The letter of the day is M (for mystery)

If there's one thing I love about a magazine subscription, it's that little fizz of excitement that I get when my treat arrives in the mail. I'm very selective about what I subscribe to these days. A few years ago, I was anyone's, seduced by any 'offer', happy to receive whatever they were willing to send out. When The Builder questioned the sheer volume of pages arriving every month, I'd wave him off with a 'it's tax deductible darling'.

Not anymore. I mean, it's still tax deductible - one of the few bonuses of writing freelance - but I'm not as willing to wade through a million pages to get what I want. Call it time management.

At the moment, there are just a few valid subscriptions in the Fibro (if you don't count the Lego magazine... which I don't). I've spoken before of my love for O magazine, and take great pleasure in sitting on our back deck, flicking through its pages. There are some Australian magazines, which I both love and work for (no names, no pack drill). And there is the one that arrived today.

Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine is one of my biggest treats. It arrives sporadically and, seemingly, randomly, due to surface mail, from the US. There is no colour, beyond the cover. The paper is cheap newsprint, the concept old-fashioned. But I love it. Packed cover-to-cover with detective stories, it features some of the biggest names in crime writing - and lots of people whose names you've never heard. Perfect, bite-sized crime fiction in a perfect, bath-sized package. My copies are passed around the family and enjoyed by many. Mr7 is beginning to line up for his turn.

This year is the 70th anniversary of EQMM. Long may it reign. Or long enough for me to get around to writing a story that might be good enough to grace its pages.

Visit www.themysteryplace.com/eqmm (source of my image) for more information and to check out an array of past EQMM covers. Fun!


In other news, I'm guest posting with Scribbling Mum today, all about being the only pink in a house full of blues. Come and say hello!

Are you a fairytale drinker?

I was grumpy today. No other word for it. Nothing major, just a few things going on with me and around me that conspired to make me Cross. Capital C intentional. The guy who revved his car out the front of my house for what felt like an hour didn't help. No sirree.

I always feel sorry for Mr3 on days like today. He goes about his business, doing his three-year-old thing, and he gets old Grumpy Face to deal with.

Fortunately, for both of us, Oprah intervened. I was perusing my copy of O magazine (for which I have professed my love in a previous post) when I came across the term 'fairytale drinker'. Belinda Chang, wine director at the Modern, NYC, described herself as a 'fairytale drinker' and believes that many women are in the same boat. According to Chang, men will look on a wine list for the famous wine or a big alcohol content. Women look for a wine that evokes a place or has a great backstory.

I thought about this. And I agree that, in my case, it's probably true. I seek out wines from McLaren Vale, South Australia, because The Builder and I once had a fabulous holiday there that included some memorable reds. Seeing the words 'Bulgaria' and 'Red' together immediately transports me to my backpacking days in a series of dodgy London flats. I occasionally drink retsina because it reminds me of the wonderful time I spent with two dear friends ferrying between Greek Islands. I love Pewsey Vale Riesling because I drank it often with a good friend who is now living overseas. After last Saturday night, I will be looking for riesling from Mt Horrocks because it was so perfect. Will it be as perfect next time I drink it? Time will tell.

All of that remembering was enough to put me in a much better frame of mind. And I didn't even need a glass of wine to do it!

Are you a fairytale drinker? Do you look for 'names' or 'stories' when you choose a wine?

{image: majalin/etsy}