There’s a quote by author Martin Amis that’s appeared a few times on HouseGoesHome over the years. It’s about ageing and goes like this .., "As the 50th birthday approaches, you get the sense that your life is thinning out, and will continue to thin out, until it thins out into nothing. And you sometimes... Continue Reading →

Sunday and Monday were not proud days on the healthy living front, what with my festival of duck and tequila cocktail competition with lots of blobs of yummy stuff on corn chips. I was feeling pretty ordinary by Tuesday morning from all the alcohol-infused fat and resolved to go on a health kick until Christmas. That... Continue Reading →

I was so shocked when the news broke that Cosmopolitan magazine was closing in Australia after 45 years of publication. A friend commented on Facebook: "I’m surprised it was still around." But I know that Hearst - the magazine’s licencing partner - would have been dragged kicking and screaming to the decision. Cosmo is an... Continue Reading →

I hate to ruin the magic for you ... but I DID NOT feel well after my fourth anniversary celebration. It turns out drinking a glass of prosecco and two glasses of rose while scoffing fried Peking duck spring rolls and fried duck schnitzel isn't the best idea when you have reflux. Blergh. Make that... Continue Reading →

Prosecco and duck schnitzel ... is there a more Alana way to celebrate a fourth anniversary? I don't think so. The night didn’t go entirely to plan. DD instructed me to pack two glasses and the bottle of Champagne we were gifted at our joint birthday party. Then we headed to a secret romantic destination... Continue Reading →

Did you watch Princess Eugenie's wedding to Jack Brooksbank on Friday? I missed it because the youngest is totally NOT into the Royals. So I introduced her to St Elmo's Fire instead. She may have regretted her decision, but I enjoyed revisiting Judd Nelson and Andrew McCarthy’s battle over Ally Sheedy. I've since watched enough... Continue Reading →

Today is the fourth anniversary of the first time I met DD in real life. We'd been chatting via RSVP for a few days before deciding to have a cider together at a suburban pub. For some unfathomable reason he thought it was appropriate - on a first date - to take his thongs off... Continue Reading →

I saw a sentence on the homepage of news.com.au yesterday that stopped me in my tracks. It said: "Something is very wrong with Australian men." I immediately thought it was a story about the shocking domestic violence crisis we’re facing in this country. It wasn’t. It was about World Mental Health Day and how men are... Continue Reading →

I've written many times about walking away from my magazine career. But I never told you this: I tried to go back ... and no one wanted me. It's hard to write those words in black and white. However, they’ve been weighing on my mind lately, bubbling back to the surface. For much the same reason... Continue Reading →

I got teary at the hairdressing salon the other day .... and not because I have a new shorter 'do ... I was scrolling through Facebook while my colour was setting (or whatever colour does at a salon) and saw a story called: ‘This is my dad, mowing my mom’s lawn. They’ve been divorced 28 years’.... Continue Reading →