Writing in the Tropics- Lori T. Hurst

Life in the tropics may sound like paradise but it does have a downside. Monsoonal rains, cyclones, the odd bit of mildew & cane toads are part & parcel of Summer in north Queensland. I can live happily with all of the above except the cane toads. Ugly repulsive creatures they breed prolifically. It gives you cause to wonder if Mrs Cane toad isn't hoping (in vain I fear) that one day she'll produce a handsome prince. When we first moved to Alligator Creek (stupid name there are no Alligators in Australia) to live perched on the top of a hill we felt a certain smugness that there was not a single toad to be seen. Sadly our grand state of isolation didn't last more than one summer. Our lights attracted bugs and the bugs attracted the dreaded toads. With each passing year the population has increased. Disgusting creatures they might be but we balk at using the usual methods of eradication i.e. Toadex, salt, bleach etc & opt for the most humane method of despatching...

While we have not grown webbed feet things have been pretty damp in our little corner of the world. Still, while fighting off frogs, geckos & mildew there has been definite progress in two significant areas of my life. Major project number one- our dream house is in the final stages of completion. That comment has a ring of deja vu but each month, week, day, it becomes more of a reality. The downstairs area is complete. The kitchen is almost finished and I'm sort of using it. In just a week or two (a champagne event for sure) it will be complete. Meanwhile I'm washing up on the deck. I'll almost be sorry to move inside away from the spectacular view of mist shrouded mountains and impossibly green palm fronds and ferns. Major project number two. My novel A Hint of Darkness is undergoing its final appraisal by my very exacting daughter. ( I hesitate to say nit-picking, but if there is a fault to be found she will find it) Editing a hundred and thirty seven thousand word...