Occasional stories, food and travel inspiration
The other day, my boyfriend and I went to see British comic Chris Turner in his show, Observational Tragedy. Alternately witty, moving, and thought provoking, it prompted both spontaneous laughter
When I was younger I thought of life mostly in terms of goals. Everything was about achievements and new experiences. "Live overseas." Tick. "Get a great job." Tick. "Be a published
Malaysian nights are often surprisingly hot. My kids' cheeks are bright red and their hair is sticking to the backs of their necks in damp curls. We down our hastily ordered drinks (star fruit jui
My baby recently turned six so to celebrate we had some family and friends over for a relaxed lunch. Deciding what kind of birthday cake to make J was easy as he is mad about chocolate. So I cam
I'm a little obsessed with Summer fruit at the moment but can you blame me? This time of year is when my kitchen is overflowing with beautiful berries, stone fruit, cherries, grapes, mangos, kiwi fru
Christmas day lunch in my family is not a small affair: each year around 24 people sit down at one long table at my parents' house to celebrate Christmas together. The Christmas day table is mad
This recipe came about when I offered to make a dish for a weekend brunch at my BFF's a couple of months ago. With four kids in the house that morning -- my young niece and nephew had slept over t
I have such happy memories of boisterous house parties when I was a child. There was always plenty of food and drink and laughter, everyone pitched in to help and we kids had the run of the house and
One of my mentors once said to me, "you can Have It All. Just not all at once." I was running a successful NGO in Shanghai and pregnant with my first child when we had this conversation. I knew my
Last year, my lovely friend Sky asked me if I'd be interested in doing a shoot with Aspire, the excellent lifestyle magazine that she edits. "What did you have in mind?" I asked. "How about you
Hello! How extremely overdue my first post of 2015 is. I had good intentions to post on January 1, truly I did. But I've been juggling the kids on holidays on top of my client work and writing pr
Vast blue skies, gently undulating land and ancient mountain ranges. In terms of magnificent scenery and great bushwalking trails, the Flinders Ranges in outback South Australia sure does deliver.
It's always nice cooking for someone who really appreciates your food. My 5YO niece, Leela, is beautiful inside and out. She's generous, kind, strong-willed and intelligent. She's also, a
I had just dropped my son at childcare and was driving my daughter to school. "Book Week is coming up again," my 7YO told me. "This year I want to dress as Sleeping Beauty." "Sleeping Beauty?
It was my brother's birthday last Sunday and my sister in law asked me to make the cake for his party. As they were expecting 60+ guests, I made this cake, as well as my Fig & Vanilla Bean Ch
Freshly picked, beautifully ripe, crimson-hued figs. Is there anything better? Picking Figs Regular readers may remember that I went fig picking at Kate's house last year. Kate is a fellow foo
Happy New Year! I hope you all had a lovely and relaxing holiday. My ideal (adults-only) holiday involves travelling to somewhere new, lots of lazing around on the beach or by a pool with a good
My mum used to make this pâté all the time for parties when I was a little girl. I'd sneak spoonfuls of it straight out of the fridge, and hastily smooth over the tell-tale cavities to try to disgu
I don't make a habit of re-visiting blogged recipes -- it'd be a bit like re-visiting an ex boyfriend -- but there are always exceptions to every rule. In this case, I've been itching to redo my Grand
We're looking after Celeste's cats for a few days while she moves house. We never had a cat or dog when I was growing up -- my mum thinks they are 'dangerous' -- so I had a whole list of questions
If you are thinking about going on a cruise but you're the type of person who doesn't like to exercise and has no self control when it comes to your diet I have this advice for you: RUN. RUN LIKE THE
Warning: proud parent alert. Those of you who get all twitchy when your Facebook friends post pics of their kids can read Top 5 Meals I Wish I'd Never Eaten or browse my archives instead. My dau
Hello! I'm a few days into my first cruising holiday with my family. I'm here with my kids, parents, brother, sister in law, niece and nephew. Our family friend, R, came with us, too. No doubt she sta
Last year my husband and I decided to separate. We'd been together for nine years and married for seven. Older The Hungry Australian readers may remember him popping up in various posts like this, thi
When my mother arrived in Australia in the 60s as a high school student from Hong Kong she didn't know how to boil water. It was her German/Australian landlady, Mrs Andersen (pictured below wit
A few weeks ago I decided to throw an afternoon tea. Between work and family commitments I've been a neglectful friend lately so I thought it was a good way to catch up with a whole lot of girlfriend
A community pop up event showcasing organic, fair-trade artisan produce, The Breakfast Rave was created at the end of 2011 by Barossa local Cherie. I first heard about it some months ago via Facebo
My brother recently did some sorting out in my parent's garage. Over the years it had become both a repository and a dumping ground - it was a place for all those odds and ends that were important eno
"Ok everyone: it's time to glove up," Kate announces. "Errrr... glove up?" I ask. Gloving up is not an activity I usually associate with picking fruit. "Yeah, the sap from the figs can make your
Did you ever read The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett? I've always been enchanted by the idea of a secret space hidden from regular passer bys, just waiting to be discovered. The Gardens
