Last month I made the most of a beautiful late spring morning and drove out to the Ashley River with the family dog Emily. It hadn't rained for a while, so some of the side streams had dried up, leaving dusty tracks between the overgrown banks. This tiny flower caught my attention because of its dramatic colour difference to the surrounding area.

Not all of the tributaries had completely dried up - but I avoided walking through those ones because of their pungent mud-mixed-with-warming-water smell. It looks much nicer in a photo.

At the edge of the main river, there were thousands of tiny fish - cockabullies. This monster (all of 3 inches long) was the biggest one I discovered, having over-turned a large silt covered rock to expose his home. 

I've been toying with the idea of writing a new story set on a riverbank and somehow incorporating all different types of  NZ wildlife. So far though, it remains only a minuscule  idea tucked away in the far reaches of my mind. 

And lastly, here is our dog Emily. In our previous home on the West Coast we lived close to the Hokitika River, so she was often taken for walks along river side tracks. Now that we are in the city, she doesn't have as much opportunity to run and explore like she used to.  

So Emily was thrilled to be back near the water again!

Over the last few months, I've been painting on canvas for the first time. As I haven't worked with this medium before, I'm just using cheap canvases and test pot paints until I figure out what I'm doing. Then I will move on to stronger canvases that don't warp and become impossible to hang on a wall. Anyway, here are my first two efforts.

I've had a review of my book 'All by Myself' posted on Bob's Books website.

Bob Docherty reviews children's and young adults books, with a particular interest in NZ books. During his 20 year career with the National Library he selected fiction and picture books for the Schools Collection from 1993 - 2003 and from 2005 - 2008 he was Judge and Convenor of Judges for the LIANA Book Awards.

Check out Bob's awesome website here.

Now that my second book has been published, I've been looking for some different artistic outlets to give my brain a new challenge.

My bedroom was redecorated earlier this year and in late summer I became bored with staring at a blank white wall. I had planned to buy a large bright artwork to break things up and provide something more interesting to look at.

Then I thought, why don't I just give it a go myself?

I've always been impressed by trompe l'oeil paintings - images that literally 'trick the eye' - but never contemplated attempting one myself.

However, that blank wall in my room was a tempting canvas.

My niece decided to add her own details to the painting. 

Fortunately, there wasn't any paint on the brush.

The view from my bedroom is now much improved and makes me feel as if it's summer all the time.

The first box of copies of 'All by Myself' arrived late last month and I'm expecting the next lot of books to arrive any day now. I'm working out my plans for marketing and selling and have had positive responses from various online bookstores keen to carry 'All by Myself' on their list.

Here's a screen shot from Real NZ Books. Their first page on the bookshop contains both my titles!

The official date for when 'All by Myself' will be available is Monday 1 February, to coincide with the beginning of Term One of the school year.