Author Archives: sheg4184

The Wheels on the Bus

Posted on 5 September 2025 by sheg4184

It has been an extremely long, long-haul flight to London, and I am feeling gritty and grey as we drag our bags off the bus at Paddington. But the sun is shining between showers and sparkling in the puddles, and … Continue reading →

Posted in England, History, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Beachside Boil: Flavour, Fun and No Frills!

Posted on 25 August 2025 by sheg4184

While the algae blooms, the sand dunes have been washed away in winter storms, and the Normanville jetty is looking decidedly shabby, since the end collapsed into the sea, the latest offering from Aqua Blue has certainly lifted our spirits. … Continue reading →

Posted in Australia, Food & Wine | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Black Sheep Let Loose

Posted on 26 July 2025 by sheg4184

At the end of a strenuous semester of research, writing, travel, and hospital stays, I was delighted to receive an invitation from Mary & Hugh Hamilton to join them for a long lunch at the National Wine Centre in Adelaide, … Continue reading →

Posted in Australia, Food & Wine | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Roadkill

Posted on 20 June 2025 by sheg4184

Such small, sweet, chocolate brown corpses,crumpled and bloody by the side of the road.So maligned by the residentswho snarl about invasive species and say‘they do enormous damage to native wildlife…’ On this remote archipelago of ground dwelling birds,where the immigrant … Continue reading →

Posted in Local Culture, New Zealand, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Oddity of Old Words

Posted on 3 June 2025 by sheg4184

I am meant to be working on a conference paper entitled ‘Conversing with the Past’. But I got distracted by one of those odd Facebook postings: a definition of an unusual and old-fashioned word. “Balter.” It is, apparently, pronounced BOLL-tuh. … Continue reading →

Posted in Australia, Lifestyle, Local Culture | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Heading South

Posted on 16 April 2025 by sheg4184

The South Island of New Zealand contains some of the most spectacular scenery this amazing country has to offer – and certainly the most variety. The snow-capped Southern Alps run the full length of the island, dividing it in two … Continue reading →

Posted in New Zealand, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Pinot Noir: Otago’s New Gold Rush

Posted on 6 April 2025 by sheg4184

For two weeks we have been rambling through New Zealand’s south island, zigzagging from Christchurch to Queenstown, back to Dunedin and down through the Catlins to Invercargill, west to Lake Manapouri and Milford Sound, north to Cromwell and over to … Continue reading →

Posted in Food & Wine, New Zealand, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Craggy Range Revisited

Posted on 2 April 2025 by sheg4184

It is fourteen years since I first met David Peabody; fourteen years since I sipped my first Craggy Range Sauvignon Blanc; and fourteen years since I first wrote an article about this inspirational family-owned winery. Since then, Craggy Range wines … Continue reading →

Posted in Food & Wine, New Zealand | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Alex Down the Hobbit-Hole

Posted on 27 March 2025 by sheg4184

“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down … Continue reading →

Posted in New Zealand, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Food Glorious Food

Posted on 21 March 2025 by sheg4184

Fiore is the Italian word for flower. It is also the name of a rather gorgeous little Italian restaurant in McLaren Vale. And on a hot afternoon during this Indian summer, it was the best place to spend a wedding … Continue reading →

Posted in Australia, Food & Wine | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment