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04
Nov 2010

Narrogin Talk

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Last Friday i was invited to talk at the Narrogin Residential College…my old ‘Hostel’ for their presentation day. Thanks to Steve the College Manager for the invitation.  I spent year 8 to year 11 there! 4 years!! And I must admit I had some great times there. I didn’t get into that much trouble but i did get called into Mrs Dixon’s office once or twice.
 
Sadly I left after year 11 and missed out on the year 12 dorms.  Now they have a whole new building just for the year 12 and they don’t do the year 12 runs anymore.  (before finishing school they would attack at night with water, shampoo, flour…you get the idea..)  None the less i was scared about going back.  So i took my best friend Jacinta to help me through it. Jacint is also an ex-hostel girl (she was in my brothers year…poor girl!! LOL)  We were amazed with the changes and the room where the Presentation Day was held used to be the boys games area…from memory.  Yes it’s a long time since 1995!! 
 
There was around 300 parents, students and staff in the room…and I had to talk in front of them all!  Sheesh.  I felt like a total wolly handing out sports award for a heap of talented kids.  But it helped settle my nerves when I faced them all for my talk.  Two years ago they had Bevan George talk (amazing hockey player - olympic gold) as he was an ex-Narrogin schoolie. 
I waffled on…don’t ask me what i said…can’t really remember any of it thanks to my nerves.  But I have a photo to prove i did actually talk. Afterwards we meet up with some of the supervisors from when we were there…very spinny. And Mrs Browne…(yes, she’s still there) took us on a tour.  Talk about a time warp.  Some of the rooms and walkways seemed much smaller than we remembered LOL and the new buildings were speckie.  It was a wonderful day…even if we felt really old around all these young kids! Even better, Ii got to spend the day with my best friend, having coffee, lunch and lots of shopping without our kids.  Heaven!! 
 

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Category: Events, News  One Comment
28
Oct 2010

The Vet

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This morning I had to drive out to a friends farm to meet a vet from Swans Vet in Esperance (yes he had come a long way) so Sally could get her first needle. It was better than driving to Katanning or Narrogin (300k round trip) with a restless puppy!!

My friends have a feedlot and they had a bull who needed some attention so I stayed and watched as he had some stitches taken out from his private bit.  Ouch … is all I could say and I’m glad I didn’t have to hold his penis … I was offered the job but declined.  After all, I had a puppy to hold so she wasn’t trampled! (That was my excuse … I thought it was a good one)  LOL

I can say it was an eye opening experience.  The whole process is probably a bit to graphic to go into details but I’m sure you all get the idea.  Any who I got to enjoy morning tea with them all … not the bull, just the people.  I had a cappuccino and cake … yes how spoilt.  And I was enjoying it …even though I knew I should be at home typing away.  But that’s exactly what I’m going to do right now … after this blog!  I promise! I have an April deadline to make.

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Category: Only in the country  2 Comments
28
Oct 2010

Planning

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Sarah’s Journey is the working title for my third book … I don’t expect that name to last.  Gumlea became The Family Farm, The Cleanest Cut became Heart of Gold …  so I’m not holding my breath lol.

I have a deadline to finish this book and its around April next year, so then it can be edited and printed ready for 2012.  Can I get it done by April? … I bloody hope so.  I think I can but that’s not including interruptions like Christmas, holidays, harvest, work, unforeseen flu’s and bugs … but I will try!

I have re-typed out my synopsis/working plan so I’m clear on what will happen throughout the book. I also found a small calendar from my notebook and worked out the timeline.  Very important to have seeding in the right month etc.  This book will be based back on a farm, not like Heart of Gold which was more in the shearing sheds.

Next I have to get back into writing Sarah’s Journey.  Seeing as I will probably take out the first two chapters I wrote, it drops my word count back down … which means more is needed before the deadline.  Yep, next week I need to crack the whip and sit my butt back down.  Its all in my head, it goes around and around waiting for me to find the time to write it out.  So it gets quite tiring when I can’t find time to write. Sarah and Jack so desperately want their story told!!

On a good note I had a friend tell me she saw my book The Family Farm in a bookshop (yes a bookshop lol) in London!!!  London, crickey how cool.  The owner gets in Aussie and African books to sell.  Amazing.  I’m still excited to see my book printed in German.  (Which I’m hoping won’t be far away… the contract said it would be done no later than early next year!)  I’m wondering what they renamed it too … and the cover.  Yes, can’t wait.

Hopefully I will have a confirmed cover for Heart of Gold to share with you all soon.

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Category: Books  2 Comments
20
Oct 2010

Break!

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Living where we live you don’t tend to see a lot of people so it’s great to take time out from our chaotic lives and catch up with friends. My best friend lives nearly 40km away from me, so it’s not often we get to catch up … even though she’s closer than the nearest towns!  On Monday I drove out to her farm so we could head into town for lunch – kid free (cheers Colin!) I had the best time.  We went up to Wave Rock at the Wildlife park and ate our lunch on the veranda watching the swan’s and their babies.  It was so relaxing and I wonder why we don’t do it more often.

It was on the way home that I spotted this mummy Kangaroo with her baby out in the paddock.

I had even more ‘girl’ time as Tuesday night was our bookclub night and there were about ten of us chatting away.  We were supposed to be talking about our book Eat, Pray, Love … but I think we only spent a whole five minutes on this.  Besides the stories about snakes, spiders and big rats were way more hilarious! These encouters were so funny and a cricket bat seemed like the weapon of choice.  It’s these fab stories/yarns that I love to include in my books.  Sometimes life is just more funnier than anything I can come up with!

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Category: Books, Family  Leave a Comment
14
Oct 2010

Copyedits

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At the moment I am about halfway through the copyedits.  I had Sally to keep me company … if she’s not on my lap she’s snuggled up at my feet  (or chewing on my toes!!) I’ve posted a sneak peak at Heart of Gold and what it looks like with all the little changes and deletions.  All those little unnecessary words … or in my case some paragraphs … that just aren’t needed.

I’ve already done an edit with my publisher Ali and this is the second one with Penguin editor Jo.  Having different people look at it, you get different opinions and point of views, so we all work together to make the book the best it can be.  You wouldn’t believe the silly little things they fix and I look and it, slap my head going “oh my god … I can’t write”  lol!

But I value their input, they do such a fabulous job  (I could imagine how hard it must be to offer suggestions without trying to offend someone). But I’m not a picky writer, most of the time I go with all their recommendations … they know more about writing than I do!

For example, I’ve just started Sarah’s Journey AKA book 3, and I’ve been told I would flow better to cut the first two chapters, and you know what, they are right *sob*. Sometimes we just don’t see it. (well I don’t, I’m still learning so much about writing …)

Well I must be off, my other day job is calling … not the ‘mum’ job, the one at the ‘shop next door’ job.

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12
Oct 2010

Sally

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Today we picked up our new little puppy, who the kids have called Sally.

She is just so cute and cuddly.  Gidget hasn’t exactly given her a big welcome but she hasn’t bitten off Sally’s head either.  So far so good.  I think as long as Sally stays away from Gidget until she’s used to her…it’ll all be good. Gidge is over 13 years old so she’s going to be a bit crabby and testie, but she’s been top dog for a while.  We used to have a cat…Gidge didn’t like him at all and wouldn’t let the cat near our back door so in the end he ran away…twice! No more cats for us.

Hopefully Gidge will be a bit more accomodating for Sally and show her how to keep the foxes away from the chooks.  Sally is a bitza everything dog, beagle, cocker spaniel, collie and sooo adorable.

She’s already made herself at home.

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04
Oct 2010

Hopetoun holiday

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Well we made it to the coast, even if it was only for a couple of nights!

The kids were dying to see how the new anix looked and a big thanks to my parents who built it.  Have I mentioned I have the coolest folks?!  Our old canvas anix had holes, mould, crappy concrete floor, zippers that didn’t work and when it rained the floodwaters would end up inside! Yes, we have gone up in the world of camping!

Lucky for us we had beautiful weather and fresh fish given to us on arrival which became dinner.  Had to get the standard bonfire going for the kids and it came in handy for cooking the fish too.  Bloody beautiful!

One morning we went for a walk to the shops for a paper and let the kids play at the park and we walked back via the beach.  Had to laugh at a bloke, no doubt passed out on the beach – we hoped he wasn’t dead – but seeing as the pub was just across the road figured he was sleeping it off.  Hope he didn’t get too burnt!  He had the beach to himself, too much seaweed there!

If you want to read about Hopetoun its in a book called Hopetoun Wives by Fran Cusworth.

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Category: Family  2 Comments
04
Oct 2010

School holidays

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Our school holidays started with the picnic up the rock ritual.  We pack some goodies (lamingtons and cream – yes I packed cream)and while the kids climbed all over the rocks mum and dad lay, soaking up the warmth along with the lizards.  It was beautiful … but the view was on the dry yellow side of green.

It was the same on our way to Hopetoun, the worst crops I’ve seen around our area and then two hundred kms down the road they turned into beautiful big green crops.  Amazing what rain does. There is nothing that can save this harvest … if there even will be a harvest.  Everyone is stretched to the hilt money wise and the banks will probably try to sell a few farms, only thing is no one will buy them!!!  It’s hard to try and sell your farm to pay debts when no one can afford to buy them, so you’re left stuck…waiting.

I’m not a farmer, but I live in a farming community so it effects everyone, from shops to contractors etc.  Lets hope next year is a bumper … everyone will need it.

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Category: Family, Only in the country, The Farmer's Life  Leave a Comment
20
Sep 2010

Spring

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Love this time of year.  All the wildflowers are coming out and most of my fruit trees are in full bloom.

This is my peach/nectarine tree. It’s only a few years old, but it’s growing so well …. I think it’s the water we pump out from our tanks to there.  They are thriving in it!  Rubbing my hands together thinking of the fruit we will have this summer.  Most of my tree’s are early fruiting.  I have just planted some watermelon and rockmelons around the trees too.  As long as I can keep the chooks away from them all.

My kids are loving the new six chicks born over the last week.  I’ve been waiting for the hens to get clucky so I can finally do away with my two roosters.  Don’t get me wrong, they are beautiful roosters, but they have only one thing on their mind and they are making the hens look horrible with missing feathers on their heads etc.  They have done their job well, now its time for them to go.  I have plenty of chooks for eggs now and the new ones to replace the older girls.  I will probably have new roosters anyway with these six chicks.  The kids wanted to keep one inside as their pet …. but it only lasted an hour and they wanted to put him back with his family.  A choice I was very happy with!!

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Category: Family, The Farmer's Life  3 Comments
19
Sep 2010

The Drought

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The Drought – by Lorna Madson

When the rain doesn’t come when it ought to,

You start hand feeding the sheep,

The grain and hay you’d stored away,

And the dams don’t look as deep.

As the weeks drag slowly by,

And there’s still no sign of rain,

Things get worse each time you look,

And you’re running out of grain.

Once healthy sheep are starving to death,

Or getting stuck in the mud at the dam,

The paddocks resemble a graveyard,

And you’ve lost your last prize ram.

The dams dry up and the mud all cracks,

The paddocks move in dust,

Why has the season dealt this blow?

It seems so damned unjust!

The bank starts getting nervous,

No income they can see,

A special trip to town you take,

To make a final plea.

You struggle on for a few more months,

And when  all else seems lost,

You realise to get out now,

Would hardly cover the costs.

And then one night just after tea,

You hear the first big drops,

It smells terrific on the hot dry ground,

And you hope it never stops.

You can almost hear it soaking in,

The paddocks come alive,

For the first time in months, without the gun,

Around your paddocks you can drive.

It trickles down the catchments,

Into the waiting dams,

Feed starts to shoot and birds reappear,

You can once again start making plans.

A drought must be the most heartbreaking thing,

A farmer ever has to endure,

To look on helpless as everything dies,

Of the rain he can never be sure.

But this is the gamble a farmer takes,

To rely on the sun and the rain,

It’s to this life he’s born and bred,

And he’ll suffer it again and again.

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Category: Poetry  Leave a Comment
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