Elderflash!

(And the title of the next project??)

Right. Well. Better get on with it. I thought I would have had a post or two out by now but. But. But. I haven’t really known how or where to start.

I’m having a weekend after two weeks on the road with THE BOOK. In capital letters because it really does feel like that. The book, our book, David Carlin’s and mine is called How To Dress for Old Age* and its having a moment and carrying us along with it. We’ve been joking about having some t-shirts made. Like we are a band on tour. With merch and shit.

We started in Perth. That was fun. I lived there for a while in the 80s, so it’s familiar. That massive blue sky. And the Indian ocean always in reach. I was struck by the trees this time. The jarrah, the karri, and the tuart trees. And corymbia citriodora oiling the air with crushed citrus. We seem to cover a lot of ground in borrowed cars. Dead people’s cars, mostly.

We laughed. There’s a good name for an album. Or the sequel to the book? I’m claiming it here. Dead People’s Cars. Watch this space.

We covered a lot of ground in just a few days. We did David’s nostalgia tour. All the houses he’d lived in and the schools he’d gone to. Certain sacred sites. A visit to beautiful 90-plus year-old woman who had been his neighbour and became

a dear friend to his family. We did our tour of the bookstores. This ran to a tight timetable. (Thanks, JB!) About 20 minutes maximum to get into each store, drop a few pleasantries, take a few photos for the socials, and sign a few books. We’ve come up with a gimmick too. In each store we find a couple of style guides - How to Dress like a Goth, Chappell Roan and Harry Styles dress up books, Unsuitable - a book about lesbian fashion - and we have a friendly bookseller take photos of us, seated, reading, po-faced and absorbed. It’s a hoot. Well. We think so.

The launches have been great too. One in Perth with Robyn Johnston presiding. And then this past week in Adelaide, with Cath Kenneally as our interlocutor. Each of these women put so much care into the shaping and the crafting of the questions. And as I’ve answered them, I’m hearing myself say things that I didn’t think I knew about the book. About the writing of the book. About the concept of elderflowering, which I’m ready to claim, along with its myriad variants – elderflailing, elderflunking, elderflirting – and more.

Substack is new to me. It’s coaching me, telling me 500 words is just about right for the average post. I’d love to know what you think so I’ve set up the chat facility, and I’m keen to write more here. Once I’ve had some rest. Onwards!

· Published by Upswell Publishing and available in all good bookshops, or online.