The recent spate of shark attacks in Australia made DD a little lairy about the first activity on day two of our Fiji cruise: swimming with black and white-tipped reef sharks. Passengers were assured the crew would be in the water with us at all times, closely monitoring the sharks' behaviour to ensure our safety.... Continue Reading →

Forty years ago my friend Emily went on a Blue Lagoon Cruise in Fiji and loved it. She always dreamed about returning, so I took it as a sign when a special deal popped up on Facebook. We booked two cabins and flew out of Sydney with DD on July 16, bound for a seven-night... Continue Reading →

My body and mind tend to burn out pretty quickly these days, but I am fortunate that I can escape at regular intervals. I’m off on a week-long adventure today and it will be one of those breaks where I may or may not blog, depending on the quality of the wifi and my inclination.... Continue Reading →

I was invited to The Establishment yesterday arvo by Hahn, Lion and the Wallabies and I thought, why not? The Establishment is a bop and a skip from my office. It’s massive, Merivale-owned bar on George Street in Sydney, housed in a heritage 19th-century building and famous for its 42-metre marble bar. As for the... Continue Reading →

I love a rabbit hole. And the latest one I've fallen into is an absolute doozy. I have no idea why I'm so obsessed, but I really need to know if Republican Senator Mitch McConnell from Kentucky is still alive. Mitch swears he is. Well, a statement from him does. He says he’s been “receiving... Continue Reading →

It was my Dad's birthday over the weekend. He would have been 86. He was adamant that he didn't want a funeral or a wake, so we held a celebration of his life on his birthday instead. We gathered at the Oaks Hotel in Neutral Bay for bubbles, with the pub's famed fairy light-strewn tree... Continue Reading →

I took my friend Kellie to a 'midwinter's night' at a restaurant called Arms Length yesterday and we had bulk fun. We scored a little booth to ourselves for the media event, which was fortunate because catch ups in your late 50s can pretty intense. We have A LOT going on. Kellie and I have... Continue Reading →

The eldest's week-long visit to Sydney is drawing to a close and I lie in bed each night berating myself for not making the most of every moment he's here. We had dinner together at the local Middle Eastern BYO on Monday night, then wandered past a puppy training class at the local vet (nawwwww,... Continue Reading →

I get ridiculously excited whenever I receive an email from Ponant announcing a new "Discovery Session" is coming to Sydney. I love their Discovery Sessions! What’s not to like about sipping bubbles and slurping oysters while hearing from expedition leaders about their travels and experiences? So I was thrilled to get a "Dear Alana" message in... Continue Reading →

I was vulturing around the internet, looking for travel news to add to my day job’s weekly newsletter, when a familiar face and name stopped me in my tracks. It was a photo of Skinny, the owner of Fatty’s restaurant in Bencoolen Street, Singapore. Suddenly, I was swept back to simpler times, when I was... Continue Reading →