Rain and Reading Piles

Sunrise on McBrae

I know I’ve been a bit quiet on the farming blogs lately – sorry about that! I’m sure you understand getting kids on holidays and then getting them back to school. Covering books, naming clothes, making sure school uniforms fit and all of those sorts of jobs.

My kids were so excited to be starting the new school year. It’s quite amazing to think my eldest is going to be in Year Seven. I bet I’m not the only one who can remember their child’s first day at kindy with such clarity, it should have been yesterday, not eight years ago. So, it’s back to grindstone of school lunches…

We had the remnants of cyclone Iggy pass through during the week and this sunrise (above) was taken the morning after we received 19mm of welcome rain.

During the last week of school holidays I was really lucky to catch up with fellow author and friend, Fiona Palmer. Although we mostly make do with phone conversations, there is nothing like a face to face chat. I can assure you there was much silence at our table while we were having lunch! Fiona’s new book, The Road Home, is due on within days of Purple Roads and as we’re both writing a fourth book, writers block, plots and characters were at the top of the list to talk about.

Authors Fiona Palmer and Fleur McDonald

Also during the holidays I started to take my kids to library and leave them there to choose their own books. I can’t believe how much they’ve loved doing that. One day after leaving them there, I snuck back in through the back door so they didn’t know I was there and went browsing myself. I can’t tell you how long it’s been since I did that! I found a wonderful book titled ‘A Darker Music‘ by Maris Morton. Nicole Alexander wrote a quote saying ‘An evocative story layered with mystery, longing and regret that shows what the human heart can endure.’ And, since it is set in the heart of rural Western Australia, I grabbed it off the shelf. Nicole’s quote is spot on. I’ve decided, for The National Year of Reading, to make a book recommendation once a month and A Darker Music is it for February.

Linda Ripper is sharing her to-be-read pile with us this week. She’s got some fantastic looking books in there. Patrick Swayze: One Last Dance is also on my list. Being a Dirty Dancing fanatic and all…

Linda Ripper's to-be-read pile

Linda writes: “Stacked in no order, the book I am currently reading is standing…
I do have a few favorite authors but also if I am out and I see something interesting I do pick up other books/authors, hence the Patrick Swayze amongst them…
Erica James is my current favor author…
Catherine Cookson was the first ever author that I would go searching for her books everywhere and anywhere, second hand book shops is a must for some of her earlier writtings… My family got in the habit of giving me a hardcover edition of her books as gifts… I still have all of her books that I have gathered so far but I am missing a book here and there… Was a sad day when she passed away, but I am lucky to have found Mauve, Susan, Erica and yourself to give me new books to read…”