Carl Wyant – in memory

The late Carl Wyant was a friend.

Before he passed in 2001, he spent some months trekking up a steep hill in the stink of a northland summer to complete a manuscript, which he called Rumours From The Pit.

Carl Wyant
Carl Wyant

By that stage, 51-year-old Carl was in bad shape, due to a misspent adulthood, but nonetheless, he completed the manuscript.

Seventeen years later, another friend Buddhimanta Khan Das is working to have that manuscript published.

I am including occasional pieces of that manuscript’s contents on this site to honour and remember Carl by, and to showcase the quality of his writing.

That remembrance, for me,  has tinges of profound regret, at not having done more at the time to help him. Continue reading “Carl Wyant – in memory”

Apropos Of Everything – A Love Letter

By  Carl Wyant

Dear Cottontail,

Carl Wyant
Carl Wyant

Since I last wrote everything has become unbearably complex.

But first let me say how nice it was to get your last letter, and of course, the 8 by 10 glossies of your recent photo shoot for Pet Of The Month.

 I’d been thinking about you before your letter arrived, which isn’t too surprising considering that you drenched my dictionary in perfume so that every time I used it I’d be reminded of you.

Continue reading “Apropos Of Everything – A Love Letter”

America – still ‘the Greatest Country on Earth’ ?

Now that a man many have called a clown is running his Oval Office Show,  how much less might we hear the old line,  “America – the Greatest Country on Earth”?.

Aside, that is, from wealthy ‘liberals’ who claim to be leaving in Trump’s wake,  and American Democrats unable to stomach the loss.  There are no doubt many others mulling over –  at least in private – whether the Orange-haired One is a signpost on a downhill road. Continue reading “America – still ‘the Greatest Country on Earth’ ?”

The Mysterious Secrets of Uncle Bertie’s Botanarium

This comic audio series, with its strong New Zealand influence,  is a welcome change to the teeming US-influenced content on offer.

Featuring Jemaine Clement (Lord Joseph Banks), Lawrence Arabia (Solander) and Jonathan Brugh (Narrator). Written and directed by Duncan Sarkies. Music by Lawrence Arabia. Original artwork by Stephen Templer.

Continue reading “The Mysterious Secrets of Uncle Bertie’s Botanarium”