Author: C.M. Sheely

C. M. Sheely began life in the cold climes of Europe, emigrated to sunny Australia at an early age, spent time in the Royal Australian Navy, worked all over Australia and South-East Asia as a construction project manager, travelled around the world and ended up as an IT geek in Canberra. She and husband Michael finally settled down in paradise on the South Coast of NSW. Now she spends time writing and working with friends writing, editing and e-publishing their collective efforts in the form of novellas. Cat’s had multiple short stories published, edited several collections of stories for the Eurobodalla Fellowship of Australian Writers, as well as several professional articles. She and Michael travel in their small campervan whenever they can and in 2024 are doing "the lap" around Australia.

The Lap

From early April 24 my husband Mike and I are going on a one year adventure around Australia. We will be taking our small van and doing ‘the lap’ except, instead of anti-clockwise as most travellers do it, we will be going clockwise.

Unlike in 2021 (see image above) we will be travelling without our puppies as both have now passed sadly. That said, we will be able to go into National and State Parks where much of Australia’s beauty is available to enjoy.

We have family staying at the house for the year and currently we are working hard to make it family friendly and remove much of our personal gear. It’s a good excuse for that ‘spring’ clean we’ve been talking about for several years.

Mike has cleaned gutters, roof and replaced rusted screws etc. Hard work with all the wet weather we’ve had as the algae and mold has be in it’s element over the past few years. I’ve cleaned out long forgotten things from cupboards and had to choose what to keep and what to recycle or have it reloved elsewhere.

All in all we are looking forward to an interesting year ahead. I will be posting here to keep family and friends updated. I used to use FB but with changes over recent years, it’s become less friendly for that sort of thing. As we won’t be dealing with national secrets it’s not an issue for others to follow the blog as we go.

Stay tuned if you’re interested.

Reveiw of ‘The Whale’s Tale’

The Whale’s Tale by Edwina Harvey

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This sat in my ‘to read’ pile far too long it seems. I should have read it late last year when I bought it. I’m sorry I didn’t because it was a rollicking tale of a lonely teenager and a crotchety adult who initially didn’t understand how much they were alike. Not until forced together due to the teenager’s hacking misadventure.

What was really fun was that the teenager was a bright and talented Japanese girl and the adult was a huge and also talented humpback whale – one whose genus actually got humans into space and were much brighter in many ways than humans. And then there’s the funny but wise sidekick Charlie – a dolphin.

I read it in 24 hours. A delightful story suitable for young readers as well as old hands like myself. Kept me on the edge of my seat wondering where the whole story was going and being delighted throughout.



View all my reviews

And So This is Christmas …

It is now two years since the devastating bush fires that ran through the East Coast of Australia causing so much damage and heartache. Two years ago we were suffering from the daily coverage of smoke of fires that would eventually come to lick our house and completely destroy others. It is a time for reflection on what has changed and what has stayed the same.

What has most obviously changed is that this Christmas it will be cool and wet. Early December and I am wearing a vest to keep warm. Qld and north western NSW are flooded and expecting more rain. Crops are drowned and again farmers are losing out on income. And still the leader of our country is turning a blind eye to climate change and working to keep coal and gas at the forefront of economic policy.

Not to mention Covid and it’s new variants. The old Chinese curse about ‘living in exciting times’ is coming home to roost. Vaccines are being rolled out but, like the flu vaccine, you can still get it but are a great deal less likely to die from it unless you have underlying issues.

And so it is Christmas, the shops are full of gifts and decorations, Christmas music is all around and what have we learned. Another year older and the ground swell of change is happening in the community, even in big business who can see their organisations suffering big losses if they don’t change. And yet we are the worst country for dealing with climate action in the western world. So sad.

Therefore, this Christmas I chose to focus on my family – enjoy their company and the company of friends. I will pick up the cudgel of trying to get climate and biodiversity action again in the New Year. But I’m tired of feeling sad and upset by politics and people thinking they are different and refusing to be vaccinated. Tired of people thinking about themselves only. I can love and provide support for my family – something positive and that will be my Christmas gift to myself and my family.

I hope this end of a strange year finds you well and that 2022 will be safe and happy for you.

Languishing

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the word Languish as an intransitive verb

1a : to be or become feeble, weak, or enervated – “Plants languish in the drought. “

b : to be or live in a state of depression or decreasing vitality – ” languished in prison for ten years “

2a : to become dispirited

b : to suffer neglect “the bill languished in the Senate for eight months”

3 : to assume an expression of grief or emotion appealing for sympathy “languished at him through screwed-up eyes”— Edith Wharton

So here I am with vaccination rates in our area over 70% fully vaccinated and 95% with the first dose and we are coming out of strict lockdown. That the Eurobodalla Shire (Hobbitsville to us) where we live has not suffered as long a lockdown as Sydney or Melbourne but, nevertheless, it has had an impact on everyone. This includes being cranky that people from the same household cannot accompany one another to stores i.e. supermarkets etc to getting absolutely bored with loved hobbies.

I love to read, crochet, knit, do jigsaw puzzles and play computer games. But after nearly 6 weeks of having nothing but these, they are becoming less enticing.

The house maintenance is so up to scratch hubby is looking for stuff to do and is now on hands and knees sweeping special sand between concrete tiles to get a good seal so that no mold or weeds grow. Everything around us is tickety-boo.

And yet, with the prospect of visiting friends, having morning tea at coffee shops and getting to see family again, I find myself tired and listless. I don’t want to go out or make an effort to host visitors. My body feels tired all the time even though I walk every day and do Pilates twice a week via Zoom.

So I’m languishing as per 2a in the definition. And, from what I read, I am not alone. We have wound down so much that our bodies and minds have gotten into a rut that will take effort to get out of. A psychological rut it seems.

But I miss my kids and grandkids and I miss getting out and about in our little caravan and seeing other people. So I will get of my slightly rounder rear end and take my languishing brain and get out and about as of next Monday. I will hope with all my might that no numbty will come down here with Covid-19 so that, even though vaccinated, I get a mild dose. Although I feel it is not a matter of if, but when for this to happen. A bit like the flu. I get a vaccination for it every year and still, every 3-5 years, I will get a dose. Although not a bad one and no need for doctors or hospitals. I guess that is living with Covid.

The past two years, as it is coming up to the 2nd anniversary of Black Summer, have been something quite different. I believe our lives from here on in will have to become different too. We will have to make lifestyle sacrifices to overcome the forecast dastardly effects of climate change and we will have to live with Covid and we will have to change.

We will have to change how we view our current economic model of constant growth. In nature and humans constant growth is totally devastating and so it is with economic growth. We have wrecked our planet and as so many signs say, “There IS NO planet B”.

With the lockdowns we have all had time to think and, hopefully, have seen what our politicians are doing to us and can see what has to happen. In the next few months we will have local, State by-elections and a Federal election. I sincerely hope we can get it right and get people in power that will see the need for change, and are brave enough to enact the required changes.

But, unfortuately, I think our political scene is languishing as per 2a and 2b above.

Okay, I have to buck up now, find my natural optimism and keep going.

If you want to show your colours about climate action, go to CANsign and get a sign and put it in your front yard or window. Tell the world you want change, you want a world our children and grandchildren can survive in.

PS CANSign is a not-for-profit organisation that is purely set up to allow individuals and organisations to show their colours and buy/design/produce signs for Climate Action Now (CAN).

Time Flies!

You would think with the various lockdowns and other restrictions of the Covid-19 world I would have had time to add more posts to this blog. But there you go, I didn’t. Time to fix that.

The world is not all doom and gloom for my husband and I. We did manage to get away in our caravan in mid-April and travel for 3 months through Victoria, South Australia and up the centre. I finally got to see Wilpena Pound in South Australia and walked into the homestead. We stayed at Willow Springs Station and loved it there. Then on to Blinman and the old copper mines. After stopping and reprovisioning at Port Augusta, we headed up the Stuart Highway via Womera and Coober Pedy to Uluru and Kata Tjutu (The Olga’s). So that was at least one thing off my bucket list. Fabulous places, wonderful people.

Sunset at Willow Creek Station

Next we headed to Kings Canyon and, having worked on my fitness for several years, was able to undertake the whole rim walk. What an experience!

Underground at Coober Pedy

Then we spent some time in Alice Springs and went out to Palm Valley where ancient parlm trees from the time of the dinasaurs still grow. After Alice, we walked through the spectacular boulders of The Devils Marbles before turning east and back through Camooweal and into Queensland.

Kings Canyon Rim

We spent a month travelling through north western Queensland and loved a little place in the channel country called Boulia. After Winton, we stopped at Longreach where we spent a lovely day going through the Stockman’s Hall of Fame. Then on to Barcaldine (prounounced Bark-olden would you believe). Rubyvale and then Theresa Creek Dam near Cleremont and on to Biggenden where we spent a 12 days resting and recuperating.

Palm Valley, Finke River, Namatjira, Northern Territory.

Finally we turned for home via the hot springs at Boomi and Moree. And sadly, returned in early July to the cold on the South Coast. Just a few weeks prior to the lockdown.

How lucky were we!

Now I’m working on getting our latest Secret Society of Words Publications book online with Smashwords and into their premium catalogue so it can be found on Kobo, Barns and Noble, Booktopia and other ebook retailers. A chore but worth it to get our works out there.

A New Year about to Begin

Tomorrow marks the anniversary of the bushfire that hit Broulee. Today, instead of dark and ominous smoke clouds and heat there are grey rain clouds and a cool breeze. It could not be more different.

We all have gone through a strange year of downs and ups. The news feeds on all media are full of this year’s happenings; mostly of the catastrophic kind. But it was all predicted and, worse, could have been avoided if we, and especially world governments, had listened to the scientists.

So for me here are some of the other things besides fires, floods and Covid-19 that occurred during 2020:

: I had three short stories published – two about the fires and one fantasy story.

: Our little Jack Russell/Irish Terrier cross Russell died at age 15 and 1 month. He was a lovely fellow and is sorely missed by my husband and I as well as his litter make Jack.

: I started a new not-for-profit with friends to sell Climate Action Signs. This will allow CAN groups and individuals to buy signs at next to cost price.

: I learned how to use Adobe Illustrator and reacquainted myself with Adobe Photoshop. As a result I have obtained editorial work and found a new skill in book cover design.

: Friends and we managed to get away during September to tour outback NSW. We saw places we would not have otherwise seen as our cancelled trip had us going to Uluru and Kings Canyon.

: All our friends and family have so far avoided the dreaded Covid-19.

: Finally, I have become an active member of several climate action groups.

Considering the time we have all had to reflect on our life’s journey, this year has had it challenges but also benefits. And yes, I’m definitely a glass nearly full girl!

I wish all who read this a safe and happy future and hope that our governments will see the light, as even large corporations are doing, that the future lies in working together to save this planet, and the human race, from destruction and extinction.

To Engage or Not to Engage …

The last six months have been, not to put a fine point to it, extremely strange. And things are still not looking to get too much better. Each morning as my online news notifications arrive and I click on the various items, (yet, I no longer read printed news … sadly), I don’t know whether to laugh, cry or just bury my head in the sand. Although the latter is very tempting.

We will pass right by the bushfires, although they are still heavily impacting our local area, and the luck Australia has had with the Covid-19 pandemic, and go to two things that are currently causing much debate; Black Lives Matter and Economic recovery.

When the posts began after the death of George Floyd, I remember my first FB comment was to suggest we should also look at Australia because we had a terrible record with deaths in custody. Four days later that issue flared up here as a result of the US demonstrations. And rightly so. It’s time we forgot about the colour of skin, whether people move about with the same agility or need assistance, their age or religion, or whether they have the same inherent skills or not either mentally or physically … They Are People and they deserve an equal share of everything; respect, access to education, health and a fair go by those in power like police and, dare I say it, politicians and governments.

I believe myself to be unbiased. I have very close friends and family who could be put in the categories above but I simply don’t see it that way. They are friends and family, people I care about and I hate it when they tell me they are being bullied, or held back or not listened to because of some perceived negative characteristic. I read the stories of FB about ordinary Americans suddenly thinking to ask a person of colour what it is like for them and finding they are horrified at what they hear. It is good this is happening yet it is 2020 – I remember the Black Panthers and hearing Martin Luther King and the LA riots in the 70’s and 80’s and here we are again after nearly half a century. Are we able to do something about it now? And here, in Australia with our First Nation people? Death in Custody Royal Commission is more than 30 years ago too. It Is TIME!

And then the next thing I’m reading in the news here in Australia is that the Federal and State governments are working to get the economy going again. But the Federal government is giving money to those who already have it. WTF!!! Instead of building public housing for the underprivilaged, insuring they get access to education and child care so they CAN find jobs and keep them and thus pay tax to the government – no they give money to those who are already extending and who are earning over $70,000 per annum. Really??? What about public building project that enhance the nation, getting the TAFE systems going again properly, working to get this country going on renewables which, it is estimated, will create nearly 300,000 jobs – Nah! we will give money to the gas and coal industries and kill the planet some more.

I’m sure you are getting a sense of my frustration. And if you are reading this, I don’t think I’m Robinson Crusoe either.

I have written emails to Members of both State and Federal Parliaments to see if they will listen to reason, and as soon as possible, I will be back standing on street corners with a placard asking for Climate Action.

Here we have, due to the pandemic, a once is a livetime opportunity to change things and do it right, and the duds in charge are going back to their old ways.

I’m still waiting for the revolution and a leader. And I have a deep suspicion, one, or maybe both, are on the way. I can only hope (as I don’t pray).

So, to answer my question in the heading to this tirade – I will engage. Not to do so, despite the overload of frustration and anger, would be against all my principles. I will not stick my head in the sand and delete the daily news emails. I will do what I can because otherwise how could I call myself a caring human.