Book club.

Tonight we meet for the last book club of 2009. Once a month for years now, we women from the Bays have gathered to talk books, food, art and of course, life as we live it on the boat-access-only shores of Pittwater.

To me, winter is the best time. Darkness closes in early, we putt-putt slowly around the honeycomb shoreline, the cold nipping our cheeks. Guided only by moonlight. And a final welcoming shout from a deck when you arrive. “Yo! Did you bring a torch for the steps?”

Inside, the fire is alight, the cake on the kitchen bench looks rich and satisfying. The smell of coffee wafts on top of the scent of woodsmoke. Comfort everywhere. The kind that comes from friendship and community. And then there’s a great book to talk about. We rarely agree. What amazes every time, is that each of us is struck so differently. That a theme – or even a moment – that resonates deeply with one of us, is barely noted by another.

Because it is the grand finale tonight, we go beyond cake. Each one of us brings a dish to Margie’s house, which is the old Oliver farmhouse where nearly 200 years ago, Mrs Oliver sat on her front verandah, a shotgun by her side, ready to fire a warning shot if any locals attempted to ‘bandicoot’ her potato crop.

Canapés:  Judy and Marilyn

Mains: Lisa and Joy

Salads: Michelle C and Jackie

Potato dish: Tejinder

Dessert: Susan

Sweets for after: Roz

Michelle W: You may not be feeling that great – why don’t you bring cheese?

We will talk about David Malouf’s short stories in Every Move you Make, and Kazuo Ishiguro’s Nocturnes. I confess, I haven’t read them. Summer gets so busy, and perhaps that’s the real reason why I love our winter book clubs so much. There is time, in that twilight between ending the day’s chores and beginning to prepare dinner, to pour a cuppa, cover your knees with a rug, and sink onto the sofa for a quiet read. It feels like a long, deep breath. And in a moment, a book tips you into other families, other cultures, other worlds. You are never alone with a book by your side.

Oh, and no-one will mind that I have failed to read the books. We are an easy-going lot, we women on the water.