Mixed bag of a weekend - cool enough to have to scavenge some firewood (not too hard given the numbers of dead trees now), but the tractor started for the first time in an 18 month long saga that made us question our sanity on many many occasions. Still no sign of any decent rain.

This was really good 👍🏼

Congrats to the bloody genius that decided to incorporate AI into our online accounting software. Just took me an hour to do what used to take 10 minutes.

The latest currently reading list (check out Lucky Thing by Tom Baragwanath - 2nd in a good NZ based series): tinyl.co/4VLc and an update on the last fortnight's activity: tinyl.io/BoNl #BookSky ⚡📚 #CrimeFiction #AusCrime #YeahNoir

Not complaining but yesterday they said light rain and it didn't. Today they said up to 10mls and we've had 30 so far... Needless to say the ants said last night that "something's coming" so we've had the pumps on the tanks moving water around.

I genuinely do not understand why anybody is hopeful of impeachment. Why would people doing horrible things to others in the name of their religion or performative cruelty or just because they are arseholes get rid of the one person who enabled them, and provides excellent cover for them.

Today's review is of Three Reasons for Revenge by Dervla McTiernan, due to be released later this month: tinyl.co/4UtW '... confronting reading, intense and powerful, it's a highly recommended revenge story that has some very battered edges to it.' #BookSky ⚡📚 #CrimeFiction #AusCrime

I couldn't breathe because I was laughing so hard. That bird's an asshole! 😂😂😂😂😂 Best with volume up.

This push away from progressive politics worldwide, the rise of the uber conservative, authoritarian, how's that working out for everyone? Feeling safer, happier, siloed, controlled, down trodden, abused, stressed, exhausted. Have we had enough now to work that thing about learning from history yet?

Survived another Easter. Very quiet on the highway although somebody still managed a major t-bone crash on Saturday that pretty much wrote off the middle of the day for the volunteers who ended up doing traffic control until not enough police units to manage the scene arrived an hour / a half later.

Presumably the #lnp are about to run a campaign to convince us that digging up coal to solve the fuel crisis means that tradies weekend won't be ruined by steam powered utes... Honestly the bloody drivel they are forced to sell on behalf of their real bosses.

Finishing off the working week with a fortnightly update including the Friday (Thursday) currently reading list, and a lot of tempting new / recently acquired books: www.austcrimefiction.org/last-fortnig... #BookSky ⚡📚 #CrimeFiction #AusCrime

Today's #review is Redbelly Crossing by Candice Fox - a new set of characters, exploring some very confrontational themes. tinyl.co/4Tph "Inter-generational trauma is explored with explosive impact in Candice Fox's latest novel REDBELLY CROSSING." #BookSky ⚡📚 #CrimeFiction #AusCrime

I want to move to Norway www.bbc.com/travel/artic... #BookSky ⚡💙📚

SBOM - it's just an admin wankfest (as one of those young programmers who knows everything told me a while ago). Meanwhile axios JavaScript HTTP client library compromised: www.cyber.gov.au/about-us/vie... www.stepsecurity.io/blog/axios-c... Wonder how his day's going....

Today's review is of the absolutely excellent No Good Deed by Katherine Kovacic (it is so not just because of the older, engaging female protag). tinyl.co/4TdI ... set in the stinking hot outback, featuring Rena - a 60something retired geologist ... #BookSky ⚡📚 #CrimeFiction #AusCrime

The British royal family being sent off to suck up to a narcissistic lunatic with dillusions of humanity feels totally on brand for the UK. Appeasement worked really well in '35/39 after all.

Yesterday's little great spike was the last bloody thing we needed, hitting close to 30 again. Ballarat to do some shopping where it even felt hot there. Still zero sign of rain in any long term forecasts and now they are talking about end of fire danger period on 13th April. Sigh.

"Every step we take towards deGoogling, no matter how small, is a step in the right direction." New from me: The first step toward getting off Google, feat. @cyberlyra.bsky.social buttondown.com/creativegood...

Run of mid 20s now expected into Easter with nights still too warm in double figures. Still very very quiet with minimal traffic moving around and a decided uptake in the number of EVs on the road

One of the joys of me reading again has been catching up with First Nations poetry collections which have been released in the last few years and a couple of recently released ones.

The internet owes you this moment.

The Book of Guilt is the latest to join the Catherine Chidgey collection just in time for its Ockham shortlisting.

Some catching up - March Newsletter went out yesterday and you can read it here (new releases / upcoming ones - lots of book mentions!) tinyl.co/4Sj1 Also the currently reading / fortnightly update on the site: tinyl.io/BoNl #BookSky ⚡📚 #CrimeFiction #AusCrime #YeahNoir

ICYMI this week’s reviews: Sandra Hogan on Jane Messer’s family memoir Raven Mother Karen Chisholm on Fiona Hardy’s new Alice and Teddy crime novel, Old Games newtownreviewofbooks.com.au @fionathehardy.bsky.social @austcrimefiction.org #NewBooks #BookReviews #AustralianAuthors #BookSky 💙 📚️

Everybody's commenting on this but the weather is bloody mad. Went from sweating it out on Wednesday to fire lit, shivering last night. No rain of course but enjoying a bit of cold that's for sure.

A viral dog rescue from 2016 is now immortalized with a statue in Kazakhstan. When a dog fell into the Sayran reservoir, bystanders formed a human chain to pull him to safety. The statue is a reminder of the value of unity, solidarity and collective action. 14/10 for all

"You would describe this series as being on the madcap side of crime fiction, although it shifts easily from dark to light, funny to sobering, on the turn of a page." @austcrimefiction.org reviews @fionathehardy.bsky.social Old Games: newtownreviewofbooks.com.au/fiona-hardy-... #BookSky 💙 📚️

It's currently 6pm, 25c and 58% humidity. Today we drove through rain between Donald & Warrackbeal, packed my deceased cousins belongings into the ute in a tin shed in 30c for 2 hours & drove back to this heat. There is not enough g&t in the world... Diesel btw $3.12 in places, petrol $2.60

Hot night again but not quite as bad as predicted, around 16 for most of it, after a day when we did get a short sharp rainstorm that surprised me and the ants! Still predicting a drop in temps on Thursday. Foggy start to the day.

Bleary eyed and sleep deprived after yet another night hovering just below 20c and it looks like we're in for another tonight, after a day where they were predicting mid 20s and it's high 20s nearly 30 already. Temps might drop later in the week - fingers / toes / everything crossed.

Today's #review is of Black Velvet and Vengeance by Deborah Challinor www.austcrimefiction.org/review/black... #BookSky ⚡📚 #CrimeFiction #AusCrime #YeahNoir

Still around 30 degree days, with a lot of smoke haze in the air as stubble and planned burns get underway. No sign of any rain coming by the looks of the ant activity although the forecast says a miniscule chance of a shower tomorrow.

Brilliant game to watch commiserations #Matildas you were awesome and congrats to Japan who were just amazing

Walked out to feed out this morning into a wall of hot humid ick. Looks like it's going to be like this for most of the upcoming week.

Two #review entries for the end of the week. Very different books: One True Word, Snæbjörn Arngrímsson tinyl.co/4ROT and Bang!, Taliyah Stone tinyl.co/4ROW #BookSky ⚡📚 #CrimeFiction #AusCrime #ScandiNoir

The chances of being killed by a goose when you're at work is low but never zero.

It's Friday so time for a #currentlyreading post: tinyl.co/4RNN and, because again a lot of upcoming releases - the last fortnight: tinyl.io/BoNl #BookSky ⚡📚 #CrimeFiction #AusCrime #YeahNoir

Very very humid with hot nights still. Had to go to Ballarat today for unavoidable reasons and lordy the highway was quiet. Weirdly - fuel was cheaper in Avoca than it was in Ballarat. Odd to be watching fuel prices driving the #EV but we will have to do some miles in the ute soonish. errrgg.

Bit of a different read this time - Bloom by Mary Fowler, part sporting memoir, part life story, part treatise on how to survive when life gets tricky: hardcover.app/books/bloom-... #BookSky 💙📚

Fans of Australian outback noir will enjoy Sam Elliott's debut crime novel Haze. Opening with a vivid and smoky bushfire scene it goes on to entertain while ticking most of the outback crime boxes! Short review attached. @macmillanaus.bsky.social murdermayhemandlongdogs.com/aussie-outba...

Crime writer, historian and editor Mike Ripley's fine obituary for his friend, Len Deighton: www.theguardian.com/books/2026/m...

Still a bit of humidity around but cooler days. Nights still too warm, although Miss Lillie the pig seems content, getting footage of her strolling about on the cameras which is great to see. She's eating well and really enjoying her yoghurt drinks.

Amazing game. Brilliant #Matildas bring on Saturday night

Today's review is for Dark Desert Road by Tim Ayliffe tinyl.co/4QRl Another twist on the terrorism / sovcit / manipulation theme which works as a thriller, a head kicking revenge novel and a family saga. #BookSky ⚡📚 #CrimeFiction #AusCrime

@gleafer.bsky.social …

Is there anything in the world more spineless and godawful than a QLD arts minister... except maybe every arts minister around that's forelock tugging to racists and xenophobes.

Well as expected it was a horribly hot humid night and we're now getting a bit of mizzle through - barely registering in the gauge, hopefully it will at least cool down a bit. Still very very very quiet on the highway out the front / traffic at a bare minimum.

I also reviewed the cool 2025 Australian crime fiction novel, Vanish by @shelleyburr.bsky.social. An exciting and compelling continuation of the author's excellent series, Vanish was an outstanding novel I had an amazing time with. unseenlibrary.com/2026/03/09/v...