It's fun fishing through my photos for something to post here. I'd forgotten about the magical, curly Xanthorrhoea that I saw driving home from Adelaide a few years ago. Like giant, twisted penises reaching for the sky as the cars whizz by at 100km an hour. It's probably the wind out there, coming of the
I look out on my new back yard and see a myriad of possibilities. I have inherited two large raised veggie boxes replete with greens and herbs - lettuce, rainbow chard, thyme, parsley, rocket, dill, oregano and other leafy greens - but the rest of the garden is really a blank slate. Flat and north
There's something very satisfying about waking up feeling like you've slept well. I never get enough hours, but I love it when I'm physically exhausted and wake up in exactly the same position as I went to sleep in. As though I fell asleep the instant my head hit the pillow and I didn't budge
Beautiful, interesting and soothing. J.S.Bach wrote incredible music (breaking all the rules of harmony and counterpoint), and his Cello Suites - for solo cello - burrow their way into your heart and mind. Perfect listening when you're sad, when you're happy, in fact, when you're feeling anything or nothing at all. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGQLXRTl3Z0
I packed my books today, ready for the movers in the morning. While I have many sore muscles, books make me happy. Being surrounded by books give me sense of having a world at my fingertips. So many magical combinations of text on a page to keep the brain ticking. This is a small selection
For anyone who knows even a little, this is really a no-brainer - wine tasting makes me very happy. Where to start with all the things I love about it? First there's the sensory pleasure, lighting up my flavour, aroma and texture receptors. Then there's the joy of learning new things, both sensory and intellectually
Towards the top of my list of things that make me happy is an unctuous, ripe, raw milk cheese. It is entirely worth the 24 hour flight to Europe to experience the delicious taste and texture of a perfect cheese. The ultimate is, without doubt, the Mont d'Or. It is a seasonal cheese, only available
I caught up with my arts tribe tonight at an impromptu birthday gathering. I've missed them, and as happens so often, didn't realise just how much until they were all there again. We talked of art and life, big things and small, with a wine and a few laughs, but what really stands out is
They reintroduced wolves into Yellowstone National Park in 1995 (the last wolves were killed in the 1920s) and the environmental chain reaction is extraordinary. Deer population was reduced, forests shot up, birds came back, beavers got busy, bear numbers increased, and ultimately the river changed course. It's an uplifting story of possibility and hope that
Moving through the landscape is something I've always found inspiring and exciting. It brings a new perspective and sense of space. Maybe that's what drives the traveller in me. Maybe it comes from growing up in the bush. Maybe it's what underpins my interest in wine - a liquid expression of landscape. I love the