Year: 2017

We arrived in the twilight. A brushstroke of pink and orange across the sky. Our destination Southern Ocean Lodge. This is a  short journey from the capital of the island Kingscote, across to the southern side, but at this time of night, it took a little longer. Kangaroos and Tammar Wallabies are crepuscular (a favourite…

About a year ago I walked into the Art Gallery here in Queensland and saw this portrait. It is called “The Cypriot” by William Dobbell painted in1940. Dobbell met Akis Gavrielides, a waiter in a cafe in London. He painted many portraits of this man who is described as a study in exotic good looks.…

The day is dull and overcast, not common in this sunny part of Queensland but it really didn’t matter. We are visiting Mother Nature’s Laughter garden in the lovely suburb of Bellbird Park. The gate is purple. The colour pops. The flowers in the front garden are popping too though it is autumn here. Part…

A very good friend of mine and I email frequently. Her last email to me said I am planning a dinner party, playing in a tournament and plotting a revolution. I was impressed – and all in the space of a week. I asked her which was the most challenging, and tongue in cheek, we…

I was sitting on the deck, breathing in the scented air. The cockatoos had come and eaten their sunflower seeds and most of them had taken off. One stayed behind. We feed the birds and give them water but we don’t approach them. Today was different. This cockatoo approached me. I was sitting at the…

Do you want to feel cold for a change – this is the place to go. Stanthorpe is high, cool, famous for its fruit and wines, its cheeses and pies. What we loved were the granite boulders, the National Parks, the forests of eucalyptus and the most amazing viewpoints of the whole of the surrounding…

My purple tibouchina is just fading. It has given way to the glossy leaves of my mandarin tree bearing green fruit  as well as the wonderfully white smelling blossom. I sit on the deck and breathe it all in.There is no sweeter scent. This Easter is special for our family as our first son, George…

Sunday and the day started out cloudy but breezy. Perfect for a morning in the garden collecting the fallen branches, sweeping up the leaves, weeding and watching with joy the almost overnight growth of our passion fruit flowers after all the rain. Then it was time to take the neighbour’s dog for a walk and…

Our time in South Africa was made the more spectacular not only by the wild and rugged coastlines but also by the birds and flowers we saw – we simply came across them driving or walking and it is partly because the Cape Floral Kingdom is so special and is home to so many diverse…

This was probably my favourite walk – over the beach in Arniston and towards a cave which is a famous landmark in the area. We found the most amazing mother of pearl shells which shimmered in the light, sea anemones, starfish and rocks of such colours and hues, with contrasting rock faces running through them,…