This time last year I was sitting in a busy airconditioned newsroom at The Canberra Times.
As I write this today, the temperature outside my Longreach home office has just struck 41 and my secondhand fan has never worked harder.
"Just wait until it hits 45," laughs one of the veteran Country Life journos.
Anything over 25 degrees is hellishly hot for an expat Kiwi but I figure if I've already come to love Longreach in the excruciating summer, winter is going to be a breeze.
Western Queensland has been home to me for about two months now.
In that span I've been to yabby races, rodeos, bull sales and even hit my first kangaroo.
I've met some great folks in the west, and I'm champing at the bit to get out and about to meet even more.
I've also embarrassed myself with the occasional faux pas, but my boots are starting to gather the odd speck of dust and my city skinny jeans are working their way to the bottom of the wardrobe.
And at least I haven't put petrol in the diesel tank, yet. I guess there's always next year for that.
