Michaela Saunders

And so...

The house and the land have this sense of possibility lost, opportunity fallen by the wayside, which becomes more and more meaningful as the book goes on.

And both these houses in the shadow of the Grampians and in particular, one of the Grampians called Wallace.

aren't they?

Well, Laurie sees the world through a particular lens.

It's quickly established that he has this immense artistic ability.

This wonderful teacher called Mrs Sinclair brings to the classroom some paper, butcher's paper and pencils or crayons or paints or something and tells the children to paint something and instantly, immediately, Lawrence...

produces these works.

So much so that Mrs Sinclair, who I just adore, there's Mrs Sinclair's in towns and schoolrooms all around the country and there still are today.

She gives him a set of paints eventually to

send him further into this artistic world for you know which he is so clearly belonging to and she also says one day when she sees the painting that really confirms what she suspects she says oh you should take that home to your mother that one i loved that

But when he brings his report home, which is excellent, and the male teacher, whose name eludes me, says, well, you've done very well, haven't you?

And it's this glowing report and she reads it.

and puts it down on the kitchen table and wipes tears away.

She's so proud of him because of his intellectual capacity, though not so much of his artistic one.

So she's doing what she can, along with Mrs Barry across the fence, who's giving them vegetables from her vegetable garden, as well as just being that neighbourly eye looking after both the boys.

I haven't thought of that book for a while.

Yeah, they do these things where at night time they'll ask each other questions and one knock means, you know, yes, and two knocks is no or something like that.

They're real little brothers and they've got all these secret little things they do, which is wonderful.

But yes, tension as with any sibling relationship.