Yesterday a group of us walked through several sections of the Pilgrim Trail with Trevor Walley a senior figure in the Whadjuk 'mob' of the Noongar Culture. Trevor is a great guy and loves telling stories about his people . He gave some incredible insights into how his people view nature and he told us of some of their traditions too We came away with great quotes ,but even better was the fact that Trevor allowed nearly all of our conversations to be recorded on video - courtesy of L-A our great interpretive editor. So hopefully in the next couple of weeks we'll get to load them on the Pilgrim trail website. to share with the whole wide world.
"The twinkle in your eye has no colour" - on talking about people from different nations. "When you walk the trail you become a part of the trail" - which sums up contemporary Pilgrimage in a nutshell. "Let the wind and the water speak to you" - something we never get time to do in our urban culture. As soon as the recordings become available I'll let you know. PS and I may have forgotten to mention that the Pilgrim Trail now has a different alignment. More of that in the next update.
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According to my editor Chris Moeb at Pegasus Books, Rosso will be available as an eBook later this week!
Here's a quick excerpt, Rosso smelt her perfume before he saw her, and he was overcome by its seductive scent. He heard the rustle of her gown and felt the pressure of her thigh against his. Turning, he saw two walnut brown eyes, looking straight at him. She had the clearest of skin on her finely-set features, and her long black hair flowed wildly across her face and down to her bare shoulders. When she moved against him again, Rosso blushed at the intimate contact with an unknown woman. Coquettishly, she held his gaze. “Are you afraid of me, boy?” He tried to turn away, but she held onto his arm. “How would you like to dance with a pretty girl then?” Before he could answer, she took him by the hand and led him into the area where the other dancers spun. As she led, she sent a flashing look over his shoulder at something, or someone, beyond his vision. For a young man, Rosso danced like a camel. Yet he was mesmerized, by his partner who moved her body seductively close to his body, all the while smiling at him. She was about to whisper something in his ear when someone spun him around. A tall, handsome man stood before him, shouting, his face distorted by rage. “Who said you could dance with my girl, vermin?” His face calmed to an arrogant disdain. Before Rosso could answer, the man grabbed him by the hair and shouted to the encircling throng. “We don’t like vermin in our town, do we?” He twisted Rosso’s head toward the onlookers, who moments earlier were laughing with him, and who were now deriding him. “What do you think we should do with this vermin?” the arrogant man asked the crowd. “I’d leave the poor chap alone if I were you!” a voice called from the rear of the assembled mass. Like all fickle things, the crowd, once solid and densely packed, miraculously opened to reveal a bored-looking man of good features. He sat on a barrel, drinking a glass of wine. “What did you say?” said he of the disdainful features. “How dare you speak to me like that! Perhaps you have a death wish?” Pushing Rosso away, he made for the indolent one, who appeared at first to ignore him. He finished the glass of wine before wiping his mouth with his sleeve and looking playfully at the young man who towered over him. “Do you know what?” he inquired, with the faintest trace of a French accent. “I think, perhaps, that you’re a little too big for your boots.” He held up his hand to silence the youth, who was seething with rage. “And that isn’t all. I think you should apologize to that young fellow over there who has done you no harm whatsoever--apart from having the good sense to entertain that delightful young lady, who’s obviously far too good for an ape like you.” We're down to the final, final edit and then publication later this month in the US. I hope to have copies available here in Australia ASAP. This is the first book and if you like this, then you'll love the follow up and then brace yourself for the final part in the Rosso Trilogy.
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