Author Archives: sheg4184

Jersey Jottings

“Gradually the magic of the island settled over us as gently and clingingly as pollen.” ~ Gerald Durrell I do love islands. I seem always to feel more comfortable living on an island than in a landlocked country, be it … Continue reading

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“It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…”

It’s almost Christmas. The tree is up and brimming with angels, even my grumpy Filipina one. The Kris Kringle list is out. The Christmas menu has been finalized. Our supplies of red are running low, but we have plenty pf … Continue reading

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On the Road Again

After the state-wide panic of a six day Covid lockdown, our brief foray into isolation barely lasted 24 hours. A storm in a teacup? A flash in the pan? Miraculously, two days later, we were able to reignite plans to … Continue reading

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Gathering moss

‘…a period of quiet thinking in our room creates an occasion when the mind can order and understand itself. ‘ ~ Alain de Botton It’s been a strange year of unexpected beginnings, reconnections and enforced immobility, as Covid 19 has … Continue reading

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The Aunts

A small apartment in the middle of Milan. A kitchen, a bathroom, a bed-sitting room. Tiled floors. Tall windows. The aroma of something delicious simmering all day on the stove. Sauces so rich, it only requires a dessertspoon over pasta, … Continue reading

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Moth

A night sky bereft of light,stars shrouded in cloud.A pulsing, whispering, whoosh that might bewild winds whipping through the trees,nor waves crashing on the beach.Sounds louder – and closer – in the heavy, scented darknessthan they will be in daylight.Monotonous … Continue reading

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Gluttony

“There are those people who can eat one piece of chocolate, one piece of cake, drink one glass of wine. There are even people who smoke one or two cigarettes a week. And then there are people for whom one … Continue reading

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Exploring Nepal

Part II of a tale I told earlier this year of a trip to Nepal in 1990… That evening, a huge thunderstorm hit our campsite with a vengeance. The gods were playing havoc with hammer and anvil, hurling hailstones down … Continue reading

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Victoriana

I love, love, love Victorian kitchens – and I don’t mean the state of Victoria, so troubled with Covid restrictions, but Queen Victoria and the era of huge basement kitchens, à la Downtown Abbey. Deep within the British stately home … Continue reading

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Cricket & Ceviche

Adelaide was always going to be an avid cricketing city, with so many of the original settlers in South Australia being of British origin. So, it was no surprise to learn that a purpose-built oval was already being constructed in … Continue reading

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