Here’s what Al Jolson was like on a live stage, as filmed in 1926 on a set at the New York City Opera. Below, read the incredible story from Ron Hutchinson about how this film and its sound were recovered. Couldn’t let Al Jolson’s birthday go by without posting his […]
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With a tree planted for each soldier from Ballarat who enlisted in the Great War, the Avenue of Honour was planted from 1917 to 1919 and stretches 22 km along the Western Highway, consisting of 3,771 trees. The completed Avenue was opened by the Prince of Wales in 1920, and […]
Ballarat’s Avenue of Honour and Phoebe’s father
Picturesque Balmoral Beach is one of Annette Young’s special places. Balmoral was a friendly alcove with waves that delighted in whispering secrets to the sand. Benny greeted his lady friend on the promenade and left us to set up our own picnic which we chose to do on the beach. […]
Balmoral Beach picnic, 1928
Annette found this bit of nonsense while researching Austria for her sequel to A Distant Prospect. We may never know how many Austrian cyclists lost their tuned bicycle horns to make this clip, but it was worth it! More clues about the sequel will be revealed here in due course, […]
Austrian bicycle horns – A little nonsense!
Discovering a secret stash of illustrated letters provides Phoebe Raye with a dramatic narrative of trench life from her father, Roderick, including comical tales of his beloved war horse on the Western Front. Phoebe leant over to look at the letter Pim was reading. Again it was illustrated with a […]
Gregory Allegri, the hardy Australian war horse
Easter Triduum is a good time to seek out God’s will for us: “Oh, to get inside that tabernacle! From my place in the dark body of the chapel I wanted to stretch forward like the branches of a tree in a dark forest struggled towards the light. I wanted […]
Oh, to get inside that tabernacle!
When Sue-Ellen Paulsen, Principal Cello of the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, launched A Distant Prospect in Hobart, it was always going to be her cello performance of “The Swan”, from Camille Saint-Saens’ Carnival of the Animals, to make the crowd swoon! “The Swan” was also Della Sotheby’s first request, upon discovering […]
Everyone’s cello favourite – Saint-Saens’ “The Swan”
Bert Hinkler’s Avro Avian left England on 7 February and arrived in Darwin on 22 February 1928, fewer than 16 days later. Newspapers and the public became increasingly excited after he passed India, and tumultuous crowds would greet him in his home town of Bundaberg and several other cities. After […]
Hustling Hinkler – Bert Hinkler’s solo 1928 England-Australia flight
100 Facebook likes is a great start, so Annette is thanking her fans with a 48-hour Kindle special for just $3.99 (60% off the list price of $9.99) Even if you already have the book, get the Kindle edition for the price of a cappuccino, to enjoy in the Kindle […]
100 Facebook likes means a $3.99 Kindle special for 48 ...
Author Annette Young hears robins and cuckoos calling in Haydn’s “Fifths” String Quartet. She has cellist Lucy recalling her Irish childhood and the passing seasons while playing A Distant Prospect‘s climactic Chapter 50 concert: Autumn is celebrated with the races and the harvest; and the harvest months at home were […]
Autumn Harvest Time in Haydn’s Fifths String Quartet
Anthony English wants to tell everyone about a book he loved, and why:
Anthony English video review of A Distant Prospect
Lucy here describes her home in County Galway, which she fled aged 8 in 1921, and how it compares to the house which her da found for them in Sydney’s Newtown. ‘It was a little four room cottage with a thatched roof and a hearth. A kitchen there was in […]
An Irish girl in a strange land
Lucy would approve! In honour of St Patrick’s Day, snap up A Distant Prospect Kindle edition for just US$7.00, saving 30% off the usual price of $9.99. It makes a grand instant gift for someone back home, too. Just click the “Give as a Gift” button on the Kindle page, […]
St Patrick’s Day 30% Kindle Special
May 20-26, 1928, was Empire Shopping Week, but Lucy was having none of it! Enjoy this meticulous piece of historical detail in A Distant Prospect, by Annette Young: We resumed our walk up King Street and paused occasionally to look at the window displays. It was Empire Week and the […]
St Patrick’s Day vs Empire Week – Erin go braugh!
Psst! Here’s a glimpse of Annette Young’s bookshelf! So much research goes into writing a novel, and here are a just few of the many resources going into the mix for the sequel to A Distant Prospect. When asked when the sequel will be done, Annette replies with words attributed […]
Shelfie!
Promotion time! For just a few days, buy or gift Annette Young’s A Distant Prospect Kindle edition at the promotional back-to-school price of just US$5.00 (50% off) for a BIG, inspirational read! UPDATE 21 Jan: $5 special extended to Kobo edition! Get it for Kindle now at Amazon.com. Not buying […]
Back-to-school special, half-price on Kindle and Kobo for a few ...
New Year’s Day, 1929: ‘Well, as my Da’s said to me many a time, … you can only learn to walk by walking.’ – A Distant Prospect, Ch. 57. Imitating the best aspects of a life well-lived is a good way to a fulfilling and happy life. Wishing all of […]
Happy New Year: You can only learn to walk by ...
The hapless 2013 England cricketers have so far lost all four Ashes Tests, with Australia now well-placed to pull off a 5-0 whitewash in Sydney next week. How very different from the mighty 1928 England team touring Australia, which comprehensively beat Australia 4-1! (That series was summarised in this earlier […]