I may have to stop watching the 11am COVID-19 updates on the NSW Health Facebook page. Geez they're depressing. Oh, who am I kidding? I’ll be glued to my computer screen this morning, when Gladys is apparently announcing another month of lockdown for Sydney. Sad face. I was watching yesterday’s grim report when someone rang... Continue Reading →

It's my weekly cook-up-a-storm day in The HotHouse Kitchen. My friend's kids have been mourning the loss of takeaway, so I've come up with a menu that I hope returns some balance. I'm taking over a casserole dish of special fried rice for their dinner tonight, plus some chilli con carne that can be turned... Continue Reading →

I can't put into words how furious I am with the COVID protestors who effectively put us into lockdown for gawd knows how much longer with their "freedom" march on Saturday. So I'm going to let The Shovel do it for me. You’ve probably seen the meme, it’s gone viral: Hopefully COVID won’t do the... Continue Reading →

Back when DD travelled waaaaaay too much for work, his ritual when he landed in a new city was to order a margarita at a bar. I've never considered myself a tequila fan, but last night changed my mind about his favourite cocktail. Remember how I thought I had a virtual tequila tasting on Tuesday... Continue Reading →

A friend is currently in hotel quarantine with his wife and two teenaged sons and he's drawn the short straw. While I've watched more fortune souls score apartments and balconies and even have exercise bikes delivered to their doors, my friend is doing it tough at a Sydney CBD hotel. He posted this pic on... Continue Reading →

Yesterday was pretty hectic, as far as days in lockdown go. I didn't want to get out of bed because it was so bloody cold. But, once I threw off the covers, I was keen to get to my local coffee shop for the best flat white in Sydney. As I walk home sipping my... Continue Reading →

During my Newcastle youth, there was a Chinese restaurant called the House of the Rising Sun. I think it was in Charlestown - my friend Megan will know for sure, she has a photographic memory of our past. The House of the Rising Sun also introduced me to cocktails. It served Fluffy Ducks, Blue Lagoons... Continue Reading →

I'm obsessed with a show on Netflix called Atypical. It's comedy/drama about a high school student called Sam who has autism. In the first season he gets a girlfriend, but doesn't know whether he loves her … how can he tell? He decides, based on the facts, that he must. But then his therapist teaches... Continue Reading →