As you've probably guessed from my blog posts this week, I need a rest. So I'm taking a week off from everything from housework to blogging. It starts tonight - can’t wait, can’t wait, can’t wait! I’m celebrating the long-awaited cessation by getting my first haircut in six months at 6pm, then grabbing takeaway BBQ... Continue Reading →

I am trapped in the middle of the longest mini-renovation EVER. It has been weeks and weeks and weeks and WEEKS. A bloke finally started the tiling yesterday. Woo-hoo! He kept asking tricky questions like: "What way do you want the tiles laid?" and "Do you want light grey grout or dark grey grout?" I... Continue Reading →

Moving on from yesterday's "first world problems" ... my new least favourite phrase comes out of my kids' mouths at least once a week/day:"I'm tired!" They're tired! Teenagers who sleep 10 hours a night minimum, then go to school for six hours, then spend the rest of their waking hours in bed watching TikTok are... Continue Reading →

My least favourite phrase used to be "first-world problem" ... because what other sort of problem was someone living in the first world supposed to have? Ironically, COVID-19 means the whole world shares the same problem for the first time. Rather than bringing us closer together, it feels like we’ve never been further apart. “World... Continue Reading →

As I was clambering down from Barrenjoey Lighthouse yesterday, a perfect stranger did something totally unexpected. She told me she loved my blog. I was so startled. I haven't been recognised publicly since I put a "How to blow like a pro" coverline on Singapore CLEO back in 2000. There was a lot of whispering... Continue Reading →

I'm mostly OK about the Jamala Wildlife Lodge incident now ... but still mildly outraged ... don’t upset a menopausal woman. Just don't. I‘m also wondering if people are losing the plot a little during COVID-19. A friend suggested that the Jamala manager's response might be a sign that she is personally at a breaking... Continue Reading →

I am not very good at "letting things go" and I’m getting worse at it with age. I dwell and sigh and mooch for days. I normally do everything I can to avoid conflict because I can't cope with the negativity that it brings. But, as mentioned in yesterday's blog, I couldn't help myself and... Continue Reading →

I’ve joined a Facebook group filled with former magazine colleagues reminiscing about the good old days. They've been posting photographs of the extravagant staff Christmas parties, the glamorous on-site gym, the lavish Christmas hampers and other fabulous stuff. They were very good old days indeed. The main pic on today’s blog post is the Cosmo... Continue Reading →

There should been a lot of movement at my place recently. Rubble and old windows have piled up in my front yard and been carted away. New sinks and toilet cisterns and exhaust fans have filled the hallway. A bag of preserving jars and some old school uniforms have been dispatched via a local swap... Continue Reading →

How was your weekend? Mine was pretty quiet, which meant I got to do a lot of thinking. I thought about sofas. I thought about wet rooms. I thought about book shelves. I thought about where the pantry cupboard should go. I thought about what I should cook for dinner this week. And for some... Continue Reading →