I peered in the windows of my dream house over the weekend. The real estate agent’s ad describes it as "a modest circa 1912 Canadian red cedar residence steeped in historical significance and on the market for the first time in 80 years." That doesn't make it sound like much, but the location is out... Continue Reading →

Celebrities as a species aren’t particularly wise. They make just as many dumb choices as the rest of us. Probably more. But people seem to listen better when a star suggests something, so here goes ... When Gwyneth Paltrow "consciously uncoupled" from Chris Martin a month after my own marriage ended, I thought the phrase... Continue Reading →

It took me four hours to collect my kid from art camp yesterday. The things we do for love. I battled the driving rain to Springwood in a journey made extra harrowing by the RTA’s decision that signage to the Blue Mountains isn’t necessary for the first eleventy seven thousand kilometres of the motorway. I was... Continue Reading →

Xanadu and comfort food were on the menu at my place last night ... it gets pretty trashy in the Household when the eldest isn’t around. The youngest and I feasted on sausages and mash - the eldest hates mash - and curled up together to watch one of the best-worst movies of all time.... Continue Reading →

I was hoping to get to bed early last night and recover from my busy weekend, but love had other ideas. I finally pulled into my driveway around 10.30pm. I stepped out of the car and was enveloped in the scent of orange blossom,  drifting from hedge. It was divine. As I walked towards the... Continue Reading →

I had an awful ... and wonderful ... weekend. That seems to be par for the course in my life lately. I’ve been a bit under the hammer - escape was on my mind. I decided to fly north to visit my friend Paul. Paul has been a rock for me since I was about... Continue Reading →

DD texted a holiday suggestion to me yesterday and I almost lost my lunch. It was called "The Gutsy Challenge" and involved walking Cape to Cape through Leeuwin Naturaliste National Park. The walk averages around 25km a day for seven days and traverses the most stunning landscapes. You're probably thinking "Oh that sounds nice!” I... Continue Reading →

Do you mark Halloween by posting Grinchy memes like this one on Facebook: Or are you the go-with-the-flow, let's-enjoy-the-rare-burst-of-community-interaction type? I'm the latter. But, before the sugary stuff, I’m going to tell you a scary story. I kicked off Halloween by waving a metaphorical red flag that announced to the world: "I'm old!" I bought... Continue Reading →

It’s the fourth anniversary of my first proper date with DD this week. I say "proper" because I don’t count meeting for an hour in a suburban pub to check if there's any chemistry between you a "real" date. The anniversary of THAT was October 12. This is what DD recalls about our mutual scouting... Continue Reading →

I'm feeling soooooooo sentimental this week, which makes a nice change from feeling sooooooo cranky last week. I presume it’s part of the mercurial ageing process that author Martin Amis talked about. Remember me quoting him a few weeks ago, musing on his 50s: "Suddenly you’ve got this huge new territory inside you, which is... Continue Reading →