lovely old Adelaide

I'm just coming to the end of a trip to Adelaide. A very pleasant trip. It's just such an easy city, nothing is too far from anything else including the airport from the city. And everybody has been so charming. Adelaide has done such a good job of keeping its old buildings. And they're gorgeous. When I visit Perth and Brisbane I come away with the impression that anything old gets knocked down

But Adelaide is different. Just down the road from my hotel is the Harbour Board building. A lovely old building that weighs a thousand tonnes, but it was put on rollers and rolled wholesale along a steel runway using hydraulic rams some 34 metres down the road. That's commitment to  a built environment

PS And the people have been courteous and thoughtful, driving me here and dropping me there. Thanks for the lifts Dyan and Jane.

Patrick Ness wins Booktrust

I'm pleased that Patrick Ness has won the Booktrust Teenage Prize for The Knife of Never Letting Go. I'm pleased for Patrick, but also pleased for myself as I'm halfway through it. It shows my good taste! Kate and Melissa at black dog recommended it to me.