haven’t forgotten you. . .

Well, hello! Remember me?

I feel I’ve neglected the Hot News Space disgracefully but Adelaide itself has been a ‘hot news space’ of sorts over the last few weeks, with summer temperatures of up to 40 degrees Centigrade—about 104 degrees on the old Fahrenheit scale. That’s hot. How can one think in such a heat, let alone up-date a Hot News Space?

My mother, who is 85 in five days time, solves the heat problem by swimming in the sea every morning with her 80 year old neighbour. She actually swims with her walking stick since she needs it the moment she’s in shallow water or on the sand. The pair of them are such an inspiration. No wonder I write so many books about feisty old people. I live surrounded by them.

As for me, I’m a total wimp about getting into the sea. I hate the whole drag of changing and getting wet although actually swimming is divine once I’m in. I live only seconds from the beach so I did go swimming very early for three mornings running this week in the terrible heat but only because it was desperately, horribly hot. The old people at the beach go every morning, rain or shine. It’s a little community down there. I walk home with elderly neighbours every morning that I swim, and feel really weak and pathetic beside them and I’m not 54 yet!

I had a brilliant trip to the USA in November although I can hardly remember where I went because I was moving so ffffast. Even when I made speeches that were calculated to challenge some people and make a few feel downright uncomfortable I was amazed to experience rousing receptions of standing ovations in all the states I visited. (Perhaps people just like my accent.) Anyway, as usual I met many old friends—shrieks, hugs and a parting was often all we had time for—and made many new friends whom I hope I’ll meet again.

America is very good to me and I’m deeply grateful but I couldn’t live in the States because it’s so different from Australia in so many ways. Anyway, Australia’s my home—and where home is is where home is, right? For everyone.

After the States I went to a the Women in Palestine Conference in Gaza, in the Palestinian Territories which was fascinating and sad and inspiring and enraging. A web-site is not the place to hyperventilate over international politics partly because I’d need the whole of cyberspace to do justice to my feelings which I’m keeping to mself, as you’ll notice!

Spent a day in Bethlehem which was madly exciting: so much work going on for the Year 2000 celebrations. Bethlehem is being renovated with help from the European Union. They are making the new streets look divinely old-style. It’s going to be gorgeous. As the child of missionaries I was in quieter than usual (I think I even stopped talking for a moment!) in the Church of the Nativity and felt my breathing constrict in awe when I saw the place where Jesus is reputed to have been born. Astounding to be in such an ancient famous place a month before Christmas 1999.

Had two days in East Jerusalem also, and was mesmerised by the three religions barely getting along in a place which belongs to them all. The air was crisp with tension and mistrust. It was embarrassing. Surely the whole premise of religion is to love our fellows as if they were ourselves. Don’t get me started!

Then there was Christmas, at home, with adored Chloë here from Paris for twelve days and my ‘Italian’ sister Jan here as well from Italy with her partner Giuseppe. Christmas has its dramas and tensions and highs and lows and our family is no different but on the whole it was a tremendously happy time.

The fizzle of the Y2K New Year was in the end huge fun in our house: we had a few close friends to dinner and Malcolm did mad things with sparklers in the back garden which were so pathetic we howled laughing. It was as much fun as the Sydney fireworks, believe me. Then we all strolled along the beach to see the real city fireworks and walked home again at about 1 am.

I wrote my journal that night because it seemed like such a special moment in history. I’ll keep it every day this year as a record of my thoughts, feelings and experiences in the first year of the 2000’s. Malcolm can then read it back to me when I’ve lost my memory although he may die of boredom—I love writing about food. I am a fanatic about eating only fresh food: no take away, no frozen food, no pre-prepared food, no processed food. I don’t know how I got to be like that. Perhaps it was the influence of my ‘Italian’ sister. I love to cook and preparing lunches and dinners in the summer is especially divine, when the fruit and vegetables are so scrumptious.

So on the work front, what’s new? ‘Sleepy Bears’ is now out and humming in the USA and Australia. ‘Harriet, you’ll drive me wild!’ (Harcourt)is due out in the USA in April and in Australia also, some time this year, published by Hodder. I have just finished the fourth draft of my reading-aloud book for parents and am about to the start the fifth which is a bit daunting when it’s 60,000 words but hey, I have never been a writer: I’m a re-writer. The read-aloud book is due out in the USA and Australia early next year 2001.

Next week I am off to Africa on a UNESCO literacy project in Uganda and Tanzania in which I’ll be teaching African writers how to write good books for little kids to learn to read by. Not the sort of ‘ Dick is dumb. Dora is stupid’ reader!

My family is all very well and happy and the moment, even Dad who’s now 87 and fragile. It must be summer happiness infecting us all. It’s heaven.

Much love to you all.
Mem Fox xxx