Fuchsia Dunlop’s Ode to Chinese Food

by | Nov 10, 2024 | Journal

Fuchsia Dunlop’s Ode to Chinese Food  It’s 10 am on a sultry Friday morning at Soulshine, a luxurious retreat in Bali, Indonesia.Chinese food specialist Fuchsia Dunlop is about to begin a talk on food writing, one of the Masterclasses at the recent Ubud Writers...

Meet Bush Goddess Pennie Scott

by | Oct 7, 2024 | Journal

Meet Bush Goddess Pennie Scott Champion of Regenerative Agriculture I’m running late for my lunch appointment with owner of Bush Goddess Feasts Pennie Scott.  She’s suggested we meet at Delice Coffee, a new eatery in Canonwindra  which focuses on  locally grown...

Meditation on Quinces

by | Jul 22, 2024 | Journal

Meditation on Quinces It had a cloak of ash-coloured down hovering over its smooth golden body,and when it lay naked in my hand,with nothing more than its daffodil-coloured shift,it made me think of her I cannot mention,and I feared the ardour of my breath would...

Meditation on Lemons

by | Jun 1, 2024 | Journal

Meditation on Lemons Meditation on Lemons When I move housethe first tree I plantis a lemonbiblicaldour and versatileI much prefer itto those cloying salesgirlsthe soft stone fruits   –      Kate Llewellyn, excerpt from “Lemon”   It’s a hot summer...

Tough Bickies: The Original Anzac

by | Apr 22, 2024 | Journal

Tough Bickies: The Original Anzac What was the original Anzac made of? The biscuit, that is, not the soldier.If you go to the Australian War Memorial in Canberra and hunt around in the research centre you’ll find it described as an army biscuit or Anzac wafer or...

What the Devil?

by | Mar 24, 2024 | Journal

What the Devil? Ever wondered why we celebrate Easter with eggs? Curious, isn’t it, especially when you discover that it’s not even a Christian tradition.The very word Easter derives its name from  Eostre, or Eostrae, the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring and...