CHRISTINE M. KNIGHT

After three years of temperate summers, the summer heat of my youth returned with a vengeance. Over the past fortnight, not only did temperatures in my part of the world soar to thirty nine degrees Celsius and more, but the radiant heat also reached record breaking highs.

Here it is the afternoon of New Year's Eve in Australia, and I am still behind the times in 2012. Having been ill throughout December and having dragged myself through those days, I finally had the energy yesterday to capture a few photos of the annual letterbox festive celebrations. It certainly lifted this traveller's spirits as she travelled the byways of country roads.

Today, Tuesday 6th November was Melbourne Cup Day (also known as the horse race that stops a nation) and overseas, it was the US Presidential elections. The morning news was abuzz with both events although local interest was higher in the iconic horse race.

Australia is a landscape of extremes: drought, flood, and bushfire. I dread flood and bushfire.

Regular readers will know I grew up in a city environment and moved into the country. I live in a valley ringed by a dense wall of trees. The fencing is secure, and the valley is a sanctuary.

Spring budded and then blossomed. Temperatures rose, and we tasted the first dusting of heat, heralding the approaching dry summer meteorologists have forecast.

'The Flame' features in my novel ‘Song Bird’. In the novel, it is sung by rock legend Rick Brody who serenades Nikki Mills (the central character in the novel). In real life, it was sung by Funnie Williams and Thanapat Yarchartoen (aka Film). I produced the song through Karma Sound Studios in Thailand.

Ever felt it was just too hard to get through another day? That’s where I am at the moment. I feel like I’m weighted down by slabs of concrete, and I am no weight lifter. At times like this, it’s the small things that help me. Of course, there is always the hope of better times too.

It’s late autumn here in Canberra: hard frosts, clear blue skies, warm still days, and freezing nights. I’ve been quite sick in 2012 and have not written much for my blog for what seems ages. So with renewed vigour, I return to my conversation with readers.