#histbookchat #photofriday I've been asked to review this book by @midgegillies.bsky.social so its going back onto my TBR pile. Looking forward to rereading the stories of courageous rule- & boundary-breaking female pilots in the golden era of aviation: women who strove to fly the Atlantic.

Preparing for a podcast recording; recovering from a podcast recording. I think it went well. Guess we will all find out in due course! Can you guess the subject? Details soon.

These promotional posters graced the walls and windows of Alexander Fax Booksellers for many years. Now, duty done, there is nothing we can do with them; my office has only shelving, no wall space. So, destination (sadly) landfill. Can't even recycle as they are all laminated. Sigh. Sad smiley face.

About 20 minutes before sunset.

Back again.

Episode #215 Delving deep into the archives of Australian history, we speak with historian Effie Karageorges about her new book, Quiet Protest. The Vietnam War sparked the largest demonstrations Australia had ever seen. player.captivate.fm/episode/822c...

I rarely travel further than the nearest coffee shop. I hardly ever armchair travel. But I am a desk top traveller. Today I ranged from American war graves in the UK (journal editing) through Changi POW camp (RA Work) to Morotai (my own research). It's an exciting life! (Pic: en route to Morotai)

Usually, when I whitter on about what I am doing, he just ignores me. I assume nothing sinks in. Then he surprises me. K (after finishing her cup of tea): Guess I'll go and play with my operational record books. D: ORBs

Dull day, brilliant colour! Our 'garden' is very scruffy looking but the patches of colour are stunning.

The aviation marauders are out and about in our neighbourhood. Walk under a tree and you will get clocked by a mealtime reject. I gathered a bunch of the rejects to decorate 'my' bookshelf. I think it looks very pretty!

Bit of a dull day here in Canberra town. An orange cup cake and cosy-ish crime hits the spot!

Blast from the past! 13 years ago my author copies of Australian Eagles landed! 500 beautiful limited edition books followed & I aggravated my RSI to sign & no. them all. Sadly out of print now but dare I say highly collectible (don't disillusion me; just let me live in cloud-cuckoo-Kristen-land).

I've finished another chapter! Five in a month. They are only drafts, but I am moving along.

I've been lucky in the acquisitions department recently. David has had super success on his foraging forays and a friend gave me her copy of Playtime. I've already read it (on kindle) and loved it, so I'm very pleased to have the print version. I found the literary jigsaw.

83rd anniversary of the Dam Busters raid. It was an important raid & the survivors were lauded. A book was written about the raid; a film lionised them. But the raid left a traumatic legacy for some of its survivors including survivor guilt. kristenalexanderauthor.blogspot.com/2023/05/trau...

Reading in bed. From our local street library. Not entirely sure this is the best thing for someone afraid of flying but it's certainly gripping, if a little dated. Love how the author produces such vivid thumbnail sketches of the people he's writing about, and he knows a thing or two about pace.

Sunset colours!

Our banksia rose thinks it is spring.

Raisin toast and tea brighten a dull day as does a good book!

I had a chat with Philip Clark on ABC Nightlife last night about my @newsouthpublishing.bsky.social book 'Quiet Protest: A New History of Activism during the Vietnam War'. www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

I played in some files in the Australian War Memorial reading room today and found these these pics! I am a bit biased against Cobby but he does look impressive in this one! I liked the happy Spitfire boys shot. Not too fussed about the mud, mire, and gale on Morotai Island!

Found this post by @nathanhobby.bsky.social very powerful. nathanhobby.com/2026/05/11/l... Friends with ME/CFS, and anyone who has put up with dragging exhaustion even for a short time (me in 2019), I think will find it of great interest. Beautifully written.

New War & Society article! @drmeganekelleher.bsky.social considers challenges faced by Imperial War Graves Commission in commemoration & care of RAF personnel buried in UK. @tlgrady68.bsky.social www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Berlin to Konigsberg: Four Australians in Bomber Command - 15th & 16th Sorties. open.substack.com/pub/tamino19...

Phew. Finally finished the Darwin section. Working on it for six months! Still very much a draft but it's best to leave it for the time being and go over it later. I've just started his stint at 2 OTU Mildura as Chief Instructor. Hopefully that won't take me six months!

#histbookchat (Re)reading in bed on Kindle. I devoured this when released and thought it a top flight read. I'm now rereading it with an analytical eye, looking at how Helen treats suspect and non-existence source material foundational to received wisdom!

It has been a long time coming but my episode for the For You the War is Over @FYTWIO podcast, featuring Albert Hake, has finally dropped. I hope you enjoy it. shows.acast.com/for-you-the-...

8 May 1945. VE Day. A day of great celebration. Homecoming for POWs, though desperately anticipated, did not prove uncomplicated. The legacy of captivity: When Australians were released from Stalag Luft III, somehow everything was different. Download from here. www.academia.edu/119203232/Le...

Have you read my first coauthored article? It examines what happened between recapture after the Great Escape & the interment of the dead prisoners' cremains at Stalag Luft III. Not open access so let me know if you want a copy (don't DM; I won't do the age stuff) www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Autumn walks after the rain are beautiful but can be dangerous.

The cockies have been marauding through the suburb, stripping the trees. I salvaged a small bunch and now the house smells of eucalypt.

I can't really say much at the moment but I have locked in a time to chat about Clive Caldwell and my ongoing research into his life for a podcast. More will be revealed in due course!

Almost there. Will the rain hold off? Yes, for ten minutes. But we are safely inside.

Cupcake 🧁!

Glorious autumn colour!

Morning tea at the fete. Lemon polenta cake!

Sunset and moonrise coincided. I chased the moon on my walk.

B@gger. NAA RecordSearch is down for maintenance 8 am Friday 1 May to 5 pm Monday 4 May. I know they have to do it, but why so long, and why not over the long weekend we didn't need to have. Oh well.

I usually ignore the AI spam: we love your work; come talk to us; let us promote you. But the latest had the ring of authenticity: we the publishing house are interested in your next project. Real person, real title. In the wake of another default reject I fell for it. Then I saw the fake email.

My latest article has been 'out there' for a week & 100+ people have read it! I'm thrilled. If you haven't had a chance to glimpse it yet, please do so. You'll up the view count (!) as you become acquainted with POW Prune, Downed Donald, and Kriegie Joe. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

A bit late: Anzac Day reading. I've been reading one or two chapters a day for the last couple of weeks and reached the end on our significant day. It is good to have a broad perspective of Australian military stories as we remember #HistBookChat

Yeah, I'm sharing an open to work here, 'cause there's some awesome historians and researchers on Bluesky, and it'd be great to work with y'all. #JobSeek #OpenToWork #History

'Cartooning Captivity in Stalag Luft III: how Percy Prune, Donald Duck, and Kriegie Joe Mediated Emotion and Narrated POW Life' started life as a paper at the 2023 ‘Flying High: Aviation in Popular Culture’ conference. @avculturesconf.bsky.social Open access! www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Happy morning at NAA. The walk from the bus stop was glorious and the files, well, I can at least say I looked at them. Not as useful as I hoped. But always good to spend a few hours in the archive.

Another glorious Canberra evening. Bit of the smoke haze from local burn off which tickles my eyes. A small price to pay for such a peaceful head-clearing walk.

Morning tea! Some scones with our jam and cream.

#histbookchat early morning sun streaming through the window. Reading in bed. Gaining a new perspective on the ANZAC legend. Some excellent work here.

Proud to have contributed. Originally an @avculturesconf.bsky.social / The Second International Conference on Aviation Archaeology and Heritage conference paper (November 2024), my chapter examines the mangroves crash site & material remains of Hudson A16-191, & how it and its crew are remembered.