planning

Do you ever find yourself at a sort of crossroads in your life, where you feel a change a-coming? Sometimes it can be major, oftentimes very small, but you can feel the temperature change and it's nothing to do with the change of seasons.

Right now I am planning for big and exciting changes but also embracing smaller ones along the way, because it's often the smallest things that add up to a finer whole. For example, right now I want to do less of this . . .

. . . and more of this . . .

Less of this . . .

. . . and more of this . . .

Less of this . . .

. . . and more of this . . .

Less of this . . .

. . . and more of this . . .

Less of this . . .

. . . and more of this . . .

Less of this . . .

. . . and more of this . . .

Less of this . . .

. . . and more of this . . .

Can I get an amen in here?

riley book trailer

Okay - now don't laugh, but here is what I've been playing around with - trying to figure out how to make my own book trailer. I used my Nikon D90 SLR to film some pages from Riley and the Curious Koala and now I'm attempting to get them into some sort of short film. Hmmm. This is only a few seconds long - we shall see how the rest unfolds.

Watch this space! I may not be Steven Speilberg, but I must admit, it's a lot of fun.

the royal canberra show

I know, I know the Royal Canberra Show is long over now but I wanted to share some pictures I took when we visited with the kids.

My Nikon D60 actually died during this visit, so I was monumentally annoyed - I was just about ready to shoot the quirky and colourful sideshow and rides so alas, there's none to show here, but I did manage to snaffle some gorgeous flowers in the produce marquee - one of my favourite places to visit.

We also love the prize-winning fresh produce, the cakes and the amazing vegetable creations made by kids. Wood-chopping and farm animals, cats and dogs are also our faves, as is Maxine the diving pig. Then there's the showbags...

Enjoy this trip into agricultural glory . . .

earth hour

Don't forget! Earth Hour - Saturday 26 March 2011 at 8.30pm (your local time). Turn out those lights and make a stand for our beautiful earth. Grab the candles, get the kids involved - play cards by candlelight! and marvel at our global power . . . 128 countries took part in Earth Hour last year - how many will it be this year?

An initiative that began in Sydney, Australia - this is a humbling event - flick that switch!



riley and the grumpy wombat: sneak peek

What are Riley, Panda, Lion, Koala and Dragon peeking at?
Whatever it is, it's grumpy!

Don't you just love those nights when 6pm sneaks up on you super-quick and you're left facing a barren stove top, empty oven and pristine chopping board with not a skerrick of just-diced vegies or sizzling meat in sight?

Oooops.

It's those nights I want something super quick and easy. Like many mums, I tend to keep a stash of 'reliables' in the pantry, like pasta, cans of tuna, bottles of tomato sauce and couscous. I think so long as you keep a fresh stash of herbs and spices, you can whip up almost anything with a good stash of staples.

Tonight it was couscous with chorizo. I always keep a good cheese (vary it up between blue, reggiano, haloumi and chevre) and a good chorizo in the fridge for such emergencies. Chorizo sausage varies so much in flavour and spice - get to know which ones are mild or too spicy for the kids. The other thing I also keep permanently on hand are dried garlic and onion flakes. No chopping, no peeling, no mincing - fantastic for flavour if you want dinner fast.

Couscous with Chorizo

Slice two large chorizo sausages in half lengthways, then across into half-circle slices. Add to a dry pan and fry until browned. Drain off oil. Add one diced zucchini and one small diced red capsicum (pepper).

As these heat through, place 800ml of water in a saucepan and add a good grinding of black pepper, a tablespoon each of dried garlic and onion, 4 tablespoons of oil and a sprinkling of chicken stock powder (I put approximately 1.5 tablespoons, but do this to taste, and remember the sausage has salt).

Bring stock to a rolling boil. Turn off the heat and add 800ml (use the same measuring jug you did for the water) of dried couscous. Stir. Replace the saucepan lid and let sit 3 mins. Remove lid, fluff with a fork and add to the pan with the chorizo and vegetables.

Toss gently over low heat to combine. Add a bunch of finely chopped coriander and 5 chopped spring onions. Mix through. At the very last minute, chop up 5 fresh roma tomatoes and toss through, then serve immediately,

Delish!

See Hear Spot the Difference

1.   HONK! now says ONK!
2.   Feathers are missing from Bunny’s headdress
3.   Ferris wheel car has changed colour
4.   A blue lightbulb is missing
5.   An extra wheel on yellow float
6.   ‘O’ in CHAOS is coloured in
7.   Stripes have appeared on Cat’s drum
8.   Musical notes on bigger tent are missing
9.   Bigger shadows now under animals
10.  Stars now coming out of Piglet’s saxophone

riley heads to vietnam

Just look what my possumy little friends in Ho Chi Minh City are doing with my Riley books - Quiddy and Scar are showcasing Riley to their classmates in Vietnam! So sooooo cute - and what a thrill to know children so far away and of so totally different cultures are loving Riley's adventures to wonderful places.

Thanks for sharing, beautiful Dan.
xx

mila's day dreams

How much does this woman utterly love her wee daughter? How much fun would this masterfully creative soul have had, trying not to giggle as she spent hours creating whimsical worlds for her baby to travel in while sleeping? It's love. And so thrilled to see it's all going to be in a book.

See the work of the mega talented Adele Enersen at Mila's Day Dreams. How can you help but smile?

CBCA shortlist showcase night

Last night I had the pleasure of attending the Shortlist Showcase Night (once known as the Clayton's Night - as in the awards you're having when you're not having awards...) run by the ACT branch of the Children's Book Council of Australia.

I love this evening - not only is it a great chance to catch up with authors and librarians and industry professionals but it's just so much fun to see which books, in all categories, presenters will 'nominate' for the Book of the Year shortlist. It's fun seeing their selection, to learn about new books, and most of all - to know what influenced each presenter to choose their shortlist.

I love country towns. I love them for the contrasts - for the surprises and beauty they have in store. And my recent trip to Cowra was no exception.

Travelling 2.5 hours north of Canberra to this large country town for an International Women's Day event and school visits was an inspirational experience, especially the spectacular Beautiful Strength event organised by local dynamo Kylie Wood, where I was guest speaker.

cowra school visits

As part of my Cowra visit on the weekend, it was so much fun to be able to fit in some school visits and book readings. First was a visit to childcare centre - Carinya - to meet the kids and read Riley and the Curious Koala. It was so adorable to see the kids search for Koala amongst the pages and I just loved their comments. Huge thanks to Susan Callaghan for such an amazing author display! and book signing, and for being so sweet.

my cowra experience

I love country towns. I love them for the contrasts - for the surprises and beauty they have in store. And my recent trip to Cowra was no exception.

Travelling 2.5 hours north of Canberra to this large country town for an International Women's Day event and school visits was a real experience and somewhat of an eye-opener. It's not that I expected everyone to be trudging around in their mud-caked gumboots (though I do believe that also happens!) - it's just that I perhaps expected them to be a little less... well... cityfied.

Having only made little snippety visits to country towns in the past, it was really eye-opening to spend a few days immersed in the local scene. And what I saw and learned is that there is no great division between the country mice and the city mice. Sure, we talked about sheep and cattle and boarding schools. And sure, Cowra residents miss out on a hell of lot (no local bookstore is a shocking case in point) but my goodness - country mice enjoy many lifestyle and event pleasures city mice can only dream of.

japan



Kyoto, 2007



Heart.

Thoughts.

Prayers.

Love.

i'm loving... map 29

I'm so loving map 29. The lovely Ann Marie Holt sent me the most divine purse with a map of Melbourne on one side and Carlton on the other - whose streets just happen to be some of my favourite haunts in the world - particularly Faraday and Rathdowne Streets. How special to customise a purse with your own treasured places.

I've always been an enormous lover of maps, so you can imagine my delight when this stunning purse arrived, wrapped in a map . . .

event: international women's day in cowra

The amazing Kylie Wood has pulled together a superb International Women's Day Event in Cowra, New South Wales, in support of the Hamlin Fistula Hospital in Ethiopia. International Women's Day falls on March 8 - and will celebrate 100 years of supporting women worldwide.

I'm thrilled to be speaking at the event, and will be talking about how vital it is that women have the courage to follow their dreams and do what they love. If you're in the region, come along to this gorgeous high tea and celebrate the strength and power of women - especially country women... who know all about hard work and challenges.

You can RSVP to Kylie on 0427 453 274 - hope to see you there~!

Riley and the Grumpy Wombat: A journey around Melbourne

Coming in 2011...

Riley and the Grumpy Wombat:
A journey around Melbourne (Ford Street Publishing)

Why is she so grumpy? You'll soon find out why... Riley's adventure to Melbourne is the fourth book in the Riley travelogue series. Learn more about the first three while you wait... IF you can wait...

Riley and the Sleeping Dragon: A journey around Beijing

Riley and the Dancing Lion: A journey around Hong Kong

Riley and the Curious Koala: A journey around Sydney

So much fun at the fabulous Government House Open Day event today! Held to raise funds for one of my favourite charities - the Smith Family - the event welcomes over 70,000 people and plays host to a plethora of fun family activities, music, stalls and of course - a chance to peek inside The House. Funds raised go towards helping underpriveleged kids secure the education they deserve, so it was a thrill to be involved again.

event: book reading at government house open day

I'm delighted to be reading my books, once again, at Government House Open Day in Canberra this Sunday 6 March 2011.

This amazing family event is in support of the Smith Family - there will be loads of glorious things to do and see including pony rides, crafts, stalls, music, activities and of course the amazing opportunity to take a peek inside Government House.

I'll be reading at 11am at the storytelling marquee - along with a gaggle of other talented authors and illustrators.

Bring the kids along and say hi! With over 70,000 people at last year's event - let's make this year's even bigger!

Wonderful to be featured in the Cowra Guardian for the Beautiful Strength International Women's Day Event being held in Canberra on 13 March 2011. Hope to see you there!

handmade living in Shop4Kids magazine!

How utterly thrilling to open one of our favourite Australian mags, Shop 4 Kids, and see Shop Handmade on page 39, along with a mention of handmade living! Handmade bliss.

handmade living in Embroidery & Cross Stitch magazine

What a beautiful write-up on handmade living in Embroidery & Cross Stitch magazine! Many thanks to the editors for including our beautiful book in the mag - we've already had even more inquiries about the book since this went live! Handmade bliss.

party perfect

So lovely to see my little shindig for Riley's 8th birthday on Party Perfect - a gorgeous site dedicated to rounding up the best parties on the web. Just love this site. Thanks, Sara!

A signed copy of Riley and the Dancing Lion is up for bids in the Great Celebrity Book Auction to encourage reading and raise funds for literacy programmes at Kyilla Primary School, a small Government school of 200 students in North Perth, Western Australia.

I so love this initiative. In 2010 the children and families of Kyilla wrote to people they admired asking them to donate a book that has influenced them and to write in it why it is important.

I wrote . . . "The Riley series is important to me because it aims to take kids on a tour of the world - opening their minds and hearts to the cultural experiences of this vast and beautiful planet.  Travel is everything to me and I hope the bearer of this book has a life filled with glorious travel and adventure."

Get bidding and help raise funds for literacy!

national simultaneous storytime

On Wednesday 25 May at 11am, schools, centres and libraries around the country will be taking part in the National Simultaneous Storytime - a glorious event to celebrate the joy of reading.

This year, I'm delighted to take part by reading Feathers for Phoebe by Rod Clements at Canberra Civic Library. I adore this book and it will be so much fun to read it to the kids and take part in some feathery activities.

Why don't you bring the kids along? Stay tuned for more information.

We nominted Feathers for Phoebe as our favourite book of the year over at Kids Book Review and you can read our review right here.

FITE - financial independence through entrepreneurship

Warm thanks to Rebecca Sparrow who posted a wonderful article on MamaMia yesterday about The First Wednesday Club - an initative that allows women to Give Back every Wednesday.

Rebecca spoke of FITE - or Financial Independence Through Entrepreneurship - a global empowerment platform for women that is truly changing lives.

All you need to do is loan a third world woman $25. That's right, you get your money back. Why a loan and not a donation? As Rebecca says, it's because a loan requires accountability - it spurs people into action. And doesn't action change lives?

Watch this short clip - I dare you not to cry.

As the 100th annivesary of International Women's Day fast approaches, gather your girls together and talk about what really matters. Talk about who your $25 is going to go to. What a way to empower the sisterhood.

chest of drawers revamp à la Florence Broadhurst

Last week I posted on this dated chest of drawers (below) in my daughter Ella's room and how it was driving me coco bananas. I wanted to update it but horse-obsessed Ella had me in a quandry. No, I was NOT going to paint them fluorescent purple with sparkle horse stickers all over. No.

click to enlarge

I'm delighted to be reading my books, once again, at Government House Open Day in Canberra this Sunday 6 March 2011.

This amazing family event is in support of the Smith Family - there will be loads of glorious things to do and see including pony rides, crafts, stalls, music, activities and of course the amazing opportunity to take a peek inside Government House.

I'll be reading at 11am at the storytelling marquee - along with a gaggle of other talented authors and illustrators.

Bring the kids along and say hi! With over 70,000 people at last year's event - let's make this year's even bigger!

Event: International Women's Day in Cowra

The amazing Kylie Wood has pulled together a superb International Women's Day Event in Cowra, New South Wales, in support of the Hamlin Fistula Hospital in Ethiopia. International Women's Day falls on March 8 - and will celebrate 100 years of supporting women worldwide.

I'm thrilled to be speaking at the event, and will be talking about how vital it is that women have the courage to follow their dreams and do what they love. If you're in the region, come along to this gorgeous high tea and celebrate the strength and power of women - especially country women... who know all about hard work and challenges.

You can RSVP to Kylie on 0427 453 274 - hope to see you there~!