“AFTER the most frustrating four months of my life, I finally kept my promise to publish two ‘John Order’ e-books per year!” writes triumphant author Greg Cornwell.

Greg, a former Speaker of the Assembly, earlier this year published “Order and Suspicious Suicide”, an e-book novella centred on a fictional Legislative Assembly backbencher John Order.

It was the latest one, “Order and Mrs Cohen’s Conviction”, that nearly cost him his self-imposed deadline.

The months of misery began in winter when, after completing the final proof but not sending it to his publisher, he was involved in a car accident that saw him in hospital twice. Recuperation on an overseas trip was cruelled by his publisher then mislaying the proofs and another six weeks were lost.

“All okay now and, importantly, in time for Christmas, but I do think Thomas Carlyle only had to contend with his manuscript being burnt! [accidentally by a maid in the 1830s]”

Orders to Apple iBooks and Amazon Kindle, $4.99.

Starring Tim Overall…

While helping  launch The Q’s 2016 season recently, he told The Q program manager Stephen Pike that he’d like to be cast in a theatrical role. By way of public audition, Tim will be singing a duet on community radio QBN 96.7’s breakfast show early on December 14.

Wear, tear and art

THE NGA has put out an artistic doormat in the form of a new metallic vinyl floor artwork in 13 colours covering the floor near the front entrance.

Called “Sound System”, it was purchased from Glaswegian artist Jim Lambie as a way to “enliven” the entrance. While earmarked for a stay of a couple of months, it is already showing signs of wear and tear.

“HERE is a bit of great news, our Poachers Little Ham has just been awarded 1th [sic] place in the recent Australian pork awards,” writes Poachers Pantry MD Susan Bruce. And it is; and congratulations, but nowhere in the announcement does the Hall-based company admit the award is for the ACT category. The national boneless-ham winner was from Victoria.

Nevertheless, Susan says her team was humbled by “being given such a prestigious award”. Second prize, locally, went to Southlands Quality Meats, Mawson, who were probably equally humbled because they got second prize in the bone-in ham category, too.

Signs of being saved

THE media alert was loftily titled “Revitalising Canberra’s heritage for future generations”, but the silly spinners in Mick Gentleman’s office had over-egged the Minister for Planning’s news of the installation of two heritage signs, one at the former Coggan’s Bakery building in Braddon and the other at the former WWII internment camp, Blue Range Camp, off Brindabella Road in Coree.

Art at a price

ART lovers attending the NGA beware. Attendees at the Tom Roberts summer blockbuster launch discovered there is no longer a couple of hours of free parking for gallery patrons.

Abolished several weeks ago on instructions from flint hearts up the hill, the NGA car park now charges by the hour. As does the adjacent National Portrait Gallery. Add this to the night parking fees around the Canberra Theatre and arts outings are starting to add up.

Sport on the run

WHILE the ACT government trumpets the health benefits of walking to a billion-dollar tram we haven’t built, Opposition sport spokesman (and soccer tragic) Steve Doszpot is puzzled at the way organised sport is being treated.

He hosted a forum for local sporting organisations, including the football codes and cricket, and says a consistent theme raised was the declining state of ovals and infrastructure and rising hire fees.

“The government’s methods are puzzling. They’re happy to ban junk food advertising on buses, but are running down local sport at the same time,” he sniffed.