February 2009::

This month brought us lots of difficult news in Australia, including the Black Saturday bushfires. Thank goodness for the men and women of the Country Fire Authority, true heroes and heroines each and everyone of them.

We've been so desperately in drought for so many years now that the vegetation is dry and stressed and ready to burn.

At the other end of Australia the poor Queenslanders have had so much rain from the cyclones they've been hit with that they are nearly drowning in water.

Australia is beautiful but it's a country of extremes and we need to respect the power of nature. And in Victoria especially, those of us who live near the bush, we need to be prepared for the possibility of bushfire. We're lucky because the CFA have the Community Fireguard program set up to help us to help ourselves.

The Australian Romance Readers Convention was on on 22-24 February. Fantastic. The speakers were marvellous and our international visitors just gorgeous one and all. I got one of MaryJanice Davidson's Sinclair Sucks buttons! She's fabulous.

My camera uselessly remained in my room so I don't have any photographs but lovely Elisabeth Rose kindly sent me this one of me with Annie West.