Well it was a normal lead up to a book tour. A couple of days in the cattle yards choking back waves of dust (what flood we’re beginning to need rain again), as we started branding, finally. It’s been delayed due to our ‘wet season’ as has the farming program. The weeds on some of the flooded cultivations were of mythic proportions which voided the agronomist theory of everything drowning. We’ve tried to cover all bases depending on the ‘soggy’ factor and have used a number of methods to try and get cultivations under control prior to winter wheat planting: aerial and groundrig spraying, kelly disc harrows to cut down stubble and minimal weeds and full on discing. You can still get bogged on some paddocks and another has a lake in the middle of it that you could water ski on. We still have standing crops from last season-wrecked and still not quite dry enough to clean up and it’s likely we may plant more sorghum this year than wheat/barley etc. A high point was selling our fat lambs on auction plus. This computer based selling system is very popular. We yard the lambs, draft them up and then an assessor comes out to weigh a percentage and measure skin, fat etc with a ruler. A couple of pics later and with an accompanying description and the sale lambs are up on the net for prospective buyers. Hmmm, had some great pics for you however the camera is in my car which is broken down at a friends place half way between Boomi and Goondiwindi. That’s the really great thing (not) about cars these days you can talk to three specialised mechanics, have your average farm mechanic check it out – who in the past was a bit like that 80s guy McGuyver- could fix anything! and be told exactly the same thing-we’ll have to put it on the diagnostic machine and check the electrics. Pity it broke down on a friday night! Cue the On Tour-Just statement. Im now driving around in an avis vehicle. Yesterday saw me roadside attempting to do an interview with ABC Wagga. Windows up, roadtrains roaring past, 40 degrees inside the car, on mobile-yep was running late due to roadworks, avis pick up, trucks etc and didn’t quite make town before the scheduled time. Sort of worked. Made my first literary lunch which was the main thing… on the road again.