My new book  A Ghost in My Suitcase will be launched here in Melbourne tomorrow.

Everyone is welcome.  Come along and help me celebrate. I hope to see some of you there.

It seems that almost everyone I talk to here in Melbourne knows someone who has either lost their life, or their home, or been affected in some way by the recent bushfires throughout Victoria. I went to taiqi this morning and one of my classmates told me that her brother lost everything except his car in the St Andrews fire. She’s a clinical psychologist and was heading to Whittlesea today to counsel people. And when I got home, my husband told me that his colleague lost her brother in the King Lake fire. The extent of this tragedy is so widespread. This morning, over breakfast, we talked about Marysville and the last time we visited there which we worked out was about two years ago. My son remembers a crowd of motor cyclists had gathered in the main street, stopping for lunch as we were. It was a warm balmy Sunday and we ate our lasagne and vegie burgers on the sidewalk outside the cafe.  Such ordinary memories have now become like a few precious pearls.

The eerie golden light, the smoke haze, the smell of ashes and burning is a constant reminder that the danger is not over yet – that there are fires still burning and threatening towns. We see tragedies unfolding in the Middle East, in Africa, in Asia, but this is just too close to home.

With 3a water restrictions in place throughout Melbourne and with the on going drought worsening, I decided to try my sister-in-law’s method of car washing. I found it worked like a dream!

All you need is half a teaspoon of  Martha Gardner’s Wool Mix in half a bucket of water and a cloth. I use a chamois.

Simply wipe a section at a time, then rinse out your cloth then wipe another section. Do this all over your car. As there are no suds with Wool Mix it doesn’t leave any soapy residue.

Please pass this method on. It would save us heaps of water and it’s so easy.

People often ask me about the dog I’m holding in the photo on my website. Let me tell you a little about her. Saffy is a golden cocker spaniel. She is 12 years old which is 84 in human years. I got Saffy as an 8 week old puppy from Ararat. She was very easy to train and can do lots of tricks like rolling over, sitting up like a bear, bowing and shaking hands. She even steps into a bucket of water if her feet are muddy before she comes into the house. When I’m working, she always sits under my desk. Saffy is a bit deaf now but apart from that, she’s very healthy. She loves eating, swimming, chasing balls and sleeping. When she sleeps she snores very loudly. Saffy is a wonderful companion.

Saffy in her bed in the kitchen

Saffy asleep

Saffy (left) with her cousin Billie