chatter box

I wrote this elsewhere but it's worth repeating: - Lynne is giving the stand out performance of the year, never mind the week. What I like about it is that she does not just say the words and have the right expression, but she lives and breathes the part with her entire body and that is what is makes it so gut wrenchingly real . The desolation, despair, fear, and everything else which Irene was feeling were all too visible to us, and when she broke down after the kids visited her in prison I was in pieces. I wish they did a logie for outstanding dramatic performance in a soap/seriel (I believe they do something like it in the UK awards) because she would be a shoe in!

Well, despite being a huge Irene and Barry fan I also enjoy reading about all of the other characters who you write for as well, so it would be a shame if you confined yourself to just them. I have just caught up with this story and was very moved by what I read. You never fail to move me with the power of the emotions you describe and the way in which you are able to get inside the heads of all of your charcters whether they be four year olds or 50 year olds. That is a rare gift. I always saw Barry as someone who, because of Kerry, felt he did not deserve to be loved and I think you got that pretty much on the nail in this last chapter. Well done.

Irene looked fantastic in Friday’s episode, all dressed up for a night at the opera. I wish I had legs as good as hers. I really hope this is the beginning of a long story arc for Irene, as Lynne truly is one of the unsung stars of the show.

I looked in here on the off chance that you had written another chapter and was not disappointed. As ever this was very mature and excellent writing. I live every moment with them and it draws me in; and I adore 11 year old Irene. You understand emotions and human failings so well, not just the ordinary ones, but the complicated ones which screw up lives, such insight is a rare gift. I am looking forward to the next installment very much indeed, but I always do.

I have always felt that it is precisely because they are opposites that they work so well. Irene wears her heart on her sleeve, generally everything she thinks and feels is evident on her face and in her reactions to the people around her. She is warm and outgoing, and connects easily with people. Barry on the other hand, due to his upbringing and to his guilt over Kerry, has for years kept the world at arms length. He is however a passionate person. He is passionate about his work, about his son, and about Irene. Somehow she has got through that wall which he had built between himself and the world. Consequently when he is with Irene we get to see the kind and thoughtful man, the passionate man, the man with a sense of humour, the loving caring man. He had also begun to make friends in Summer Bay, something which I suspect he had not done for a long time. He is very complicated and Irene could very well have been his salvation IMO. That wall was still there and had a way to go before it was totally demolished, but they seemed to me to have an almost instinctive insight and understanding of each other which often did not need words. Irene knew when he was worrying about something or blaming himself for whatever Kim was up to, without him saying it. He knew when she was hurting and worried about her flock of kids. One of the things that I liked about Barry, as well as that come to bed voice is that he was not a one dimensional character, there was so much more to him, and so much more to learn about him. Relationships are all about "fit" in the end and I have always they thought that they "fit" perfectly. I share the fear of others that putting Irene with another man will feel almost like a betrayal, and it will not feel right. Relationships which reach iconic status on Home and Away have to have several things, fit, chemistry and that extra something which puts them a cut above the rest. They had all of these and more. It was a great great pity that the writers wasted them both individually and as a couple.

I agree Melody is not entirely defenceless. And whether you like her as a character or not in the show is entirely your choice. This argument is not directed specifically at you as far as I am concerned, but at those in the main thread, and to a lesser extent here, who have assumed without thinking, that Melody’s ability to think things through is the same as theirs and that she is thus a selfish cow, end of story. And that this being so she should just somehow pull herself together. If only it were that simple. The Jesuits used to say “give me the child until he is seven and I will give you the man” and in many ways as far as social learning and socialization goes that holds some truth. Annie, Geoff and even Aden all had some degree of normal childhood in their first seven years as their parents were not lost to them at this crucial time. Melody’s mother however was influential upon her from the day of her birth and to all intents and purposes it was a bit like being brain washed, and as we all know that can have a devastating effect and many people never recover from that. I don’t think that they are writing this particularly well and some of the points you made about the things Melody has done are very accute. However, the fight/flight reflex is something which I think could explain the reason why she ran from her mother when she was feeling overwhelmed by her. Reporting Axel could also be a response to Geoff telling her it was the right thing to do, Geoff having replaced her mother in her mind as the person she relied upon to give her life structure. It’s a classic response. What John003au, who works in a counselling centre, and myself, a psychiatrist, have said about Melody and what is happening to her is that we have seen the real life Melody’s and know only too well from first hand experience how ill equipped they are to deal with the world. It doesn’t make Melody, or others like her, pathetic, weak or defenceless; it just means that people need to deal with her differently. She needs some reality milieu therapy, some tough love, and to be helped slowly to learn what is OK and what isn’t, and to find her self. She doesn’t need to be wrapped up in cotton wool or to be treated like an idiot, but what she doesn’t need is the assumption that she is a stupid selfish attention seeking little cow, which was where this debate began. If you are interested in how this happens in real life there is a lot of information on the internet about social learning theory, socialization theories, cognitive development (Piaget) and many other things about the development of the personality which explain how we grow and learn and become a whole person over many years, and how easy it is for that development to be stunted or disrupted by controlling parenting. Cults often have a similar effect. You are right that the story lines have been conflicting, and on that you will get no argument from me. They really should have consulted a psychiatrist about this story line, and if they did, they didn’t listen to him her as it's been such a hotch potch that they have missed an opportunity. I am disappointed because they have done brilliant job with Aden and his story and they could have doen the same with Melody. I also agree that Miles is being neglectful, he really needs to open his eyes and start being a parent instead of Mr cool dude with his head in the clouds.

Yet another very mature and enjoyable chapter, which I found to be very effective. i am also looking forward to seeing how the Barry/Kim discussion goes. Well done, this is excellent writing, and I always look forward to what you have to say about the various characters, whoever they are. Megan is intriguing. Is she related to Floss by any chance? You have captured Kim in a very sympathetic way, as he wasn't always portrayed that way on screen. Its a fascinating character study.

What a great read Sky Kat, I enjoyed it enormously, and read it several times, despite being interrupted by a bad tempted little one with chicken pox! You have captured everything about the desperation of the alcoholic slipping to rock bottom, and the victim mentality when in an abusive relationship. I am intrigued to see where Damien is, and what triggers the ascent back into normality for her in your story. You have got to continue you this you know.

I'm glad one person liked it anyway! I'm hoping to write about Cassie next chapter, plus I'm kind of getting a Kim/Megan scene in my head. I think I should maybe write a synopsis before each chapter, for my sake as much as anyone else's. I keep forgetting what I've written before! Try not to worry about the number of replies. At the risk of sounding a bit patronizing, which I hope that I don't, you don't strike me as the sort of person who would appreciate a lot of those "Oh that was so cool please update" or "amazing please post again soon" type posts. I think you have a lot of regular readers, and as you write very maturely, maybe those sort of "wow - please post again soon" posts would be a bit out of place perhaps. Its a theory However, I do enjoy your writing very much, and thought this was an insightful piece. I particularly liked how you highlighted the independent streak in Irene which we all know so well, and the reference to silent tears was very poignant. Its what so many people do to hide their despair and pain and which so many others fail to recognize. The whole episode and the pain of it was powerfully captured. Barry didn't need to say much, and that was effective, he just needed to be there. I am going to have to go back and re read to remind myself who Megan is The next installments sound intriguing. Kim and Cassie are fascinating characters. I shall be watching out for it and will be reading with interest.

You write so maturely, and this was deeply, deeply moving. I like to think that had Bevan been writing at the time before Barry left that actually Barry would have told Irene the truth about Kerry , I do not think DB had the maturity or inclination to deal with doing so. It would have made such a difference if he had. You have written it so well, and as with all of the characters that you write about you give them such depth and meaning. I also like the way that you have understood how children think and that you have understood the psychology of your characters, as well as their emotions. Your imagery is extremely effective. I was seeing Will being defiant and cocky and unsure all at the same time, feeling Hayley's pain and seeing the five year olds confusion and loneliness, as well as feeling Barry's pain and despair and the love and tenderness between Irene and Barry. Excellent writing. Like the previous but one poster said, five stars to you.

The word has gone out! You write extremely well, and I will be keeping up with this fiction. I like how you have captured Gypsy who was always one of my favourite characters. And of couples you have included one of my favourite couples, so what could be better. I look forward to seeing where you take them.

Some excellent photo's and exclusives Dan. Thanks. I am sure we all appreciate it.

Thank you. I like the new lay put and the features that you have been doing. It is looking good. You must have been working hard.

Have a good trip. York is a good place to visit, you will have a ball.

IS there any chance you could do a coming soon section for Australia like the one you do for the UK? Thanks.