Following Pascale Petit I am bringing you the joint winner of the Geoff Stevens Memorial Poetry Prize from 2012, Preston poet, Terry Quinn. He was recently runner- up in the BBC Proms Competition with a clever and droll poem.You will find  him in the menu under Guests.

This blogging business can throw up  surprises. Random House invited me  to review Robert Dessaix’s latest memoir What Days Are For which was fun since I enjoy his writing so much and had the entire book read and reviewed  in 24 hours. I’ve decided that this is  a very effective way of getting books read. I usually procrastinate.

Last week I ran a poetry workshop and 18 people turned up to practise their craft. I was thrilled and really enjoyed myself and hope to run a lot more over the next year. We looked at memoir poetry and Japanese forms.

This Sunday, Nov 9, my pamphlet, Kiss of the Viking, published by Poetry Salzburg, will be launched in Geelong by Cassandra Atherton so if you’re anywhere near please drop in.

3pm 3/329 Paton Books
Pakington Street
Geelong

This week I’ve been reading the poetry of Tony Hoagland, Billy Collins, Emily Dickinson and the whole of Cordite Poetry Review. I’ve also just read and adored Colm Toibin’s Nora Webster.

I spent one afternoon making submissions after a few weeks’ break when I got my garden into shape. The bush fires have already started around Sydney which does not bode well.

In this time I spent a lot of time looking out for baby hares-we have triplets-three generations in all, and fledglings tottering all over the place. Pruning one tree, a nest fell out with two speckled eggs belonging to a wattle bird. Oops! On the other hand, they are territorial and seem to scare a lot of the smaller birds away so two fewer won’t alter the balance too much.

Parrots have been making a racket-corellas and galahs swooping and diving around the house. Lorikeets are quiet and squat in the bird bath like Toby jugs.

I planted kangaroo paw, iris and pulled out bin-loads of weeds. It’s going to be a long, hot summer judging by the insects in the garden; the mozzies and chunky blowflies lurking so have to mulch and trim pronto.Veggies looking good but not my domain. I just pick and cook.