The Very First Tiny Things

The story that became Ten Tiny Things grew from Meg's walks around her neighbourhood in Hamilton Hill, just south of Fremantle. Something she loves about walking is noticing all the little things lurking here and there that might otherwise have gone unseen. When her daughter was small, they used to make a game of this, which they cunningly entitled, "Things We Would Never Have Seen If We Had Been Driving". To win, you had to be first to notice ten interesting things that fell into that category.


To kick off this blog, which we hope will soon fill with wonderful things from many corners of the country, and perhaps even beyond, here are some of the things from the streets around Meg's house. These are some of the exact things from which the game grew, from which the book grew. There would be no story without them.Thank you, neighbourhood people, for taking the time to add quirky, lovely, tiny things to the world.

"Chickens live here. They have teeth."

Duck-themed power pole

Ninja rubber ducks

Smiling branch-man

An owl in the footpath

A hidden house ...

Rainbow footpath border

Now you might be thinking that we're cheating a bit. You might be thinking that some of these things could be seen if you were driving. But listen: we never said couldn't have seen. We said wouldn't have seen. You could have seen some of these if you'd been looking for them, if you'd been peering out the window straining for a glimpse. But would you have noticed them accidentally? No. You wouldn't. We didn't. Not until we started walking.


We recommend it. Slow down. Walk places. Watch the secret spaces all around you for random flashes of loveliness. See if you can spot ten tiny things. Or even just one.


And take photos, if you can, then send them to us here [the address is in our profile, on the right]. We'd love to see what's hiding in your neighbourhood.