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Morning Maggie, what a beautiful day to have a catch up. I hear that you and Eric are keeping well, baking and out and about in the garden.
Q – Tell me Maggie, you have recently featured in a new children’s story, called Arriving Home by M J Gibbs. How did you feel about that?
A Honk!! It was fabulous. Honk! The author’s Aunty Mag inspired her to use my name. I never imagined that I would be a main character in a picture book! Fancy that!
Q – What’s the story about?
A We, Eric and I were so lucky to have been travelling to Italy. It was a buzz on our holiday. Full of art, sculptures, vineyards and traffic chaos. I got to ride on a scooter in Rome. Eric thought I was crazy riding down the narrow cobblestones, honk honking. We saw the Trevi Fountain, the leaning Tower of Pisa and made wishes too. We floated down Venice’s Grand Canal.
Eric was a bit grizzly that morning taking a gondola ride. I think he was hungry for pizza.
The story, Arriving Home is about me losing my travel journal when I came home. I was so upset with myself. Eric insisted I make new memories and write more stories. So we visited lovely places up here in the Hinterland and met up with our friends.
Q You are a vegetarian, is that right?
A. Oh yes. I love my grass seeds and wild rice. The grass blades were sweeter in Italy than back home. We enjoy our pancake brekky’s too at Montville.
Q. Where is home for you? What do you love most about your home?
A. We live in the best part of Queensland. Have you heard of Mapleton? Honk! It’s a small town with Lilyponds Park, a library and a few cafes. I visit the Lilyponds park often and have fun on the slippery slide.
I love that our town is a quiet mountain village. Everyone helps each other.
Q. Why do you like living there?
A. Nature is all around me, waterfalls, bushwalks, secret tracks and birds. I’m a protected animal, so we both feel safe and happy. Flocks come and breed in large numbers in the wet season, but a bit further north.
It’s beautiful. Peaceful. And the garden is special for my strong clawed toes.
Q Talking about feet. Yours are orange. Now that’s interesting!
Q. Tell us about your friends, Maggie.
A. Lucky me. I have Willow the wombat. She’s the best. Quiet and a solid animal. She likes her dozes in the sunshine.
Archie Antichinus likes to eat pancakes and Rosie lorikeet, well, she’s always flying high. She wears the brightest clothes. Henriette lives down the road and is a good friend.
Q Finally, thanks for catching up Maggie. Do you think you might appear in any other books in the future?
A Hope so. Maybe, I’ll head over to the Lilyponds Park for another adventure. We have new playground equipment. HONK! I’ll have to catch up with the author Marg Gibbs and see if she has more inspiration.
Thanks Maggie. Keep well and enjoy your lovely community.
