A Southland male might say that it takes a long time to find the right wife. A Southland female might say that it takes longer to become that amazing Southland woman.

Marg McCorkindale has used humour to look back on her initiation into country life in rural Southland during the early 1980s. Some of the challenges included how to lamb a ewe, driving on country roads and the solving of household plumbing problems. Social events such as rural race meetings and fishing trips highlight the different expectations of a ’townie’ and a ‘country woman’. These 14 stories will certainly make you have a good laugh!!