Some time ago, I was introduced to Tessa furniture from a friend of a friend, and I fell in love with it. Tessa Furniture is (was) an iconic name in Australian furniture manufacturing. The furniture was heavily influenced by Scandinavian designs and were well designed and crafted to quality standards. The factory was open in […]
I Love a Nice Beer
While in Castlemaine over the weekend, we tried out a few of the local beers from microbreweries. As I tap this post out onto the phone, Andrew is on the phone to a supplier trying to find where around Melbourne we can buy some more of these beers by the Shed Shaker Brewery. (They seem […]
Visit to the Fang Bosun
Fang Bosun. Now there’s a blast from the past. That’s the Naval term for “dentist”. I hadn’t been to the fang bosun for a while. Imagine when the dentist looked over his glasses at me and said, “well we haven’t seen you since 2018”. That took me by my surprise. “Wow, it feels like I […]
Social Media Hiatus…Again
So we are back home from a weekend away and reality hits me like a ton of bricks. Last night, I got online and scanned through my Twitter feeds and became quickly disheartened once again with the state of politics in this country, the thousands of people displaced by the flood (a second time) in […]
Goodbye Castlemaine
Our last day in Castlemaine to end a weekend away, saw us head up to the hill to the old Castlemaine Gaol. It was built in the 1860s and permanently closed in the 1960s but now, it’s in the process of being made into different artisan workshops. Certainly last time I was there, there weren’t […]
Maldon Meanderings
Today we drove 15 minutes away to the township of Maldon and felt we were in a time warp back to 1853. We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast at the hotel chatting with the owner and while I was waiting for the bread to toast, I perused the shelves and found the perfect book for Andrew! […]
Castlemaine’s Midland Hotel
For anyone who has travelled into regional Victoria, you’d know the history of the towns that sprung up in the gold rush years of the 1850s. We decided to take a short break and drive out to Castlemaine, a town north of Melbourne and at the heart of the gold fields. Here’s a short video. […]
Childhood Knitting
I learned to knit in 1978. I was in the fourth year of primary school. I remember it clearly. I attended the Carlton Gardens Primary School, an old turn of the century brown brick building as many of the schools are in inner Melbourne. It was directly opposite the Carlton Gardens and a short walk […]
Lack of Focus
I’ve been struggling to read this year. I don’t know why but ever since the beginning of this year, my reading has slowed down drastically. I set myself a target to read 80 books this year but already, I’m way behind. However part of me isn’t too concerned because in its place, I’ve been knitting […]
Husband is on Holiday
Finally! My husband Andrew is on leave. Ever since Covid started, he has been putting in long hours through one of the most uncertain periods of work. He’s in a role that has a lot of pressure but he takes it all in his stride managing a large team. He loves his work because it’s […]
Enrolling Into French…Again
For the last few months, I focused on having conversations with two friends who are fluent in French. Every Monday, Thursday and Friday for an hour, we chat – 30 mins in English and 30 mins in French. I wanted to take a break from the Alliance Francaise courses because at times, I found them […]
I’ll Speak to Anyone
Yesterday was a glorious day. It reached 29 degrees and felt like it was the middle of summer. Instead, it was promoted as the last day of great weather before a week of autumnal weather of low 20s, wind and light rain. I picked up the phone and told the parents to get ready as […]
Books and Identity
The home office has served me well since 2014 when I left the corporate world to start my own consulting business (which then miserably failed) and then when I started with Adopt & Embrace and now, Rapid Circle. I like going in there every day to do my work. It’s a good space with plenty […]
Major Plumbing
For the last couple of days, I’ve had a team of plumbers out digging trenches and laying PVC piping in our yard. The recent rain torrents and flooding into the house made us realise that something was up with our pipes. We keep our roof and guttering clean; we ensure our down pipes are obstacle-free […]
I Don’t Need No Education
Yesterday my friend Fiona, @White_Owly tweeted about a shift in education and it being more responsive to business needs. It started a conversation about further study. It got me thinking for a while because I’m at a point in my life where I’m thinking, “is this it?” Have I reached the nexus of my career […]
Constant House Preparations
For the last couple of years, in between lockdowns, we’ve slowly been fixing our house which happens to be quite old compared to Melbourne standards. Built in the late 50s, with 80s decor inside, I’m not fussed with what it looks like inside as much as what I want the house to be functional and […]
Subscriptions Be Gone
Today, in a bit of a hissy fit, I cancelled a few of the paid subscriptions I had regarding my pro-versions of my RSS feed reader and note taking apps deciding that the days of having a personal knowledge management routine is well and truly, behind me. I looked at everything I was collecting over […]
Getting Back Into It
It’s always a little difficult to get back into working mode after being away for a week. This morning, I had forgotten my login details – a complete mental blank and then once I remembered them after I stared at the screen for a while, I had to go about changing my password yet again. […]
Enjoying Alone Time
It was amusing to read this tweet thread about women “of a certain age” enjoying their alone time sitting at a bar, cafe or restaurant enjoying a meal or a drink by themselves. (However upon later reviewing of how this tweet started, it was because of some scum journalist reporting on one of our news […]
My Heart Will Go On
That’s what my 7 year old nephew was singing out loud to his friends and ending it with an ear piercing squeal at his seventh birthday on Saturday afternoon. The soundtrack of the Titanic the movie playing as background music to his birthday party celebration ?. I guess kids his age have certain obsessions. His […]