So I went to the UK and got a big hug from my mum and saw my other family and friends which was just wonderful. Funny how after all this time – 2½ years – it felt like I’d seen them just yesterday. Not the kids though – they’d all grown up so much.

Now I’m back on the farm in Australia working on my new album and upcoming tours… more news soon.

Hope all’s well in your world.

xx

 

Thanks to everyone who came to hear us play at Springbrook Hall, Felton Hall, Mt Nimmel Hall, Mt Nebo Hall, Stanthorpe Little Theatre and Kerry Memorial Hall. Thanks especially to the volunteers who run these wonderful venues. We’re looking forward to going back next year.

We’ve been working on the final mixes for my new album. I am so happy with it and can’t wait for you to hear these new songs. It will be out in the coming months.

Next week I’m getting on a plane back to the UK to see my family who I haven’t seen for 2½ years. I’ve missed them so much and can’t believe I’m actually going to see them in person again after all this time.

I hope all’s well in your world.

xx

I’m looking forward very much to playing community halls with my husband and bass player Christian Dunham in southern Queensland over the next 6 weeks.

We’re playing Springbrook (Friday 8 April), Felton (Saturday 9 April), Mt Nimmel (Friday 29 April), Mt Nebo (Saturday 30 April), Stanthorpe (Friday 6 May) and Kerry (Saturday 7 May).  You can watch a short video preview of the show and book tickets at:
https://emilymaguire.com/queensland-tour-2022/

If you have friends or family in these areas, please spread the word… I really appreciate your support.

xx

You can hear my guest readings from ‘Words With Wings’ on radio show ‘The Poetry Place‘ today, being broadcast at 3pm BST (Sunday 27 March) on West Wilts Radio (UK).

I talk about the poems and my life here in the Australian bush, interspersed with readings accompanied by my own piano music from the ‘Words With Wings’ digital album.

The show also features John Gallas, originally from New Zealand but now living in Leicestershire.  John has 23 collections, published mostly by Carcanet, with books including The Extasie, The Song Atlas, Fresh Air & the Story of Molecule, 52 Euros and The Little Sublime Comedy, and also titles from Indigo Dreams.

If you miss the original broadcast you can listen again afterwards on https://westwiltsradio.com/shows/the-poetry-place/.

Thank you so much to everyone who came to Berkelouw Books last night. I sang acoustic songs accompanied by my husband Christian on double bass, and read poems from my books ‘Words With Wings’ and ‘Meditation Mind’. I also read a story from my first book ‘Start Over Again’. I enjoyed the night so much. A big thank you to Kylie, the bookshop manager, for making it all possible. The gig sold out 5 weeks in advance so we will be booking a date at Berkelouw to do another poetry and song event there at some point later this year.

It’s been raining, day after day, with storms bringing a deluge of water.   We are now completely flooded in. The bitumen road out is a river. The dirt road is passable just but leads to the main road which is flooded in both directions. The forecast is more rain and storms every day. We’ve got pasta and rice and tinned tomatoes so we won’t starve.

On the other side of the world, normal life has stopped as the Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine. I cannot begin to imagine how frightened the people there must be, wondering what will happen next. Wondering if anyone is coming to save them. I don’t usually read the news but Christian has been telling me what’s going on. And there’s nothing I can do. My preoccupations, my concerns, now seem so utterly trivial.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the Ukrainian refugees and the people left behind. Maybe there really are only six degrees of separation between us all. Maybe if I try and live my life as gently as possible, be as kind as I can to the people I meet, it does make some tiny difference to this crazy world we live in.

xx