

A sort of French heritage
"What had stuck was the taste for a kind of food quite ideally unlike anything I had known before. Ever since, I have been trying to...
May 19, 2024


The perils of lunch in the city
“There will always be ladies who lunch. Always. And apparently they live a long time.” Elaine Stritch A few weeks ago I decided I had...
Mar 19, 2024


Christmas is ... cherries
"Oddly enough in a world where seasons of fruit and vegetables have broken down completely, where many are available much of the time,...
Dec 19, 2023


Christmas was, Christmas is ...
"We've reached the most wonderful time of year" Coles Magazine "Christmas magic exists in the little things doesn't it?" Woolworths...
Dec 18, 2023


The passing of friends - and time
"Our friends - how distant, how mute, how seldom visited and little known. And I, too, am dim to my friends and unknown; a phantom,...
Nov 8, 2023


Views, lunch, wine, friends ...
reflections on a day out in Nillumbik Nillumbik is the name of our Shire - the local council area. In the bottom corner is where we are...
Oct 15, 2023


Apples from Winton
"Passing time adds false memories and modifies real ones." Stephen King Eons ago I studied geography as one of my three A-level subjects....
Oct 13, 2023


L'apéro
"People who wish to discipline the sexual organs should avoid drinking those artificial concoctions which are called 'aperitifs'"...
Sep 26, 2023


Cabbage rolls from long ago
Once upon a time I sat in this very spot and gazed upon the Mostar bridge. Well I am 90% certain it was in this spot - although, when I...
Sep 20, 2023


To keep or not to keep
"what's interesting to you isn't necessarily interesting to a reader." Mitch Albom I don't know whether it's COVID or whether it's just...
Sep 17, 2023


Morning sickness
“Early to bed and early to rise, enhances your standing in everyone’s eyes.” The Guardian When I say 'morning sickness' I do not mean...
Sep 5, 2023


Bitter sweet - chocolate mousse memories
"No matter how many new desserts come along, the classic chocolate mousse is rarely met with anything but delight." Nigel Slater This is...
Aug 30, 2023


Lucky number 7
“Seven is the only number among those we can count on our hands (1-10) that cannot be divided or multiplied within the group ... the only...
Jul 17, 2023


Why do Paris when you can do la France profonde?
"To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a...
Jun 28, 2023


Special birthdays
"There was a star danced, and under that was I born." William Shakespeare Today is one of my 'special' birthdays. A marker birthday. 80...
Jun 20, 2023


Three moments in time - gnocchi
"Gnocchi is not just for rib-sticking, soul-warming meals by candlelight, but for light summer days, too." Nigel Slater Uninspired again...
Jun 1, 2023


Carrot soup
"a recipe designed to be as fluid as the weather" Nigel Slater Yesterday I wrote about boredom and looking at the title of this post you...
Apr 29, 2023


How I learnt to shop for food
"You know you are in love when the two of you can go grocery shopping together." Woody Harrelson An interesting idea but not really what...
Apr 18, 2023


Cooking with gas - or not
There is nothing more annoying than being wrong about something that makes your life better." Doug Hendrie - The Age/Sydney Morning...
Mar 5, 2023


Nostalgia and the 'caff'
"I’m really genuinely terrified that we are losing for ever the caff. And I mean that very specifically: the caff not the cafe ......
Jan 29, 2023

