Juggling

Posted on December 10, 2011 by Bron

Two computers, a sewing machine, some knitting… this is the current state of my desk, as I juggle numerous tasks. (Actually, there’s another laptop – my new one – just behind the old one.)

Now that the uni marking is all done, I’m doing some Christmas sewing and knitting, finalising the sampler for the Australian Romantic Suspense website, catching up with ‘paper’work, finishing setting up the new computers, and working on copyedits for Dead Heat.

There will be a proper blog post sometime soon… and maybe even a new cover to share 🙂

But in the meantime, I know my regular readers are wondering how our newest family member is settling in. I think the following photos will answer that question quite eloquently:

Skye, our 9 month-old Border Collie, with her toys

Gordon and Skye

Things Skye likes about this place:

  1. When it’s raining, she gets to sleep in the Really Big Kennel!
  2. The humans are trainable, especially when it comes to playing and snuggling!
  3. When she chews a toy to bits, a human sometimes gives her a new toy!
  4. The humans have treats in their pockets sometimes!
  5. It’s such fun to pull the stuffing out of the doggy cushions; a human usually comes along and puts it back, then she can pull it out again! It’s a great game!
  6. Carrots! Crunchy, munchy bits of raw carrot!
Yep, I’d say she’s settled in fine…
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A little visitor

Posted on October 28, 2011 by Bron

We hadn’t planned to get another dog so soon. Tansy is lonely without her sister, but we were going to wait a little, see how we all settle.

But you know how it goes…. the father of a colleague of Gordon’s breeds Border Collies. We’d resisted getting one of his puppies a month or two back, because we still had two then, and didn’t know how a little puppy would go, especially with Jaffa and her seizures. But today at work, the friend told Gordon that his Dad has a 7 month-old dog, who was being held for someone else, who unfortunately now can’t take her…

The ‘I’ll bring in some photos’ quickly became ‘I’ll bring in the dog for a trial visit so you can see how she gets on with you all”…

.. and so Skye came home with Gordon tonight for a ‘visit’:

Skye, our 'visiting' Border Collie puppie, tucked under Gordon's arm with Tansy getting pats

Skye is on the left, cuddling up to Gordon, somewhat overwhelmed by all the new things.

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Girls’ Afternoon In at Bellingen

Posted on October 26, 2011 by Bron

Tomorrow, I’m heading ‘down the hill’ to Bellingen for the Girls’ Afternoon In at Bellingen Library, with fellow authors Karly Lane, Suzanne Brandyn, and Kerri Williams, and organised by the lovely Sharon Luthman of Clarence Regional Library. I’m really looking forward to it – should be a great afternoon of laughs and fun, meeting new readers, plus it’s all in a good cause – a gold coin donation is requested with all proceeds going to the Cancer Council-Girls Night In, fund-raising campaign.

If you’re in the Coffs/Bellingen/Dorrigo area, do come along! (But it will help out the organisers if you book in advance – ph 6655 1744.) The afternoon starts at 2pm, and it’s in the Bellingen Library, right in the main street of Bello. Why not make a day of it in Bellingen – shopping, bookshops, lunch in a Bello cafe – who can resist??

Girls Afternoon In at Bellingen flyer

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One last day…

Posted on October 21, 2011 by Bron

(Warning – you may need tissues for this post.)

Our beloved Jaffa, The Princess Dog, has advanced bladder cancer, and in the past week or so her quality of life has diminished. Tomorrow morning, our vet will come to visit, and assist her to the place where food o’clock comes lots of times a day (and always before tummy-rumble o’clock), where there’s always someone to snuggle up with, and where she’s allowed to eat all the bunny poo and ‘roo poo that she wants.

Today the sun shone in a blue sky, the weather was warm, and the birds chattered in the trees – a perfect spring day. We had a gentle day together, Tansy and Jaffa and I, with several strolls in the bush,

Dogs Tansy and Jaffa on an afternoon walk

lots of pats, a few treats, and snoozling in the sunroom:

Jaffam the princess Dog, snoozling

Gordon came home early, and he and Jaffa had a walk in the bush while Tansy and I had cuddles, and then all four of us sat for a while outside on the grass near the dam, as the sun cast its last golden light through the trees.

Jaffa on the grass

Tansy by the dam

Jaffa then kept me company, right beside my computer chair (she likes to arrange herself around the wheels), to supervise some work (and get some more pats):

Jaffa beside my computer chair

and then it was food o’clock, and a special treat of some fish may have found its way to both dogs:

She’s snoozling again now (there’s been a lot more of that, this past week) and tomorrow there’ll be some more treats… and a tearful goodbye. (I’m writing and posting this now because tomorrow will be hard.)

We know we’re making the right decision, but oh, we will miss our beautiful girl.

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SheKilda!

Posted on October 3, 2011 by Bron

It’s only a few more days before the crime writing event of the decade: SheKilda 2011 – Australian Women Crime Writers’ Convention, coordinated by Sisters in Crime in Melbourne, and the excitement is building.

if you like crime, suspense, thrills and chills in your reading, then do try to find a way to get to Melbourne this coming weekend! There’s a fantastic line-up of authors attending from Australia and overseas, including Margie Orford, Shamini Flint, Vanda Symon, Kerry Greenwood, Malia Nunn, Tara Moss, Katherine Howell, Kathryn Fox, Jaye Ford. Romantic suspense – or Crimance, as the Sisters call it! – is well represented with Helene Young, Sandy Curtis, Emma Boling and I on a panel moderated by the wonderful Anne Gracie, and Sandy and I doing a workshop on Writing Crimance.

The Convention program is packed full of great panels, events and workshops, beginning with a walking tour exploring some of Melbourne’s cold cases on Friday afternoon, followed by a cocktail party on Friday night. Whether you like finding out the facts of true crime, or gritty realism or fun entertainment in your crime fiction reading, there are sessions on Saturday and Sunday to fascinate and enjoy; and there’s also the Davitt Awards dinner on Saturday night.

I am so looking forward to the weekend, and I hope to meet a lot of readers there. It’s a once in a decade opportunity to explore the rich world of Australian women’s crime writing, so if you can possibly come, please do!
SheKilda 2011 Convention logo

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