Now here's a funny story... I went to Sydney last week for six days. Six days with lots of different meetings and activities required at least seven different outfits, shoes to go with them and all the toiletries, etc you need.

I've been thinking about re-inventing my blog for some time, and now that time is right here. I used to love writing blogs - they would get my fingers all warmed up for writing during the day, and I LOVED sharing photos and little stories of my farming life with you all.

Thinking ahead is critical in life. Planning is important. You'd think at nearly 44, I would understand this. So, today (Saturday morning) I fail to understand why I have woken up with a slight hangover and found there to be no cold pizza in the house for breakfast.

Who would have thought, ten years ago, when I first started writing about Detective Dave Burrows in Red Dust, that he would have become everyone's favourite character and now have his own series? Certainly not me!

This entrepreneurial businesswoman, who was born and bred in Kununurra,  has recently been named Western Australian winner of the RIRDC Rural Women's Award and one of Business Women Australia's Women on the Rise.

Okay, so on the 21st March, this is about to happen... Detective Dave Burrows is launched into his own series. Hopefully Fool's Gold will be the first of many adventures he takes us on.

"Passion for the land is a pure and marvellous thing! Dream big, work hard, take advantage of the wealth of knowledge out there …but most of all, take the time to listen to your heart. It won’t always be easy, but it WILL be worthwhile."

“I am driven to improve agriculture and the viability of rural communities, and to show others just like me that we can do anything!”

— Dr Jillian Kelly

Meet Jack. He's the new addition to the McDonald household. He's a gorgeous, energetic, five-year-old Kelpie from Woonwooring Kelpies at Cunderdin. Why, might you ask, does someone who lives in town and writes books for a living need a Kelpie?

Welcome to my series, Bush Lanterns, highlighting women in the rural and agricultural sector! There are so many amazing and wonderful women who don’t always get recognised for what they do, and I feel it’s my job to be able to bring them to you.

“Don’t be afraid of being the only woman in the room. People judge more on ability, smarts and character, so just be yourself and prove your knowledge, and you will be able to talk to anyone.”

— Laura Bennett

Success isn't an accident. A dream doesn't become reality through just clicking your fingers. It takes sweat, determination and hard work. There aren't secrets to success, just as there aren't any get-rich-quick schemes.

Work hard but also work smart. Keep up with what is happening around you. You don’t have to attend every meeting, workshop, etc., but you can always find out what is happening by staying in contact with others who do get to attend.

Esperance received a fair bit of rain on Thursday. Rain is one of my all-time favourite parts of Mother Nature. I grew up in the mid-north of SA, where it wasn’t a common occurrence, and as a farmer, I know there are good times for rain and others not so great.

Not all abuse is physical. Domestic Violence is another form of terrorism. Why? Terrorism creates fear, and fear is what these people live with daily. Fear of what will happen next.

I've been a little quiet on the blog for the last couple of months - there has been a reason why! It's been busy!

So, my very important information. What is it?

In April, I'm branching out into General Women's Fiction with The Missing Pieces of Us. It's been so much fun to write this story about Lauren, her daughter Skye and Tamara. All women who face serious challenges in their lives.

I can't tell you how excited I am to be releasing my first women's fiction novel, The Missing Pieces of Us. It will be available on the 29th of March 2017, but you are able to pre-order now.

That crazy time of the year in between Christmas and New Year, when no one seems to know what day it is, has passed us by once again!

Hand-me-down recipes from previous generations are a wonderful heirloom. I love it when we get to Christmas time, and I can open my old, tattered, food-stained, handwritten recipe book and start cooking food from my Nana or Aunty.