PRE- ORDER Fleur's newest novel 'Into the Night'
My kids are learning about alliteration’s at the moment. According to their teacher, that means consecutive words starting with the same letter, hence the title of this blog! They came up with it. Our mornings have been stunning recently; the fog seems to roll in about seven AM and you can literally see the tentacles…
Fires can be frightening. They’re unpredictable, one moment moving slowly, the next whipping across a paddock, fuelled by strong winds and dry grass or stubbles. However, this is the time of year that we chose to burn. Chilly mornings and nights, gives us a chance to do what we call a ‘slow burn or…
Whoa! That is one record bad cover, hey? So the year was 1988 and there was some pretty good songs in the top ten. In fact I think I’ve heard more of this year’s songs on the radio than the year we did last week, 1987! Top Ten: 1. I’ve had the time of…
Introducing Fleur and David Ferris. Fleur and her family farm on properties near Bunnaloo in Southern NSW. Fleur’s story is number 20 in our quest to feature 52 farming stories in 52 weeks. Introduction My name is Fleur Ferris. I live on our 1000 acre irrigation farm in Bunnaloo, southern New South Wales, with my husband, David, and…
The name Liz Harfull is well known in media and country ciricles alike. She is an award-winning journalist and Churchill Fellow who grew up on a small farm near Mt Gambier which has been in the family since the early 1860s. She worked for several newspapers before spending twelve years with a leading national public relations…
Mum’s are so important – let’s face it, without them none of us would be here! Although there are times I wonder if they are the unsung hero’s of the world. I mean, who, other than a mum, will be up with a child, rubbing their back and offering comforting words, as they vomit, or…
Do ever feel you can define your life with songs? I do. During earlier posts, I’ve talked about my love of music and how is it a huge part of my life. What I’m really interested in is what music makes your world go around? I went to Boarding school from 1987 to 1991.…
Introducing Elizabeth Brennan. Elizabeth and her family farm on properties between Wongan Hills and Moora in the WA Wheatbelt. Elizabeth’s story is number 19 in our quest to feature 52 farming stories in 52 weeks. 1. Summary of your family and farming enterprise I remember thinking as a young tacker the only thing I would change about…
I’m off to Perth next week with a great book under my arm. Karly Lane’s new book Morgan’s Law just somehow jumped into my hands, when I was in the Book Shop last week! North Star (Karly’s first book) was a great read and I’ve no doubt that Morgan’s Law will be the same…
Thursday presented itself as a big day. We had about one thousand lambs to mark. The first thing about that statement is: I know my back is going to hurt. The second thing: ‘Are you we going to be able to get a mob that size in the yards?’ It’s a scary thought. Imagine one…
Two of the main towns mentioned in Purple Roads, is Spalding and Clare. Last week I was lucky enough to be back in South Australia to promote Purple Roads. I had an event in Clare but I also drove through Spalding. I went to the parking bay I had Matt frequenting and I drove a…
Some of you may remember back in July or so of last year, we got a new working puppy. Her name is Meita and you can read about some of her adventures here. It’s been a while since I’ve posted about her – mainly because she is such a busy dog, it’s hard to catch…
Touring is a part of being an author, but a part I find slightly confronting. I’m much better off behind a computer screen than public speaking. However, my Papa always told me it was important to push outside of my comfort zone, so bearing all this mind, I set off, last Sunday, on a flight…
Introducing Jo Bear, Farmer and Mother, Loddon Vale, Victoria. My Story I live on a 4000 ha farm with my husband Greg and our 3 young boys. We also farm with Greg’s brother Graeme and his wife Rosina and their 2 children.
Welcome to Cathryn Hein whose new book, Heart of the Valley has just hit the shelves. Having picked this book up in the airport on the way home, after my Purple Roads tour, it was luxury just to sink into it, while having four hours on interrupted flight time and just read. Here’s Cathryn:…
Introducing Graham and Cathy Finlayson and their daughter Harriet who own and manage ‘Bokhara Plains’ at Brewarrina in NSW. Their story is Number 16 in our quest to feature 52 farming stories in 52 weeks. 1. Summary of your family and farming enterprise Bokhara Plains… is 7,200 Hectares of open plains country nestled between the Bokhara…
Introducing Anna Redden. Anna and her family, farm in the Somerton region of NSW. Stud summary – Triple A Angus Stud was established in 1997, by sisters Eliza, Anna and Emma Redden. Since this day through natural increase and guidance from our Stud Principles (Mum and Dad) we have watched the ladies grow in numbers.…
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I have just watched a heifer have her calf. There is nothing more special than watching a brand new life come into the world, be it animal or human. A “heifer” is a first time mum and like all of us, when we’re first timers, they’ve got some things to learn. She sniffed it…
Welcome to Pip Courtney, who I have to admit is one of my heros in the journalism game. Pip is the ABC Landline presenter and and highly regarded journalist. I’m thrilled to have her here today, talking about the what changes, regarding women, she’s seen in agriculture since she started with Landline – and let…
The straw that breaks the camels back in Purple Roads, is when a load of fertiliser is stolen from Matt and Anna’s farm. This happened in Esperance a few years ago – a whole truckload just vanished into thin air. Word on the street had it crossing two borders into NSW and landing at…