I've had a lovely time this past week, because I caught up with friends and family and enjoyed the hospitality of my good friends Denise and David in Adelaide.

Last Sunday I went with my Perth family to Kings Park for a picnic, something we haven't done in years. My granddaughter Cassie is starting high school this year! Then on Monday I had coffee with my friend Harriet, and on Tuesday my friend Jay, whose dogs I'd been minding, took me to the Perth airport. We thought my bags were heavy and I was dreading putting them on the scales, but the bigger one only weighed 16 kilos - a record for me as I usually have more than I'm supposed to be allowed. I guess any bag over 10kg feels darned heavy to an overweight, unfit type like me.

What a flight to Adelaide - lots of turbulence and a head wind that slowed us considerably. But the next few days made up for that. Denise and I had coffee with Robert N. Stephenson, who kindly gave me a review copy of his newly released book, Uttuku. You could file it under vampire books, but it's based on an even older legend - that of the uttuku of ancient Assyria. However, it's a modern book, set in Adelaide, and I'm enjoying it, even though I Do Not Like Vampire Books!

On Friday Denise and I visited Funi and Wang Wang. What? You don't know them? Allow me to introduce you - here they are, in their new bamboo forest home. Funi (left) is still a bit nonplussed by the change of scene, perhaps because her new keepers don't speak Chinese, but more likely because people will keep taking pictures of her with nasty flashes. So flash photography has been banned in the panda enclosure. Even so, I still got some nice pics, although they had to be taken through the glass.

Wang Wang, however, seems quite at ease. Here he is lying on his back, munching bamboo and apparently thinking "Yeah, right, more visitors. Whatever."

The keepers, of course, are delighted with their new charges and are hoping the pair will breed in a year or two, when Funi is old enough.

It was a hot day and we were exhausted by the time we trudged back to the car. I was OK - straight into an air-conditioned bus for the six-hour ride to Mount Gambier, but poor Denise had to drive herself home.

So here I am, back in "the Mount" complete with a nice new little netbook which I'm still setting up. The mobile wireless keeps dropping out so downloading software is proving tedious. I guess I'd better get back to it!

Even more of my friends will be showcased in Worlds Next Door, 12th Planet Press's planned anthology for children. Congratulations to: Bren MacDibble, Dave Luckett, Dirk Flinthart, Edwina Harvey (again!) Felicity Dowker, Jenny Blackford, Martin Livings, Rowena Cory Daniells, Tansy Rayner Roberts and Sue Bursztynski.

Six of my friends - Donna Marie Hanson, Edwina Harvey, Sonia Helbig, Patty Jansen, Simon Petrie and Carol Ryles - have had stories accepted for Ticonderoga Press's forthcoming anthology Belong. Yippee!

Update 12 Jan - If you've clicked the above link without finding Ticonderoga Press, don't worry. Ticonderoga is having website problems and is seeking a new server. I'll post the new address when it's up and running.

These are the Fantasy and Historical novels I read in 2009. I read a couple of things that don't fall into these two genres, and odd bits of non-fiction as well, but the names of these escape me. I guess that shows where my interests lie! Some of these were read in order to review them, some were recommended by friends and the others are re-reads of old favourites.

Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie
Time Machines Repaired While-U-Wait by K.A. Bedford
The Priestess and the Slave by Jenny Blackford
In Ashes Lie by Marie Brennan
The Magician's Apprentice by Trudi Canavan
Kushiel's Scion by Jacqueline Carey
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
The Champion by Elizabeth Chadwick
The Running Vixen by Elizabeth Chadwick
Sword Song by Bernard Cornwell
The Spell of Rosette by Kim Falconer
Arrows of Time by Kim Falconer
Hand of Isis by Jo Graham
The Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb
Shadow Queen by Deborah Kalin
Riversend by Sylvia Kelso
How to Ditch your Fairy by Justine Larbalestier
The Last Stormlord by Glenda Larke
Lavinia by Ursula Le Guin
Subversive Activity by Dave Luckett
Wind Follower by Carole McDonnell
Heart's Blood by Juliet Marillier
The Road to Camelot (Sophie Masson, ed)
The Reluctant Mage by Karen Miller
Hammer of God by Karen Miller
Witches Incorporated (Rogue Agent 2) by K.E. Mills
Sasha by Joel Shepherd
Petrodor by Joel Shepherd
Tracato by Joel Shepherd
Sword at Sunset by Rosemary Sutcliffe
Red Gloves by Beth Vaughan
White Star by Beth Vaughan
Rosa and the Veil of Gold by Kim Wilkins

I haven't included books I couldn't finish - there were half a dozen of those. I get sent a lot of material to review that simply isn't to my taste, and since I review books for the love of it I'd rather not read things I don't enjoy or can't find at least a few things about them to commend! But if you're looking for a good read, stick a pin into the above list. I'm sure you'll find something to enjoy in all of them, although having said that, I'll cover my tracks by admitting that reading matter is very much a matter of taste!

I also beta-read, critiqued or edited half a dozen novels or non-fiction works and a considerable number of short stories. My own writing, however, languishes. Again.

And for 2010? I'm looking forward to more from Simon Haynes (of Hal Spacejock fame) Glenda Larke (second book in the Rainlords Trilogy) Juliet Marillier (another "Sevenwaters" book) and Karen Miller (K.A. Mills) who has at least a couple of new works in the pipeline. All these authors are Aussie born or resident and in my top faves list:-)