It's been a busy few weeks. End of semester, presentations, essays all done. I passed the 15 000 word mark on my wip. Socceroos lost, drew, finally won, then were ignominiously pushed off the front pages by one Julia Gillard becoming Australia's first woman prime minister. Our security alarm (which we never use) had a fit this morning, our real estate agent had gone AWOL, so I spent an hour listening to bipbipbipbipbip waiting for her to call back with the code to shut it up.

whew. I need a holiday.

I need wide open spaces, sunshine and red country. So I'm going here for a couple of weeks:

Lovely!

Brrrr

Well, it's June, and winter seems to have arrived bang on time this year. Which means for students and writers, especially writing students, it's RUC time.

RUC standing for Really Ugly Cardi.

You know the type. That great big shapeless woolen thing you wear around the house because what you really want to wear is a blanket, but some dying ember of pride won't let you forgo wearing actual clothes as clothing.

I'm hunched over my desk in my RUC today, trying to do homework, wondering where the hell I've put my fingerless gloves, and dreaming of living in a home with central heating. Winter, welcome.