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Sun setting in orange sky west of Ainse Vat beach, Noumea

Sun setting in orange sky west of Ainse Vat beach, Noumea

Dougie is re-admitted to the Flat Earth Society

On Google Maps the world looks flat. Believe me, it's not.

Dougie

Nov 17, 20256 min read

Cat in travel case head pressed against wire mesh entrance

Cat in travel case head pressed against wire mesh entrance

Getting away from it all (... slowly)

Travel, as always for us, starts with the slow, slow train to Sydney.

Dougie

Nov 4, 20253 min read

Two Currawong feathers, large and small, side by side. And a small speckled egg shell with its top shorn off.

Two Currawong feathers, large and small, side by side. And a small speckled egg shell with its top shorn off.

The Ruins Of Time

A melancholic piece today. Because sometimes we are. Read it here. Buy my book online.

Dougie

Oct 8, 20252 min read

Signs of renewal

Signs of renewal

Signs of renewal

First sign of spring (not too far off)?

Dougie

Aug 5, 20251 min read

Blue covered poetry book by Dougie resting on a flower bed of yellow primroses

Blue covered poetry book by Dougie resting on a flower bed of yellow primroses

Who's he?

A nobody from nowhere (in literary terms) enters a catalogue somewhere with real somebodies.

Dougie

Jul 30, 20252 min read

Thistle, our small reddish-brown haired cat with a black face, sits on a brick path in our front garden, opposite a shimmering glass sculpture of the Irish folklore goddess Aine. Large bushes and trees fill the background against a clear blue winter morning sky.

Thistle, our small reddish-brown haired cat with a black face, sits on a brick path in our front garden, opposite a shimmering glass sculpture of the Irish folklore goddess Aine. Large bushes and trees fill the background against a clear blue winter morning sky.

Peaceful Co-existence

Spike Deane's glass art goddess Aine meets the ruler of our universe

Dougie

Jul 12, 20251 min read

Two Currawong feathers -- one large, one small -- side by side. At the mid-point of each feather, where black meets white, a small speckled egg shell rests. The top of the egg has been broken off and is nowhere to be seen.

Two Currawong feathers -- one large, one small -- side by side. At the mid-point of each feather, where black meets white, a small speckled egg shell rests. The top of the egg has been broken off and is nowhere to be seen.

An Inconvenient Roundabout

A poem from my first book, Something That Comes Close. Illustration by Spike Deane.

Dougie

Jun 19, 20252 min read

Five reddish brown chickens with bright yellow feet and beaks, some pecking at the ground. The belt of Orion is visible in the early morning sky behind them.

Five reddish brown chickens with bright yellow feet and beaks, some pecking at the ground. The belt of Orion is visible in the early morning sky behind them.

Can You - on a clear day – See Forever?

A poem from my first book, Something That Comes Close. Illustration by Spike Deane.

Dougie

May 29, 20251 min read

A flying baguette sandwich, smoked salmon, tomatoes, mayonnaise and green leaf. It flew too close the sun and now plummets to its doom.

A flying baguette sandwich, smoked salmon, tomatoes, mayonnaise and green leaf. It flew too close the sun and now plummets to its doom.

Existentialism For Beginners

A poem from my first book, Something That Comes Close. Illustration by Spike Deane.

Dougie

May 15, 20252 min read

Drawing of a Capercaillie, a large Grouse-like bird native to Scotland. Predominantly black feathers but with vibrant colours in some places (as described in the poem).

Drawing of a Capercaillie, a large Grouse-like bird native to Scotland. Predominantly black feathers but with vibrant colours in some places (as described in the poem).

Capercaillie

A poem from my first book, Something That Comes Close. Illustration by Spike.

Dougie

Apr 30, 20251 min read

Have You Not Heard?

Have You Not Heard?

Have You Not Heard?

A poem from my first book, Something That Comes Close. Illustration by Spike.

Dougie

Apr 17, 20252 min read

Strolling through a suburban Sunday morning

Strolling through a suburban Sunday morning

Strolling through a suburban Sunday morning

"It could not be dangerous to be living in a town like this, of simple people," Marianne Moore, 1921

Dougie

Mar 16, 20253 min read

Be the (personal) change you want to see

Be the (personal) change you want to see

Be the (personal) change you want to see

An "Author's Proof" arrives in the mail.

Dougie

Mar 3, 20252 min read

Part Of The Deal

Part Of The Deal

Part Of The Deal

For Betty. 16 January 1931 to 4 February 2025

Dougie

Feb 5, 20255 min read

If a tree falls in a forest ...

If a tree falls in a forest ...

If a tree falls in a forest ...

It can be odd the ways in which one's mind plays tricks on us. My mind certainly. Today is the 25th anniversary of my arrival in Australia.

Dougie

Nov 19, 20247 min read

Time for a change

Time for a change

Time for a change

I've made no plans which is simultaneously liberating and -- possibly -- the daftest-plan-ever in a long life of Dougie's daft plans.

Dougie

Oct 30, 20243 min read

Looking for the fourth leaf

Looking for the fourth leaf

Looking for the fourth leaf

They grant us power to see the fairies ... allegedly.

Dougie

Oct 19, 20241 min read

Old man howling at the moon

Old man howling at the moon

Old man howling at the moon

I see how it geta its name.

Dougie

Oct 17, 20241 min read

Saturday morning. Spike Deane's garden.

Saturday morning. Spike Deane's garden.

Saturday morning. Spike Deane's garden.

I resist the impulse to offer advice. I know my limits.

Dougie

Oct 12, 20241 min read

Small town on a cold autumn morning.

Small town on a cold autumn morning.

Small town on a cold autumn morning.

Birthday lunch for Spike Deane from 7° in the car park to a table next to the open fire at Grazing, Gundaroo. As if going back in time.

Dougie

May 26, 20242 min read

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