Archive for the 'Only in the country' Category

Sunrise

Rachael will feature on Sunrise Tomorrow Morning (Friday 2nd July) around 6:45am Talking about value of rural community.

Be sure to check it out.

Beaut Utes and Rural Youth

What a thrill to judge my first Beaut Ute competition at Campbell Town Show on the weekend. Rural Youth hosted the comp and I was lucky enough to join expert mechanic Tony Briscoe of Caltex Campbell Town and expert Aussie, Sam Keckovitch of Aussie Lamb Campaign fame as my co-judges. It was really tough picking the winners of the categories which included best V8, best 6, best street ute, best 4×4 and best feral/rural ute. Sam’s special prize was given to a revving yellow ute with every bit of gear on it imaginable. Sam’s reasoning for the award was, ‘he got his first root in a yellow ute!’ 

Well done to all competitors and to show organisers. My highlights were the mechanical bull riding, the Smithfield Dog competition and the ‘Man Cake’ competition in the home industries section, won by my cousin Douglas Loane for his outstanding Apple and Walnut cake. He pipped Bobcat at the post who had made a tiered chocolate cake and Camby’s cake that looked like a chop. Well done culinary boys. If you haven’t been to Campbell Town Show in Tassie then it’s a show not to be missed. Country culture at its best. So good it found its way into my novel, The Rouseabout. 

Hold your Horses!

A lot of money is spent in the horse industry helping people to become more confident riders. Last Easter Monday we found the best way of relaxing with your equine friend. Simply combine Strawberry Schnapps with a Wonder Woman outfit and you can ride like the wind. Our behaviour couldn’t get too out of hand as we had sexy mounted Police Woman Sally in the saddle to keep us in line. Steph made a great Number 26 for Woodsdale in her hubby’s footy gear and Brad and Deb looked ultra coupley-cute as Micky and Mini Mouse. At one point Wonder Woman One, Jess, got us lost on the Brown Mountain Ridgeline because the Bundy mucked up her inner compass, but we all made it back to the farm house for a Meaburn special fry up. It’s little wonder I never run out of ideas for novels with these cranks around.

Click here to view more photos from the day.

Out and About

Perfect weather, a happy community vibe and beers after at the fireshed meant our day at the Back to Woodsdale Picnic was a perfect one! We took along the working dogs and did a few demos. It was a perfect chance to show off our FastGrass fodder too. And I signed a few books and the kids had a ball on the little train that carted folk from the Woodsdale Hall to the museum. The Woodsdale/Levendale Museum members did a top job organising the day and let’s hope the event generated funds for our wonderful little community. A big thanks from me to Gus from the Bridgewater PCYC for his jumping castle! Combine a few rums, my friend Kathy Mace and me with a jumping castle and you are asking for acts of hilarity!

Impulsion!

Up until recently I’ve never had good gear to ride in. The hard crappy saddle and old jeans did the job. I didn’t even have a decent horse to call my own until my buckskin ‘Dreams’ found me. I now have the most amazing saddle designed in Australia by internationally renowned movie horse trainer Heath Harris and handcrafted in Mexico as part of his Hawkesbury River Saddlery Company. Up until recently too, you would NEVER catch me in a pair of joddies! No way known! Too posh for me. That was until Jen moved to our district. She’s come up with a fantastic design that suits the bush riding I do. To top it all her Impulsion Jodhpurs (www.impulsion.com.au) are a wool blend and because we are woolgrowers I am even more excited about this luscious Levendale product! I know this sounds like an advertisement, but I’m all for supporting my friends who are creating exciting lives and top Australian gear. Hope to see you all soon at equusinspiration.com where you can also meet Jen and Heath.

Fair amount of fun

Recently we headed to the Triabunna School Flower Show and Craft Fair to represent Levendale Primary School – our little country school with the big heart!

My young Charlie was a great help with our homegrown produce and later I was judge of the dog show. I just love country community and our little school is going from strength to strength.

We now have 17 children at the school – but we need more kids!

So if you are looking to live in a rural district and educate your children in a school that feels more like a family than an institution, google the Runnymede, Woodsdale, Levendale area for real estate – in particular Falls Real Estate.

Living legend

We met some top people at Deni, and one of the best was Ninga.

She had made a heap of singlets for her mates with the funniest slogans on the back. I nearly split my sides laughing when she showed me what she had on her bluey!

If I’d had more time to hang out with her and her hubby, I reckon we’d be dangerous combined! Thanks Ninga for being a living legend.

I write my books for girls like you! Sincere, clever, down to earth and with a wicked sense of humour. A pleasure to meet you!

World record made!

John and I helped make history for marvellous wide brown land that is Australia at the recent Deni Ute Muster.

We took part in the very meaningful Guinness Book of Records challenge of amassing the most number of blue shearer’s singlets in one spot.

This shot was taken before the arena filled inside and out and the scene was something out of a Gladiator movie!

I don’t know the final tally but I do know we broke the record and there were singlets there in the thousands.

Most were on the people, but some women chose to have major ‘wardrobe malfunctions’ just so the crowd could go wild! The event was pure Aussie gold!

Runnymede Runneth Over

With reader copies of my new book, The Cattleman’s Daughter, to post I had to swap Holdens to get across our road. I wasn’t driving my V8 through that!

So far this year we’ve had nearly 30 inches of rain and the Runnymede countryside is looking how it did when I was a kid.

We’re in for a bumper spring/summer and we are smiling back up at those lovely rain gods. It’s now too wet to move, but after four years of drought I’m not complaining!

Wet Woodsdale Winners

With this much rain lately it would be easy to say ‘the drought is broken’, but farming isn’t like that.

It’ll take years and a consecutive run of good seasons for our farm business to inch back from the drought. There’s livestock numbers to build back up, pastures to renovate, fodder reserves to rebuild and children who have been born into a drought to educate!

At the footy, after a decent drop of rain, my boy Charlie climbed out of the ute and stepped into a quagmire. Puzzled at the muddy mess, he said, ‘Mummy, who did poos all over the ground?’

He had never seen the world so wet in his four year old life! After a run of wet footy games that have delivered Woodsale into the final, Charlie is now educated about puddles and gumboot levels.

Here he watches dad and the team swim their way to victory at Campania on Saturday.