Category Archives: Lifestyle

Of Tarts & Tiles, Tuk-Tuks & Trams

Posted on 28 March 2023 by sheg4184

Three wonderful weeks in Portugal, and a common theme or two has begun to emerge. We have spent our time very merrily in Porto and Lisbon. Both towns are densely populated with people and churches, and incredibly steep. There are … Continue reading →

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“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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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“And I wonder, still I wonder, who’ll stop the rain?”

Posted on 9 June 2022 by sheg4184

Winter has arrived in South Australia with a vengeance. Autumn was wet, but June has been wetter. The local papers suggest it may be the soggiest June on record.  Our water tanks are full to the brim and the tides … Continue reading →

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The Magical Land of Books

Posted on 17 May 2022 by sheg4184

“There is something about words. In expert hands, manipulated deftly, they take you prisoner. Wind themselves around your limbs like spider silk, and when you are so enthralled you cannot move, they pierce your skin, enter your blood, numb your … Continue reading →

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Shakespeare in the Rain

Posted on 7 January 2022 by sheg4184

On a prime position, in the southern foothills above the Adelaide plains, sits a beautiful house that looks more like it belongs in the lush green English countryside than in the hot, dry southern hemisphere. Built in the late 1930s, … Continue reading →

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What Price to Pay?

Posted on 30 December 2021 by sheg4184

What on earth did we all talk about before Covid? Every conversation these days starts with the latest update. In every newspaper or TV report there is high drama about the latest figures and the latest advice on crossing borders. … Continue reading →

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Octopus Dreams

Posted on 15 December 2021 by sheg4184

‘Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.’ Thank you, Daphne du Maurier, for that exquisitely poignant, nostalgic and melancholic opening line. It’s an iconic and instantly gripping beginning that every wannabe writer must envy. I went not to … Continue reading →

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