Women's Nook
Did you read my story on The Honey Spinner by Grace Pundyk? I just love the book. It’s an intriguing personal tale about one woman’s search for bees and honey around the world. I feel as if I too am sitting with Grace and the Yemeni tribesmen, whilst their bees go about gathering nectar in the heat of the day or riding in a ute on a bumpy outback track in Australia with local beekeepers, Kieren and Bryn.
Why was Grace attracted to such a journey – a trail that many women would not contemplate taking on their own? Â After listening to her speak at the Sydney Writers’ Festival in 2008 I wanted to know more about Grace, her motivations and inspirations. I am convinced that other women’s stories help us to keep exploring and learning.
Grace has been so willing and generous in sharing her story with us. Â It’s wonderful to read about women like her who are engaged with life. We can live through their passions and maybe find a little inspiration for our own.
At the beginning of The Honey Spinner Grace observes that ‘you start out thinking you are headed in one direction and then halfway down the road you realise the destination has changed. Maybe you were headed that way all along but you just didn’t notice the signposts…’ I find this to be a common theme, mentioned by women when talking about the directions their lives have taken, by chance and choice.
On this topic, and many more, I spoke with Grace recently.
How did honey come into your life Grace?
It was kind of on the sidelines until I tried Yemeni honey when I was living in Kuwait. After that, I began sourcing local honey wherever I travelled. I found it was such an interesting way of getting to know about a place and its people.Tell me a little about your background?
I grew up in suburban Sydney, Australia. My father was a refugee from Europe and the emphasis, whilst I was growing up, was on classical ballet, piano, elocution lessons and choir singing. Along with my foreign name, these pursuits branded me as ‘different’ and I never truly felt as if I fitted in. At 18 I left home to hitch hike around Australia and never really returned.
Whilst I was growing up I spent time with two uncles who probably influenced me most in terms of my appreciation of travel. They were always heading off on overseas adventures and returning with stories that fuelled my young imagination. They would also entertain the most interesting characters from all sorts of backgrounds and cultures. I really loved spending time with them.
So I guess, from a very early age, travel, dance and music have been the main constants in my life. They are my soul food. In the last decade I’ve added writing to the list and I now realise that as long as I’m doing these things, no matter where I am, then I am happy.
In The Honey Spinner you talk about life and the different, unexpected journeys we can find ourselves on. What have you learnt along the way?
One of the many things I’ve learned is not to assume that the path we are on will travel in one direction. There will always be a reason why we decide to do something, but the outcome can be so very different to what we expected. It’s not only important to be open to the possibilities, but also to not judge ourselves if the direction isn’t in keeping with the expectations. Clinging tightly to how we think it should play out has never really worked for me – and I’ve tried to cling, oh how I’ve tried!
I think that’s why I like to travel. You never know what will happen, who you may meet or what you can learn. One thing can lead to another and certainly for me, it’s exploring the unknown that has opened the door to many of the projects I have undertaken. Take writing The Honey Spinner for example:
You have lived in and travelled through so many cultures. What have you observed?
That we are all human – we all laugh and cry, love and fear, want the best for our children, our friends, and for the place we call home. Travelling, and in particular being amongst different cultures, is a great leveller. It can often show that it is our own prejudices that limit our thinking.
What is it like to travel alone, as a woman?
I’ve always preferred travelling on my own – even to places where it’s perceived as being not that safe for a woman to do so. In fact, being on my own has usually helped me enormously in being able to get around, to see and do things I want, and to meet the most amazing people – many of whom are women and who I wouldn’t have been able to meet if I’d been travelling with a man.
You’ve been to some out of the way places -do you have some simple guidelines for travelling solo as a woman?
What is your favourite way to eat honey?
Neat and by the spoonful!
What are you doing now?
I’m living in Tasmania and getting into the garden. Tasmania is such a great place to be for summer: long days and sweet air. I now have two beehives in the backyard and it’s a perfect time and place to be learning as much as I can about backyard beekeeping.
What is your next travel destination?
Hopefully Syria, to research a part of my next story. However, having written The Honey Spinner, I will always be on the lookout for hives and honey. I think it’s such a great way to get beyond cultural and tourist barriers.
What is your favourite food?
I eat very simply. My absolute comfort food is pasta with fresh chilli, garlic, parsley and parmesan. I would eat this every day if I could. And good vanilla ice cream too.
What books do you like to read?
Anything that makes me think. Haruki Murakami has been my favourite writer for years now. Currently I’m enjoying The Collector of Worlds, a fictionalised account of the life of explorer Sir Richard Burton, by Iliya Troyanov.
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