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CREATIVE NON-FICTION AND FEATURES
Blowsy gardens, houses with a story to tell, wholesome food, travel with a
purpose, alternative medicine, adoption, fertility and
family life are just some of the subjects I love to write about. Amongst other
places, in the pieces below you will go whale watching, horse racing and
wine-tasting in
South Australia, and drop in for tea and cake at the Royal Manx Agricultural
Show.
THE ART OF THE GARDEN DIARY
In the midst of busy lives, keeping a diary may seem fiddly and time-consuming.
Yet the more hectic the life, the more sense it makes to establish a garden
journal or scrapbook.
(The Art of the Garden Diary
was published in SA Life magazine)
The Art of the Garden Diary
NOT CUTTING THE MUSTARD
This piece on the vanishing art of home cooking appeared in the October 2007
issue of Manx Tails.
Not Cutting The Mustard
ZEN AND THE ART OF BACKYARD BEEKEEPING
Beekeepers exude an enviable serenity; in conversation they are affable and
calm. But is this composure - which they appear to possess in abundance -
innate, or has it developed as a consequence of handling large numbers of bees
without being badly stung? In short, is there a beekeeping temperament?
After spending time with members of South Australia's Amateur Beekeepers'
Society, I was as keen to keep bees as I was to understand the Zen mindset.
(Zen & The Art of Backyard Beekeeping
was published in SA Life magazine,
February 2007)
Zen and the Art of Backyard BeeKeeping
FROM HERE TO CLARE
Perhaps the most recognisable Australian wine label around the world is Jacob's
Creek, and I've often wondered, while pouring a glass of their excellent
Riesling, whether the creek named on that classic black and white label really
exists. This southern summer, on a trip through the wine country, I was finally
able to satisfy my curiosity. (
From Here To Clare
was published in Manx Life)
From Here To Clare
ENCOUNTERS WITH WHALES
Whale watching is a unique opportunity for a close-up look at the world's
largest mammal in its natural habitat. The beauty of South Australia is that
you can manage it from the comfort and safety of some of the world's finest
beaches.
Encounters With Whales
was published in SA Life and Manx Tails.
Encounters With Whales
A DAY AT THE RACES
From the very earliest days, South Australia's country race meetings have been
important events on the rural calendar, social gatherings in which everyone
plays a part, from horses and trainers to the toddlers picking up discarded
betting tickets while judges puzzle over which of their lovely mothers will win
the Fashions-in-the Field.
A Day At The Races
was published in SA Life Magazine.
A Day At The Races
THE CELTIC CINDERELLA
In recent times, a fairy godmother – in the shape of the European Union – has
waved a magic wand and revitalised the Irish economy with the result that
Dublin’s elegant 18th century houses, which once seemed in a state of terminal
decay, have been rescued and restored to their former beauty. Each city street
has enough history in it to keep you busy for a month, but the greatest
pleasures to be found in Dublin are some of the simplest to access, those
aspects of life the city has always excelled at - a hot towel shave in an old
fashioned barber’s shop, or a perfectly poured glass of Guinness enjoyed in any
one of the handful of public houses which have resisted change and are loved
all the more ardently for that.
The Celtic Cinderella
was published in The Advertiser Review on 24th November 2007.
The Celtic Cinderella
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