you might have noticed so something exciting about our cover artwork work this issue:

specifically, that it was painted by a little artist named KEN BLOODY DONE. (Note: we can’t say for sure whether ‘Bloody’ is on his birth certificate, but it certainly seems fitting for an Australian icon.)

Painted in 1991, the striking piece is called 'Butterfly dreams', and when we sat down to chat with Ken for this issue, he told us the sweet tale of how it came to be. “When I first went to Japan, I was very interested in Japanese art and poetry,” he explained. “There’s a wonderful little poem that says, ‘I would learn of their dream in flowers, but butterflies have no voice.’ It’s about the fact butterflies live for such a brief period of time. All they would understand is being in the beauty of flowers, so if a butterfly slept and had a dream, that’s what it would be about. I was very touched by the thought.”

Have a flip through these here pages to read more of our chinwag, and check out all the other goodies we’ve crammed inside this big ol’ bumper issue. There’s a huge 2019 wall planner to whack up on your wall, plus a tear-out card designed by illustrator Adam J. Kurtz, where you can note down a few important life reminders to refer back to. And if you’re feeling a bit creative (or just want to zen out with some pretty paper and scissors), we’ve popped together a collage kit that can be chopped, snipped and arranged to your liking.

Yep, there’s plenty to get stuck into in this lovely big magazine, so please dive straight in – we hope you enjoy.

xx Sophie and the frankie team