penneylaneonline for Thursday, September 27, 2007

I often wonder where wisdom goes to when she’s had the door shut in her face. Don’t you? I mean where would you expect her to go? More importantly, why wouldn’t anyone simply invite her in, arms opened wide? Well, I heard a story on the grapevine the other day. I heard wisdom likes to dress up in disguise and wander among the crowds, exploring cobbled pathways off the beaten track, popping unannounced into small establishments without the slightest hint of any hue and cry. She’s renowned for it.... Sign in to see full entry.

Leading by example can be a brave call in life, particularly when situations make you feel like your back's against the wall. Those same 'situations ' will hang you out to dry emotionally if you let them or haven't conditioned yourself mentally to weather the storms when they come. The conditioner I'm talking about here is discipline. Being a leader and having the sense of being a leader (in my opinion) are different. The thing that makes one different from the other lies in the fact that one is... Sign in to see full entry.

The Tibouchina bush outside my front door is such an elegant front-of-house director of people inside that she deserves great tips from everyone that enters. Her neatly coiffered purple locks make you think not even an errant gust of wind would dare dislodge a single petal on her head. She's gracious and lovely to boot. I've known and met people like that throughout my life, my family friend Kathleen is like that. Wonderfully gracious. I'm not sure she realises it, but it's like a halo round her... Sign in to see full entry.

It's a lovely day outside, cool but comfortable. Funny what you end up thinking about when a blue sky is on the books! We used to have a family tradition when I was growing up whereby when Sunday came around we all bundled into the car and went for a Sunday drive. And as inevitably happens among siblings, there were a 101 ways to inflict pain on the others quietly, with great and practised stealth! I believe it's called 'original sin' because I do actually love my siblings these days. For... Sign in to see full entry.

I had the great pleasure of meeting Felix yesterday, she's all of 3 foot something, 7 years old, chatty and immediately likeable. I needed to get my head out into the open air so I decided that I would spend some time doing some much needed gardening around the Bowlo. Gardening is great for thinking, it's one of those effortless non-thinking acts that actually aids the real work of thinking at a much deeper level if you know what I mean. Felix, as it happens knows no such bounds when it comes to... Sign in to see full entry.

Have you ever noticed that when taking stock of where you are in your life how disturbingly pre-occupied with the mundane you become? It happens. You know, how you begin cleaning out wardrobes you’ve left unkempt for months or even distractedly stacking magazines one on top of the other again and again and again. What is this? A nervous reaction to a bad batch of penicillin? It’s funny (mysterious rather than hilarious) how this happens. Maybe it’s a procrastinator’s tic! Hamlet’s disease from... Sign in to see full entry.

I never imagined (being so long in the tooth) that I would acquire the skill of “pulling a beer” so late in my life! But I will be. I’ll be sitting my RSA (Responsible Service of Alcohol) Certificate soon so that I can do some shifts at my local Bowlo soon. I have to smile, I mean who’d have thought, certainly not me. There’s got to be something said for adventure. Something profound, yet when faced with the prospect of standing on its threshold I’m left speechless. I’m dumbfounded, dumbstruck... Sign in to see full entry.

Rustic covers a multitude of descriptions, like old farmhouses in Tuscany, food that’s been prepared with little or no fuss, usually it just means you need to take things as you find them. In contrast, gourmet means all things swish and supposedly tasty. I say ‘supposedly’ because sometimes I think things bundled under this banner is simply an excuse for a cook with little or no imagination to serve up to the eating (paying) public something less than satisfying. Apologies to real chefs but... Sign in to see full entry.

You’ve gotta laugh at the idiosyncrasies that you pick up over time. Or maybe you simply have to wonder at your inability to say no to extra baggage! Here’s the thing, no matter how fantastic looking your luggage looks, leather trim and all, it’s still luggage afterall! I have this thing about crumbs under foot. They drive me crazy! And while I’m not a neat freak (because tidy will suffice) I positively couldn’t stand to either feel or hear them crunch under my feet. I love vacuums for that very... Sign in to see full entry.

The mother sulphur-crested cockatoo that moved into the Date Palm tree over the back fence sounds frustrated. She’s screeching like a banshee. It’s near dinner time and she displays all the frenetic behaviours of a mother about to pull her feathers out if just one more child whinges that they’re hungry! She and her babies have brought a new sound to the neighbourhood, an up-tempo urban screech that can rattle your nerves if it’s been a long day. You can hear the strain in her voice some days.... Sign in to see full entry.

The most surprising thing about gangly and sometimes fragile-looking woody twigs is that when their time comes they can sometimes turn from ugly duckling so to speak to elegant and delicate swans of the plant world. m This is what has happened to the tree in the pot outside my front door. It grew up into an 'Indian Summer Crepe Myrtle' - Lagerstroemia indica x L.fauriei Hopi. On closer inspection they have such a lovely symmetry, delicate like I said. It might be easy to imagine that they're so... Sign in to see full entry.

We seem to have gone from the sublime to the ridiculous weather-wise. Yesterday it reached 36 degrees celcius and yet today the barometer is barely warming up the mercury in a sobering 21 degree grey day. It feels like a good day to listen to Charlie, Tex and Don. There's something about hearing stories told through the strings of a mellowed out guitar and (respectfully) lived-in voices. Something soothing to the soul midst this meterological confusion. I was thinking it's been a long time since... Sign in to see full entry.

My sister and me like to spend time together at a favourite haunt in Summer Hill. A Cafe by day and a Mediterranean Restaurant by night called Muse. We love the light atmosphere and delicious food, we're foodies with an appetite for fresh light Mediterranean food and conversation to match. My sister and me are like chalk and cheese. She's King Island camerbert and I'm Belgian feta but we work quite well together on the palate despite our differences. In the past I've never really appreciated the... Sign in to see full entry.

Respect is an interesting mask of being. Why mask? Well because sometimes I have a suspicion that there are some among us that parade their respect for all and sundry to see but scratch the surface and what one might find is little more than a controlled derision. I prefer the verb of the noun because as we know the verbs are the action men and women of the noun family. The verb of respect is: to 'show consideration for'. It means we are required to get up close and personal rather than simply... Sign in to see full entry.

If today is any indication of what the summer will be like I suspect we’re in for a scorcher. The sun was quite vocal in his opinions about how the day should pan out. Ferociously so infact. He gave us rather a blistering tongue-lashing as early as 10.30am this morning. It was hot. It was the first time I felt like skulking off into a shady corner in a long while. And it’s Spring still. My friend Hannah, her 4 month old son Philip and I went to my local Bowlo today to look at the ‘indifferent... Sign in to see full entry.

In New Zealand they call it Candy Floss, here in Australia they call it Fairy Floss. The thing is, that whatever you call it, it doesn’t matter because the bottom line is that it’s mouth-watering. It’s the kind of thing you have once in a blue moon because any more will make you ill beyond description. Isn’t that the truth about most good things in life? Well, depends who you ask of course! The trouble with Candy Floss is that you get lulled into a false sense of believing that something as... Sign in to see full entry.

My local Bowlo celebrated its 110 th birthday last Sunday, it was remiss of me to forget mentioning that in my Sunday blog to you but these things happen in a work-about life. Birthdays are funny things, they either make us reflect on a life lived so far or make us want to forget the life we’ve lived so far. Which camp do you fall into? I’ve had pause to wonder over the last few days what the forefathers of my little Bowlo have been thinking as they have watched her get on in years. I wonder if... Sign in to see full entry.

Times change, we expect that. And it’s easier to remember how it was then than how is now for so many reasons. Chief among these reasons, is that, we allow time to accessorise us with rose-coloured glasses through which we peer, as if, with our noses pressed hard up against a Lolly Shop window we experience once again the deliciously anticipated taste of our favourite lollies. Sometimes the truth is more obtuse than that. We (well, me actually) simply prefer the taste of the old fashioned... Sign in to see full entry.

Today my darling father turned 72 years old. When I spoke to him over the phone (he lives in New Zealand ) he was as cheerful sounding and cheeky as always. He is having such a wonderful innings. I love that his outlook on life is as positive (without being manufactured) as it always is. My father is like a sign-post to me. He’s the sign head with the place names on it that always points toward home. Like a living Goldie painting that captures the life lived and everything in between. My father... Sign in to see full entry.

I love weeding. There’s something so satisfying about it that when I survey my handiwork at the end of the day I tend to feel rather smug. What’s not to feel smug about? Evicting unwelcome agricultural tenants has a distinctly satisfying feel to it. I love that weeding affords a girl time to think, not about anything in particular mind, (unless something in particular is the order of the day), rather, it creates a spacious-ness in our thought processes that is rejuvenating. It clears the cobwebs... Sign in to see full entry.

I love to reclaim things. That is, give life back to something whose appearance has faded somewhat. It reminds me that a good make-over (without the huge price-tag) is completely do-able and can give a piece of furniture a great sense of pizzazz. Earlier this week I did just that to an old wardrobe. It was so seventies brown. I’m often loathe to paint over wood work but there really seemed to be a need in this case. Are you like me? Look at something and know that under that drab exterior beats... Sign in to see full entry.

I’m a fairly pragmatic type. The characteristic came about from the way that early childhood farm living tended to cement certain thinkings in a person. It’s true what they say, you can take the girl out of the country but you can’t take the country out of the girl. And I love that! Country folk are among some of the most practical people you’ll ever meet in your life-time and more than that, they’re real, genuine and so worth knowing. For the most part they lack a certain pretentiousness that... Sign in to see full entry.

My friend Jan shared a lovely story with me today about her grand daughter Maya. It went something like this. One night, when she put Maya to bed Jan blew Maya a kiss and asked her if she’d caught it. She was told, no. Jan went to blow Maya another one and was told she didn't have to do that because the first one blew straight into her heart. It was such a heart-warming story I just wanted to share it with you so you could share in the heart-warming moment as well. Children have a definite knack... Sign in to see full entry.

I was having a much needed shot of coffee yesterday afternoon with Lucas on his back patio overlooking his bounteous garden. It seemed like it [the garden] hadn’t received the news there was a drought on, it had simply stockpiled all of the rains from previous months in its plant roots. It was a sight to behold. A luscious oasis. A large black butterfly danced by on the whim of a vagrant breeze, I wondered at first whether it was the same one from the other day, on her way to meet her friend who... Sign in to see full entry.

Have you ever watched television with the sound muted or god forbid (I'm kidding) on a black and white television set? It's a must do experience. Muting the sound forces us to engage in the picture on a level that we might not normally engage in it. m In a world where sound is held in such high regard, we seem to have settled for so much less interms of the accuracy of that sound. In my opinion, accurate sound is worth hearing. And when you hear it, you understand that what you've settled for in... Sign in to see full entry.

One of the more interesting night sounds you can hear in the city on a clear night is the sound of a tawny frogmouth. Think old fashioned agitator washing machine. You could miss it if you didn't have avid birders to help you hear. "In Australia there are three species of frogmouth, the Papuan Frogmouth, P. papuensis, is confined to the Cape York Peninsula and is larger, with an orange-red eye. The other species is the Marbled Frogmouth, P. ocellatus, which is similar in size to the Tawny... Sign in to see full entry.

Do you have friends like me that we might not have seen for a long time but when we do get together again, we simply pick up where we left off? My friends Jen, Graes and Ian (though Tamsin was away) are like that. We haven’t seen each other for a long while yet their friendship and love and humour is as fresh and as inviting as it ever was. I love them to bits. I wonder sometimes, if you wonder like me, why some friendships are postmarked in this way. With this round-trip sense that is... Sign in to see full entry.

When I was growing up I was in love with Davy Jones from the Monkees, sad but true. And lovely all at once now I think about it. No, really it is! When he sang Daydream Believer, every girl this side of the Black Stump (australianism for the back of beyond) was in love with him too probably. I haven’t minded sharing him over the years. Reverie aside, music has been a balm for my jangled nerves all my life. It has a way of slipping inside, finding the knots and providing the right kind of massage... Sign in to see full entry.

Ever have moments when your brain reruns the lyrics of songs over and over and over in your mind to the point of distraction. It can feel like the needle of some old record player that’s stuck in a groove. It feels that way for me this morning. I find when I get like this that somewhere deep in the internal machinations of my life I’m trying to figure something out, trying even to make sense of a piece of a puzzle. The part I hate the most is lying in bed at night and finding myself turning... Sign in to see full entry.

I avoid sarcasm like the plague. Some people do it so often they never realise just how awful they sound. Personally, I believe its a subtle form of grand-standing, a way of making the one delivering the venomous snipe seem bigger, even clever. But I dont think they are! I think they show themselves in their true colours, as being small-minded and mean spirited. And from time to time I suspect they must feel so miserable with their lot that they feel compelled to pass that misery on. It must be... Sign in to see full entry.

This morning as I listen to the quiet I realise how life, mine in particular, can snake round in on itself, like some colourful social conga eel that looking back over my shoulder I can see has begun to weave and wind its way effortlessly across this red earth. m And I wonder. Do you wonder just how you came to be where you are right now? In this time, in this space? The sense for me this morning is not such a biggie, just a quiet pondering, nothing strenuous. The truth be told, I have just a... Sign in to see full entry.

It's strange when we learn something about someone that we've known for a while that makes us realise just how far from that person's reality we really are despite their being close in proximity to us. Not knowing makes our ignorance palatable on the one hand and yet on another level it speaks to the depth of our relationship. The information changed me, changed my thoughts about how I would relate to this person in the future. Helped me understand the why and wherefore of her life. It came so... Sign in to see full entry.

I've just finished two large commissioned canvases. They tantalise the eye, teasing them with their bold splashes of colour and irreverent. 'don't tell me I know how I look' sense in the way they hold themselves. The attitude was never intentional, it just emerged from the canvas. I believe most times that's what happens when, as an artist, one begins a new piece. We stare into each others eyes, the canvas and me, half believing that were one of us to look away first, that one, would have... Sign in to see full entry.

This morning I was watching blossom from the Orange tree drift down from the heights. When that happens, they have the same effect on me as snowflakes, there's something completely disarming and enchanting about their dizzying flutter. m It looks for all the world like a manic base-jumping exercise but the pattern and dance is so delicate on the eye that it can be quite mesmerising. I keep waking each day wondering just when the heavenly orange blossom scent will disappear. I find myself... Sign in to see full entry.

The backyard has some new kids on the block, literally. I was having tea in the backyard with my friend Jase when he spied a large sulphur crested Cockatoo (Cacatua Galerita) in the date palm tree over the back fence. n It seemed to disappear through what might have been its front door among the foliage and be met with some very excitable younger sounding chirping. Well, maybe it was more like clanging pots and pans. I'm not sure how Blackey views these goings-on but I figure he figures that as... Sign in to see full entry.

There are many fine examples in this life of people who change and or have changed our world for the better. Yesterday Steve Irwin's Public Memorial Service reminded us of one such a son. An australian son no less. In his own way and in my opinion, Steve Irwin deserved the title "Digger" (an australianism referring to a Veteran Australian Soldier), because in my mind he was, afterall, a Wildlife Warrior. A soldier in the wars against animal habitat destruction, human re-education, conservation... Sign in to see full entry.

There's a childhood practise of making promises by spitting in the palm of your hand and shaking hands with the person with whom you were making the pledge or promise. Kylie Minogue did this exact same thing when she promised to catch up with the woman who interviewed for the first time after her cancer ordeal. She made a promise they'd do the interview again when Minogue turned 50. Just to see how she was travelling. n Issues of political correctness or even hygiene aside, I found it a... Sign in to see full entry.

You'll have to forgive me if I sound parochial but I love a single-minded, kiwi (the world is full of them, just ask anyone who knows one). Burt Munro was a passionate motorcycle enthusiast. He was the owner/builder of his beloved 1920 Indian Scout motorcycle. The movie, ‘The World’s Fastest Indian’ is his story. It made me feel proud to be a kiwi. But not for the reasons you might think. For me, it goes to the fact that “you’re never too old to follow through with a dream.” There is a... Sign in to see full entry.

As summer approaches I’m reminded that it’s the time to pull out our sunniest disposition from behind our darker winter clothing. The clothing store windows are deliciously adorned with feminine florals. I love that these fingers of femininity are running through this new season. A couple of weeks ago they sold the first of the seasons mangoes (which is one of my favourite fruits) at market for $ AUD 25,000 for the box. Of course the proceeds were in aid of charity (as they are every year). The... Sign in to see full entry.

When was the last time you said sorry? More importantly, did you mean it? I’ve always thought that was no-one else’s business if you meant it or not after you’d delivered the words. I was younger then, hardly lived when I thought that. I like that we can grow out with time. So here’s the thing. Words minus the actions (of an appearance of remorse) give no meaning to the delivery and therefore the words (according to my older self). Are we then to suppose that they are meaningless then? Maybe not... Sign in to see full entry.

The sun has finally come out of hibernation for its longest time in a while in these past few days. The smell of orange blossom adds a piquant aroma to the air in the garden, gives life that added zing! I love the way that the sun plays with *Himself's bushy locks, it's endearing. There's a maternal sense in her touch, light with a natural playfulness and ease. Have you ever been some place that left an indelible mark in your memory? And isn't it funny how our memories play tricks on us, playing... Sign in to see full entry.

Earlier this year I salvaged a near-to-death Peace Lily from a pot, prised it into six separate plants and repotted them again. Ditto with a Clematis: Rosy Lavendar to Lilac plant. Months later they seem to have taken and have sprung back as six new plants and a healthy reinvigorated climber. It's great news. City life you can make you forget the feel of the more natural seasonal rhythms. It's a shame really because they are so much kinder to our souls. They let us breathe fully instead of us... Sign in to see full entry.

I wonder sometimes whether we’ll ever get back to that place where we can feel both shock and horror by all events (both big and small) that should illicit those feelings and emotions from us as fellow human beings. Gosh, I hope so, I really do. Today marks the fifth anniversary of 9/11. Ground Zero is the place where strangers mourn strangers? Where strangers feel a deep sense of shared grief for those taken by a vicious act of vile terrorism. It’s been five years since September 11, 2001. It... Sign in to see full entry.

This whole week has played out like a very surreal nightmare. Today marks the end of a week that no-one here in Australia quite believes has happened to them, yet it has. Emotions have been sent into a tail spin by the deaths of both Steve Irwin on Monday and Peter Brock on Friday. It will serve as a reminder (because we do need to be reminded of it from time to time) to us all of our mortality and the fragile nature of life. And it will remind us that people like Steve Irwin tried everyday to... Sign in to see full entry.

There’s nothing as delicious as being able to snuggle up on a raging wet, grey day with a good book(s). Have you ever noticed how time stands still? Or how easy it is to get lost in a completely ‘other’ world and not feel that we’re missing out on anything in a sunnier day. Since yesterday I’ve had hunger pangs for that two books in two days feeling, so in keeping with that fickle streak and wanting to ease myself in gently, I started reading Beach House by James Patterson (not to be confused... Sign in to see full entry.

It’s been quite a week. Australia lost yet another son today, V8 Super Car driving legend, Peter Brock. They called him Peter ‘Perfect’ he was 61 years old. He will be sadly missed by the driving fraternity. I can’t speak so much about Peter Brock because his was not a real area of interest for me (though I did follow the career of New Zealand driver Possum Bourne); still, he [Brock] was well known and respected by many for his tenacity and fierce competitiveness. He will be missed. Loss is so... Sign in to see full entry.

Bob Irwin (father of Steve) made me feel so sad for him as he gave a Press Conference yesterday afternoon at Australia Zoo before a packed media and public crowd. Two things struck me about what he had to say. He spoke of his counsel to his son, "that he must be honest in all his dealings with people" (no matter how big his business interests were growing around him) and he broke the media wonderings about whether there would be a State funeral for Steve. His answer was simple, no there would... Sign in to see full entry.

Does an APPERTISER of Spring Bay scallops infused with chilli nam jum topped with a coriander wasabi followed by a STARTER of Confit of Petuna Ocean trout with a soft green pea puree and glazed apple salad, garnished with a salmon and squid ink then the ENTREE of Szechuan Pepper spiced soft shell crab with salt and pepper Yamba prawns, drizzled in a champagne lime oil accompanied by a lemon sherbert and finally a MAIN comprising Grilled south Australian Hiramasa King Fish with saffron flavoured... Sign in to see full entry.

He was as large as life itself and there's every indication he looked it square in the eye as well. He loved it, there will never be any doubting that. He called himself a Wildlife Warrior and he was, even to the end. Steve Irwin (The Croc Hunter) died yesterday aged 44 years old. m He was a very rare gem in a very beautiful conservation crown Steve Irwin, what you saw is what you got. And many people everywhere attest to that. There aren't that many celebrities you can say that about. There... Sign in to see full entry.

You know I was thinking today that I haven't jumped off a cliff lately (to be read in a figurative sense!) and it feels like I should sometime soon. I've put my hat in the ring for nomination as a Director at my local Bowlo, now that might be a cliff jumping experience to remember! A base jump with a difference even. I feel a sense of aliveness has begun coarsing through my veins again, I'm not sure why exactly, just that it has. And I should respond, right? Of course I should! What about you?... Sign in to see full entry.

My favourite (if it's possible to have a favourite) Spring flowers are freesias. They smell divine and cheer up any out of the way place where you put them and they have a scent with such a sunny disposition it always smells like a so nice to see you scent. Speaking of out of the way. I have a secret little hideaway myself called Bellbird Cottage www.bellbirdcottage.com.au in the Hunter Valley. It's the place I love to go to gather myself up again. Located just a two hour drive from Sydney on... Sign in to see full entry.

Every now and then it's good to look in the rear vision mirror at some of the more interesting (read, adventures) things you've had in your life. Those interesting things are alot like a vase stuffed with freesia's. They're fragrantly heady, delicately divine and they last for a longer than a moment. I've jumped out of a plane, free falling to one thousand feet before opening the 'chute. That's a blast! Actually it was a one-time only act of insanity BUT I lived another day to tell the tale.... Sign in to see full entry.

It's the first day of Spring and it's a munificent day outside. Reminds me of poems, prayers and promises, things that we believe in... believing, it's so important isn't it? It's not even that we have to feel we believe in something or someone, it's the deeper knowing. No really, it is. And why is that so important. I don't know about you but for me, it's all about how that inner knowing steers us purposely through the life that we've been given to live. The one that stamps its impression in us... Sign in to see full entry.

Years ago a little four year old boy taught me a life lesson that's stayed with me for a long long time, that's how valuable it's been to me. It was one of the kindest reprimands I've ever received and looking back now I'm sure he wouldn't even remember it if I reminded him. TK's twenty-seven now. My, how time flies. I remember it was a week day, a Friday I think. TK, god bless his little cotton socks wanted to give me a special surprise, so, unbeknown to me and when I was off at breakfast he... Sign in to see full entry.

I come from a family (both immediate and wider) of strong-headed and equally strong-hearted women. There are of course, some disadvantages but also a lot of advantages to those character traits too. For the most part, I'm okay with my personal experiences that the advantages do infact outweigh the other. A feature of strong-hearted women is that when the chips are down they will rally around you. They'll fuss and make you drink stuff you seriously wouldn't give to another human being but their... Sign in to see full entry.

The weather has been indulging in some erratic behaviour of late. It's been raining off and on across the last two days. Warming sun and then showers from a maverick watering can or bucketed dump from high in the heavens. I think the plants have been enjoying it alot. I noticed some aggies (Agapanthus) squelching their toes in the mud and there's some gleeful but naughty giggling going on out there. Sounds like some mischief afoot! One of the things I love about my smorgasbord of friends is... Sign in to see full entry.

Wins no matter how big or small need to be celebrated when they happen. And to be found trying plays a real role in keeping our ambitions or dreams running toward our preferred goal of a win. As they say in the ad, 'it might not happen overnight but it will happen." Is winning everything? Sometimes, ask Erin Brockervich. Winning meant everything to her tort case but more particularly to the people that she went to bat for. What drove her was her belief she had uncovered an injustice. She had,... Sign in to see full entry.

Self-criticism is a bit like bad coffee, life's too short for it. So here's the thing, why do we do it to ourselves? And why so often? Why couldn't self-improvement be a better pitch from which to give ourselves a do-able makeover? You don't know? I do! We can't think any differently because really and truly, it all just feels too hard? Am I wrong? Or maybe, it's because we're stubborn. I know that one from experience. Self-criticism is destructive if it's the only basis that we have for... Sign in to see full entry.

Sometimes a change is as good as a holiday, but on the other hand, a holiday might actually be what we need. We need to take stock when we're faced with that either or scenario. A decision then is what's required, one that whips the gathering cobwebs from the corners of the life we're living and sucks them up like a hungry web collecting vacuum cleaner. How hard is it to make such an undemanding decision like this then? To have a change. This little dog's-leg (australianism for a twist in the... Sign in to see full entry.

Make-believe is a golden place, a space where dreams begin. It's where the childhood rainbow begins and ends and everything that comes after it has the handprints of it as a reminder. In particular, it's for the teenage years when we find that having put aside such 'baby-things' we want to roll around on our backs in the freedom of that place again and years later too, as an adult, when it seems we've forgotten what it's like to dream, we want to nestle in its [make-believe's] embrace for a... Sign in to see full entry.

Do you ever wonder what the benefits of growing intellectually would be to you as a person? It seems to me that we pay so much more attention to what someone else is saying about us and we've tended to amass tomes of information about a great many things yet, despite this, remain stunted in both our social skills as well as our intellectual growth. No all of us mind, but strange that isn't it? If one followed that train of thought to its logical conclusion, wouldn't that mean we ought to be... Sign in to see full entry.

The orange tree outside my backdoor is blossoming. Her piquant citrus breath seems to permeate the right-hand corner of my backyard. It's lovely, makes the yard smell so refreshing. The gentle breeze that's ruffling the locks of *Himself (my handsome Macadamia Nut tree) seems to take orange tree's breath away, carry it off up and over the wooden fence to other worlds. Don't you just love this time of year, Spring. Now this may seem like rather an unlikely backdrop against which to talk about... Sign in to see full entry.

Have you ever noticed how when you lie in a deckchair outside in the open air, eyes closed, how much more your whole body seems to absorb the sounds and smells of your surrounds than if you were to consciously set out to inspect those things more closely with your eyes wide open? Ever notice how your skin seems to tingle at the sound and clarity of a bird twittering in the tree tops or how the sun has a distinct smell of its own as well as a kneading touch against our skin. It does. We can smell... Sign in to see full entry.

Gratitude is like a red balloon that's been let go of and begun drifting ever upward into the stratosphere. Least that's how it ought to be. To me, gratitude is akin to a beautiful bouquet of balloons, multi-coloured and sent with love, delivered to our doorway with a wide smile. It's like the smell of a beautiful incense spiralling its way heavenwards in appreciation of the goodness of life toward us, a thankfulness for those gifts of kindness and goodwill bestowed on or toward us. Does that... Sign in to see full entry.

Joy is... imagine that... Sign in to see full entry.

My penneylane pal John Hafer uses an expression that I like, "live LARGE". Actually I like it alot. I like the concept even more when it's translated to actions. I like that it's so expansive and spacious in describing the range of possibilities for its expression in my life. And so should you. Now if Shakespeare were alive today, he'd be a happening guy, thankfully for us he lives still in the legacy of his works, quote he: "All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players.... Sign in to see full entry.

I love being on a boat in Sydney Harbour on days like this. There's a slight on-shore wind and the sea is sparkling like a Cerrone diamond necklace at an Opening Night Premiere. Makes a girl feel like the belle of the ball and a million bucks to boot. What is it about this scene that resonates in our soul like this? Is it the beguiling intensity of sea's eyes, the piercing sharpness of their insight into our heart- spaces? Or is it his salty breath that we can't help but inhale and love the way... Sign in to see full entry.

Of all the emotions, sadness has to be the one that seems to leave us winded, gasping for breath and feeling like we got king-hit. Sometimes it comes to us from out of nowhere and at other times it's like an epic saga that seems to have been going on for a long long time. It's no wonder then that from it can come depression. No one likes to talk about depression because of the social taboo attached to the condition. And yet, we must and we should. We should because it's real and we must because... Sign in to see full entry.

There are some rather 'unforgivable' social sins, like using your butter knife to spread butter on your toast and also to use it to take up and spread jam with that fall into the category of gross. Well, at my house they do. The unforgivable thing about that practise is the bits of butter and toast crumbs that get left in the jam jar or dish. Let's just say, it rarely happens in my house! I don't know where I got that disaffectation from, I just find it grossly off-putting. Or maybe I'm just a... Sign in to see full entry.

When I think about all the animals I've had for friends over the years I feel better than lucky, I feel fortunate beyond words. There's something about it, that friendship that fills a place in our lives, that is by design, animal-shaped only and no amount of shoving is going to fit a human of any description into it. I've had a cross-section of cats, dogs, budgies, mice, calves, cows, horses, lizards, ducklings, an opossum, oh and a dancing flea. Cross my heart and hope to die. It's true. I got... Sign in to see full entry.

The healing properties of laughter have never gone unnoticed as far as I can hear and I'm reminded that this wonderful self-prescribed tonic often needs a leg-up to the fore-front of our memories from time to time. So here, let me give you a boost. Laughter is one of those easily taken forgranted things that can seem to play an unassuming role in our lives and we can often give it a backseat in our life theatre. It hardly seems a wonder then when we wake up one morning further down the track... Sign in to see full entry.

There's a ridiculous (to me) stigma attached to buying, owning and reading a paperback book as opposed to owning and proudly displaying the more coveted and somewhat more elitely-tagged hardcover than is palatively digestible to those of us who do happen to buy and own paperbacks. Don't get me wrong, I own hardcovers too. Now, I get the investment angle if that's what you're into (First Edition, Hardcover, signed by the author) have a market value outside of the more practical just-want -to-read... Sign in to see full entry.

Do you ever feel afraid that you'll get found out for being a fraud? That the current success you now enjoy (however fleeting) somehow feels like it ought to belong to someone else? That very thought occurred to me in the late/early hours of this morning. It caught me on the hop, came completely out of the blue, entirely left field. I feel sure these things are sent to test us (again and again it would seem). It's a disturbing insecurity I have that tends to send me into a tail-spin from time to... Sign in to see full entry.

There are signs afoot here in the 'Sham that Spring's about to burst forth overnight. Pink and white cherry blossom trees have erupted into spectacular bloom. Not all of them, just the enthusiastic few! You've gotta admire them for that! There's something about good news that makes you want to be the first one to tell it, I figure that's how these enthusiastic few feel about the incipience of Spring. It's early morning here right now, five am. The backyard is draped in a black pitch. I love this... Sign in to see full entry.

I was 16 (and then some in subsequent years of reading) when I first read the biographies of women like Katharine Meyer Graham (Katharine Graham, A biography) Golda Meir (Golda), Vera Nabokov (Vera - Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov), Amiria Stirling (Amiria, The Life Story of a Maori Woman), Rosa Parks (Quiet Strength), Janet Paterson Frame (Wrestling with the Angel: A life of Janet Frame) Mary Joseph Aubert (Never Let Go!) Riperata Kahutia, Neilsine Paget and many many more... they made me feel honoured... Sign in to see full entry.

Moving on from can be traumatic at the worst of times but it's the moving to that seems to raise the blood pressure the most. It's such an odd thing that, I mean, you'd think (for some of us) that disrobing from the past could be the best thing we've ever done but you'd never know it by the way we act sometimes. Perhaps it's the grief of it all, a stage in the death process that makes us so fuzzy-brained. I believe we die a thousand deaths each day, every day. It's just that we don't pay too... Sign in to see full entry.

There are those among us who advocate that today marks the beginning of both an auspicious day as well as an auspicious cycle of good fortune. I agree. I see it in Life, in her seasonal rhythms. I can't help but marvel at the intuitive way in which we fall into step with her. I feel a synchronic sense of togetherness happens because it must and does, it's all too uncanny for description really. Yet there's no denying it either. It happens on time and seemingly every time. I love that there is a... Sign in to see full entry.

Do we value friendship as much as we say? Or is it just a convenient verbal brush off to say it and then do nothing about it? Heaven knows I've been guilty of neglecting it on many occasions in the past. My long-suffering friend Sal would probably agree with that, she's a great writer, a great keep-in-touch-with-er'. Friendship has such an everyday goodness that I suspect we can take forgranted its nutritional value to us. The reason this entry is so short today is I'm waiting for the sound of... Sign in to see full entry.

Father Chris Riley is a living saint, he's been in the priesthood since he was 18 years old. He's a real, true blue christian (Catholic by persuasion) walking his talk. Walking it and talking it among chronically homeless and drug addicted youth off the street and supporting them while they turn their lives around. When it seemed to them no-one wanted them, he offered them his hand. When it seemed to them no-one else cared, he cared. When they were hungry, he fed them. And when their tears had... Sign in to see full entry.

I'm reminded how singularly precious life is when one is allowed to hold a small and new life in ones' arms, the innocence and loveliness of whom leaves a deep yet soft impression in one's heart. Welcome Philip. In an age when children are given all manner of strange names and are expected to live inside of them for the rest of their born days, the name Philip was startling to me when I first heard of your arrival. Startling because it's from another time almost. And then I met you yesterday,... Sign in to see full entry.

Things change so quickly here in the 'Sham. Yesterday the sky was a transient blue, the colour of a newborn kitten's eyes and now the heavens have opened their reservoirs once more. This grey overcoat mightn't be what we'd wear by choice since it can make usual city garb look drab, but, there are farmers in great need of this longed for drop somewhere in my catchment. That thought brightens me no end. On another tack and speaking of choices. Singledom is a not-so-drab topic of conversation as... Sign in to see full entry.

The air outside in the 'Sham (Petersham where I live) is very snappy on my face this morning. It has the smack of winter in its connecting hand, I've ducked inside to avoid the connection. On my walk this morning I noticed we have so many animals here in our little part of the world, big woofers and small ones, feline fatales by the pawful. And birdlife with attitude. I love it. My friend Jase was sitting at my desk yesterday (where I do most of my writing) and commented on the fact that it was... Sign in to see full entry.

Jealousy is an unnerving emotion, more specifically, uncontrolled jealousy is an unnerving emotion. I think it's understated to simply call it a 'green-eyed monster' because I fear that it's a more vicious creature when left to wander at will. There's the prowler about it that makes it somehow more menacing but worse than that (as if that weren't enough) there's the fact it has such a dark side to its nature that I suspect even angels cross the street rather than have to look it in the eye when... Sign in to see full entry.

There's something in the air. Some cosmic concentration that requires me to look more closely at my life. Clean out the garage as my old mate Wordman would say. Do you feel it? Do you anticipate it? Would you do it, clean out the garage? I suppose the biggest obstacle is getting past the unwilling cognisance of our thoughts to also dictate our physical inclinations to get up out of our chairs and actually make our way to the garage (read spare room, kitchen, lounge, cupboard, and attic) in the... Sign in to see full entry.

Its hard to believe that we have already reached the end of the seventh calendar month of the year. And its not so much that time has flown by but the fact it has been jam packed with change and changes. I find embracing change is a necessary tension within a modern life context. A necessary attitude to frame or reframe the tension rather than always be struggling against it. It's that easy? Rarely but it is do-able. Having said that, I suffer from a sagging sense (though I'm getting better with... Sign in to see full entry.

Long goodbyes are like Last Suppers, the last place we really want to be but I guess someone has to do it. I've done my share in my time. I wanted to blog about that today but I'm distracted by something more pressing. I did an interview with an inspiring up and coming artist Gemma Hiscox-Helleur yesterday. She's a baby (to be read with affection), just 22 years old, rediscovering her groove in pencil and everything else to come. Gemma Hiscox-Helleur was born in Pukekohe ( New Zealand ) the... Sign in to see full entry.

The 'Sham is cloaked in Country Road blue, the colour of the linen shirts tucked inside dark blue Levis the kind cowboy models wear in those bill-board ads. It's that good. Lately I've been thinking how settled I feel inside, like I was beginning to fit inside my skin again. I'm not sure I know how I want to feel about that but some things are worth just feeling thankful for. I am. Thankfulness is so under-rated but it shouldn’t be. It goes to the heart of all things precious to a person.... Sign in to see full entry.

My friend TB lives in Hong Kong now, again. I met her as one does on one of life's sidings, both of us working in the same place in the backstreets of Marrickville, believing for separate reasons that working a Not-for-Profit was (individually) altruistic, worth while and meaningful. On reflection, we were both probably very naive but our hearts were also probably in the right place. I love hindsight, it's kinder to us than we are to ourselves. Maybe we like the self-flagellation, or maybe it's... Sign in to see full entry.

It's a busy time, I'm applying for a Local Government Grant to produce and exhibit a work I've called " 'Sham This Indifferent Space." It's an informal portrayal and interpretation using a modern multi-medium triptych sense to explore a trio of Premises based on definitions of a culture by George Simmel. Premise 1 contends that " In our modern urban culture people can seem to occupy different kinds of cultural worlds, but the space where they come across each other belongs, by mutual decision to... Sign in to see full entry.

My uncle was a drunk. It's probably not something family members would probably admit about him, but he was. Denial is subversive to say the least. He was a simple man, leading a fairly simple life. By day he earned his living in the shearing shed and in the evening he spent alot of his hard-earned cash drinking beer in the local watering-hole they called "the kumara patch." A kumara is the maori word for a sweet potato and I'm not entirely sure how that figures but that's what it was called. He... Sign in to see full entry.

Affection as we know it these days can be fraught with any number of pit-falls, the worst of which, is possibly misunderstanding. It can be a terribly misunderstood emotion this affection since all and sundry consider it more an action than an emotion. This is a misnomer. It is first of all an emotion that could conceivably lead to an action. It can also be a genuine source of kindredness with its elements of abiding love and also a deeply held respect for the other person. Such elements as... Sign in to see full entry.

Respectability is an odd creature. Especially because of the lengths we might go to capture it. We have a moth-like fascination with it, get caught in the headlights of its high beam and lose our bearings altogether. Strange that fascination isn't it! It's suicidal behaviour at best and probably at worst as well and all at the same time to boot! How could that possibly be? Perhaps it goes to conformity Perhaps that's really what's at the heart of our compulsion to pursue it, to capture it, to... Sign in to see full entry.

I started reading Thomas Hardy's 'Tess of the D'Ubervilles' (A Pure Woman) again last night. I've read it before so you'd think that knowing the end would dissuade me from reading it again. But it doesn't. It's an instructive piece and I suppose from time to time I feel the need to go back to that place of instruction to relearn the lesson it provides. The story is a great tragedy, in parts, the unforgivable (to me) hypocrisy (especially by Angel) stares back at me like my reflection in a... Sign in to see full entry.

By comparison, Winter this time last year was warmer, balmy some days. This year, there seems to have been more rain and colder days than I recall. The soil in the backyard seems to be soaking up the moisture anticipating a sweltering summer. It's a country of extremes this red-dust land. I visited Lucas yesterday (whose artist-in-residency here in the 'sham ended a month or two ago), his garden is looking a little overgrown but nothing that a dedicated afternoon in it wouldn't fix. The earth... Sign in to see full entry.

When I was younger, I learnt the art of spit polishing shoes. It's an exacting art, an all consuming one. There comes with the forward one, backward one swish motion a conscious sense of being lulled into a quieting submission by the sound alone. There occurs between those motions a distinct reprogramming of the over-programmed mind. We don't simply feel it, our minds know it. There is also something deeply satisfying about hearing brush against leather. About seeing tired leather being brought... Sign in to see full entry.

Do you have a maroon umbrella story? I do. It would be truly unbelievable if I didn't have the umbrella to show for it all these years later. But I do. I thought you might like this short story. I remembered it during my walk today, under my maroon umbrella. It made me smile. My friend Linda (Linny)and I were travelling home from Edgecliff on a train, Linda to Summer Hill and me to Ashfield. It was a miserable day. Bone chilling wind and bitterly cold. The walk up the hill can be like walking in... Sign in to see full entry.

My network card is giving me grief and the modem is tiffing with the laptop, streuth! Over the back fence fighting. Tsk! Tsk! Tsk! Wasn't it Dylan Thomas that wrote, "...breathe deep the gathering gloom." War is insulting. It's about wresting power away from someone and ceding it to someone else. It has little, if any, regard for anyone who gets in its crossfire. It's insulting because it truculently defies a common human decency. That is, regard for another human life. I'm scratching the... Sign in to see full entry.

My neighbour tells me that Larry aka Lazza (a DSHT, that's a domestic short-haired Tabby) hasn't taken to convalescing very well. Infact she says he's as cranky as a dog with a plastic container collar round his neck so it won't itch. That's cranky! The good news I suppose is, they [dogs, and I suspect Lazza will have some rather disparaging remark to make relating to their inferior make-up, he can be so catty sometimes] do eventually get used to it and afterall, it's for their own good.... Sign in to see full entry.

Do you ever feel humbuggerish? Strictly speaking there's no such word. The noun humbug has one of a number of meanings but I refer to it here by this meaning: nonsense. I use humbuggerish here as a more colloquial slang. My way to describe a feeling, more than say, the name of a thing. One of my favourite Children's Books is "Kickle Snifters and Other Fearsome Critters" by Alvin Schwartz and illustrated by Glen Rounds. It's a doozey! "Would you know a timberdoodle if you saw one? Or a... Sign in to see full entry.

I often wonder what I would be today if I had truly followed my dreams. Perhaps a writer. Instead, I've been everything else and still I dance around the edge of my dream. Have you ever placed your dream on hold for the reality of a lesser life but one that in your mind pays the bills. It's why we take that path in the end. To pay the bills. And maybe because as time goes by we feel less courageous about pursuing the dream that we or rather I have forgone the pursuit of it. My High School motto... Sign in to see full entry.

Charity they say begins at home. But how do we understand charity? Most people believe that charity is something we give others, what we do to others and in this day and age it also seems to be what's left over. It's the small change. The kind of charity I'm talking about is the sort that you give from your abundance. More like the cream off the top. And it's given with an open and full heart, not some stingy insincere show or display to call attention to yourself for so called good deeds. Have... Sign in to see full entry.

What is it about a three and a half year old monster that brings out the best in us? Oh did I mention he was red? Apologies, small oversight on my part. Actually that's human years. Three and a half, human years. In monster years that makes him... umm... much older! We're talking about Elmo of course! I love that he has such lovely manners and a wonderful chuckle. That chuckle just makes you want to laugh right back too. A full, right from the heart of humour, belly-chuckle that's infectious to... Sign in to see full entry.

Here's one for the sweet-tooths among us. Try this Slice (Sal, Imogen and Magnus AND Mede and Lizzy if you're reading). No fuss, no bother, and no oven cooking. Simple. Refrigerated Apricot and Lemon Slice Ingredients 125g butter 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind 1 cup coconut Half cup sweetened condensed milk Lemon Icing 250g packet malt biscuits crushed 2 tablespoons coconut (opt) 1 cup dried apricots (finely chopped) Method 1. In a small saucepan, add the butter and condensed milk. 2. Stir over a... Sign in to see full entry.

What is it do you think that makes some people complain more than others about their lot? Even if their lot were eminently better, than say, their neighbours? See, the thing about our lives is they can be so small in comparison to everything else. Small but not invaluable. It's because we don't know everything that goes on behind closed doors. If we knew, do you think we'd act or behave differently? Like care more? Or help more? I lived on a street like that once, a street where people cared and... Sign in to see full entry.

I get a real kick out of finding a treasure among the oddments of a second-hand shop or an Estate sale. It's the fact that these things have been pre-loved. I love that they have their own story to tell and hearing it can be so humbling. Take my wooden calendar clock with it's linen cloth numbers and months in distinct black lettering. How anyone could have overlooked it for so long until I found it is beyond my comprehension. It has a rustic beauty about it. Simple, uncluttered in its design.... Sign in to see full entry.

Inspiration is a funny thing. It flits in and out of our minds and lives with little or no regard for timing, ours usually. And often it has its own time-table, it's own sweet time for making things happen or not. Do you think sometimes that it [inspiration] takes particular satisfaction in dictating when it will decide to visit or even if it will? I have an inkling that would be an affirmative. I need it, inspiration I mean. I need to pull something out of the hat and feel that it will have... Sign in to see full entry.

Pulling up the roman blinds that peer sleepily into my back garden, I come upon the early morning sun kissing *Himself (the Macadamia Nut tree outside my window) on both cheeks, in the warmingly European manner. Left cheek, right cheek and left cheek again. *Himself has seen me looking and blushes wildly. They're so funny these men from the Pacific basin, so easily embarrassed by such public displays of affection. It's such a pity really, the feigned resignation. The "oh gawd, let's get this bit... Sign in to see full entry.

I like the enigma that is life, well, sometimes. I like the fact there are parts of it that require deciphering. I fancy myself as a code-breaker. I like that while some days may be filled with many small codes that are easily cracked, there are others that require painstaking scrutiny as to how they might be opened. I've battled for days with this puzzle of how to unlock courage. With every turn of the dial now I've become half-hearted in my attempts. Back 2, forward 6, pause, 1 to the right 3... Sign in to see full entry.

Day After Day Lead Vocal - Jack Harris "Gaze at the sky And picture a memory Of days in your life You knew what it meant to be happy and free With time on your side Remember your daddy When no one was wiser Your ma used to say That you would go further than he ever could With time on your side Think of a boy with the stars in his eye Longing to reach them but frightened to try Sadly, you’d say, someday, someday But day after day The show must go on And time slipped away Before you could build... Sign in to see full entry.

From time to time I wonder if I met an everyday hero in the street whether I'd recognise them without their full kit on. Well, would you? Then I realise, I probably wouldn't. Why? Because I have this caricature image in my mind of a comic book 'super hero' whose larger than life and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound! How could your everyday hero compete with that? The truth is they can't. And they don't. Your everyday hero is sometimes craggy, like Fred was. A crusty New Zealand-born... Sign in to see full entry.

It's an interesting habit we have, this one, of stowing old loves (their letters and or their pictures usually or both) between the pages of some much-loved book or somewhere equally safe. Why is that do you think? To keep the memory of them warm or keep them from standing out in the cold all this time? Who knows the heart. There's no real rationale is there, well, not one that I can fathom anyway. If you're anything like me there's a tendency to forget such a one or ones that previously held... Sign in to see full entry.

I love to listen to Quiet. I have a sense at times that he's listening right back as intently as I am to him. We're respectful toward each other, more so now, than in the beginning when we were both young and had no adult wisdom to fall back on. The years have taught us both that filling the silence between us with idle, meaningless chatter can spoil the quality of our time with each other. We would have done that rather unthinkingly in the past, chatter on I mean, with complete and utter... Sign in to see full entry.

Some books draw us back to them because some truths need more time for us to sit with them. To have us weigh and consider more carefully those things they feel need further thinking on by us. When I first read Marianne Fredriksson's "Hanna's Daughters" 18 months ago I was inexplicably moved. The story could be everywoman, though not specifically, simply in some aspects of the detail. The fabric in which the story is woven is not simply complex, but flawed in places, beautiful in others. So what... Sign in to see full entry.

There's a great deal of glee that comes with being able to puff billowing tendrils of warm air out to form the genie-like apparition we know as smoke stacks. No real smoke, just warm air meeting cold in the battle to keep an upper hand. Silliness when you think about it because they work so well together. This is childsome play of course but it's still such a fascinating amusement after all these years. And free too! Drawing in long stalagmite-length breaths that make our bodies tingle from the... Sign in to see full entry.

I'm helping my sister move house later on today. In this more reflective moment a move like this seems like a new beginning for them. A chance to spread their wings. Do you ever have that sense when you move from one place to another? Like you close the door behind you on the life you lived here to go on ahead to another that lies just over there. There is a certain wistfulness attached to a step like that. In our lifetimes, if we're lucky, we can make just one or two of these new beginnings, or... Sign in to see full entry.

Moods are funny things. Have you ever wondered why one kind comes out ahead of another at any given time, on any given day? I do, often. And it's not even like we have an option somedays. Some days are more reflective, some exuberant, others overwhelming or sad but whichever way we look at it, there's no escaping the fact that however they occur, these varying moods, we are the canvas on which they paint themselves. Some people think they don't have an artistic bone in their body but actually I... Sign in to see full entry.

What is it about being connected, to someone, something that makes it so important to our human experience? Is it need? If that's it, then, we're bound to be disappointed. Needing something too much could eventually destroy the connection. Then what? We're funny creatures, we humans. There's a door inside us all that only has one key, and the key itself is such an odd shape, a locksmith would tell you he's never seen anything like it. Why is that? Because it's unique. There isn't another one on... Sign in to see full entry.

The air outside is like freshly laundered sheets. It's crisp, clean and filled with the pungent liveliness of a winter morning. Don't you love the way your heart screams inside your chest on days like this? A 'let-me-hang-glide-off-the-side-of-this-cliff' scream because life's so good and it challenges a person to come and eat it! It feels like that today. Life. Do you take forgranted having wide open spaces to run around in, to drink in with your eyes or simply roll around in the long grass? I... Sign in to see full entry.

Grey winter days can be comforting or dreary depending on a person's internal barometer reading. Mine says comforting today. And the outlook for tomorrow is more of the same. Blackey arrived home late last night, he looked a little weary. He mentioned the flight back was bone-chilling, the chill factor contributing to his chattering teeth long after his arrival. He says he's getting too old to make the country trips these days. It's 6.35am here and Tilly and the girls are already catching up on... Sign in to see full entry.

Sometimes finding the way forward is more difficult than we imagine, particularly when we're just hitting our stride and from out of no-where the unexpected occurs. It somehow seems worse when we discover a fork in the road that isn't on the original map. I hate that, don't you? And one week it's a two-way street, and the next, someone's closed off one end with a STOP WRONG WAY, GO BACK sign and someone else again has put in speed humps to slow the traffic right down. What is it about chaos and... Sign in to see full entry.

Most times when you're growing up I can't help thinking how little we pay attention to the details in our lives as they unfold. I was thinking about Miz who was my literary mentor many years ago now. She's since passed away having accomplished for herself the title of novelist. She always told me, "you should always attempt to go out with a bang!" She was quite understated like that. I met Miz through my old school friend Sal's Granny. I have a gaping soft spot for Sal's Granny, she was a Music... Sign in to see full entry.

I love spending time with my Dad. He's over 70 years old now and he still has a delicious sense of humour, it's lip-smacking infact. I love that he's still opinionated and has his own views on life. The thing I love the most about our time together is hearing him tell me the same stories he told me the last time I was home, as if they were absolutely brand spanking new. And it's not creeping dimentia or anything like that, perhaps he thinks they're stories he hasn't told me yet. And I figure,... Sign in to see full entry.

The fog outside my window this morning is like the proverbial pea soup. It's mid-morning and its density remains thick and belly-filling. I miss Blackey, he didn't exactly fly south but he's been visiting relatives down the south coast. He seemed somewhat reticent to go and it's been a few weeks now. Lately, I half expect him to turn up in the backyard bearing gifts, but, nothing yet. Soon maybe. Music has a way of stirring the spirit in patterns that defy description. Maybe it's the attachment... Sign in to see full entry.

What is community-spirit? And when does a community know it has it? I mean, how does a community of collective individuals fit themselves into the same space while still giving themselves enough leg room to seriously contend on an issue or set of issues? And need we always assume that contention is altogether bad? Where does the community-spirit go when those contending the issue(s) can't agree which way is forward? What then? This is one of the many issues facing members of my local Bowlo... Sign in to see full entry.

There are some things like the recipe that I'm about to share with you that words can not adequately describe. So you have to bake and taste in order to truly appreciate it. Here's my Coconut Chocolate Brownie recipe. COCONUT CHOCOLATE BROWNIES INGREDIENTS 125g butter Half cup desiccated coconut Quarter cup cocoa Half cup Plain Flour 1 cup sugar Half teaspoon baking powder 2 eggs Icing sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla essence METHOD 1. Melt butter in saucepan 2. Add cocoa 3. Stir over low heat for 1-2... Sign in to see full entry.

Where do you think the strength in us all comes from? Maybe the well-spring of some quiet pool deep in our heart's forest do you think? Or bubbling up from an underground spa where no-one knows its source or beginning? I'm not sure either. What I am sure of though, is it comes to us when we need it most. Slipping its hand in ours and gently guiding us away from danger. Even the most timid among us can manage, on occasions, to summons the strength in us all to push forward from the Valley of... Sign in to see full entry.

Where do you go when pain becomes personal? I mean really personal. And not just any old pain, I mean gut-searing, heart-wrenching pain? The kind that threatens to unhinge the very thought of life or living? A moment might indeed seem such a long time. Do you crawl into the nearest and darkest emotional hole and hope that no-one comes to visit any time soon? Or maybe you take the bull by the horns and frequent some of life's more insalubrious dark or dingy places? Whichever your preferred... Sign in to see full entry.

Tilly and her all-girl choir (as I call them) were up at the crack of dawn this morning, twittering to their heart's content and blissfully unaware that the more languid human bi-ped (now unwillingly alerted to their presence) was about to throw the book at them! Noisy neighbours! Nice noise, I finally concede after an early morning lemon & ginger tea. It takes me a moment to realise it but I'm smiling. What's not to smile about? Birds singing, most natural thing in the world. I like early,... Sign in to see full entry.

My old school-friend Sal reminds me of what long time friendship means. And what's that you say? Well, here's the thing, for me it's the reference to the 'long' bit that gives you a clue. Long time for Sal on the other hand has meant long-between letters, long-between chats and long-between camping trips. She'll laugh when she reads that last bit, a light chardonnay-sounding laugh, delicate and full of the honeyed fruitiness that comes with age. She's much loved by me my friend Sal. I don't... Sign in to see full entry.

I've been reading Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" the complete and unabridged version for a day now. Usually a book like this would only take an hour but I've enjoyed the easy swagger that my mind has developed, such a swagger indeed, resembles that of the book's main character without a doubt. I like the mischief and mayhem that follow him around! Samuel Clemens aka Mark Twain wrote that, "Although my book is intended mainly for the entertainment of boys and girls, I hope it will... Sign in to see full entry.

"Representation as a construct for a different reality" [as spoken of by Harvey Shields in his review of Paul Hopmeier's Past Modern Madonna Exhibition] is a heady concept, yet, it crosses the line with neither fear nor trepidation as if it were the most natural thing in the world to do, to 'rejuvenate' something and still have it look like its true self I mean. And yes, while the concept is heady, it's not a new one, perhaps simply a new and recent discovery in Hopmeier's experience of life. It... Sign in to see full entry.

I wonder sometimes if my life were a Curio Shoppe, what they would have in the window display? Do you ever wonder that? I have. There's something to be said for a curious day, it brings emotions to the surface that sneak past all the required rhyme or reason of the mind and (at least from what I can gather) appear to be health-giving for the soul. I like the idea of having my nose pressed up against the window with its gold lettering, both hands cupped round my eyes to shield them from the glare... Sign in to see full entry.

Before we back a winner, how do we know it will win? I mean, there's Form Guides if you can read the hieroglyphics, or the old bloke down the end of the bar that's been giving tips since the place was built or even intuition, meaning having a gut feeling. I'm a bit of a pessimist when I hear someone say, "it's a sure thing!" Usually it's some died-in-the-wool punter that's telling you that. I for one would be loathe to tell someone such and such is a "sure thing' simply because I'd hate it if I... Sign in to see full entry.

The thing about not knowing what you've got till its gone is a sticky truth, and one that inevitably jangles the bells in our heads when we finally get it. It's sticky because we often breeze through life's low fly zones without ever thinking 'stop-over' anywhere, any time... and really, it couldn't hurt. Okay, okay I'm talking adventurer here not frequent flyer! And granted, sitting for a couple hours in a transit lounge isn't that appealing, but really, what's a couple of hours in an entire... Sign in to see full entry.

The inclement weather feels like it's slowly beating back any remembrance of when autumn was last here, but we need the rain. The grass finally has colour in her cheeks for the first time in months and she looks healthy instead of impossibly pallid. The rubber plant seems to be in perpetual partying mode. She's elegantly attired each day in classic haute couture rounded off with diamonds from the House La Natural. It's hard not to feel envious of her as she steps out every day dripping in... Sign in to see full entry.

Tilly is the only one out and about in the backyard this morning, she flits with great aplomb between the orange and lemon trees, a tactical avoidance behaviour from years of unintentional friendly fire by the feline population out there. She's chatty. She tells me that her great aunt is visiting from Lithgow (which is more than a stones throw as the crow flies from the 'sham). She says she needs the break, her ears are sore!), I laugh because I can relate. Every year for forever an old aunt of... Sign in to see full entry.

When I walk barefoot through puddles it's to remind myself that my life can be simple. Well, perhaps more simple than it is. I'm reminded that I can feel fulfilled by this one act of sheer delight. And it is a delight, absolutely. Sometimes I can go weeks without walking barefoot and I pay for it dearly when I do. Over time the soles of my feet can become soft and life's textured surfaces can prove more than a match for such baby softness. I love the changing sensations that come from under... Sign in to see full entry.

Have you ever found yourself wondering why it is that some debris of your life continues to be washed ashore, if not here in this time, then down the beach or round the coastline further? And you know it's the same because it has a certain familiarity to your touch or to your senses, except that each time, it sort of looks different. Our lives ask us so many questions and I often wonder why it is we fail to answer them properly. Too busy? Too rude or just plain too scared? They ask of us some of... Sign in to see full entry.

Anne Evans defines benchmarking in her book "Benchmarking - Taking Your Organisation Toward Best Practice" as 'deciding what is important; understanding how you now do it and how well you do it; and applying what you have learnt in a way that leads to your doing it better than before. Then do it all again.' Of course the principles that undergird her definition are business -related and for the most part are those employed by Senior Management in an organisation to improve "processes such as... Sign in to see full entry.

The heavens are bucketing tears, she seems so inconsolable these last two days. It's grey and overcast outside again. Transparent glass bead raindrops form perfect rows across the stems of the rubber tree plant. The backyard creatures have all opted to sleep-in rather than take their usual morning walk. I agree completely. The rain has a way of bringing flora to life that nothing else can, not even a good hosing. *Himself, the lemon and orange trees and the agapanthus look like they're revelling... Sign in to see full entry.

There's a temptation to allow pain (in whatever form) to lead us around by the nose wherever and whenever it pleases. There is also something morbid in the fact that we don't kick such behaviour in ourselves to the kerb sooner rather than later. I've often wondered why that is and have come to the rather uncomfortable conclusion that maybe some part of me likes it! I mean, what other reasonable rationale could I have for allowing it to happen? It's a harsh realisation. I figure that rolling... Sign in to see full entry.

It's been days and finally Blackey has appeared in his favourite tree branch in the Orange tree outsid e my window. It's such a relief to see him there, and he, for his part is totally oblivious to my concern at his lengthy absence from my backyard. I want to give him a piece of my mind, but that would be the relief talking. Odd that, isn't it? Must be a wholly human response to an inadequate explanation from someone who still doesn't realise they are required to give one. No wonder they say,... Sign in to see full entry.

Today I learnt the art of walking while eating. Now to some people this action is second nature but for me, well, it's a nuance of life that has somehow escaped me until now. I felt like I had two left feet, the hand-mouth co-ordination felt like such a strange sensation when coupled with the task of walking at the same time! I think that there are levels of multi-tasking and I quite clearly am a novice when it comes to walking while eating. When I've been people-watching from the inner hub of a... Sign in to see full entry.

There's a fine line between the inner and outer worlds that we make for ourselves, the outer world of the intellect and the inner world of the imagination. One is entirely safe and the other, well, it's not unsafe, let's just say, I feel less comfortable in it. And you? When was the last time you wrote verse in the sand? Or waited with bated-breath, trying to guess ahead what the skywriter would finally write? Or wrote a letter to your best friend in invisible ink made with lemon juice?... Sign in to see full entry.

Is it true then, that as we get older, we have a tendency to stuff our magical make-believe friends and creatures into chests where they lie unattended, gathering dust in some stuffy, adultly, intellectual attic? For some of us that's true. We get so secretive about such things when we grow up! Afterall, it's hard to believe that as an adult we can be permitted to 'imagine' still along with the best of children. It's the reason I love C.S. Lewis and his Chronicles of Narnia. Walter Hooper,... Sign in to see full entry.

Trust is like a bird's nest. It's sometimes intricately woven and sometimes haphazardly assembled and even then, the bones of the construct are purpose built. There is something inherently trusting in a bird's efforts to begin with (that somehow defy our own human logic) that this entirely open air atrium will weather a storm, even for a while. Bird-thinking can be so pragmatic in that way. We humans on the other hand, are complex, less willing to flit off and build else where when the nest... Sign in to see full entry.

The skies opened wide earlier today and delivered heavenly urnsful of life-giving water. The sound of the rain offers us a blanket of comfort that no other element does. It envelops us in its maternal embrace, sometimes with such a fierce protectiveness and at other times, gently, like a pigeon cooing. That rain makes the trees in the backyard stand up tall and *Himself (my Macadamia Nut tree) gets a slicked-back look that has him appear Clooney-like, very suave and debonair. There are leaves... Sign in to see full entry.

The building blocks of design are: line, direction, shape, size, texture, value, colour and pattern. Many of the lines we live with are mostly straight, either vertical or horizontal. They give the rooms that we inhabit shape and add definition to such things as windows and doors. We all agree that building blocks are vital to the foundations of our homes and yet we are more miss than hit when it comes to building for ourselves a more genuine self. Carolyn Kenmore once said, "If you can learn... Sign in to see full entry.

The backyard is cheerfully lit today as I set the outdoor table with cheerful food. There is homemade fish pie, oven-baked aubergine with generous bursts of sensuous tongue-tingling smoked paprika, a tangy tomato salsa to lift the fish pie right up out of the water. And a robust red wine to warm the inner cockles. Of course the wine should have been a white, with fish. Maybe a sassy Semillon, or a racy Riesling, or even a garrulous Pinot Gris, a virtuous Verdelho or Viognier or maybe even the... Sign in to see full entry.

"Let us choose our companions along the way wisely and well, for we journey but once and need at our flanks moles who have it truly in their hearts to help us to that place we lost..." - From the Prologue in Duncton Found by William Horwood There are a handful of 'true mole' (known as true friends to humankind) that bring to our lives the definitions of faithfulness and loyalty. They are the kind that stand unwaveringly beside us no matter what and then some. We find them or they come to us in... Sign in to see full entry.

"What is REAL? asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nanny came to tidy the room. Does it mean having things buzz inside you and a stick out handle? "Real isn't how you are made", said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long long time, not just to play with, but really loves you, then you become REAL." "Does it hurt?", asked the Rabbit. "Sometimes", said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful.... Sign in to see full entry.

I love that a rainbow inspires softness in the thought life of people looking at it. Why is that do you think? I don't know about you, but for me, it's the ethereal way that the washday hues are hung out across the sky, over a valley, in the sea or any other place we least expect to see it. A rainbow neither billows on the breeze nor whips about trying to escape the clutches of a fawning wind, it is past, present and future all at once. It has no reason to push in and demand attention, it simply... Sign in to see full entry.

Fear has a way of immobilising us in a way that's more debilitating for our soul and well-being than anything else I know. It is well practised in its capacity to cripple our confidence long term if we let it. We can experience it in one form or another, whether as procrastination, low self esteem or bullying to name a few, but worse than those is its ability to distort our view of ourselves, other people (even those we love) and the world around us. Fear is the worst kind of hunter, its only... Sign in to see full entry.

My thoughts seem frozen mid sentence as the chill from a cool wind blows across the suburb where I live. They stuff their rolled-up fists deeper inside their pockets, walking at a brisk pace now to get the blood flowing. Goodness, its cold. Overhead a grey-templed Sydney sky is unmoved by anything and anybody, alot like a suburban Bank Manager toying with you as he feigns a reluctant loan approval, but gives you what you want and what he always knew he would... a variable or fixed headache... Sign in to see full entry.

Wind has a way of clearing the cobwebs from around our hearts in the same way that water can cleanse it. Her errant and capricious nature make her the life of the party on days like this. Right now she's ruffling the locks and tresses of the trees outside my window. She's mischievous and some like Tritonia Iridaceae in particular, mind. Alot it would seem. Something about the way she musses up the tidy locks of my favourite macadamia nut tree (also known to me as *Himself) has me beaming. It's... Sign in to see full entry.

I felt like sharing small morsels with you to stave off the hunger pangs: " Courage has roots. She sleeps on a futon on the floor and lives close to the ground. Courage looks you straight in the eye. She is not impressed with power trippers, and she knows first aid. Courage is not afraid to pray, even when she is not sure who she is praying to. When Courage walks, it is clear that she has made the journey from loneliness to solitude. The people who told me she is stern were not lying; they just... Sign in to see full entry.

Consider this. Imagine that. What if? There is a definitive moment in Kathleen Kelly's (played by Meg Ryan's character in "You've Got Mail") thinking. She says, “sometimes I wonder about my life. I lead a small life, well, valuable but small and sometimes I wonder, do I do it because I like it, or because I haven’t been brave. So much of what I see is like something I read in a book, shouldn’t it be the other way round?” I think about the last time I asked myself such a life defining question... Sign in to see full entry.

Have you ever marvelled at the wonderous facility we have as human beings to be instantly transported back to another time and or space at the mere 'whiff of something?' I have, it's an uncanny sense. Take for instance, Daphne (Daphne Odora) and Star Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides). Their scents remind me of my father and the onset of summer. I'm intrigued by how we make our associations since my father was a man of the land. Perhaps it's like the stuck record. I recall a story once about... Sign in to see full entry.