Goodness me, but it's been a month! Yes, I know, it's technically the middle of November, but I'm only just coming up for air - briefly - before the next whirlwind. In the past four weeks, we've celebrated both of my big kids' birthdays, along with mine. The Kid (Taylor, my youngest) took me out to the Barossa Valley for my birthday - at the time, I posted photos of the great bruise she gave me - leaping on top of me to avoid a snake - on my socials. But injuries aside, we had a beautiful day with high tea at Chateau Barossa (including bubbles) and a visit to the Lyndoch Lavender Farm
With that barely over, I had a week of interviewing Fleur McDonald as she undertakes a massive roadtrip to celebrate her 20th novel. Fleur and I caught up at Burnside Library, Murray Bridge Library, and Mt Barker Library.
I'll post the funny photos here - if I put them on social media, The Kid goes through and deletes them....she'll never find these. Muhahaha. Notice how Fleur sits there looking elegant and collected...and I'm talking with the hands (and the face!)
Also, I got to fangirl over RACHAEL JOHNS!! at my local library. As you will have noticed, Rachael kindly offered a cover endorsement for THE RIVER GUM COTTAGE
In other news (because if I'm actually going to write a blog, obviously it has to cover months, as I so rarely get to it!) the menagerie has grown exponentially. We're now talking cats (multiples!) dog, geese, ducks, chickens, three lambs and a magpie....all rescues or rehomes.
Life is never dull - and breakfast is never late - around here!
I'm a little sad, as I'm about to head out to the farm in five minutes' to try to persuade Bambi (the black and white dorper lamb in the bottom centre photo) that really she can live in a paddock with her step-siblings. The fifteen weeks of her life have been spent on a rug alongside my bed, or at my feet whilst I'm typing. The problem is (well, ONE of the problems!) she has taken to eating electrical cords. I'm down two sets of earphones (one only two days old!) two iphone chargers, an electric blanket, a wifi connector, an electric mixer.... I could potentially live with the losses, but she's eating the cables in preference to good, sheepy stuff, so the time has come....if you can't find me for a few days, it'll be because I've pitched a tent in the paddock so the separation isn't so harsh.
One last piece of news: WE'RE ON TOUR!!! After three years of cancellations, we're making good on our promises to a load of venues in Victoria and NSW. Details in the oooh-so-fancy tile I created below. Of course, I'm not so clever that I can add the late bookings onto that tile, so just to keep you up-to-date, we're also doing Sovereign Hill, Ballarat (to catch up with The guys from HappyValley BooksRead...so excited!) on Saturday/Sunday 26/27th, and Glenarm-Kerang Aged Care Residential Village at 6pm on 28th November.
It's a packed schedule! We ('we' being me and The Kid, of course!) are also looking to visit some SE South Australia and Western Victoria libraries that couldn't be fit onto this tour, but have asked us to swing by. Probably late January '23, stay tuned!
FINALLY (because I really must stop procrastinating and get Bambi out to the farm) it's almost that time of year, isn't it? I can't believe it- I'm nowhere near ready for Christmas...in fact, I'm so disorganised, I still owe my son a birthday gift for November.
So, lovely readers, MERRY CHRISTMAS!! I wish you and your loved ones a beautiful season filled with peace, love...and, of course, books!
(stock photo image, credit Robert Linder, Unsplash)
Do pop on here or my socials to respond: otherwis,e I feel like I'm talking in a vacuum. Or to a dog. Cat. Sheep. Magpie. Chook. Goose...
Lee xx