I noticed this cairn at the dog park today… I don’t know who left it. Or how many people added to it, or why it’s there, or in fact, anything about it at all. But when I saw it, I remembered similar cairns I saw when touring Norway. One fjord guide, as an offhand aside, […]
Agatha Christie
I’ve been watching Agatha Christie: Lucy Worsley on the Mystery Queen, in which Dr Lucy Worsley OBE tells us that Mrs Christie is not the person we all thought she was. Among other intersting titbits, Lucy believes Mrs Christie did lose her memory, and drawing against other sources, that she sought treatment for it. But […]
I’m Not Ready!
Somehow, we’ve arrived at January 9th, theoretically, my first day back at work, and I’m not ready. It’s not really my first day back, I’ve worked more or less through the break, taking care of business in the back office. As well as tidying it, I’ve done some analysing and assessing of my websites, newsletters […]
Happy Holidays 2022!
Here we are again, approaching Christmas and the excesses of the season, in my ninth seasonal greeting. I feel like I’ve done it all before. And I if this particularly manic holiday season has anything in common with those in the late 1920s. A kind of eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die […]
Christmas Conflagration
If Christmas under the hot Australian sun isn’t twisted enough, this story will turn it up a notch or ten. Matilda May McDonald, so-called crazy-cat-lady. Owner of four dogs. Trapped by her past. Perhaps this Christmas offers more than salvation. “Christmas Conflagration” by Alexandria Blaelock is free on this website for a month. If you […]
Lack of Focus
Recently, I’ve been feeling a lack of focus, so I read Stolen Focus, by Johann Hari. And judging by the wait list at the library, I’m not the only one either. It’s a great book, and I recommend you read it. At least check my summary below. But as it turns out, there’s more to […]
The Smell of Wood Smoke
The other day, a rare for this year sunny day, we took Clever girl for one of our longer weekend walks around the neighbourhood. There was a beautiful blue sky, and the temperature was warm, but not too warm, with just a lazy wind. And the smell of woodsmoke. These days, on a summer’s day, […]
The Shadow Thieves
What is the long shadow of war hiding? Under a blue sky. Bathed in the yellow late Summer sun. The smell of camellias. The sound of birdsong. The war seems a distant nightmare. Until you turn a corner to see bombed out houses full of rubble. Sadie Phillips is an ordinary country girl. Making her […]
Boundaries
I live on the edge of a creek that has no boundaries. We decided to fence it off partly because Clever Girl has shown more of an interest in getting into the creek than our previous dogs. Now it’s done, I’m a little surprised to find the garden seems bigger with boundaries than it did […]
Onslaught at New Mir
A blast from the past Warrant Officer Vivian Ashe. Busy Adjutant getting stuff done on New Mir Station. Old friend Admiral Queenie Baley. Ferrying diplomats on the FFC Argonaut. In a past versus future clash of cultures, who will be the last woman standing? “Onslaught at New Mir” by Alexandria Blaelock is free on this […]
Christmas is coming
I saw my first Christmas decorations recently, and I suddenly realised Christmas is coming. It came as quite a surprise – even though I’ve just done my quarterly plan, (or maybe because), I was still thinking I had all the time in the world before Christmas got here. There’s food and drink to buy – […]
2022 Transplantiversary
It’s that time again – the 2022 transplantiversary. Eleven years and counting – officially past the nice, neat, predictable transplanted lifetime. I’m feeling weary, and that makes it feel like a lot happened this year. But my life hasn’t changed a great deal since the dark days of Covid, so it’s possible like millions of […]