Back into the bathroom this weekend for some DIY, this time the shower in the shed – or ‘studio’ – where I have my office. We noted months ago that the silicone sealant around the junction between wall and floor was mottling with mould, and it seemed like the kind of simple job that’s within …
Even my nearest and dearest wouldn’t say with a straight face that I have a good sense of fashion -- or indeed, any sense of fashion. In the past, let loose from the daily requirement to don a conservative suit and tie, I may well have struggled a bit to strike the right sartorial note …
Remember the post I wrote about Cruise, dog-about-town and long-distance traveller? Well, in the short time since then, Cruise has added to his list of destinations with his furthest expedition yet – a jaunt to the Emerald City itself, Sydney. It all started on Saturday, when Corner Cottage played host to a group of friends …
There’s a word they have here for people like us, who arrive in Braidwood and set up shop to live the honest country life – and that’s ‘blow-ins’. I quite like it – it implies that we’ve been carried here by the winds of fate, rather than finding ourselves here as the chance of birth …
Thinking a bit about the various variations of my chosen profession, writing, had me reminiscing a bit about a man I spent a lot of time with in the late ‘80s. Out of choice, initially, and then because he’d kind of moved in and couldn’t be evicted. The man was American poet E. E. Cummings …
It’s becoming increasingly obvious that despite our best efforts, one simple DIY job will generally spawn several more; when this principle is combined with the immutable law that no DIY job is as simple as it first appears, you have a rule or constant that indicates that a man’s work is never done. Worse, the …
How do you describe the complex phenomenon of the sophisticated man-about-town? His ease in all kinds of company, his subtle air of mystery, his discreet comings and goings? You know the type – well-travelled, cultured, ageless and self-assured; friend to many, intimate of few. This is Cruise, subject of today’s post: a nuggety Jack Russell …
As a semi-pro freelance writer, I've developed some pet hates when it comes to cliché-ed phrases -- and one of the most tooth-grinding is 'sneak-peek'. Let's face it, this twee substitute for the perfectly good 'preview' or even 'glimpse' has had its day and should be taken out back and humanely shot. What follows is …
Further to our recent maunderings about Aussie wildlife – and thanks to the commentator who correctly reminded me that Salties are definitely apex predators – it’s time to grasp the nettle that is the Australian magpie. You know those videos you see on the internet where dogs and cats do what they do when …
So – Aussie wildlife. What is it and how does it stack up? Well, I have to say, having grown up in Africa, initial impressions of what Aus has to offer might appear a tad underwhelming. But that’s because not only does Africa boast extremely impressive beasts like the ‘big five’ (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo …
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