So, I have a couple of updates. First of all, I was recently awarded Highly Commended in the Cabonne Women Writer’s Awards. This was an incredible honour, and a total shock to me. See, the theme was “Coming Home”, and I’d written my short story about a journalist who returns from the city to her hometown in the Central West, and rediscovers a love of journalism. I wrote it because it’s what I know, and I LOVE writing about our beautiful pocket of Australia.

But it wasn’t clever, it wasn’t boundary-pushing, and the narrative was simple. The story that won was incredible, an abstract and brilliantly crafted story of metamorphosis. And as I spend my spare time trying to finish the book I’m writing, I’ve realised that I simply can’t write like that. My writing is not clever, challenging, nor rule-breaking. It’s just storytelling. But getting up to accept my beautiful award, and being asked to read out my story was one of the most incredible moments of my life. I’ve come to accept that I am who I am as a writer, and there’s an audience for that. I’m never going to win a Walkley, and my book won’t win the Miles Franklin, but that’s OK.

My favourite part of the day was meeting other local writers, and connecting with a group of like-minded women. I look forward to catching up with them in the new year!

The next update is that all teachers deserve a pay rise, but particularly those that attend camp. Yes, it’s camp season, and Miss 11 has just gotten back from three days at Burrendong. Now she’s in Year 5 it has come to my attention that I may have babied her ever so slightly, so I’m trying to take a step back from my constant micromanaging. And it’s not going too badly. I handed her the packing list, her sister’s suitcase, and told her to go for it. It went well, until she proudly handed me her bag and told me she’d managed to get almost everything in, but could only fit in one of her joggers, so she was taking the left shoe only.

We managed to reshuffle things, and so she went to camp with both shoes, and had the best week of her life.

Now, Miss 16 has also attended camp in the past, but most of the time her dad went with her. We love both of our children and wouldn’t change them for anything, but OMG having a neurotypical second child is like playing a game with cheat modes on. She has her own challenges for sure, but being adaptable makes things so much easier for us.

Three days later I picked her up from school and she was a few centimetres taller, about six shades darker, and full of happy stories. She has developed a love of kayaking, which I look forward to fostering this summer, and she made a new best friend while away... the chef. Miss 11 LOVES food, and apparently her appetite, willingness to eat everything, and her politeness, meant the chef at camp loved her too. She told me that although she loves Dad and I, she thinks she’s done with us, and would like to just live at Burrendong full-time (if this is an option can the school please contact me, because we are considering it). After criticising my dinner (“Chef made us butter chicken. And there was DESSERT. EVERY NIGHT”), she slept for 14 hours.

I would like to say a huge thank you to not only the teachers at my girls’ schools, but to all the teachers out there. My mum was a primary school teacher so I know first-hand the unseen hours you put in, the money you spend out of your own pocket on your classrooms, the relationships you build with these kids, and the way you sacrifice time with your own children to give ours the best experiences of their lives. We appreciate you so, so much!