Train journeys can sometimes lead to the most unexpected encounters. Last Wednesday was no exception. Travelling from Dublin back to Ballyhaunis I met an amazing group of women who meet up regularly to go to concerts, plays, art courses etc. They travel around Ireland mainly and were on their way to Westport. One of the group was interested in the cards I produce, especially The Old Cottage. I know that she wants to paint a copy of it, so it was a no brainer. She made me a Christmas card as we were travelling and I’m sending her this as a thank you.

I had a mighty day catching up with friends and neighbours.

It wasn’t all wind and rain. Having set the stall out, I managed to get this photo with the sun peeping through. 

Stall gifts coming…the cards have arrived and they are stunning! Hope I’ll have enough come the day. 

Sorting out the merchandise for my stall @ the Ballyhaunis Fair Day on the 4th June. The girl’s at Personalise It in Castlebar have been fabulous. Can’t wait to see the finished products.

I’ve got a bee in my bonnet this summer….booked a stall at the Ballyhaunis Fair on 4th June and have been shopping around for some new things to add. If you’ve got any buzzing ideas for the stall just let me know.

Just received my first independent book review from Paula Xiberras, a reporter/book reviewer living in Tasmania. Paula has posted the review in the Western Australia’s Irish Scene magazine. Because the full review is 2 columns in length, I’ve re-printed a shortened version here for you to read through.

“June Duffy tells me she is very excited about the two Australian candidates for the Dublin writing prize, the Tasmanian Richard Flanagan and the Australian Hannah Kent. Although she hasn’t been to Australia or Tasmania yet… June hopes to visit Australia one day soon, because she has discovered that a relative had immigrated here.

June… has worked as a teacher both in England and Ireland. After meeting her husband she moved with him to Ballyhaunis in Mayo Ireland… and has happily lived in rural Ireland for 17 years. It is rural Ireland that is the setting for her two books …The name June means young and recently June suitably started writing children’s books….her stories which are aimed at 4 to 8 year olds are unique in a couple of ways, one is that they are written in the form of rhyme…. June’s stories are also unique in that they have a spiritual theme.

In the first book, “I’ve Seen Granddad”, a young boy called Sean returns home to tell his mother he has been speaking to his late granddad. Sean’s Mum and sisters are not impressed but when they notice dad outside talking to a man time seems to stand still as if suspended between two worlds, physical and spiritual. The supernatural stillness passes and things return to normal as mum calls the family to dinner.

In the second book ,”You Know Who”, Sean is more cautious in sharing his observations. The book recounts Sean’s play with an unnamed red haired boy. In the first story Sean’s dad seemed to have a spiritual openness….and it is dad who engages Sean in conversation regarding his mysterious playmate known as “You Know Who”. Dad tells Sean through an explanation of the photos on the wall about a child born before him called Seamus that became ill and was taken from the family too early.

The pictures accompanying the text are both beautifully realised and heartbreaking – a door open featuring a suitcase with Seamus’s name written on it, a teddy bear and a path leading from the door into the distance. June, who is a very spiritual person, believes writing about spiritual issues resonates and helps those who have experienced situations of loss in their own lives.

June says when she is invited into schools to talk about her books the imagination of the children takes over as they interpret the stories in a totally different way to her own but she welcomes their imaginative storytelling and how the excellent illustrations encourage their creativity.

June tells me there has been a buzz in reaction to the books which is understandable considering their uniqueness, both in telling their story  in rhyme and in touching on the spiritual dimensions in life.”

Little did I realise that, when I was interviewed by Gerry Glennon on MidWest Radio back in July 2012, I would have a freelance writer/book reviewer as one of my listeners. The writer/reviewer was Paula Xiberras   from Tasmania. In addition to being a regular listener to MidWest Radio, Paula is no stranger to Ireland or Co.Mayo and has visited Westport not too long ago. So I am especially delighted that she has agreed to write a review of my books in the Tasmanian Times. It just goes to prove that you can never predict the future!