Stories section on my site there is an absolutely hysterical PowerPoint about the green sheep toy travelling all over Australia. I hope you hoot with laughter over it. I love it every time.

Have a great Christmas and may 2010 be filled with manifold blessings. Mine will be. Aha! Wait till the next episode…

Much love and joy,

Mem Fox