18 Dec 2008

Paddy's letter to Father Christmas

What do you ask Santa to bring you for Christmas when you're six years old, it's 1918 and one day you're going to grow up to be a Nobel Prize winning Australian author widely regarded by many as one of Australia's best ever?

This is Patrick White's letter - as written in Patrick White Letters anyway. The spacing, punctuation and spelling are Paddy's!

Lulworth, December 1918
TO FATHER XMAS
Dear Father Xmas.
Will yoy please bring me
a pistol, a mouth organ
a violin
a butterfly net
Robinson Cruso
History of Australia
Some marbles.
a little mouse what runs
across the room
I hope you do not
think I am too greedy
but I want the
things badly
your loving
Paddy.


I wish 6-year-old Jemimah's spelling were as good!! I wish she could read Robinson Crusoe alone - and that she wanted to read History of Australia too!!

Oh well - maybe next year?

Hmmm - I'm thankful that a pistol doesn't appear on her somewhat longer list though.
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2 comments:

  1. Louise19 December 2008 at 09:38

    Hi Jeanne,
    Did you ever publish an 'aussiefied' AO 0 and/or AO 1 booklist?
    I'd love to see them if you did.
    Louise

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hopewell24 December 2008 at 04:19

    "a little mouse what runs
    across the room" Too cute! "what runs" is such a cute way to phrase it.

    ReplyDelete

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