neXtDRAFT 35. Behind the barbed wire

Published: Sat, 09/01/18

Hello and welcome to neXtDRAFT 35. Behind the barbed wire.

When I started putting together neXtDRAFT more than two weeks ago I had big plans for an artistic edition -- all about rust and barbed wire. But blackouts and powercuts got the better of me, so I've spent this past two weeks rearranging my work schedule (and fending off spiders).

I'm going to deliver neXtDRAFT on Sundays now, that way I can focus on client work through the week and save the weekend for personal projects. It's currently Saturday night and Jerry is happily sitting on my bed watching a movie on the tablet (I just heard him giggle) and modelling his TB meds.

Jerry has officially been on his tuberculosis medication now for two weeks so his incubation period is over. We’ve spent the last fortnight adjusting and falling into a ritual of measuring out pill quantities, cutting and swallowing. Followed by milk and cereal for breakfast.

TB medication can be damaging to the liver, especially in the quantities that the doctor has prescribed for Jerry’s two month intensive (it will scale back over the following 7 months). For this reason Jerry has to drink milk and stay well hydrated. His wee is already a dark orange/brown colour and the first day he came running to me worried that he was just weeing out blood. He will have a liver test in another 2 weeks.

Thanks to everyone who has sent messages of love and support over the past two weeks, I've just put up a blog about that answers a lot of your questions. Click below to check it out.

Jerry with his TB meds, he can take them now without fear. So no more vomiting and morning anxiety.

So behind the barbed wire here Jerry and I are plodding away, and every week I try to write more and we pray for it to rain a bit less. We are incredibly grateful to my Uncle Richard who has sold so many stamps this past month, it's been such an amazing help and I was able to book some flights back to Australia next month.

Also, if you look at the bottom of the newsletter you'll see a small tribute to Uncle Richard's brother -- Uncle Lincoln who passed away 4 years ago. My original neXtDRAFT (sans powercut and blackouts ) would have arrived on his anniversary.

I'm so excited to actually send this email, there were a few times when I wondered if neXtDRAFT was going to survive. But I'm sure now it will.

Till next week (Sunday).

Mel xx

Sincerely,

Melinda J. Irvine

[email protected]

six sodden rain weeks

greyed skies — gloomier parents then you remembered

1995 Australia Day $1.05 ‘Outcamp’ by Robert Juniper Corner Block of 9 MUH

Stamp News (with Uncle Richard)

Newly listed: Robert Juniper (1929-2012) - Out-camp

Robert Juniper was an Australian artist who painted landscapes using the ochre reds and yellows of the outback. He was and remains one of Western Australia's most accomplished painters.

His painting 'Out-camp' won the1977 Wynne Art Prize for landscape and was featured on the 1995 Australia Day stamp issue.

We've just listed this block of stamps in the eBay store inline with our neXtDRAFT # 35 barbed wire theme. The painting shows the rusty bits of iron used for typical bush shacks along with an assortment of other man-made objects scattered about the scene - lots of rust and barbed wire!

PS: Stamps for the Visayans is a project of my Uncle Richard. In 2014 he inherited the family stamp collection which dates back 3 generations. He sells the stamps individually on eBay and sends the proceeds to help me live in the Philippines with Jerry (as well as run small projects for other disadvantaged children). It's incredible how these $5, $10 and $20 stamp sales (plus the odd big one) add up and make our life here possible.

Last chance: this is the last of the French Air stamps in our collection and on sale now in our eBay store.

Everyday Ironies

For the uninitiated, after a flood your deep well needs to be cleaned.

After that 6 weeks of flooding rain I've been banging on about, our poor well is smelling a lot like sewerage (not the best for teeth cleaning and lathering the Pantene) and spilling out these orange worm things onto the shower floor.

So here's a little story about how wells are cleaned.

'Bawal umihi diri' is one of the most common pieces of stree grafiti seen around the Philippines. Click through to the blog to find out what it means.

I’m a professional writer making my way in the world of business. The WritingBiz section is for anyone wanting to make writing a career (or at the very least make some money writing). Each week I share a few ideas on how to find writing jobs, self-publish your own eBooks, as well as how to setup your writing business and run it profitably.

The 3 Essential Apps I Use Everyday While Freelance Writing

Feeling all full of technology love, I wanted to shout out a few praises for the 3 x Apps that make my writing life not only easier, but possible.

#technology #coolapps

Client Profile: Donutty

Donutty is the house of American-style donuts in Sydney. Fresh cooked daily using traditional methods, their donuts are hand-cut and super yum. Order online and pickup from their Roselands kitchen (Sydney).

Donutty are a brand new business and I was thrilled to help them with the text for their website and email campaigns. If you live in Sydney check them out, I know I'm going to when I'm home in Australia later this year.

#freshdonuts #supportthepeoplewhosupportme

Auditing Website Content

If your website isn't converting, let me conduct a full audit of your website and review the text, menus, links, sale funnel, images and social share buttons. Let’s make sure it’s simple for your readers to book your services, and buy stuff. You'll receive a detailed action plan and instructions for immediate improvements.

From the Vault: August 2014

Celebrating a Life

My Uncle Lincoln died on 24th August 2014. Four years ago the family had gathered to clean up the farm ready for sale while reminiscing over old relics and memories.

We found crocodile skins and skulls, old shark jaws with rows of jagged teeth, bird field guides with detailed notes, volcanic rocks, hand-cut gems, bush and bark paintings, long forgotten sketches and stamps, pirate gold and hand-moulded pottery.

His pottery sat in dust covered display cases for decades, finally coming out and into full glory on the day of the funeral as we laid them out, dust and all on the step. Wow. I think we had all forgotten how incredibly talented he was as we saw once again, the Australian bush represented through his eyes and hands.

He was laid to rest in the Bannockburn cemetery, an old bush setting perfect for his final goodbye. A small piece of pottery, his old hat and some wattle hand-picked by his sister Rosemary was lowered along with the coffin. Somehow a butcherbird knew what was happening and sang along after pecking away at some grubs in the dirt a short distance away.

I'm so glad I took these photographs and blogged the day of his funeral. I'm so grateful to have these memories permanently recorded and a means to teleport myself back there anytime. It was Uncle Lincoln who owned the stamp collection we are sell and use the proceeds to support my projects here in the Philippines.

I had driven out to the cemetery earlier to setup my amp and guitar. The full service was conducted graveside and I sang 'True Blue' by John Williamson as a small tribute.