Gday Zondrae...
In answer to your question. “Does your Mrs have a teaching certificate? She doesn't to my knowledge...”
Glenny started her work career as a manager in a large corporate business, and later sat on the board of directors. She qualified and was certificated to train sales staff within the corporation, to the highest corporate standard expected.
Glenny has been a professional entertainer since 1994. She is on the list of professional judges for both state, and Australian championships; written and performance.
Her painfully gained talents, which were hard won in the early days when Bush Poetry was a male dominated thing, have now been worth the effort. Glenny is qualified, with the appropriate certification, to teach in schools; She has had a great deal of success in teaching poetry in rural schools. In doing this, she not only teaches Bush Poetry, but Classical Ballads as well... depending on the age of the students; she will also split a group into sections depending on what individual children wish to do. I’ll stick to renovating properties, it’s easier.
The good woman has taken every Australian trophy there is to take, some twice, and as Australian champion some years ago, she won a trip all expenses paid for her and her husband at the time, to America in order to teach and perform her talents over there. Now, in the time when she should be sat in her office doing her own thing... writing, she will still give time and effort to those who ask her professional advise... until 4am, often enough.
Somewhere Zondrae, in the depths of Glenny’s meticulous filing system, I am fairly confidant of the fact that she has a teaching certificate... but I’ll check it out for sure for you when my beloved gets back from Tamworth.
“The only time I get upset about people 'throwing eggs' at my writing is if they have never had a go themselves.”
No... never get upset at them Zondrae, for the God of poetry sayeth “They are the humorists... the court jesters... buffoon Pierrot de plumes ... with these you can have a good old giggle. It also follows that you can giggle at the ones who chuck eggs that have had a go... to whatever extent; they are the ones that generally chuck in a bit of good advice as sarcasm... “...but who am I to say I woulda done ‘such and such---’ that type of rubbish,.... take no notice of the feral approach, have a look at what they ‘woulda done’ and weigh it up... see if it works... you don’t even have to answer the post if you don’t want to.
In short, don’t let them in but take the gift they offer. Sounds terrible eh? Well when they can say what they want to say sensibly and in readable English, then you let them in... and still take the gifts they offer. That’s learning all round.
There was only one Shakespeare, and I doubt there will ever be another. You are probably one of the few who actually enjoy what they do... I work all day, it’s a job, I do it to a professional standard, learned through harsh apprenticeship and experience. It’s more or less clockwork, and it earns a quid.... sometimes. I don’t dislike what I do, neither do I hold any fondness for it. That’s what needs doing... do it, get paid, pay the bills, go broke. My employment is like a cyclic chain. A drives B drives C drives D drives A.
In the real fact of very basic life, there has to be only one other who believes in you and likes what you do, to then believe wholly in yourself and be good at what you enjoy doing. If I started to enjoy my work, I would become far too picky with little things, spend far too long on what doesn’t need the time, and go bust altogether. But with something you love doing, it is almost mandatory to do those things. And that takes time and patience.... and I ain’t blessed with much of either.
Don’t worry about not/being another Shakespeare... nobody is out there to try and beat you... the race isn’t on.
Good luck with the book, I am sure it will be on time. Last night we had three inches of rain in 24 hours, and the local creeks are at the peak. Any more tonight and I could be under a few inches of water by the morning. I hope not. Where I am now was under ten feet of water this time last year. I am out in the bush; wind is blowing the white cedars and the wet has started the frogs and the cane toads orf...
I had little sleep last night for the rain on the tin roof, and then the frogs and the cane toads, and now at the peak of it all tonight the crickets have started to chirrup their hearts out. I have moths, tiny flies, bigger than tiny flies, and some strange creature probably David Attenborough would find hard to identify, scrambling and fluttering all over the p/c screen as I sit here in the dim yellow ‘bug-resistant’ light. That is truly the sights and sounds of the bush.
Bless you Zondrae...
...croc
