Patty's Podcast

Wandering the supermarket, I stumble with an empty basket and list of half written poems, Through aisles and adjectives, Picking up a punnet of puns, A sonnet of strawberries, but not before kissing each one and biting the red flesh. I’m afraid the delicatessen isn’t looking very delicate at all today, My unmade bed of writing strewn along the counter like a cheap woman’s perfumed sheets, Hiding a badly written sentence. I catch a stray paragraph and beat it into submission, stuffing it into overflowing pockets of rhyme. Standing at the potatoes, I massage one in each hand, fondling the clinging red dirt until it digs under my nails, and the words waterfall out of my head, making damp the soil. Mute, I’m digging the grave, planting the tree, busy hands smoothing the fresh earth. I’m a farmer, mother, lover, a man with slicked back hair, who’s looking for his wife. I finally drop the yams, yarning to strangers as my hands wipe dusty memories on stoic thighs, I carry the weight of words to the next passage. Inspecting each stanza, I hold it up to the light and turn this way, and that, looking for a better way. I edit before I’ve even written: pre-empt poor structure, synapses birth synopsis, and synonyms. Phrases escape my lips, until I push them back with a muffled gasp, silently stuffed into each corner of my mouth. Sated, I burp my way past the coffee, cat food and cans, wondering where my next meal of words will take me. A recipe for perilous penchant. Patty Beecham ©

It's OK to be silly with your writing. This is best read aloud, to anyone under 98. Just for fun! A fairytale with a twist. (c) Patty Beecham

A poem by Patty Beecham. …And I hug my son so deeply that I press him into my chest… Until his bones are squeezed in between my ribs… Until his skin and his pores become my flesh, and our bones calcify. I wrap both of my arms around him, and hold him, and breathe him in… When your son leaves you, it’s like a part of your heart breaks off, And carves into the ocean, and you know you can never stick it back. He becomes an island, and your heart becomes a broken jigsaw of isthmuses And estuaries, and jaggedness Where once was smooth. *** When your parent dies, gravity ceases to exist, and you float, weightlessly without direction, like that party balloon drifting across the roofs and houses of strangers, No one to hold you: the weight of all those memories binding you together And ungrounded, your heart becomes a sinkhole, with No one to pull you back to earth. *** When you find that person who loves you, it crushes everything, like a thousand volcanoes erupting, to the point where you can’t breathe: to the point where you can’t think; You explore the broad brown paddocks and wild plains of his shoulders. His granite arms. His breath becomes your breath, his thoughts become your thoughts, and you both move like glaciers, as time stands still. The weight of mountainous love is too much to bear. Such alps and valleys of life. *** When you lose a child, you lose everything. You lose the future. You lose the life you would have had together. You lose hope. You lose love. There is only blackness and stillness and deep, dark waters that make you dog-paddle in oceans of grief; until your arms flail with tiredness, and your legs have no kick. There is no other option but to sink to the bottom of the world without a sound. *** When you lose a friend, you leave the door open for loneliness to come in and make itself at home. You lose your laugh, and it’s replaced by the sound of a wine bottle being twisted open and poured; and it’s a desert. It’s the Nullarbor of our lives; flat and featureless, without rhythm, or bumps. Every day is an effort to step one foot in front of the other, and walk that dryness and not fall over the cliffs, to find what’s around the corner, when there are no corners, just straight lines, leading to the dusty horizon. That damn horizon, and the setting sun. (c) Winner of The Professor Bruce Dawe, AO, Patronal Prize. #Prism43 #Iamwriting #Poetry

Jamie Dunn, well known broadcaster for 4BC Brisbane, had a breakdown near our dealership. Intrepid salesman Ron Jackson saved the day with this call.

So many books, so little time… There’s such a bewildering array of business books out there, you don’t know where to start. You have a pile of ‘to-read’ books cluttering up your office and never have time to read them. Your work life is so busy that you rarely have time to read a newspaper, let alone a business book. You know learning and keeping up to date is important, but you also need to spend time networking and making new business contacts. You read business books but you don’t have anyone to discuss them with, to share ideas and work out practical ways to apply what you’ve learned. You love to read but can’t remember the last time you finished a book. If these situations sound familiar, then the Teak Yew Business Book Workshops are for you. Run by Dr Monique Beedles, an experienced business consultant and adviser, the Teak Yew Business Book Workshops offer an opportunity for in-depth facilitated discussion of specially chosen business books. As a business owner or manager, each book offers you both theoretical insights and practical applications of new ideas for your business. Each month Monique prepares detailed reading notes, which assist you to identify the key concepts from the book and reflect on how the ideas presented could be applied to your own situation. Monique also provides a range of related resources if you’d like to investigate topics in more detail. Participants read the book and the reading notes prior to coming along to the workshop. Details of how to obtain a 15% discount on the book's recommended retail price from Management Books are provided after registration. The 2 hour workshop provides an opportunity to meet with like-minded business people who are keen to explore ideas and engage in lively discussion. Monique’s extensive facilitation and consulting experience ensures that the workshop has a practical focus and that you will come away with actions you can implement. Workshop includes: Reading notes prepared by Dr Monique Beedles & emailed to you on registration 2 hours facilitated discussion on the book of the month Access to related resources Networking with like-minded business people An opportunity to explore ideas in a lively environment Practical learning that you can apply in your business life Delicious refreshments 15% discount on the recommended retail price of the book of the month when ordering from Management Books (details on registration) This session's book: Book: 'Small Giants' Author: Bo Burlingham

Remember when Peter Dick gave me free tickets to the Black Tie Opening Night of the Brisbane International Film Festival? No, me either, but he took them back with only 30 minutes to go. Listen now..

I wrote a quick jingle to the tune of The Wheels of the Bus, and this is the result. ha.

Happy Canadian Day to you too mate.

 Contact the station here http://www.abc.net.au/brisbane/contact.htm or Street Address: 15 Lissner St Toowong, Brisbane 4066 Postal Address: GPO Box 9994 Brisbane, Qld, 4001 General enquiries: (07) 3377 5222 Talkback: 1300 222 612 We established this number to allow people in Brisbane and the wider Queensland region to call us on one number, without paying STD rates. So in most instances you'll only be charged at the cost of a local call. (Generally $0.25) However, actual call costs can vary depending on your carrier, and may be higher if you're calling from a mobile phone or a pay phone. There are too many variables to list a simple price, so please check with your telecommunications provider for the exact cost. SMS: 199 22 612 All SMS entries are charged at the rate of 25 cents per message regardless of which carrier you are with. Some mobile phones do not have this service enabled; please contact your phone administrator to activate this service. Fax: (07) 3377 5612 Feedback line: (07) 3223 0612 Call the Feedback line to record your comments for on air replay. The feedback line can be heard weekdays on 612 ABC Brisbane, at 5.50am 6.50am 1.25pm and 4.20pm.

So now my Watchers are also Stars, that's wonderful. Eamonn also got a mention on air, woot!

My old radio station finally began online streaming and Katy was the first person to ring and say gday. *NB:The picture is of a "Spencil".

What are Lori's Top Ten ideas for immigrants, to make their stay more enjoyable in Australia? Find out, listen now.

Can you believe it's a year since Lori and her family came frm America to stay here. Here's the wrapup! NOTE: This broadcast is very quiet, sorry, turn up your speakers.

I stumbled across this interview with Denise Hagen, and it's great to hear about the postive changes at Lockhart....

My brother John is in Bowen, as a movie guide. Listen to the second installment of how Baz Luhman's newest movie epic is going. Did a backpacker really leave his car parked as they were trying to shoot a cattle drive in the main street? Find out!

My brother John being interviewed as a Movie Guide, helping Bowen create Baz Lurhmann's newest movie epic.

The end of the year, and what was the highlight radio-wise for me? The Chooks, at the Ekka, of course!

What's it like to relocate your family and come play footy Down Under. Let's find out!

 A welcome to Peter Dick, after his summer holidays in America....

Part two of my pole sitting adventure.....

Sitting on a pole, watching the dawn come up, all in the name of a good cause....the things I do!

It's now 6 months since American Lori moved with her family to Australia. How has she coped?

How do these new fangled parking ticket thingies work, huh?

Another update for Lori from America, how is she coping with life Down Under, and how is hubbys chillli sauce cravings?

Live report from outside Australia Zoo, the day after Steve Irwins (Crocodile Hunter) shocking, untimely death.

Learning to drive a 4wd, and towing a caravan at the same time. Yikes!

How is family life in Brisbane for Lori and her family?

Rock climbing indoors

Showing Lori the sunrise over Mt Coot-tha, Brisbane, Brrrr!

Showing Lori's family the sights of Brisbane, early in the morning.

Dirty Dancing in the studio early in the morning.

Meeting a didgeridoo player in the park for Australian Tourisim Day.

Meeting Lori at the airport, with bags of goddies for her and family.

The first interview of Lori with Spencer Howson, as she prepares to arrive in Brisbane for a 2-year stay with her family.

Have you ever wondered how to play a Marimba musical instrument, 100 metres long?

(Almost) onboard at last, sailing up the Brisbane River.

Nearly onboard the boat...er....ship!

Going out early in the morning to meet Australian Warships, HMAS Brisbane, and Perth.

Removing graffiti in the city.

Some days the phones were simply plotting against me. CAN YOU HEAR ME MR DICK?

Performing gymnastic routines on radio, too easy!

What's it like to go to school 6 days a week?

Hiding form the birds at a local school, shhhhhh

How do they change the light bulbs at the Gabba? Very carefully! I was there to see.....

Taste testing Vegimite at the International Airport

I took a small group of Salvation Army collectors to form a cheer squad for poor Jim Paxton to come out of retirment. (He used to ring our station each and every day and tell us what we had done wrong)

One of our listeners used to ring every day and tell us what we did wrong, and what he didn't like. He became a reluctant fan of ours. But then he decided to retire! Oh no!!