Book Launch - A Suitcase full of Wildflowers
Fil Bufalo
5pm, Thursday 19 June
Paperchain Bookstore
34 Franklin Street Manuka, Griffith, 2603
Drinks will be provided.
There were possibly twenty reasons for me to have hung the sign on my study door 'gone to Scotland... back in 4 weeks'.
Number 1 reason was always going to be a yearning to languish on a stone bench in the rocky high-grounds of Edinburgh castle, eyes closed, savouring the sweet sound of a veritable bastion of bagpipes echoing down into the rogue black stillness of 'centuries -past.' The only thing I could think of, which might trump the trill of the bagpipes, could have been a senses -awakening at the Edinburgh tattoo. Beyond that all important number 1 reason, I could still come up with a handful more which embraced the usual tourist desires. My list would have to include a longing to revisit the lochs and maybe that elusive, famed monster Nessie, a hankering for a sniff of hard, lol earthy haggis, a penchant for a Scottish reel and jig, a need to purchase genuine Scottish shortbread, a legit. Scottish coat, glimpsing a man in a kilt ( preferably bending over to tie his shoelace) and a yearning for a certain famous viaduct crossing.
Then, there were the hills and wildflowers to savour, plus the beautiful Scottish granite stone slabs, mega-cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen, Inverness, Perth, and Stirling, the Edinburgh wind and the stark isolation of the John O Groats, the Shetlands , not to mention the marvellous islands of Mull, Iona and Skye. Throw in a few dozen castles, a royal yacht, a few choice garden centres and national heritage gardens, art galleries and museums and the treasure trove list would be, maybe 1 percent complete. So you see, just a few reasons to hang that 'outta town' sign on my study door, lace up me new wee walking boots, slip on a tracksuit, hoist my well travelled umbrella and head for the Scottish highlands. The decision to up and leave freezing Melbourne for the sunny shores of Scotland had been spur of the moment. No talking about going. That had gone on for two and a half years. All through lockdowns all though the pandemic. But now I was ready. Ready to face twenty-five hours on a plane !
With a mask!
Fil Bufalo has been writing for a lifetime—on the sand, on slate and in shorthand. An animated storyteller and accomplished raconteur, she has gathered all her thoughts, philosophies and musings on life into a bonfire of words and taken the plunge with a match. Fil has been writing forever, but only recently taken up writing in a genre she is finding hard to resist: humorous travel narrative writing. Fil is a proud Australian, and she loves nothing more than to travel overseas, distributing tokens of Australian memorabilia to people all over the world. She dabbles in art, mosaics, gardening, and poetry writing. She is an extrovert who loves to have a chat with anyone who cares to listen. Lastly, Fil loves children and the ocean. In that order.