Archive for February, 2009

Beaut Ute!

My lifelong dream has come true! I’ve at last got a flash ute! Here he is… my big red throbber!

This Holden V8 is not the sort of thing an environmentally conscious mother of two ought to buy, but I thought bugger it! This Bundy Mum is going places… the first stop, Buckland Pub with my friends Steve and Alastair Turvey.

I’ve promised to plant trees lots to cover over my environmental footprint that just got a bit larger, and I’m now aiming to get to the Denni Ute muster when my new book is at last finished.

Work hard, play hard and keep reaching for your dreams… no matter how odd your dreams are!

Writing deadlines!

People say hurry up and write my next book! Well I’m trying!

If you think I have a life where I swan glamorously into my writing studio to spend hours churning out a brilliant piece of prose, think again.

A born writer is one that writes no matter what and one who writes under any and all conditions. These are my conditions. Help! But I’m determined to meet my October publication deadline for The Cattleman’s Daughter!

Puppies with Talent

I was so proud to see my friend Paul Macphail with his working dogs on the TV show, Australia’s Got Talent. Watch below to see the puppies play on national telly! Keep watching soon for Paul in the next round! Good on you Paul!

Fiction becomes fact

Fire is a central theme of my new novel The Cattleman’s Daughter. Months ago I wrote firestorm scenes that chillingly predicted last weeks’ devastating Victorian fires.

Its no surprise to me though, as fire is always forefront in our minds. Since I’ve been in the Treasure family, their Alpine homestead has narrowly escaped burning three times, in three major fires of 2003, 2006 and 2009. While the devastating fires last week have been a shock to all, an inferno has been forecast by many cattlemen for a long time.

The Treasure family and other cattlemen used to cool burn regularly in the same pattern as the aboriginals but have been restricted in their burning practice by government since 1910.

Former grazing runs, now classed as Alpine National Park are no longer grazed nor burned and I seriously doubt that plants and animals are protected at all as the sign says. Fires hotter than hell have gutted the area so that the landscape and the wildlife has altered forever.

Needless to say we are blessed that our immediate friends and family were safe from the fires and the White Timber Spur fire miraculously petered out just a mile or so from the Treasure Station homestead built in 1900.

Our thoughts and prayers are sent to those less fortunate.

Come to the country!

While I’ve pulled back on community work due to the commitments of my novel, my husband John is flat out getting ready for our local market and museum open next week.

Come along, buy some of our own Treasure Lamb being sold under the Levendale Old Style Lamb banner and enjoy a great day out.

Hopefully you may be inspired to stay and enroll your children in our dear little Levendale Primary School that has just one term to boost its numbers above 15 to survive! Our district is close to heaven on earth so come and get a taste!

Download our flyer here.