Category Archives: Australia

Lives of ‘Gratified Activity’: A quest to unpack the inspirations & motivations of a family of ‘Awakened’ women in settler-colonial South Australia.

My title comes from the words of South Australian suffragist Catherine Helen Spence, who once described herself as a new woman, awakened to her sense of responsibility to both family and community, that ‘the world may be glad that she … Continue reading

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A Patch of Heaven

Driving through the Adelaide hills in autumn, the glorious deciduous trees are festooned in bronze, ruby and saffron leaves. We are weaving our way up the Fleurieu Peninsula to Stirling for a special birthday lunch at Patch Kitchen & Garden. … Continue reading

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Roaming Through Gippsland

Thou through the fields and through the woods dost stray,Roaming the countryside, a truant boy,Nursing thy project in unclouded joy,And every doubt long blown by time away.~ Matthew Arnold, The Gypsy Scholar We’ve snuck away for a week or two … Continue reading

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A Delight-Full Anniversary

An anniversary. An invitation for a secret rendezvous. A wine bar. A degustation menu of wondrous delight. Hidden behind the petrol station on South Road is the old village of Aldinga. There you will find a bakery, a pub and … Continue reading

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Sticky Rice & Drunken Noodles

Last weekend, we drove up the freeway to the Sticky Rice Cooking School on the Old Mount Barker Road. The invitation suggested we “come journey around wonderful SE Asia. Full of vibrant, fresh, exciting flavours and dishes you will cook … Continue reading

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An Evening Breeze

Last Friday night I lay at the feet of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, soaking in some truly beautiful and soothing music. Sanctuary Series 1, “Fragmentation” at Grainger Studio was an hour-long performance by the ASO. Neither perched high above the … Continue reading

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And so it begins…

“The sun is up, and the early morning swimmers are trudging up the beach, damp and dripping, to gather for coffee on the veranda at the Normanville Kiosk & Café. In dribs and drabs, the dawn patrol of dog walkers … Continue reading

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A Jewel in the Crown

We have friends visiting from Spain, wonderful friends we met in Manila a dozen years ago or more. Friends with whom we have wined and dined at many beautiful restaurants that have featured in my blog over the years, usually … Continue reading

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Narawntapu

We clamber over dunes that heap sand into my shoes,until a broad flat beach stretches before us –west to the estuary and east to the hills –Sky, sand, sea, space, to the end of my fingertips,the scent of salt and … Continue reading

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Blogging 101

I went to a writing class some time ago that, in retrospect, seems a little daft. Blogging 101, after I have been writing this particular blog for over a decade? So, why did I go? You might well ask. I … Continue reading

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