Many years ago when I had just finished school, a friend of mine, Paul, invited me to a B&S Ball in Bathurst, a town west of the Blue Mountains. I’ll spare you the goings-on of the B&S Ball, but on the way home Paul said, ‘I’ll take you to lunch at my grandmother’s restaurant’. The […]
A Suburban Backyard
November 8, 2014 By 36 Comments
The first time I can recall visiting the home of my great uncle and aunt was in 1977. Having just moved to Australia from New Zealand, Doug and Margaret were the only relatives we had in our new country. Doug was an author and a poet and Margaret, a painter. After living in Circular Quay […]
Mushroom and Asparagus Toast Cups
September 13, 2014 By 28 Comments
After I made citrus peel that was such a gourmet trend back in the 70’s I thought I would post another recipe from that era. And it’s one I mentioned in that same blog post where proficient home cooks wouldn’t just serve something from a jar, or even serve a pickled onion and cube of […]
Slow-Cooked Beef Cheeks with Asian Spices and…Nurses in Flight
August 12, 2014 By 40 Comments
Recently I was telling you about my experiences as a nurse and how I had to work on the cardio thoracic ward run by a woman with little tolerance for student nurses. While there were people at the hospital who opportunistically tried to make life miserable for student nurses, we didn’t let them stop us […]
Mum’s Cherry Chutney – Perfect with Turkey or Ham
November 27, 2013 By 47 Comments
When I was growing up there were a lot of traditions to be observed. Christmas had the bulk of these traditions. On Christmas Eve my mother would be up at around half past five to begin a day spent in the kitchen and in the climbing heat. In the early evening my father would gather […]
The 30-Year Reunion
September 9, 2013 By 58 Comments
Back in the early 80’s my sisters and I attended the local high school. At the end of Year 10 my older sister won a scholarship to a fairly prestigious private boy’s school that opened its doors to female students for the final two years of school. My sister’s experience was a positive one so […]
The Crossing of the Blue Mountains
June 1, 2013 By 45 Comments
Over the last three weeks there has been an historic re-enactment of the Crossing of the Blue Mountains for the bicentenary that was discovered by Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth in 1813. I don’t think many Australians and particularly new Australians are aware of what a precarious position the colony was in around two hundred years […]
Gluten-Free Nutella Slice and…The Naenae Pool
February 26, 2013 By 55 Comments
‘Naenae’ is pronouced ‘Nigh-Nigh’ as in ‘The end is Nigh’ – I hope that helps! When I was at swim squads this morning, pounding my way up and down the black line, (I do like to talk myself up), I was thinking about the swimming lessons I had when I was growing up. You may […]
Idiot Politicians and…Fig Tart
February 16, 2013 By 48 Comments
I know we all have our horror politician stories but I think I’ve got one that will top the list of idiotic policy making. It was way back in time when I was living in New Zealand and ever since I was old enough to have a measure of understanding I learned that the world […]
‘Fish n Chips’ and…Rocky Road
February 1, 2013 By 60 Comments
I grew up in a city and during a time when people didn’t really eat takeaway food. The word ‘takeaway’ wasn’t in anyone’s vernacular, probably because takeaway outlets were rare or non-existent. Home cooked food was all anyone knew and that was eaten every night except for that very rare occasion when you might be […]
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