Lost and found

Over the weekend, Westwords engaged me to present a writing workshop on historical fiction at Wedderburn Writers Retreat. It's a beautiful place, surrounded by bush, just out of Campbelltown. I spent an exhilarating morning with a group of new and more experienced writers. It always gives me a buzz to watch participants becoming more confident and more adventurous in their writing.

Those of you who know me well - or perhaps not so well - will be aware that I have absolutely no sense of direction. The rise of the GPS has been a small miracle for me. Except for this weekend. Needing to get from Wedderburn to Lindfield (to see my talented niece star as Morticia in her school musical, The Addams Family), I set up the GPS and started to drive.  I'd be there in 48 minutes, the GPS assured me, which was good, which meant I had time to stop for petrol on the way. About 20 minutes later, I noticed something strange: the timing of my trip had changed. Instead of arriving in 48 minutes, my trip would now be much longer: almost 8 hours longer, in fact. Odd, I thought. Odd, too, that my GPS seemed to be directing me further away rather than closer to Lindfield. Perplexed, I pulled over.  Somehow, a via point had been added to my trip - a via point to Fitzroy, Victoria, where I'd been staying the previous week. I'd been happily travelling south for some time before I realised - for so long, in fact, that I missed the opening of the show, just managing to slip into my seat as my niece burst onto the stage.

In conclusion, I wish you all a better sense of direction than mine and a week filled with destinations reached without a hiccup.