Baden-Powell Scout Centre

Alfie is continuing on in his scouting pursuits.  He is in awe of the creator of the worldwide movement, Lord Baden-Powell (BP) and feels very special that they share the same birthday.  Alfie’s other hero isn’t me, it’s Bear Grylls, and Bear has escalated even further in hero status since Alfie found out he’s the […]

“Oakvale”, Mittagong

It’s school holidays in NSW and it’s always a bonus if you’re able to go away for a few days to just relax and have some family time.  With the bills for Archie’s 21st coming in thick and fast, we knew an exotic or far-flung holiday wasn’t on our agenda – I wasn’t sure we […]

Ace Props and Events, Petersham

The problem with the venue we’ve chosen for Archie’s 21st is that it’s an enormous space.  And I don’t want the party to be held in a room that echoes and feels like everyone’s in a chasm.  In order to try and fill the space, I’ve been out and about trying to source props. That’s […]

Balmoral Beach Club Centenary

In 1914 a group of young Mosman men who called themselves ‘The Smugglers’, met at the site of the old Euroka Camp to swim in the harbour.  They decided to form a social and swimming club and held a meeting in the Mosman Town Hall and on the 12th of February 1914, the Balmoral Beach […]

The Oaks, Neutral Bay

The Oaks is an iconic pub in Sydney’s Neutral Bay.  It opened its doors in 1885 and throughout its 120 year history, it has never failed to be a place that Sydney-siders will frequent time and time again. By a stroke of good fortune, Lorraine had an appointment at The Oaks and asked if, along […]

The Beaches Market, Warriewood

Over the past few months I’ve had a number of friends mention to me how good The Beaches Market is at Warriewood.  I thought it was time I discovered it for myself. The market is open every Friday from 8am until 1pm and is held in the grounds of Pittwater Rugby Park, sometimes known as […]

Twilight at Taronga

I love the Twilight at Taronga events and try to attend at least one concert every season. Now in its 18th year, Twilight at Taronga is a series of open-air concerts held in front of the concert lawn inside the grounds of Sydney’s Taronga Zoo.  In the line-up over the past few years there has […]

MS Oosterdam – The Dining Experience

Okay. So here we go. And try to keep up with how many times I mention the word, ‘sweet’. The Lido: Let’s start with The Lido.  It’s the buffet.  Does anyone out there like buffets?  I don’t.  I don’t like queuing for food and then wandering around with my tray trying to find a table […]

Beach Rock Cafe, Baie Des Citrons, Noumea

When Alfred dropped us back to the beautiful Baie Des Citrons (Lemon Bay) we certainly didn’t need lunch as we’d been to the patisserie and the milkshake shop and it seemed we’d been eating all day.  However, across the road from the beach we saw a cafe in the very new retail complex, Le Mirage […]

Noumea Day Tours, New Caledonia

Before leaving for the cruise I did some research into what sort of a tour we could do when in Noumea.  I wasn’t overwhelmed by the choices offered by the cruise ship.  There was one we would have liked to have done to Amedee Island where we could view the lighthouse and go snorkelling but […]