A ginko had been on the agenda for the Red Dragonflies’ meeting at Pearl Beach on Saturday 26th November, however, inclement weather put a decided stop to that plan. The weather being assuredly for ducks rather than dragonflies, we met, instead, at Beverley George’s home, where we workshopped our pre-written haiku before the skies fortuitously cleared and we managed to flit around Beverley’s home and garden in quasi-ginko fashion. By the time we arrived at the beachside café for lunch, the day had turned quite summery. Our spirits more than matched the sunny afternoon. All in all, a thoroughly uplifting occasion.

after the rain
the laughter of kookaburras
suddenly joins ours

Lesley Walter

Posted by Cynthia Rowe at 08:13 PM | Permalink

The Red Dragonflies met at Vanessa Proctor’s home in Pymble on Saturday 15th October. Dawn Bruce gave a short talk on haiga, and set the group a challenging and instructive exercise. Members had also been invited to bring along photos of their own which might be turned into haiga, so some little time was spent working with these. We were then encouraged to bring some of our own haiga to the Christmas get-together in November. The haiku workshopped at the meeting was, for the most part, met with resounding approval, so the few hours spent together literally flitted by, just like a dragonfly.

Lesley Walter

Posted by Cynthia Rowe at 05:09 PM | Permalink

The winter meeting of the Red Dragonflies was held on 18th June at Barbara Fisher’s home in Mosman. Vanessa Proctor led members Dawn Bruce, Cynthia Rowe, Lesley Walter and gracious host, Barbara Fisher, in a productive afternoon.

Bill Tibben, a guest at the meeting, was a wonderful addition to the group. Beverley George sent her apologies.

Vanessa gave each member a delightful booklet of haiku selected from poems written by members and inspired by the Red Dragonflies’ summer ginko at Pearl Beach, December 2010. Many thanks, Vanessa!

Dawn brought up the subject of photo haiku and it was suggested that we might discuss the basics of haiga at the next meeting.

Cynthia Rowe
President, HaikuOz

Posted by Cynthia Rowe at 03:11 PM | Permalink

The Red Dragonflies met at Cynthia Rowe’s home in Woollahra on Saturday 12th March. We were joined by an invited guest, Dy Anreasen, who had been fortunate enough to ‘tread in Basho’s footsteps’ with Beverley’s tour last year. It is confronting, however, to reflect that we were sitting sharing haiku in Sydney on the very day that the earthquake and tsunami were wreaking such havoc on Japan and its people. Haiku must continue to remind us of, and instruct us in, the ephemeral – and therefore precious – nature of existence…

Lesley Walter

Posted by Greg Piko at 11:16 AM | Permalink

The Red Dragonflies met at Pearl Beach on Sunday 12th December for a ginko in the Crommelin Native Arboretum (which will hopefully produce a pamphlet in the new year) followed by lunch at the bayside cafe.

During the course of the afternoon, members workshopped their pre-written haiku and senryu and, as always, found much upon which to ponder and much about which to laugh.

Understandably, the sound of cicadas rang out loudest amongst the Christmas haiku, but the gentler ‘clink’ of threepences in a china bowl produced nostalgia, too, for mothers’ and grandmothers’ plum puddings…

Christmas get-together –
the joy of exchanging
haiku

Lesley Walter

Posted by Greg Piko at 08:26 PM | Permalink

An overcast day did not lessen the conviviality of the ‘red dragonflies’ group when they gathered at the home of the group’s leader, Vanessa Proctor, to share spring haiku.

All members were present.

Poems on the pre-set topics of the energy of spring, gardening, and empty snail shell were workshopped. After lunch, two anonymous haiku per member were drawn from the haiku bowl for general discussion, before the authors admitted ownership.

report by Beverley George

Posted by Jo McInerney at 09:00 AM | Permalink