Richard Glover has published a book for the time. In the upside-down-ness of COVID19 it is tantalising to see the world through the eyes of a dog. And, the dog, a handsome young canine named Clancy, is no ordinary dog. Standing by Richard’s side in a park, not flinching a muscle, Clancy turned to Richard pondering why Richard would want to throw a perfectly good ball away!
Clancy’s
letters home to his bush-based parents hold many laugh-out-loud moments. A particularly
funny moment was in Richard’s recognition that in commencing, but not
finishing, numerous COVID19 lockdown projects, Richard could make more mess in
a single room than Clancy ever could.
There are
many fond moments. In seeing through Clancy’s eyes, the reader has an opportunity
to re-assess what is important. Top of the list is chicken dinner, a scratch behind
the ears and a regular 9pm cheese snack. After inhaling dinner in seconds, it
is essential to stare at the plate with expectation that additional chicken
will fall from the sky.
Regular accounts of Clancy’s diggings (oil yet to be discovered in a Leichhardt backyard) had me wishing that Clancy had joined me for my own COVID19 lockdown project. Unlike Richard’s lockdown projects mine drew to completion! A twenty metre length of ag pipe was laid with much manual shifting of dirt and clay. The slope of the trench had to be dug to ensure that water would run. Clancy would have been a helpful laborer. I would have happily paid in chicken:
“That is a good straight line Clancy, and the slope at the base is perfect, here have a chicken leg."
“Hey! Clancy, that
60 degree bend exiting the garden bed is worthy as an illustration in a mathematics
textbook, here have some chicken breast.”
The book is
available at all good book shops. I borrowed a copy from Ryde Library (North Ryde
branch) using their excellent reservation service. This post links from a
Goodreads review where I scored five out five stars.
Shalom, Ozhamada
[334 words] #goodreads #agreatread #books #loveyourlibrary #book #literature #covid19
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