New Order was the soundtrack to my late teens. Every Saturday night I’d hit the dancefloor at a scruffy little wine bar in Newcastle called The Gunfighter’s Rest. We’d dance up a storm to New Order and Erasure under the ultraviolet lights as the dry ice steamed out of our Dingo Dangler cocktails. It was... Continue Reading →

Over the next few weeks, I turn 52 and my daughter turns 14. How do you like them hormonal apples? We actually get along pretty well most of the time, despite our respective cranky streaks. I think it freaks other kids out when they're in the car with us and we start playfully jibing with... Continue Reading →

The youngest texted me yesterday to ask if she could go into coronavirus self isolation. She went to a yoga class on Sunday with a girl whose school has since been shutdown due to the outbreak. Eeeek! I suspected the youngest was just trying to get a few days off school, so we texted back... Continue Reading →

I can't be trusted with pink bubbles in the middle of the day. I was reporting on the Drinks Association's Embrace Difference event for International Women's Day when the transgression occurred. A waiter appeared in front of me with a tray of pink stuff and I couldn't say no ... next thing you know I'm... Continue Reading →

I've been sorting through old photos as I clear out my garage and it's taking FOREVER because I keep getting distracted. For example, I posted this pic in a Facebook group for former Newcastle Herald employees ... The bloke went on to become my flatmate in Sydney for a while, then he was editor of... Continue Reading →

An old friend Tracey Cox made a flying visit to Sydney this week and I was so sorry to miss her. She was in town for a brief 48 hours to promote her new book: Great Sex Starts at 50. It's about having the best sex in the second act of your life. She notes... Continue Reading →

(Not a blog post about diarrhoea) Ever since the calendar ticked over to March 1, my inbox has been flooded with special offers and discounts for my birthday, which is lovely, but a constant reminder that I am about to turn 52. Still, it's better than when I turned 50 and the bowel cancer and... Continue Reading →

The fastest way home from DD's place is via a road called the Wakehurst Parkway. It’s very bushy and uninhabited and I drive along it at least twice a week, often around 9.30pm. But I had to take a detour last night and go the long way. Not because of traffic or roadwork or storm... Continue Reading →

How did you spend your extra day on February 29? I love that Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras chose the date to parade down Oxford Street. I skipped the crowds to watch tellie with the youngest, who was completely unimpressed by my tales of being a Dyke On A Bike at Mardi Gras many... Continue Reading →

I got an email from the eldest's school yesterday informing me that there had been a nit outbreak. Normally those words would strike dread in my heart as I'm really not in the mood to spend another night combing conditioner meticulously through my offspring's locks. But I was a bit whatever this time, because the... Continue Reading →