![\"\"](\"http:\/\/written.co.nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/farmer_900.jpg\")
<\/figure>Every day I watch my farm burn. Day after day, the sky is a relentless, empty blue. As our land dries up, all my hopes turn to vapour, lost in that wide blue yonder. <\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n Penguin Random House, 2017<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Doug Avery\u2019s story of personal resilience, and of farming with the environment rather than against it, has been welcomed with open arms by those in the rural sector who feel uncertain about the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI am immensely grateful for Margie Thomson and her skill to create the best possible form of our story. She put the very best value that my poor broken old life could ever have into readable form. The feedback we got out there was unbelievable and the sense of value I now have for the work is huge. The whole process has been the most amazing journey for me as a person. The helicopter view that writing the book has given me has grown my ability to help others\u201d \u2013 <\/em>Doug Avery<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe publish 50-plus New Zealand books each year and [Doug\u2019s] book has been an absolute stand-out for us in 2017, both in terms of the smooth way it came together (big ups to Margie\u2026 for that) but most significantly for the very important message that it shares. It is a real privilege for us to be trusted with such a deeply personal account. When I first approached Doug, I felt sure his story would connect with the New Zealand rural community, but I think we have all been blown away by the outpouring of feeling at his events and beyond. To watch it soar to the top of the NZ bestsellers\u2019 charts is both hugely gratifying and humbling.\u201d \u2013 Debra Miller, publisher, Penguin Random House New Zealand<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n \u201cA rural miracle\u201d \u2013 reader review. <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" WEATHERING THE CHALLENGES OF LIFE AND THE LAND Every day I watch my farm burn. Day after day, the sky is a relentless, empty blue. As our land dries up, all my hopes turn to vapour, lost in that wide blue yonder. Penguin Random House, 2017 Doug Avery\u2019s story of personal resilience, and of farming … <\/p>\n