oh no, time's running out!

it's isobelle's last day, and i only have two more left - it's gone so fast and yet i feel so changed, from frazzled and worn out, twingy and tired, to super laid back, happy, rested and chilled :o)  and prone to do smiley faces whenever the mood takes me :0)

and speaking of smiley faces . . .

the festival's winding down here, over a few days ago but tonight was a get together

of people who are still here, just talking about the experience.   it's the bali

bombing 10th anniversary tomorrow, and julia gillard is flying in tonight so there's

a bit of tension about security at the airport with so many authors flying out. i guess

it'll be the same on saturday when i fly out - a lot of the anniversary people will

be going too.  hope everything goes smoothly for the celebrations.

changing the subject completely . . .

<  THIS  was the best banana

pancake i've had in my life -  a whole banana cooked just right - not too soft, in a thin crepe, delicate but crispy brown around the edges with a divine caramelised syrup of brown sugar and a squeeze of fresh lime - brekky at ubud inn

mmm  mm  mm mm mmmmmm!

doug mcleod says you shouldn't have to use exclamation marks but i think in this case it's warranted - no, essential

and this is what i was looking

at while i was eating my

pancake - how could i not

be having a good time

here's

 cormack lomer

 - son of  writer

 and poet

 kathryn lomer

 - trying to

 acclimatise

if smiles are any indication, the ubud writers' and readers' festival has been a great success - tonight we had a bit of a debrief at bar luna - people got up and talked about their experience of being part of the festival -  was it fun?these pics say it all 

i'm ashamed to say i didn't get the names of all the people i photographed but this lovely man had

a great smile

here's janet de neefe  arriving with a birthday cake for jeni caffin, who's been co-ordinating the festival (how does she do it) and is leaving this year.  another beaming smile


jeni liked her birthday cake



and one more super smille - sorry i don't have names to put to these wonderful faces, but you'll just have to enjoy them as a beautiful thing



in fact, i think we need a close-up of that smile

this trip to bali has been one of the best i've had in the forty years i've been coming here - the experience of participating in the festival, the wonderful hospitality we've been shown, i probably appreciate it even more at this  time in my life, having had such a turbulent year - -with finding my new home on the river, moving from the city to the country only two weeks before being here;    it's all meant that the wonderful experience i've had here is really setting me up to return and start my new life on the river feeling as good as i can be.

this is a bit of a rant (bad grammar, sorry mum)  but what the heck, it HAS

been an amazing couple of weeks and i'm so glad and grateful that i was a part of the ubud festival.  thank you janet.