Below is my husband Michael with his latest great success.  He usually tries to grow a ‘big’ pumpkin for our town’s pumpkin festival and this year he succeeded again.  This one was 151.5 kg – not huge but quite impressive.  Some years they don’t work out at all but this year it all went well.  Mind you I’m just basking in his reflected glory.  I did little  more than make encouraging noises from the veranda but Michael often spent a happy hour or so in the veggie garden around sunset, watering, weeding and talking to his little treasures with beer in hand.  He won two years ago with an even bigger pumpkin which was 185.5 kg pumpkin.  This one didn’t look a lot smaller just a different shape.  It will be quite nice to have some space back in the vegetable garden. So enough bragging now. Cheers to all.  Regards Stephanie Lawless

Michael Lawless with his winning 151.5kg pumpkin. at the 2010 Goomeri Pumpkin Festival. The four pumpkins on the pallet behind him are his too and the biggest of those took second place at 63 k g.

The Pumpkin Lady Tells  book by Wendy Stayner

Welcome to Victoria, Australia - what we personally consider the Australian Giant Pumpkin Capital. It’s a place where more pumpkins can be found, particularly at the Pumpkin Lady's home. Wendy has real pumpkins, plastic pumpkins, toy pumpkins, pumpkin books, pumpkin dolls, pumpkin ornaments, pumpkin dishes, pumpkin candles, pumpkin jig saws - in fact she loves pumpkins and is forever adding to her pumpkin collection.