The Magic Glasses
Welcome to my world. I came to writing stories later in life, but I had been telling them ever since our children were a few years old, and few nights would go by that they did not beg for ‘a story so I can go to sleep’. They were simple yarns, and the sort that children of that age love to hear. Very often, they were made up on the spot. As they grew older, the stories continued and they became longer and more involved accordingly.
The years have passed, but just a few years ago, and having now retired from business, my dear wife, Trisha, convinced me to set down those stories I had told to our children, both for themselves and for their families. Our four beautiful ‘children’ are in their forties now and are a very successful and loving clan, for which I am very grateful. So I wrote down (word processing) those that I could remember and then I added to them ‘new’ stories for the sake of our grandchildren, of which I am blessed with seven (so far).
Some tales have become a series of books which have now been published and you can see these on my websites: www.didohamapress.com.au and www.yarlimyarns.com.au, and there are many others which I have not yet published. They represent a mixture of stories for young children, for young adults and others which provide thoughtful reflection for all age groups.
What I would like to do in commencing this blog is to share, over time, some of those unpublished stories with you. I hope you find them worthy of the read. I am told that some of the stories imply some moral or principle of living which the readers have found laudable. If it is the case that they can be found in the writing, I can only state with certainty that it was done quite unconsciously. I just write stories for the love of writing good stories. Quite a few are drawn from my life, but those that are, are mostly couched in a world of my imagination. I see the world through my Magic Glasses, so I thought it fitting that my initial offering – be that.
This is all about fun, the whimsical, reflections, and some magic. I have found that children love to have stories read to them, particularly by loved family members. May these bring enjoyment to you all.
So, for this inaugural posting, I would like to introduce:
The Magic Glasses
I have included a small section on my background, which may give context to some of the stories that will appear here.
I probably have a most unlikely background for a children’s story writer, however, I did come from a loving family and my father and mother raised their four children with traditional values – values which I respect and continue to try to follow. My wife’s family was similarly raised, and our children also believe in those values and have carried them on.
It's ‘unlikely’ because I spent my early years in the Army, then studied accountancy and qualified at university with a BCom, so that the following years were emersed in business – practising financial management in organisations large and small and in both public and private. For the last twenty five of those years, I ran a very successful practice which took me to many places around Australia, and which one of our sons now owns and manages.
As our children were growing up, Trisha and I threw some rather fancy themed parties for them and their many friends, and ours too. They were joyful occasions – almost as much in the planning as in the events themselves. As a young family, we also spent lots of time in parks, flying balsa planes, chasing after butterflies, playing on the swings and things and having makeshift picnics. It is a fond feeling to look back on those times, and in some ways, the childlike view of life never leaves.
So, I guess it is the mix of the sober realities of military life and business enterprise, mixed with the imagination of dreams that underpin most of the stories I have written.
If you like the stories, please let me know. Every author loves to hear how his or her efforts are received.
If you are interested in buying the books, please consult the Websites mentioned above.
Regards
Harry