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My friend George's son Emile is four years old. He's been sick over the past few days. But even sick can't hide his genuinely cute self! He has eyelashes that would make a jersey cow jealous and a face like an angel. His dad is Greek and his mum Anne has a Polish heritage. He's a gorgeous kid. And smart. And has manners to boot, imagine that! Today, George and I were having a meeting in my lounge but all I could think of was how to make this little one comfortable. Being sick is no blast, trust... Sign in to see full entry.

I got on a roll with the dressing gown-out thing. My girlfriend Debs and me went to a Drive Through (both of us wearing our night attire) because we could! There was a major risk of course but I felt comfortable that if an Accountant was willing to give it a burl (australianism for "have a go") then I would be too! On reflection, I think the 'shot' to the bum (read pain killer after an op) anthetises the sensibilities. In my right mind I would NEVER have gone out to a Drive Through in my PJ's... Sign in to see full entry.

Last Sunday I went to dinner at my friends Jen and Graes home in Balmain. It was the first time I'd gone to dinner wearing my dressing gown and my PJ's. I have to admit I've never done that before, ever! Gone to dinner in this particular attire I mean. Have you ever? It was a revelation to me because once I got over myself I actually enjoyed it! I was as smug-as-a-bug-a-rug lounge lizard. Actually, I think I'll do it again sometime soon because Jen says, "wear the dressing gown because it's so... Sign in to see full entry.

The other day my friend did an interesting thing. He licked his finger and wiped the sleep out of my eye. But just to put you in the picture, I've been confined to my bed for a time since an operation almost 10 days ago now. I hardly had the energy or the inclination to get naffy about a little saliva exchange! What it did do however was highlight the intimacy of what we allow true friends to do for us. I've wondered where or if we cared where we draw the line? If you've ever read "Tuesdays with... Sign in to see full entry.

Some of the best food is simple. It's honest as it is nourishing and as tasty as it is uncomplicated by garnishes. My favourite is homemade spaghetti. Spaghetti with a sauce I've concocted (of the likes that's never to be repeated because I couldn't tell you the amounts of a particular ingredient(s) I've used) and because it's totally subjective! Of course, there is the obligatory glass of wine (you'd never read that as an 'ingredient' in the recipe) during the prep and cook time but really and... Sign in to see full entry.

Every once in a while I consider taking a break somewhere exotic. The problem with that intention is that no matter how well-meaning my intention 'something' always comes up! That 'something' usually comes in the form of this argument I have inside my head about where and why. The deal-breaker is the where. I mean, I like the idea of an exotic place but in the past 'exotic' had all the implications of heat. Humid heat. And I dislike humid heat. Even a well air-conditioned room to escape back... Sign in to see full entry.

Once upon a time I would have been fondly referred to as an 'old boiler'. I take by their comment the person delivering the description was saying I was no longer a spring chicken. Fair enough. I suppose being 48 years old could be considered quite old to some people. Not me though! I feel young and coincidently it was just a matter of a month ago I was asked to show some I.D. to verify my age when I visited a night club with my some younger friends!!! I was definitely stunned by the request.... Sign in to see full entry.

The funniest thing happened to me on my way to the Palace Pantry (my Corner Store) the other day. I met a Gnome who at first seemed lost, then puzzled then lost some more. I felt perplexed as to how best I could help him, so I enquired and was promptly told to "mind my own business". Fair enough! The thing about being concerned for someone (and in this case, a complete and utter stranger) is that their response can dictate whether or not you offer your help and assistance to the next person who... Sign in to see full entry.

Guylian and my friend Georgie have alot to answer for as I delicately dance my way round this perilously morish box of Belgium chocolates. Chocolate Sea Shells, titanic for the waistline but definitely not wasted on me! I'm not actually a chocolate lover to be honest but I've come to appreciate how a person could be. My other friend Sarah truly is a chocoholic. I just liked to watch her. She made it look like a divine experience and of course when you meet others of these chocolate-loving kind... Sign in to see full entry.

My friend Jase and I have interesting conversations most of the time. He's my go-to guy when I don't want to second guess a guy. I just want to know from the horse's mouth what a man thinks! So I have Jase. He's always careful to put a rider on his response i.e. "these are just my thoughts". The interesting thing is that he should have asked me what my exact thought was at the exact moment that he made that comment because he would have shook his head in disbelief (again!). So what was I... Sign in to see full entry.

The wind is playing havoc with hair, children's moods and my cat Molly. She's turned into a minx. Let me clarify. Instead of being a mild-mannered cat with decorum to boot, she's behaving as if she were a kitten half her age (3) and broken a piece of blue pottery that I had rather an affection for! Is she forgiven? No. Not just yet! Years ago I made a decision that people were more important than things. Why? Because things for the most part are replaceable. More or less. I've watched friends... Sign in to see full entry.

Across the road from where I live there's a local High School. It's a school attended by smart kids. Kids with high IQ's and equally high EQ's. It's playing fields run adjacent to my street and when the students are in class or finished for the day, it's quiet, green and has tennis courts and big open playing fields. It's landscaping is honest and practical, it's a pretty No-Mess Charlie kind of school. I like that about it. Sometimes when I catch myself gazing out across it's playing fields I'm... Sign in to see full entry.

When insomnia has me reaching for a thick book (or worse) making custard to eat with peaches in mango juice at midnight, I know in my experience it's really going to be a long day! So long infact that thinking of Bill Murray in Groundhog Day is a breeze by comparison because at least you can turn off the rerun! I do confess however to having seen 3 reruns! I don't know when or where I developed this hate/hate relationship with insomnia, it just knocked on my door one day and became a squatter-in... Sign in to see full entry.

Making friends has never really been a problem for me. I was an early starter. It began my mother said, with the 4 to 6-legged kind and ended up with your run-of-the-mill human bi-ped that had an appetite to rival even the hungriest Hereford calf I brought home. My mother, well she preferred the cattle beast because they at least had the decorum to masticate with their mouth closed. I think it's easier to make friends when you're young because you don't so much 'make' them as 'collect' them... Sign in to see full entry.

It's your average 'no-ego-in-the-way' kind of person who'll just 'fess up when they know they're wrong or have been wrong about a thing. Right? Well, maybe! Why? Because no-one wants to admit they got a thing wrong, particularly in front of their peers. Well, not someone who wants to stay "in". I have so many problems with this kind of wonky thinking on lots of levels (and it would be fair to say I'm no shrinking violet either when it comes to putting my hand up when it counts). I find solace in... Sign in to see full entry.

My neighbour Russ is 82 years old. He came to visit me yesterday looking in his posture for all the world like he had the weight of it on his shoulders. He's a slight man, wiry to be precise and despite his advancing years there's an energy about him that's noticeable even if you didn't know him that well. He was devastated. His daughter's Whippet dog had been run over when he left the gate open to cross the road to meet the guy returning his ailing scooter. He didn't see Coco run out onto the... Sign in to see full entry.

I love a good belly-laugh, its so liberating, so decadently nourishing for the soul that I prescribe it be eaten by the bowlsful. My neighbour Shelly has the most deliciously genuine belly-laugh that is totally infectious. It's true, it's totally catchable. On a really good day, a really dinkum blow your socks off belly laugh emanates from somewhere deep in the soles of her feet, whizzes past GO where she collects 200 giggling wannabes, they take a left turn into Pall Mall, then out onto... Sign in to see full entry.

I observed a strange behaviour in myself today but one I suspect that's not all that uncommon if the truth be known. I went to the Doctor and despite the condition that warranted such a visit you would have thought I had 'A' Reserve tickets at Covent Garden. I looked a million dollars. So tell me, why do we do that? And why is it that after eighteen months of sickness hell when we can finally drag ourselves out the front door and into our Doctor's surgery that the moment we get there the illness... Sign in to see full entry.

From time to time I have a chuckle about how I managed to accumulate stuff. Now don't get me wrong, I'm no hoarder (not that theres anything wrong with 'keeping' everything that you're given, find in shop, market or anywhere else you acquire things from) but I was remembering how I got Mol (Molly-wally-doodle-all-the-day, her show-off, I mean show name). I got her on Freecycle. Freecycle www.freecycle.org.au is "about recycling goods but not charging for them or being charged to take them to the... Sign in to see full entry.

From time to time I'm reminded that the 'big' things in life are totally enjoyable too. Like yachting in Sydney Harbour, in and out of her crooks and crannies, being served delectable oceanic morsels in a nice quiet spot just off Watsons Bay, looking back to the city lights of the inner harbour and my eyes tipsy from drinking in too much of that intoxicating sight. I've sailed a 16-footer under the Harbour Bridge before today. It was an interesting experience because the flaws (sudden sea... Sign in to see full entry.