Archive for the Category »Only in the country «

Wildflowers

On the weekend we played our wind-up day of golf.  There was only six of us (huge club, I know) but we had a gorgeous day, the sun was warm and all the flowers were out. My golf was so wonderful that I spent most of my time in the bush taking photo’s of the wildflowers and orchids.

The daisy’s were everywhere and so bright. They looked great around this tee base. The photo dosn’t do it justice.

Of course I was lucky to find a donkey orchid. Most of them were already gone. I didn’t find a spider orchid either :(

And a few others that I stumbled across. (better than looking for a white ball that didn’t want to co-operate!!)

I didn’t have time to focus this picture…I was lagging behind the others! (I was supposed to be playing flog) And lucky I wasn’t fined!

Now the the school holidays are here, hopefully I can take the kids for a walk through the bush and up to the rock for a picnic.  See if we can find some ant eaters, lizards and tadpoles. :)

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Mail run

My mum is away for the next month so I am doing the mail run again, twice a week. I must say I didn’t realise how much I missed going for a drive around the district and seeing how good all the crops look. Even the dandelions growing in this paddock look gorgeous.

 

I thought i’d take a few photo’s of some of the stops I make as I head off in our trusy wagon called “Monty”.  I deliver milk, hence the blue esky in the back, bread, sometimes orders from the shop and, of course, the mail.

Another stop, this time milk gets dropped off also. Sometimes people forget to pick it up or the wilk animals get to it first.

If we time it right I’ll meet the person and we catch up for a chat.

The mail boxes are usually drums except for a few like the lovely horse and little shed.

Of course these are just a few of my stops.  Hope you enjoyed the little tour. I have someone else filling in for tomorrow so I can go watch my kids at their sports carnival. But come Tuesday, i’ll be back out on the road.

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All over for another year.

Yes, it’s all over. Two full days sitting behind this table chatting to people from all over and signing books. Three nights camping in the freezing cold, thank goodness for eletric blankets!  And most of all thank goodness for mum who came along to help. Bringing regular hot cuppa’s and watching the stall while I ducked off for a look-see. (Thanks mum!) It also helped sharing our stall space with two lovely people,George and Gabby.  I didn’t get to see too many people I knew but the lovely Rachael Blair (Rach Johns) and her three gorgeous boys, stopped by for a quick hello.

I ran a competition for those who wanted to enter for a chance to win both my books and I drew it yesterday.

The winner of both books is :

Liz Marcus from Greenmount. Books will be posted at the start of next week Liz.

And I also did a runner up draw and this went to:

Veronica Donegan from Toodyay.

Congrats to you both.

Everyone packed up and gone.

I had lots of people asking when the next book is due out. I can tell you all it will be about April next year. Cover design is getting underway at the moment, I believe. And I’m off to get some more of the edits done. Up to page 232 of 310! I can see the last page coming closer….

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Lucky chooks

Here is whats left of my hen’s feathers. The rest have blown away in the wind.  My poor chooks are the delight for my neighbours dog. When my son went in to collect the eggs the dog pushed past and went after the chooks.  I heard my son screaming from the house and thought he’d cut off an arm! Turns out he was just horrified at watching the dog get the hen’s and he couldn’t stop him, he was so upset.

So I went running up the back yard, bare feet hurting on rocks, as the dog ran back out the pen with a chook hanging out his mouth. Luckily I could catch him and let the chook go and told him off. But I accidently/stupidly let go of him and he went after her again. Feathers from ear hole to a** hole!! But I did rescue the chook, and returned her to the safety of her pen, bare bum and all. (I couldn’t see any blood and guts…but I wasn’t game to look too close either, icky)  By then my feet were sore and tender. (Don’t worry I’ll take a tablespoon of cement and harden up!!)

The ol’ rooster got defeathered last time the dog got in and he’s hard to spot now without his big tail feathers. (Lucky for him he’ll be harder to find when he needs to go to chooky heaven!)

It’s Sunday today, and i’ve spent most of the day finishing a book so now i’m stuck in ‘can’t be bothered’ mode. But on a good note i’ve finally done the deed and booked our tickets for our trip east to visit family and for me to attend the RWA Conference. (I can’t wait. It’s like being a bloke in Bunnings, so many wonderful authors to meet you don’t know where to start!)

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Day Job

Two days a week I work at the local shop, Pingaring Agsolutions.  We have everything a small town may need, groceries, alcohol, hardware, post, chemical, etc etc… And if i’m lucky i get to deliver chemical around seeding time, which means getting out an about.

On Thursday I headed out to some local farmers, my mate Rach’s family, to drop off chemical they needed to keep spraying with. Rach was behind my inspiration for Izzy in my first book and is as much a farmer as any other bloke. 

Dropping off the drums.  (and also a plug for my boss’s business…pay rise???  I wish lol)

I then headed next door where the rest of the gang was. Rach was calculating something…its maths so I wasn’t interested, but i’m guessing chemical rates for their worker to spray out. Her dad and brother were re-calabrating the big red fancy seeding machine, while I got to chat to Isla (mum). A real working family. 

So I loved my drive, getting to see the country side and it was a glorious day.  Most farmers our way are waiting for a decent rain before they start their seeding program.  If you’ve got rain, blow it our way. Cheers. x

Isn’t this cute. Gidget our 13yr old Kelpie and Sally our beagle/collie/lab/bitsa everything 9month old pup snuggling together.  Gidget likes to pretend she dosn’t like the energetic younger dog, but this just goes to show that they still love each other…either that or its just so darn cold they had to snuggle for warmth. Cute. :)    (and yes, my house is blue…you can just see it)

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Woolorama!

Well we had two wonderful days in Wagin for the Woolorama.  We met with the GWN crew for an interview on Thursday before we set up and then headed back to my cousins place to camp the night. We set out early the next morning along a back gravel road to cut across to Wagin…then our car died.

Stranded…well we would have been if cousin Nigel hadn’t come along the same way. So we bundled all our stuff into his ute and made it on time.  My dad had to drive 150km to fit a coil from his speedway car onto ours so we could pick it up on the way home.  Sometimes I don’t know what i’d do without family.

Nigel featured a lot over the two days, with him shearing in the clean shears competition.  I was at my stand signing books but I heard that a woman won the intermediate event, which is great news.   Below is where they hold the competition. (This is what I wrote about in Heart of Gold)

And here is Nigel in the final of the Open. The guys beside them are the judges, who hold a counter and click on any points from second cuts etc that they see. They then rotate onto the next shearer so its evenly judged.

Nigel, being a full time farmer, hadn’t done any shearing in ages. So its still impressive to see him pick up a handpiece and end up in a final. Don’t think his body liked it much and I bet he’s back off to the chiropractor again soon.

 

Also I got to sneak off to see some sheep judging and support my best friend who has a Border Leicester stud.  Their ewe took out top honours.

It was a great few days. I sold lots of books, meat heaps of wonderful people and I’ve spend the last few days with the fashion parade songs going around in my head!!  Thanks to everyone who came and said ‘hello’.  Don’t forget to enter the competition for my book in The Countryman paper. x

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Work

Okay, for those of you who are wondering what i’ve been up to since finishing the first draft on Sarah’s Journey…well work!  I’ve taken two weeks off work…shop work, not mum or author work….and managed to sand back and re-varnish our front doors and re-oil the deck.  Yes, my back is soooo sore but it had to be done.

I don’t know about you, but it was worth it, as it all looks vibrant and almost new again. I even bee’s waxed our french doors, which is the second set of doors, that go into our bedroom.  I love the smell of bee’s wax floating through the house…my husband, not so much.

But its not all hard work! I went into town yesterday and caught up with family. A new baby Hicks to cuddle and gush over…yes, i’m one of those clucky people over babies.  What can I say, I can handle a bit of baby poop and vomit…argumentative, rude, naughty 7 and 5 year olds…not so much. (And they are no where near teenagers yet *sigh*)

While doing all this ‘other’ stuff, my writers brain is still ticking over, have no fear.  Already trying to fine tune some thoughts for the fourth book – a little more research is needed yet before I can write my outline. Then there is my YA book I wrote I would like to go back over and do another draft on.  But today I really need to get some bookwork done. Just looking at the pile of bits is making my head hurt.  So off I must go, before I find something better to do….like the six books on my TBR pile. x

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Friends

We were lucky enough to spend Christmas and New Year on the coast.  Nearly ten days of bliss where we got to escape the heat and hot winds back home.  From the tiny caravan kitchen we managed to prepare a roast dinner fit for a king. Although it was lost on my daughter who is a fussy eater lol. 

I love the park where we stay, so sheltered and surrounded by trees.  The kids ride their bikes and go and play with other kids and have a wonderful time.  My daughter made a friend, a really good friend. So much so, she cried when she left and wrote her a letter the moment we got home.  I think thats whats nice about going there, sometimes you can meet new friendly people…then they know people you know and your like…wow, small world. 

So hopefully the girls stay in contact and keep writing.  I had a pen friend since year one and she lives in Canada and we still keep in contact.  I’m a bit of a letter writer…even though my handwriting sucks…but growing up I was always writing letters to my gran or my friends and family.  (hmmm didn’t have email back then, or text messaging) But I still like to write the odd letter now, because I know how much I love getting mail. (not the ones with the windows!!!)

I’m running the shop full time at the moment, while the boss is away on holidays but will be back writing …have no fear.  Just ordered books for the launch and starting to plan it. Yes, i’m very excited lol.   My next blog with be the book cover and trailer! x

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Xmas

On Saturday we had a visit from Santa and the whole town and more rocked up to watch the kids get their presents. Can you believe there are just over fifty presents under the tree!!!  We were most upset to find the mice had a munch on the red velvet on Santa’s chair but we were able to hide it.  It was a great night but I was totally worn out and now we have just under another year before we need to think about organising the next one.

It’s forcast as a ripper hot one here for Christmas (38-40) so we are lucky to be heading to the coast.  Wost thing is packing up all the pressies…only to bring them all back lol. Looking forward to sitting by the beach with a good book.  And i have lots to pick from as I have about seven to read!!  hmm don’t think i will get through them all in a week! I’d love to get through one!

Any way I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas. I love Christmas for the fact that it brings families together.  Also I wish you all the best for the New Year.  Great things to come in 2011!!

I have put up the trailer for Heart of Gold on my facebook page, but it will be up on the website in January for those who don’t fb.

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Christmas

This was my car Sunday arvo, looking like Santa’s sleigh.  Filled to the brim with pressents.  My mate Lea and myself headed to Perth for the yearly shop.  Our numbers have dropped this year to 50 kids.  Big kids moving on and not many little ones being born.  So we didn’t have to find as many gifts this year.  We know all the kids, and try to get the biggest and best pressy with our set limit of $.  We take our job very seriously as the Christmas tree has been on every year since 1929…from memory… and is the biggest attended event our town has. 

We are a bit bummed we wern’t successful with our grant this year. (Especially being such a tough year for the community/farmers) It means we have to charge people for the bbq packs.  We try to fundraise throughout the year so we cover this cost as the xmas tree is such a great thing for families and the community to come together, but in a small town its really hard.  There are not many volunteers left as everyone already has a million other jobs they volunteer for.  But that won’t stop the party going on.  We always like to have a few little surprises up our sleeves for the big night also…and this year is no exception.  Last year we started a colouring competition for the kids. One way to brighten the hall with all their Christmas artwork and we have a secret voting system to pick out the winners for each group.  Hopefully ALL the kids remember to bring them this year…don’t forget mums!…we don’t want upset kids who have left their treasured pictures at home.

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