Achievements...

The postman came today - as he does most days - but aside from the usual bills, this time he had a parcel for me. The Rolf Boldrewood Literary Award comes with a nice little cheque for first place, but also a bronze statue of dear old Rolf himself. It was the bust that arrived with today's post. And while winning cash is nice - hey, we all need to live - the tangibility of a little award; it's lustre and shine; the heaviness of the bronze; the craft of the sculptor; seeing my name on the plaque; kind of means more. It helps make all those redrafts and struggles for good sentences seem worthwhile. Almost like an achievement...