Archive for September, 2008

Green, but great!

Our little Waler gelding, Whipcrack has graduated from greenbroke horse to little legend. These school holidays, our friends, the Dare girls, took Whippy for a whirl and our first born Akbar foal has proved to be a star.

Quiet, sensible, obliging and with a sense of humour, Whipcrack has been a gem from the start. Georgie rode him out with us as we searched for lost sheep on the plantation country surrounding our farm.

He bowled over ploughed ground, pushed through scrub and Georgie, who is still a weanling herself, handled him with all the skill and confidence a country girl can have!

Despite riding the ranges we didn’t find our sheep. There’s more country to cover and with school back this week, it’s my turn to ride Whippy out and I can’t wait!

A Bloody Good Place to Live!

This Sunday, we’re showcasing the reason why Levendale and its surrounding districts are such a bloody good place to live! Come along at 10am for a day of fun at the Levendale Hall and Primary School Grounds.

I’ll be there with my working dogs and books — or I can sign your old original copies for you. In fact, I’ll sign anything you like — from utes and hats, to buffed, tanned torsos or beer bellies. Feel free to ask!

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It’s a boy! No, a girl! No a boy!

While I was away at the Writer’s Centre Edith had her second foal to our Waler stallion, Akbar.

The foal was born on a really windy night and with almost snow conditions forecast, John decided to take mother and baby to our neighbour’s stable.

Despite the close contact, I was told the foal was a girl.

When I got home and went to look at her with my friend Leeanne definitely noticed something that female foals don’t have!

Due to the windy night and the initial gender confusion, we have decided to call this little foal, Willy Willy, because we are now certain it’s a boy!

Woodsdale Wins!

Yep! Our team on the scene that’s dressed in red and green have done it! We won the flag, beating Swansea.

The celebrations went all weekend, through to “Mad Monday” which included an unscheduled trip to the Tunnack Club for the stayers.

If you’re looking for the flag Kayesie, Johnny Treasure is the culprit!

Writer’s bliss

I’m back from being a true, arty-farty writer at the Tasmanian Writer’s Centre’s cottage in Hobart’s historic Battery Point! For the first time in my writing career I’ve had the 10-day luxury of devoting all my time to my work.

I had very little distractions; there were no bulls trying to get through fences, no dogs barking at unplanned visitors, no sheep, chooks, ducks or horses wanting a feed. No domestics!

I truly got into the flow of my fourth novel and lived and breathed the book day and night.

Needless to say I was hugely productive and wrote over 35,000 words during my stay and took my novel into the final third stage of the manuscript.

There’s still hours and hours more work to do, but this retreat at the cottage has propelled me forward in a way I never thought possible.

I also never thought I’d enjoy city living, but this little working holiday in Hobart allowed me to forget the drought back home for a time and treat myself to lattes at yuppy coffee shops — where it seems there is never a drought.

For once I felt like a real writer, even editing my manuscript at a cafe like a true writer-wanker! Not like a frazzled farmer’s wife and mother trying to shove a bit of writing in around the edges of my life.

Thanks wholeheartedly to the TWC for the cottage. I’ll be renting it again soon, in between shearings so I can finish the manuscript!

Peace & Quiet

Finding space, silence and time to write is a challenge to anyone, but as a mum with small kids, a farm, a drought, and community commitments, my novel writing has taken a back seat.

Those of you who are eagerly awaiting my fourth novel will be pleased to know I have a remedy!

Chris from the Tasmanian Writer’s Centre has offered me their writer’s cottage in Hobart and that’s where I’ll be for the next two weeks bashing out a good portion of my new book.

Might just find a little time to tinkle the keys of the antique Lipps piano, shown above, which is housed there.

I’m hoping that by the time I return to the farm we would’ve had a good two inches of rain, the school will be still open next year and my manuscript will be nearly finished as opposed to only just started.

Yay! I’m so excited. The TWC cottage is a rural novelists dream come true. Thank you!