Author Archives: sheg4184

Return to Tasmania

Posted on 25 January 2023 by sheg4184

This summer, we finally realized a dream of long-standing: to return to Tasmania. You may remember that I wrote about my first visit in the late 1980s, when the One & Only took me on a trek to Frenchman’s Cap? … Continue reading →

Posted in Australia, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Core of my heart, my country!”

Posted on 28 December 2022 by sheg4184

An opal-hearted country,A wilful lavish land –All you who have not loved her,You will not understand –Though earth has many splendours,Wherever I may day,I know to what brown countryMy homing thoughts will fly. For many Australians, the words of poet … Continue reading →

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

Of swimming, surfboards, and River Cats…

Posted on 21 December 2022 by sheg4184

It’s only 7am, but already the beach is awash with bodies: walkers, joggers and surfers, canoes and paddle boards skim along the edge of the sea. The coffee shop is buzzing, and families are hoeing into enormous plates of eggs … Continue reading →

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

Post Production Ponderings

Posted on 15 December 2022 by sheg4184

November arrived with a clash of cymbals, a tarantara of trumpets and thunderous drum rolls. I submitted my thesis on the first of the month, which was a huge weight off my shoulders. The following day, the Lyceum Club Adelaide … Continue reading →

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

Christmas Cards: Setting the Mood

Posted on 6 December 2022 by sheg4184

Then its zippity jingle and dash away pingHang holly and berries in all the hallsThe tassels on all the thermostats andWrite merry Christmas on all of the walls…~ from Eloise at Christmas Time by Kay Thompson One upon a time, … Continue reading →

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

Of sheep and seaside daisies…

Posted on 8 November 2022 by sheg4184

The first sign that the town had a connection with Scotland was its name: Glencoe. The second sign: a redheaded ‘Weasley’ walking down the main road… Glencoe is a small country town in south-eastern South Australia, to the north-west of … Continue reading →

Posted in Australia, History, Local Culture, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

In Essence

Posted on 5 October 2022 by sheg4184

SpringMating dance of beesOr dance to the death?Short and sweet. Years ago, in Manila, I joined a workshop to write poetry. I had read myriad poems, but never turned my hand to writing anything except creating silly rhymes for the … Continue reading →

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

Christina & Her Sisters

Posted on 12 September 2022 by sheg4184

These eight, somewhat startled-looking women were all born during Queen Victoria’s reign, in the colony of South Australia. Meet Annie and Clara, Edith and Grace, Lily and May, Christina and Kathleen. All sisters. There was a ninth sister, Alice, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Australia, Biography, History | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Cycling Through Normandy and Beyond…

Posted on 1 September 2022 by sheg4184

Life has been reduced to three suburbs over the past couple of months, and the winter glooms have given me no incentive to expand my horizons. But with a couple of free days up my sleeve to sort through piles … Continue reading →

Posted in France, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Daybreak near Wilpena Pound

Posted on 26 July 2022 by sheg4184

Pulling out past the pub onto the pre-dawn highway,the car headlights cast a narrow channel of white to guide the way.Beyond the sweep of its incandescence,the wider world is locked in darkness.Imperceptibly, a pencil line of blood orange appears on … Continue reading →

Posted in Australia, Travel | Tagged | Leave a comment