Category Archives: Australia

On the Road Again

Posted on 14 December 2020 by sheg4184

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

Posted on 4 December 2020 by sheg4184

‘…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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Victoriana

Posted on 29 October 2020 by sheg4184

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

Posted on 22 October 2020 by sheg4184

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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“Is it beer o’clock yet?’

Posted on 12 October 2020 by sheg4184

What could be more Australian than drinking beer in a shearing shed?The specific shearing shed I have in mind is on the Fork Tree Road, where it squats high on a hill above Carrickalinga, looking straight out over the deep … Continue reading →

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‘Where would we be without water?’

Posted on 30 September 2020 by sheg4184

I grew up in the driest state on the driest continent in the world. My childhood was full of drought warnings, water restrictions and murky brown bath water pumped all the way from the River Murray.Anyone with a television in … Continue reading →

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Scones & Cream & Camellias

Posted on 22 September 2020 by sheg4184

The camellia against the moss of the temple, the violet hues of the Kyoto mountains, a blue porcelain cupthis sudden flowering of pure beauty at the heart of ephemeral passion: is this not something we all aspire to?~ Muriel Barbery … Continue reading →

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‘Conspicuous Consumption’

Posted on 23 August 2020 by sheg4184

Ayers House, now run as a museum by the National Trust, illustrates one of the early success stories in the history of South Australia. Situated on North Terrace, a tree-lined boulevard in the city of Adelaide, Ayers House is an … Continue reading →

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Heading North

Posted on 11 August 2020 by sheg4184

This time last year I was in London, in a city full of covid free people and lush green parks, strolling through Borough Market on a bright summer’s day. Today I am in Burra, South Australia. I am surrounded by … Continue reading →

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A Sweet Escape

Posted on 21 July 2020 by sheg4184

While current news reports still place covid at the top of the list, in South Australia we have been – dare I say it? – corona free for many weeks. Although we are currently keeping the Victorians at bay, visitors … Continue reading →

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