There's been some serious DIY action at my house over the past week. I built a wine rack over the fridge … which took all of 15 minutes with a Clever Cubes kit from Bunnings. The most complicated part was tracking down the necessary bits, which involved trekking to Gladesville as all the stores around... Continue Reading →

When I arrived on DD's front door on Sunday afternoon I could hear Split Enz music drifting through his house, which seemed a little odd as he's not a massive Enz fan. I smiled when I heard Neil Finn crooning "Message to my girl" - I've been in love with the band’s music since I... Continue Reading →

Calabria Family Wines sent me Australia's first-ever boxed Montepulciano wine to try last week, so I cracked the cardboardeaux on Friday night and reminisced about the time DD and I went to actual, real life Montepulciano. Ah, that fairytale era when Aussies could travel overseas, it seems so long ago. Calabria's bottled Montepulciano won its... Continue Reading →

Where do you stand on funerals? Have you made plans for your own? While I love planning so many areas of my life, my funeral isn't one of them. I'm perfectly happy for there not to be one at all, since I'll be dead and won't notice. But the thing about funerals is that they're... Continue Reading →

The eldest was showing us photos of his tongue piercing recovery progress during dinner last night. They were gross ... really, really gross. He's been photographing the healing process daily and I didn't see much improvement on day five, although he's finally managing firmer foods after a steady diet of Weet-Bix. Two new plastic piercing... Continue Reading →

"I read recently that there is this obsession with 'finding' and 'achieving' happiness as a destination or some kind of permanent state and that idea sets us up for failure. Because happiness comes in moments that we pass through. Often fleetingly. The key is to notice them. I rarely do. I want to try to... Continue Reading →

I am trying to keep my mother guilt in check, despite how appallingly I have neglected my children during the school holidays. They've been left to fend for themselves while I've been distracted by a gazillion different projects in my search for a new career groove. I was shocked to realize I didn't even check... Continue Reading →

OK, the fitness kick didn't last long - the eldest and I went to a restaurant last night that specialises in fried chicken, champagne and sneakers (to wear, not eat). The youngest was at a sleepover, so we decided to try a new place called Butter. There are three Butters - one in Surry Hills,... Continue Reading →

The youngest sent me this scary photo yesterday morning with NO explanation. I texted back: "Where the hell is that?" She replied: "Outside the house near the side gate." I texted: "Is it dead????" She replied: "Yes." I texted: "How big is it?" And almost retched as I zoomed in and saw all the exposed... Continue Reading →

One of the fun things about the contracting work I'm currently doing - other than all the brainstorming - is that the audience I'm targeting is ME: women around the age of 40-60. I sit there each day thinking: what do I want to read about? It's a big change from wondering: what do bottle... Continue Reading →