How fast can we go?

Don’t stand in the way of a woman and her passions.  I used to look at my mother-in-law and think wow there is always something on for that woman.  She was such fun, easy to get along with and interested in everyone she met, so there were always a number of invites to celebrations or […]

My Night with Elvis

It had been planned for ages. The tickets had been bought months earlier. It had been a popular topic around the dinner table. Yet still I had left the ‘what will I wear’ til the last minute. You know those phases you go through? Wardrobe love, wardrobe hate, wardrobe indifference, the favs, the challenges, the […]

Turning that certain age

Well here she is – the 50 year old rafting queen.  Why oh why did I say yes, a moment of madness I should think!  We do love Aunty Darling, and wanted to be a part of her special birthday. Here’s my story about that fateful day. Three rafts, three couples, three guides. And the rapids… Aunty Verve and […]

Wish I’d said that

Why is it only after the event that we usually think of something clever to say? Here are some lines from famous women who wouldn’t mind if you quoted them! Dolly Parton (pic from inthepinesonfbi.wordpress.com) “If you want the rainbow, you’ve got to put up with the rain.” J.K. Rowling (pic from ted.com) “It takes a great deal of […]

Waiting for Lush

“Arrgghh” The Aunties often wait for Aunty Lush, with some fear and trepidation – being in another country just highlighted it… The day was warm. The Palem Garden Hotel Bali was gleaming. The pool twinkled and waved. It was quiet except for the occasional laughter from outside the gates. The sisters though were wary. It […]

Bali High?

Dearest Darlings, So the girls have just returned from an adventure in Bali. They have thrown their wet towels and bathers over my head. Then showered me with gifts… of the work variety. They threw me pics and video of their time there while I kept the home fires burning… hmmppfff Love the Valet

Black Ginger Martini anyone???

On a warm evening in Bali, we went for the usual pre-dinner drinks. We selected a lovely beach-side bar and perused the cocktail list (my nieces’ refused to drink the local brew – Bintang). ‘Hmmm the Black Ginger Martini sounds delicious, what’s in it?’ we asked, ‘Madam, it is a martini with black ginger’ was […]

Procrastinators Unite

It took a month of hard work but it was worth it. THE AUDIT – National compliance for a national service, no getting around it. How I stopped worrying and learned to love the audit… The house was cleaned within an inch of its life; Those damnable blackberries, once the bane of my life, were […]

‘this is not a holiday camp you know!’

this was Dad’s favourite saying when we were growing up was which he would say every time he found us not ‘working’… so every few minutes… however his concept of ‘holiday camp’ has changed a lot over the years, especially since he retired. Okay mum and dad were heading interstate for a holiday…   Date: Sat, […]

What’s in a bag? Everything…

A woman’s relationship with her bag is complicated, literally full of personal baggage. When we plaintively proclaim, “what will I wear” (for it’s a statement, not a question)… we include ‘the bag’ in that, not specifically mentioned mind you, but implicit. Some women can play the bag field with ease, switching, proudly, between bags. I’m […]