The world would be lost without alpha personalities. An Alpha is a leader; she is self-assured, powerful and confident. She steers the pack in friendships and guides teams in work. But understanding what life is like for introverts and outsiders isn't always an alpha’s strong point. God bless the alphas in the NSW ‘crisis cabinet’... Continue Reading →

“In Australia, the perfect escape to rest, relax and entertain is a beach house and among beach houses so very few can claim all the attributes of 15 Shipton,” says a South Coast real estate agents. “Whether you wish to build something astonishing or just get away now, this sale deserves your attention." Um, hello?... Continue Reading →

I celebrated the anniversary of my third month in lockdown by buying myself a second-hand egg chair on Saturday. Well, I didn’t really buy it for myself. The youngest has been begging for a hammock chair for the back deck. I figured my old bones wouldn't cope with sitting in one of them, should I... Continue Reading →

The gods were smiling on me last night. They sent a car to light my way home. I love having a vehicle ahead of me on the Wakehurst Parkway for three reasons: Hopefully the ghosts who haunt it will visit the first car in the convoyThe car in front might know how to use their... Continue Reading →

It’s hard to believe it's been almost 12 years since the eldest started kindergarten. And now school is drawing to an end. We arrived late to kindy - we'd been living in New York while my ex attended Columbia University as a mature aged student. The eldest missed a few months of alphabet and numeral... Continue Reading →

There was a moment yesterday when I was juggling too much: slicing potatoes with a mandolin, creating a PDF of a job ad for a client, organising a job interview, shooting Nerf balls for the moodle and writing a story about modern slavery. I thought to myself Fark! I AM a modern slave! That's a... Continue Reading →

I filmed my second Tik Tok video yesterday. I was so nervous that I was slightly breathless. I need to calm down, which I hope comes with practice. DD commented that he'd never seen me breathless from talking before. He should see me when I walk up steep hills with my female friends. I am... Continue Reading →

Can you believe it was the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks on Saturday? Even my local fire station - pictured above - paid tribute. Reading all the recollections swept me back in time. I was living in Singapore 20 years ago, editing CLEO magazine. On the morning of September 11, I was blithely... Continue Reading →

OK, I did it. I didn't do it very well and I couldn't do it again, because I only had one canned cocktail to open with a flourish. DD and I guzzled the other three - they come in 4-packs - on Sunday. We couldn’t help ourselves, they were so delicious. Rookie error. I also... Continue Reading →

I have two ancient books that I’ve been sticky taping recipes into over the decades. I started the first one when I was a teenager. They’re so old that the sticky tape has stopped being sticky in most cases - the books are falling apart and filled with little loose clippings. Those recipes - plus... Continue Reading →