MACEY'S MUSIC 
Macey and music go hand in hand. She dreams of conducting the best in the land.
 An orchestra filled with musicians galore, who’ll play such fine music - of that she is sure.
 Climb up the big steps and onto the stage. The players are ready. She opens the page.
 Her baton is raised. She beats one two three, then music begins in her favourite key.
 First violins place their bows on the strings. Then follow violas. Together they sing!
 Cellos and basses then join in the tune. A wonderous melody now fills the room.
 Sound floats on up to the rooftop so high. A flute flutters in, and is soon followed by
 a sweet piccolo, who playfully swings the notes that now sound like sparkling wings.
 They dance and they twinkle along on their way, and catch clarinets who join in to say,
 ‘Come take this song, this melody fine. Join us bassoons. Now is your time.’
 After they finish her baton is still. The orchestra quiets. There’s no sound until
 softly one note weaves in, all alone. Ah yes! There it is! The oboe’s sweet tone.
 It calls to the brass, the trumpets and horns to step right on in, and whip up a storm!
 A musical tempest is starting to swell, and Macey’s baton helps to conjure the spell.
 Caught in the magic, percussion so proud, banging and crashing and being quite loud!
 A cacophonous thunder and lightning that zings until – hear it now! A triangle ‘ting.’
 The music has stopped. It’s finished. All done. Macey is smiling. She’s had so much fun!
 Macey and music go hand in hand. She dreams of conducting the best in the land.
 A famous conductor she will be for sure, as she bows and imagines the shouts of ENCORE!

There were so many amazing nominees for this year's CBCA Book of the Year awards that I don't know how the judges managed to choose! But they did, and those that were announced as winners and honor books last Friday, are an outstanding collection of stories by some of our most talented authors and illustrators. Congratulations to all those who were nominated. These books are not only beautifully written and illustrated, but they are also diverse, engaging and relevant to the world we live in. If you don't have them in your collection, you need to get to your local bookshop and order them as they are definite must haves for all school libraries.

It's been hard to write over the last month. Christmas and family time were fantastic but Omicron reared its ugly head and everyone became wary of life again, and that small window of feeling a little like normal was gone. We were in the centre of it here in my hometown and it was scary to be looking at everyone around you every time you left the house thinking 'Do they have it? Will I get it?' But then I told myself to get a grip and think of all the amazing frontline workers - nurses, doctors, teachers, grocery store workers, truckies - who have kept us going and who have had to live with that fear in much closer circumstances than me. I also remind myself that although any death from this insidious disease is hard, there are many others in many countries around the world who don't have the wonderful health and support systems we have access to, and just the fact that we can bitch about those systems and the politicians who supposedly run them, is a luxury they do not have. 
So - it's cup half full for me. I'm home with family after years of living abroad, I have a very nice roof over my head, plenty of food and drink (despite the rush on sausages and toilet paper - seriously!), a new puppy who is just the cutest thing, and I've have decided to put head down and bum up and write as many positive and uplifting stories as I can to help make 2022 a better year than the last.