Outback Station

Day 97: When I'm snowed in as I am now, I enjoy curling up with the massed works of a favorite author rather than just a favorite book. There are two I find particularly enjoyable under these conditions, and since Charles Dickens is more suited to the pre-Christmas season, I am now ensconced with Arthur Upfield and his superlative half-Aboriginal detective, Napoleon Bonaparte.

Bony is a man after my own heart, disdainful of authority when his eye is focused on the greater goal, brilliant and talented, capable of blending into almost any social strata. He is charming and witty and clever, and at the core of his being exists a strong link with his forebears which allows him to see matters from a unique perspective. Upfield based the character on a real-life personage he knew well, and the author's own experiences working on sheep and cattle stations allows him to write about them with consummate accuracy. If you are at all interested in Things Australian, I encourage you to check your local library for Upfield's works.

Oh, and by the way, the "Kelly Gang" is no kin to infamous outlaw, Ned Kelly!