Hi, it’s Greenygrey. Sorry there hasn’t been much activity here lately, but the call of the wild (hot spring sun) took us off to the mountains for a few days. There’ll hopefully be some photos online soon, and you’ll be informed as soon as possible afterwards. I’ve topped up my vitamin D after the winter hibernation (and our [Green and Grey] time apart of course), so I’m feeling full of vitality.
Amazon Prime has a free month’s trialrunning if you don’t already have it. Amazon also has an app for computers, so you don’t have to own a kindle.
The times when it’s available are from 12am (midnight) Sunday Pacific time (America), which is 2am Eastern time (America), 7am UT/GMT (UK). Some of Europe is an hour later than UT/GMT, and India is 5.5 hours ahead. Australia is 8 hours ahead of UT/GMT on the west coast (where Grey started its Ozyssey), and 11 hours on the east coast (where Grey’s Ozyssey reached a thrilling conclusion). New Zealand is half a day ahead of UT/GMT at 12 hours. It’ll be available for two days until midnight on Monday Pacific time.
WWF Earth Hour
Another epic global event is happening today, with WWF’s Earth Hour taking place across the world. People are turning their lights off across the world between 8.30 and 9.30pm UT/GMT. Save money and energy: sounds like a good idea. Enjoy!
Hi, it’s the Greenygrey. I’ve just been picking out some quotes from the Werewolf of Oz book for our Shelfari page. I didn’t want to use any that give the story away, for those who don’t know it. Here’s the thirty:
“The desert chose my direction, or at least limited my options; I was heading to north and new, and the alternative was south and scary. I was happy to be. Just to be. To be without decisions, pressures and stress. To be the only life I could see. To be able to sing thinking I was in harmony; without anyone to contradict me. Although my feet kept to the road, my mind flew this way and that; to the north, west, south and east horizons; looking north to the future, south at the past, and wondering about what I have missed and will miss to the east and west. Sometimes my thoughts settled into the outback, nothing in nothingness; it was a nice place to be.”
“I envisaged Blighty being so brighty that stars dropped to Earth in the form of birds to re-energise their glows amongst the overabundance of sparkling effervescence.”
“Come along off the path, you all look plum pole-axed piqued out. The ghangiant could be along soon, and you don’t want to be around when it turns up.”
“I just came round to see if anybody fancied coming to the Oo-loo-roo Air’s Rock festival at Uluru / Ayer’s Rock this weekend. There are many magnificent macropod bands there. The way you’re singing it sounds like you could even play there yourselves.”
“I had a good chat with Wesgrey about kangaroo mythology. He said their creation myth told of their escape from the Grapes of Rolf, and how they lived their lives fearing the return of Rolf”
“I thought we might not survive, such was the dive, but after a minute or three we began to slow down. Elle brought us to our final stop by grabbing us. I had to laugh when Bonzo turned around to me from under her right arm and declared: ‘She’s Got Balls!’”
“However, despite all the rum on the deck and presumably inside the sailor, he still seemed to have a sense of decorum. So it wasn’t a shock when he introduced himself as Captain Dec O’ Rum.”
“Captain Dec replied that he wanted to introduce him to us. After telling him our names, Dec introduced the wine and women loving salty dog as Dai ‘on the Seas’. We had a nice chat, and Dai said he had acquired his nickname to differentiate him from his two best friends back home, a pilot now known as Dai ‘in the air’ and a farmer called Dai ‘of the land’.”
“The Fawlty reminded me of the Hotel Tazmania, which had reminded me of Fawlty Towers. The owner seemed quite confused when I asked for a Werewolf salad; not seeming to know how to make one. I told him it was similar to a Waldorf salad, and he seemed to remember making one of those before.”
“Our bellies full, we headed north-east to Geelong. The name ‘Geelong’ reminded me of Green and me when we are together, because our initials are a sort of long Gee: a GG.”
“We got in a huddle, over a squeaky puddle, ready to answer the Valance knowing we could leave nothing to chance for our bellies were starting to rumble in need of a big brunch of bubble.”
“all the donkeys have exclaimed e-ohand most dogs have clapped at least one pawthe coldest ice maidens it did thawand even beavers stopped their gnawonce I told it on the sea-shoreand the waves kept coming back for more”
“I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe: Faster Pussycat screeching on stage at the Rainbow Bar and Grill; I’ve watched Seasick Steve die in a dark shared with Love/Hate. A poison-dart-frog glowing in the Italian Job; Janis and Jimi running wild in the 1970s streets. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to fly.”
“It didn’t take long before we were berrying an incrediberryble amount of berries into our bellies. I don’t know what type the Canberra berries were; maybe cranberries with the r left out.”
“We headed back down south once our berry ballooned bellies felt balanced, but we made slow progress; because we took along some sloe berries. However, the sloe berries did satisfy my desire for more berries and set my mind at rest; because prior to berrying them, I’d been regretting our decision not to detour to Dairymans Plains, as it sounded good for a raspberry ripple.”
“My hat seemed to be getting stronger with every step, and provided enough glow for us to see clearly; it felt like I was wearing a green neon sign pointing ahead.I started singing ‘Always look on the bright side of life…’ and the others quickly joined in.”
“She said these were the Alician Fields. They are a natural wonderland for those who have turned the world upside down to improve it before returning it the right way up; where sparkling spring water irrigates the earth from underground, and the sun always shines above.”
Hi, it’s Greenygrey. I’ve been working on a synopsis for the Werewolf of Oz today, which will hopefully show up on our Amazon page. I thought I’d share it here with you too. Cheers!
The comedy fantasy begins with Grey Werewolf’s arrival in Oz, having been exiled from it’s Greenygrey world. It has also been divided from its other half, Green. Oz is the setting of the Wizard of Oz, and the nickname for Australia, and from Grey’s arrival in Western Australia the story combines the two meanings of Oz for Grey’s magic realism quest across the continent to a Wizard of Oz theme.
Grey starts meeting interesting characters from the start, with the names and stories emerging out of real place names found on Google maps. Some of the first characters met on the trip return to the story for the conclusion, which brings the often wacky and disparate episodes to a clear Oz theme ending.
The first extended storyline arrives in chapters 5-8, with Grey reaching the real towns of Bunbury and Collie; they are combined into the bun-mining town of Collie and the bun-burying (to keep them fresh) town of Bunbury. Grey meets Colin and Ollie, the collie (dog) colliers of Collie (the real Collie has a coal-mining history).
A town called Latham then provided a five-chapter self-parody for the author; including twentieth-century British ‘Home children’ removed from their families and exiled to Commonwealth countries, Cool Hand Luke, Guns N’ Roses, the Eagles’s Hotel California and a Lost plot.
An illustration by W. W. Denslow from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, also known as The Wizard of Oz, a 1900 children's novel by L. Frank Baum. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Grey then goes to the Rock-It festival with Sancho Panza and Don Quixote after meeting them on the edge of Cervantes, before its first companion joins it in chapter 17. The Toto character is based on legendary AC/DC singer Bon Scott, one of the author’s biggest rock n’ roll heroes.
Monotonous monotheists (MoMo), who take the place of witches in the story, arrive into the narrative a couple of chapters later. The town of Meekatharra is the location, with meerkats taking the place of munchkins. Bruce and Sheila Orlov say they have been living in fear of the monotheists, after they lied and robbed them to build up their power. As in the Wizard of Oz, one baddie is killed by the protagonist, and the other vows revenge. A mild monotheist based on the musician Moby takes the place of the good witch.
MiMo Moby gives Grey an emerald cork-hat, which takes the place of ruby slippers; and tells the travellers to take the dust sandy path, taking the place of the yellow brick road.
Grey and Bonzo continue north, and cross into the Northern Territories through the Kimberley. After meeting some strange characters in Darwin, Humpty Doo and Nitmiluk they head down into the desert.
Cover of the Scarecrow of Oz (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
They meet Elle there. Based on the model Elle McPherson, she symbolises body, taking the place of the scarecrow’s brain in the Wizard of Oz.
After another meeting with the MoMo East, disguised as a bunyip of Aborigine legend, they meet Alice at the spring, and go to the Great Gig in the Sky with her.
After crossing into South Australia through the Rainbow Valley, they are transported into another dimension by a timequake near Adelaide. The travellers have to win a time wager on an AusRuIcket game between Crows and Redbacks to return to normality.
"Cover of prospectus announcing the production of the musical extravaganza The Wizard of Oz, 1902. The illustration is an 'Inland Gnome', drawn by W. W. Denslow in 1894 for The Inland Printer." (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Then Grey meets Angry on Kangaroo Island. Based on Rose Tattoo singer Angry Anderson, the mind takes the place of the Woodman’s heart. The travellers learn about kangaroo mythology on the island, with the personifications of good and evil being Skippy (tv kangaroo) and Rolf (Harris).
After meeting Tazzy on Tasmania,
and several poetic rhymes later,
they crew on board a ship skippered by Capt. Dec O’ Rum, who acts with decorum despite having a deck full of rum. His mate is Dai ‘of the Seas’, whose wine and women loving lifestyle is reminiscent of the Greek god, Dionysus. There is an epic poetic battle on the voyage, after Pirate Lacost is on sail.
An illustration by W. W. Denslow from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, also known as The Wizard of Oz, a 1900 children's novel by L. Frank Baum. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The travellers meet Cathy when they arrive in Victoria. Based on the athlete, Cathy Freeman, Cathy symbolises spirit, taking the place of the Lion’s courage in the Wizard of Oz. This completes the body, mind and spirit team.
The travellers enter a nearly 5000-word Terminator inspired time-travel story when they reach the town of Kerang. The name Kerang is one r short of the rock music magazine Kerrang, and the travellers have to battle through rock music decades from the 1960s to 1990s to continue the quest in New South Wales.
After Lord of the Rings and Deliverance inspired episodes, the travellers reach the east coast. The story winds down going up the east coast, with characters from early in the tale reappearing, and the plot being revealed with some surprises.
The Wizard of Oz as pictured in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The Life of Brian mixes with Lord of the Rings for the epic concluding battle, before Alice in Wonderland and the Elysian Fields of Greek mythology provide the final journey to meet the Great Dame of Oz (Barry Humphries’s Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson) for the travelling team.
But although Grey was the archetypal protagonist of the story, it considers itself more of an anti-hero than a hero, and wants Bonzo, Angry, Cathy and Elle to be considered the heroes. Not to mention the hats, Emily and Brian.
Our reluctance to be seen a hero is probably because we are a werewolf, and not used to being seen as heroes in human society.
It could also be because we saw theMagnificent Seven film before Grey went to Oz, and it remembers the hired gun Bernado O’ Reilly’s (Charles Bronson) quote near the end of the movie:
‘Don’t you ever say that again about your fathers, because they are not cowards. You think I am brave because I carry a gun; well, your fathers are much braver because they carry responsibility, for you, your brothers, your sisters, and your mothers. And this responsibility is like a big rock that weighs a ton. It bends and it twists them until finally it buries them under the ground. And there’s nobody says they have to do this. They do it because they love you, and because they want to. I have never had this kind of courage. Running a farm, working like a mule every day with no guarantee anything will ever come of it. This is bravery. That’s why I never even started anything like that… that’s why I never will.’
Firstly, the epic poetic comedy Werewolf of Oz satire has been enrolled in the Kindle Select programme, so there are five days when it will be free to download for Amazon Prime customers. Amazon often run free trials for Prime, so there may be one running then if you don’t have it. The selected free days are:
2 days: April 1st 12am Pacific Standard Time – April 2nd 11.59pm
2 days: May 5-6
1 day: June 2nd
(Pacific time is UTC/GMT – 7 hours)
We will also be blogging the book here, thinking about three episodes a week, with Grey discussing its memories, and explaining how it was made, and how the finished book differs to its fantasy road journal account.
Free North American Werewolf Fantasy Travel Book
Also, if anybody would like a PDF or Word copy of our North American Rambles please leave a comment here with North American Rambles in the heading, or send us a message at the Greenygrey website.
Hi, it’s the Greenygrey. Yes, that’s right, we’re back together. And for spring too, after we enjoyed a sunny equinox yesterday.
Y?
Y, you may ask. Well, we thought that Grey publishing its epic Werewolf of Oz ozyssey on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com yesterday concluded its quest to survive Oz and return home to other half Green, and the time was right for us to join together as one big werewolf again.
Talking of Y. You might have seen that at the front of the book (there is a free web preview on Amazon.com) our conjoining y has been declared:
the 3-D tree of growth, thought and knowledge at the heart of the
greenYgrey
It is a massive promotion for our y, as when it first joined us it was a bit of a joke, with ‘greeny’ slang for a bogey or snot (stuff up your nose); so the y was the tail-end of snot basically.
But now it has grown into a great tree at the heart of us, symbolising the three-dimensional: thought and questioning to acquire knowledge. And that is hopefully the type of journey we are on at the Greenygrey, and what Grey experienced on its epic ozyssey as the Werewolf of Oz.
P.S. There are some free Word docx files from the book to download on the Greenygrey website home (rock music time-travel tale) and biography (two poems) pages.
Hi, it’s Grey. I’m delighted to tell you that my last Werewolf of Oz blog has just appeared, and we’ve also managed to import it into the Greenygrey world for you. We’ve also got it published on Amazon in a digital format, and there are links at the end of the blog. There’s a preview available on Amazon.com, but not on Amazon.co.uk yet. Thanks for joining me on my journey.
And without further ado,
I’m pleased to bring you,
the last Werewolf of Oz to view.
In flight the wedged tail is clearly visible (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
142. The End: of the Werewolf of Oz Era
It was Tazzy! I squawked with joy before flying down to meet him; whereupon I changed back into a more recognisable werewolf form. We greeted before I asked him what he was doing here.
Tazzy said he often swam up this way; after all, it is the Tasman Sea.
I laughed, before exclaiming, ‘Of course!’ The last riddle of the ramble had been solved… as far as I was concerned. What about you?
I now felt free to return to the Greenygrey world.
Tazzy was continuing north, so I shapeshifted into a dolphin-friendly tuna and swam with him.
We swam side by side
until he dived beneath
to turn around
at top of Barrier Reef;
my original Oz
landmark brief;
we happily said goodbye
finality’s welcome relief.
I jumped out of the water and shapeshifted into a wedge-tailed eagle for the long flight back to a long awaited reunion with Green in the Greenygrey world.
Two years in the writing
sometimes flying, mostly hiking
Werewolf of Oz kept moving
experiencing, shapeshifting, grooving.
I’m amazed and pleased to say that the Werewolf of Oz is now available in an edited, chronological digital format with 4000 extra words on Amazon:
Marc Latham’s latest Folding Mirror poem celebrates the March equinox, which is due to take place at 05.14 on March 20th, 2012, UT.
Shadowless Seconds on Earth’s Equator
Equinox celebrations
for being upright twice a year
no tilt to the north
my axis is straight
I favour neither hemisphere
in March it is the beginning of summer
for those above the equator
more hours of light than dark
centre of Earth – Subsolar – and Sun correlate
sunrise sunset either side of midday
balancing the world in seasons
September is the end of winter for people
living in planet’s south
each year I deliver
equal time to each half
trust has been earned over time
calendars earmarked
Hi, it’s Grey. The penultimate Werewolf of Oz has just arrived on the blog and into the Greenygrey world, so I thought I’d publish it pronto. Only one more left now, and we’re expecting that on Tuesday, which is the same day as we’re hoping the book will be published on Amazon. Here’s episode 141 of 142:
141. SOLO TRAVELLER ONCE AGAIN, LIKE WHEN IT ALL BEGAN
So my epic journey had really ended, and all was well. The Great Dame of Oz left to go on a world tour, so Angry, Elle and Cathy were going to stay in the mansion indefinitely. I’m sure they had bright Emerald futures ahead of them; now they had regained their body, mind and spirit confidence.
Once More unto the Sea
I knew I could return to the Greenygrey world now, but felt there was something else I needed to do. I thought I should visit the Tasman Sea one last time.
So I said cheerio to everybody and everything in Emerald. There were especially long farewells with my three long-term travel companions and my favourite Oz hat couple. Then it was time to go solo once more; returning to my status upon arrival in Oz.
I shapeshifted into a bird of paradise,
and set off once more for the seaside.
I flew with the wind to the east,
for an hour and a half at least,
arriving at the sea over Deception Bay,
I thought there must be another way,
so I headed south and landed next to a jay,
in a place I liked the sound of: Bramble Bay.
I asked the jay, whose name was Jay,
whether it had seen anything untoward astray.
Jay said nothing unusual had happened all day.
Seeing a Sea Commotion
Everything did seem absolutely normal, and I began to wonder if I’d wasted my time making this diversion. But then:
I saw a commotion out at sea
and wondered what it might be.
The commotion was not only there; it was approaching the beach at a phenomenal speed. I asked Jay if it could see it. It said yes, it could.
I wondered what it could be: Was it more acid-rain? Could it be the MoMo East returning from the deep? Or was it Smiggin Holes escaped from its deep hole? Was there one more test I had to put my exhausted bird-brain through?
The commotion reached the shallows. I could now make out a head and arms. I thought I recognised who it was… but surely it couldn’t be… could it?
It continued swimming to the shallows, and then emerged onto the beach.
Hi, it’s Greenygrey. Sorry there hasn’t been much activity here lately, but the call of the wild (hot spring sun) took us off to the mountains for a few days. There’ll hopefully be some photos online soon, and you’ll be informed as soon as possible afterwards. I’ve topped up my vitamin D after the winter hibernation (and our [Green and Grey] time apart of course), so I’m feeling full of vitality.
mistYmuse 