One phobia that intrigued me was Uranophobia, the fear of heaven. It occurred to me that I had a fear of heaven — the heaven of being happy.

Joseph was a cockie, a small-scale farmer. Such farmers were called cockies in the early days of European settlement in Australia because, like the cockatoos that weaved and screeched above them, they made their homes on the edges of creeks and permanent waterholes.

But you might not immediately think of Dorothy Gale's clicky, glittery red shoes, which though bright, have cast a more subtle shadow over the world of fashion.

Scott was a little unsteady now and he looked at people out of the side of his eyes with a certain belligerency.