Ok, what I thought was just going to be one feature article on my friend Flick has now turned into something much bigger in my head. I know that you all love to have a good sticky beak into the lives of others so I thought the right thing to do was to start a series – Outback Chicks! One where I showcase all of the fabulous women I have come across on my outback adventures, and let me tell you – there are quite a few. So many inspirational women it isn’t even funny.
Now, they are quite shy and I am still waiting for them to flood me with answers to the interview questions I have sent them so until then I thought why not bang on about myself, because we all know I can do that. Compulsive over-sharer and all.
I was just thinking about what a fabulous spot the internet is. I would be nothing without it. Nothing I tell you. I would be in my wardrobe crying a whole lot more that I usually do if I wasn’t able to connect with everyone in cyberspace. It has made living remotely bearable for this little extrovert. Back in the day I think I may well have gone insane. Not being able to chat to people from anywhere, anytime (that and the lack of air-conditioning would have done me in). It is an amazing thing.
It doesn’t matter where you live now. Anything is possible. You can run a business, start a blog, do your shopping, send an email, video chat with family and friends… or if you are like me – total strangers. Well they are not strangers to me – they are my people, my Miss Chardy community and I for one love the fact that there is always someone out there who will understand what I am going through.
I first started this blog because I had been here on the station for about 3 months with only 3 other adults, oh and I was the only female. We couldn’t go anywhere as it was the wet season – this means the only way out is by chopper or plane, of which we have neither. Anyway, my friend – Flick – told me to read this blog called Baby Mac. I did, and I was hooked. It totally resonated with me. I thought Beth may be a long lost twin – surely, we must be related. Anyway, I read this blog for about the next 3 days straight. After a while I thought …. maybe I could start a blog. So I did. I googled “how do I start a blog” and the rest is history. Here I am, in your face day after day.
I thought it was only right that perhaps I interview myself – because I am scraping the bottom of the barrel and waiting for all of the fabulous women to get back to me (come on guys, you are killing me – don’t be shy). I thought I might try and tell you a bit more about who I am and what I have done. Although I have already typed 500 words so if you are still with me then congratulations.
So for anyone who is new around here, let me answer some of the questions I have sent out to the girls…
Where do you live, what is your closest town and how far away is it?
I live on the Barkly Tableland in the Northern Territory, Australia. Our closest town is Camooweal and it is about a 3 hour drive away, there isn’t a whole lot there so our closest “service town” is Mt Isa which is a 5 hour drive away.
How big is the station you live on?
1.7 million acres (I feel like Dr Evil saying that).
How many staff do you have living on the station?
Around 12 I think
Where did you grow up?
Mudgee NSW born and bred.
What was your first job?
A receptionist at LJ Hooker, Chatswood in Sydney circa 1998. This was after I attended June Dally Watkins Business Finishing School for a year. After a year at LJ Hooker I got a job as a legal secretary at a law firm in the city.
What brought you to the outback?
Well it turns out the city just wasn’t for me. All those people, no one smiles, or talks to you … and SO MANY PEOPLE in your face or jammed up against you on the train. So I thought I would give Governessing a go. My first Governessing job was on a sheep station 80km’s out of Bourke in NSW. I had a wonderful year out there. The next year a friend and I decided to head to the NT for JUST ONE YEAR….
How did you meet your husband?
At my very first campdraft, only about 3 months after arriving in the NT. Remember I was just coming up here for a year, then I planned on moving back to country NSW to get a “real job”, as Mum used to say. Well that didn’t happen did it?! That was in 2001. Married, 3 kids and still here. I love it though and couldn’t imagine moving back to NSW now.
Recommendations
What am I watching?
I am absolutely loving This Is Us on Ten. Actually I watch it on Tenplay on the Apple TV. If you have missed it you can watch it online with Tenplay
What am I listening to?
Always podcasts of course. A great one I listened to the other day was called Success Talks and it was the episode from 16th Feb: Mel Robbins on the 5 Second Rule – so good! I also started a new audiobook yesterday – My Husband’s Wife, by Jane Corry. To tell you the truth, I think I am going to have to ditch it. I gave it a good nudge yesterday while mowing but it just hasn’t sucked me in. I don’t know if it is the narrator or what, the storyline isn’t bad but I am not loving it. Has anyone read it? Should I keep going?
What am I reading?
I just finished The Light Between the Oceans. This came highly recommended. All the women form Savvy B Central have read it and Miss Pip said she studied it at school and loved it so much she has read it 3 times. I did love it, so much so that I had a binge read on Saturday just so I could finish it and watch the movie on iTunes. The book was wonderful but the movie is 2 hours of my life I will never get back. I don’t recommend rushing out to watch that one, very slow and boring. I am now sorry I rushed through last part of the book.
Social Media Picks
Those Two Girls on Facebook. Oh these girls crack me up. Just 2 regular Mums (who happen to be gorgeous by the way) who are keeping it real in Brisbane. Heaps of video’s. They are just so funny and I always find myself nodding thinking… “OMG are you living my life???”
Anyway, that has filled the gap for this week yet I still don’t think I have really told you anything that you didn’t already know – sorry!
Of course I would love to hear your recommendations, so…
What are you reading?
What are you listening to?
What are you watching?
Where do you live (that was random wasn’t it?)
Miss Chardy, I am soooo glad you found the Internet, it has not only enriched your outback life, but the lives of many others who would never never go or know !
Back in the day when you got your ‘ telegrams’ from the RFDS radio, I think you would have shocked the airwaves on the Galah Session on 2020 before 8.00 am !
You GO Girl !
Ha ha ha, oh that HF wouldn’t have known what had hit it, I would have been holding my own sessions, ha ha ha ha. We still have the good old HF here, wouldn’t be without it. Robbsie… don’t think I have missed you either… I am still getting the questionnaire to you, so sit tight, I know you will be wrapped to the back teeth to overshare. ha ha ha. Thanks so much for the lovely message. xxx
As a relatively new reader of your blog I actually learnt quite a bit that I didn’t know about you Miss Chardy, so I’m glad you had to fill a blank spot this week!
What am I reading? – I’ve just discovered Jack Reacher books and have read or listened to 5 in a row but it’s probably time for something more ‘grown up’ now. I was interested to read that you didn’t enjoy the ‘Light Between Oceans’ movie, saves me from wasting a couple of hours of my life. The author of that book actually stayed here and came camping with us a couple of years ago so I have a signed copy. One night that she was here I served a Moroccan spiced roast leg of lamb with a roast vegetable and quinoa salad and homemade flatbread and she said it was ‘very Ottolenghi’….well at that stage I’d never heard of Ottolenghi but about three weeks later his cookbook arrived in the mail as a thank you present from the author and I’ve been hooked on him/his recipes ever since! I have to say though that I didn’t thoroughly enjoy ‘The Light Between Oceans’.
What am I listening to?- I’m glad you asked because yesterday morning my sister in law recommended a podcast called ‘Desert Island Discs’, produced by the BBC. Basically, its a huge series of interviews with famous people, during which they play 8 soundtracks that the interviewees would choose to take with them to a desert island. I was on my own for most of the day yesterday and I have to admit that I binged a bit! I listened to Tom Hanks, Kylie Minogue, Dame Judy Dench, and Lily Allen. I also love Gastropod – a series about the science and history of food, and Conversations with Richard Vidler.
What am I watching?- The Great British Bake Off – I’m waiting for Wentworth and Game of Thrones.
Where do I live- On a sheep station in the Murchison Shire of WA. My closest town is Mullewa (100km) my closest service centre is Geraldton (200km) and Perth is about 550km. I’m positively suburban for a station so have the best of both worlds – except sometimes we are a bit too close to the populous and get overwhelmed with visitors.
I’m going to check out ‘Those Two Girls’ on FB – they sound like a lot of fun, thanks for the recommendation.
I hope your inbox is soon overflowing with responses to your interview questions- I’m looking forward to reading them!
Hi Emma, so wonderful to hear from you. Loved reading your comment. Wow, that is amazing that you had the author of LBTO stay, I really did like the book, I am just sorry I rushed the end. Now the only reason I know what you are talking about when it comes to “Ottolenghi” is from the Chat 10 Looks 3 podcast. I have listened to some Desert Island Discs, but might get into some more, thanks for the reminder. Thanks so much for sharing where you live, we have quite a few readers in WA!!! Hope you enjoy Those Two Girls, I know you will. Have a great day.
Thanks Miss Chardy, I enjoy Chat 10 Looks 3 too. There is so many good podcasts around we really are spoilt for choice…it’s hard to fit them all in. Sometimes I do a little internal fist pump when the boys tell me they are going to be gone all day 😉
Loving This Is Us too! Can’t wait to see what is the go with Jack tonight! I still miss Parenthood so this is somewhat filling that gap (American family series ect) Listening to the Show & Tell podcast – Erin Molan and Lisa Wilkinson interviews while dragged myself along on a walk today. Reading: about to start Zoe Fosters Wrong Girl
Hi Emma, I didn’t realise there was a Show and Tell podcast, I am off to download, thanks for that!!!
Great first post for Outback Chicks! I had no idea the station was actually in the NT and your closest town is across the border in QLD!!!
What are you reading?
Textbooks mainly [I am working and studying] but I do have a collection of ‘trashy novels’ on the Kindle app on my iPhone for reading while I am on the bus, waiting to be picked up, on the elliptical trainer in the gym or during lunch. I also have other collections that I read, including memoirs, biographies and self development books – which means there is always something to read when I have a spare 5 minutes!
I just finished reading : Shadow of a Century by Jean Grainger, and I highly recommend it. The basic story line is about a career media woman who ends up becoming part of the news and how an encounter with an old woman reveals a family history that’s related to the Irish independence from the British!
I have just started a memoir on this English couple that buy a 2nd house in France in preparation for retiring there and so far it’s interesting. Fat Dogs and French Estates Part 1 by Beth Haslam.
What are you listening to?
ABC Classic FM is my radio station of choice – as I find it doesn’t have lots of annoying commercials, the news is informative but doesn’t drag on for ages and the announcers are actually quite funny, plus I enjoy the music. The radio in the kitchen and my car radio are both tuned to the station. Other than that, we mainly listen to music via Pandora, which we play via the Apple TV and the surround sound system that my brother gave us – its great to be able to have good music when you have friends over for dinner.
My partner has just created a Pandora station based on the music of 2 Cellos – think classical instruments playing modern music and we love it! Most people would know the You Tube video of the guys playing ACDC Thunderstruck … bloody awesome 🙂 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uT3SBzmDxGk
What are you watching?
I am STILL studying for my MBA, so TV time is limited but we have just finished rewatching all 7 seasons of The West Wing [that only took us 9 months to do] and we are up to Episode 5 of Season 1 of Mad Men!
Where do you live (that was random wasn’t it?)
I live in Brisbane with my partner Andrew and his Cavalier Kind Charles puppy Bentley – who features in my outfit photos on IG [bespoke_heirlooms] – Bentley is a total camera hog but I adore him 🙂
Cavalier King Charles puppy … oops!
Reading? Ummm it has been a while but the Outlander series. Listening to? Ummm the air con and fan (you can see this is entertaining and that I have a clue what I’ve been doing). Watching? The backs of my eyelids and whatever junk is on t.v including married at first sight, actually that is the Mr’s choice (ready to binge watch the 2nd season of Outlander). Live … well that one I actually know the answer to, this week. Live in Cairns. Never thought I would be here this long or planning to be here longer but that we are. Funny the places life takes you.
Thanks for sharing that Anne. Hope all is going well and you aren’t feeling too uncomfy. I haven’t ever watched Outlander. It is funny the places life takes you.