Welcome to Forest Leaves

The cover of my paperback copy of Guy Chapman’s book, the inspiration for this story   From time to time, I used to come across one of Alan Bennett's diaries, either in book form or published as a serial in The London Review of Books. They are good reading.  Bennett's writing is concise and witty; he has an artist's eye for detail and a dramatist's ear for dialogue. The diaries seem at first glance to be mere reportage of everyday events, but they are invariably interesting a

The common pigeon, or Rock Dove, found in Western Australia – seen here, on the grass   I was reading an anthology of wonderful stories by the American humorist James Thurber the other day and came across a line of poetry that he lampooned: “ Pigeons on the grass, alas”. It was only when I pronounced ‘grass’ the American way (to rhyme with ‘alas’) rather than the Australian way (‘grahse’) could I start to make any sense at all of the line – at least it contained a rhyme. But

Boranup karri forest, oil painting by Rick Sneeuwjagt   Once upon a time, back in the day when people sent and received Christmas Cards, there was a Christmas season when the first card I received that year was especially noteworthy. It had a lovely photograph of karri ( Eucalyptus diversicolor )   forest on the front.   “Boranup State Forest, by the look of it” I thought. Boranup is a forest I have known very well for over fifty years and I was confident I recognised it. Tur

A symbolic picture: Beatrice Shilling, long after the war – aged in her 60s – astride a 100 mph motorcycle and with a Spitfire in the background.   Beatrice Shilling (or “Tilly Shilling” as she is now often known) is a great hero of mine. Some of you will be nodding, and saying “Ah yes, what a champion she was”. Others may be asking who Beatrice Shilling is, and why is she a hero? This is the story. My interest in it began with a mundane little domestic incident, but I think