Author Archives: sheg4184

Of Country Clubs and Cucumber Sandwiches

Hanbury Manor, Hertfordshire, once the home of English landed gentry, then a boarding school, it has entered the 21st century as a Marriott hotel and country club. Only a few miles north of Hertford, Hanbury Manor is a magnificent chapter … Continue reading

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Shanghai Nights

Tickets had sold out before Christmas – an unprecedented occurence even for an event as popular as the ANZA Ball, and it was obvious on the night that everyone had high expectations of a great evening’s entertainment. As usual, everyone … Continue reading

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Va Bene

Va Bene has been a firm favourite with our family for some time, despite its rather quirky location above the Petron petrol station on EDSA outside the gates to Dasmarinas, so it was our first choice for a birthday dinner … Continue reading

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The Science of Rice

“The greatest gift they’ll get this year is life”  ~Bob Geldof, Do they know it’s Christmas? As an Anglo-Australian, I grew up on a diet of meat and three veg. Potatoes were my staple carbohydrate, and rice was simply Calrose. … Continue reading

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A Fragrant Outdoor Kitchen

‘An Indian kitchen is a fragrant kitchen’    ~ Ragini Dey  My favourite new Indian cookbook, ‘Spice Kitchen,’ by Indian-Australian restaurateur Ragini Dey, describes Indian food as ‘vibrant, colourful and richly flavoured… yet devilishly sly as its spices lie in wait … Continue reading

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A Life’s Work

Jeri Gunderson is a tall, slim, wiry American on a mission. Warm and enthusiastic, she talks easily about her life and work in the Philippines. Huddling in a corner of the Shiphrah Birthing Home on the rim of Metro Manila, … Continue reading

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Mr. Ferguson: A Force in the Philippines

Robbie Ferguson moved to Manila just over a year ago, with his partner Olivia and their two kids. A stocky, blond Glaswegian with merry blue eyes, a ready grin, and an accent you can cut with a knife, I occasionally … Continue reading

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Celadon Rocks!

One of my favourite locations for dinner is the strip of restaurants on Lopez Drive, on the perimeter of Power Plant Mall opposite Rockwell Club, with its outdoor dining and a great selection of Italian, Spanish, Filipino and Japanese food. … Continue reading

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Vignettes of Puerto Galera

A chattering, boisterous crowd gathering on a quay with bags and boxes, cases and Eskies, already sipping beers, keen, eager, ready to party, clambering aboard a large, pelican-like banca bobbing in matronly fashion on a subdued sea… A significant birthday, … Continue reading

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Being Australian

Australia’s national Day is January 26th. It is also the same day that the First Fleet landed in Australia in 1788, holds laden with convicted felons, to establish a penal colony far from the rectitude of upper class Britons. Perhaps … Continue reading

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