Happy birthday Lynne

Lynne Hancock's 50th birthday party: a great success for all involved, especially Lynne (which is, I guess, the point). Spike did a great job creating an autumnal scroll bearing the words of my ode and Spike's leaves. I read out the poem to Lynne; in front of the assembled birthday masses. Only later did it strike me that this may have been the first occasion (outside a NSW Writers Centre poetry group meeting or one of the weekend workshops I've attended) that I've read one of my poems in public. It went down well-enough. People seemed to like it. Lynne did, which certainly was the point.

The harmonica playing was less than totally impressive. I lost the plot when people joined in, singing along to Stevie Wonder's I just called to say I love you. Spike observed later that their singing along did mean (at least) that the party goers recognised what I was attempting to play.

Lovely evening.