Fleur McDonald is one of Australia’s leading rural literature authors, with her books becoming best sellers almost as quickly as they hit the shelves. Having sold over 500,000 copies of her books, she has solidified her position as one of the country’s favourite storytellers.

Meita’s first ute ride

There comes a time in every dog’s life, when they graduate to riding in the back of the ute.  Believe it or not there is a lot to learn about riding in the back of a wobbling, moving and bouncing piece of tin! We always tie our dogs on because no matter how seasoned a…

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The thunder rolls and the rain falls

  It hasn’t really rained when we wanted it to – well, not in the amounts we would like to have seen this year. The dams around the district have been drying to a puddle, and most farmers that have stock are worried about how they will water them. Us included. It’s amazing how a…

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Sometimes, windows are my eyes

Last week, after many power outages and surges, the microwave blew up closely followed by the TV. I’m not casting any aspersions that the power caused the demise of my two electrical appliances, but it does seem coincidental. We rarely watch TV and I thought I hardly used the microwave…  However not two days after…

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Hay, bales of hay!

Making hay is one of the fun things about the farm … unless you get hay fever, like I do!   For the last few weeks I’ve been sneezing my head off and will continue to do so until harvest has finished.     Rye grass, grain dust, normal dust and ‘fines’ (minuscule particles of…

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The Sunny Cowgirls & the Esperance show

I heard the other day, through some form of media that people seem to think that the Agricultural Shows are dying. I beg to differ. Yesterday The Boss donned his good clothes, the kids counted their pocket money and I packed my camera and we drove the 100km to the Esperance & Districts Agricultural show.…

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The scent of hay

The Esperance Show is next Friday and Saturday and without fail we are usually making hay. Many years ago, we would be showing lambs or involved with the carcass competition (both cattle and sheep), but good quality hay is now more important that anything else. Especially when the season cuts in early like it has…

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And the thunder rolls…

Weather is such an interchangeable thing. And sometimes it changes within minutes. The boss came home for lunch today – a luxury at this time of year, what with hay making, shearing and lambs to weigh, all in the next twenty four hours. After a cup of tea and a chat, he wandered back out…

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Dads and Daughters

Every daughter has a special relationship with her father. Mine is no different. I love my Dad to the moon and back and I’m so proud of what he has achieved in his life and the obstacles he’s had to over come to do it. A few weeks ago, Mum and Dad flew to Alice…

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A rude awakening

Yesterday was busy to say the least. But then again, it seems that’s the norm in my world and has been for many years! We’ve got over one thousand prime lambs ready to leave this morning and tomorrow. We’re also (still) shearing and the hay is nearly ready to be cut – time for me…

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Meet Meita

Meita (pronounced ‘metre’) is our new pup. We seem to have a few coming along don’t we? Well unfortunately Buck and Hogget both were killed by snakes, last year, so the only working dog we have at the moment is Wally (also know as Law – our dogs have about five (nick) names but they…

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My new editor

  I’m lucky enough to have a writing partner. He’s pretty good at what he does; he keeps my feet warm, doesn’t answer back and sits there with his head to one side listening to me argue with myself about plot points. It seems that I often bore him though. That’s when he will lie…

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Stop and smell the (canola) flowers

      I’m not sure why it’s heart wrenching, incomprehensible tragedies that make us stop and look at our lives – I don’t understand why we can’t see what we have until something happens. Why have I enjoyed the hugs I’ve had from my children more this week than others? Why couldn’t I appreciate…

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Fencing

If there is one thing I don’t enjoy on the farm, it’s pulling down old fences. It’s hard, and by the time I had finished on Wednesday, the palms of my hands had tiny punctures wounds all over them from the barbed wire. Gloves you say? Well if I’d had warning that was the job…

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A normal Saturday…

It’s been a busy Saturday on ‘McDonald’s Farm’, (we skip the old bit, coz we’re not there yet!) First up was the weekly crop check. It’s not only humans that like going on crop checks. The canines of love it too. They must love the feel of the leaves in their faces or something, because…

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Spring has sprung

I thought I’d share some photos I’ve taken this week. It’s been a strange mix of weather: warm and humid, inky black skies and heavy drizzle. Normal spring weather. The sounds of spring are about. There is a constant buzzing – flies. There’s the bellow of sheep as we get them into the yards to…

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