Back from Down Under.

Windmills a common sight outback and the uncommon waterlogged countryside

grapevines, olive harvesting and a Mudgee Cellar- white ports, daughter and g.son

Views of Bushmans Hut and the Mudgee township and sunset beyond the black stump.
It is sooo hot back here in Canada and so hard to get my nose down to write again and that for me is a first. I usually have heaps to write and can type my fingers off all day and into the night other commitments permitting. Apart from soggy weather in Sydney, we went to a place called Mudgee which is further West of the Hunter Valley, the largest wine growing area north of Sydney which got dumped on and suffered huge crop and flood damage. In Mudgee we had one of our two fine days.
Mudgee is a wine, sheep, wheat and cattle area and had their first three inches of rain in 7 years a day or so before we got there making the countryside looked green and very pretty and some vines still held their autumnal colours. So we were making frequent libation stops... came back with some yummy reds, and not so so yummy ones but those we got at the end of the day so what do you expect. Also got to sample Aussie Olive Oil Oi! OI! OI! Because of the drought it is very flavoursome, okay pungent peppery and grassy to use the lingo.
For those of you who don't understand the rain and drought situation... most of the pop of Australia is on the SE coast - east of the Great Dividing Range, most of the huge stations are west of the GDR and sadly not in the rainfall area - so technically Australia still has a drought though the critical water levels of the dams supplying Sydney have improved slightly.

Down Under

G'day Possums,
Have been in Sydney, Australia for the past few weeks and enjoying???? very soggy weather. They say the drought hasn't broken down here because the rain has fallen in areas not affected by the drought for the most part - ironic eh? We are currently tying down furniture as another cyclone is about to hit us... we are at the southern end of Manly Ocean Beach and get the brunt of the Southerlies WHEN they blow - let me tell you they are blowing at present.
Writing has gone out the window though have told some fairy stories to my granddaughters and "Stellabella" has become a hit with them and now will have to commit them to paper with pictures... never thought I'd write childrens stories - lots of fun.
Hope your writing and other commitments have fallen into place for you.
Cheers Robyn