I spent a week offline walking in the forest and it was gooooooood. A few weeks back I did the Carnarvon Great Walk with my fast walking fella and a couple of friends.
dear dad, instead of socks and hankies I made you this...
It’s your 45th Father’s Day! That’s a lot of socks and hankies so this year I wrote you a letter...
inner journey
Even when we can’t leave the country, the state or even our house, we can explore our inner world and hopefully all become less selfish and more insightful, compassionate and tender too.
disaster, zimbabwe
There were two buses to choose from, both equally clapped out and brimming with luggage and livestock. As we sat like sardines inside one of them, waiting for departure, we had a last minute change of heart.
salt, flamingos and cocaine
Uyuni is a dusty little Bolivian outpost, high up in the Andes Altiplano. Although it is around 3600 metres above sea level and cold, it reminded me of scenes from old spaghetti westerns - wide half-deserted streets surrounded by barren plains stretching to rocky mountain ranges on the horizon.
a story from la frontera
A few short days earlier I had never been anywhere outside of Australia. Now I was stuck at the Argentinian border, in the middle of the night, surrounded by people speaking a language I did not understand.
all roads lead to dot's house
We ride along the track, mostly used by escaped sheep, a few meters in from the fence line. We canter and giggle and grab fistfuls of wattle blossom as we go and throw it at each other like confetti, until we reach the "Top Gate" – which leads from the bush down through a couple of paddocks to Dot’s House.
not so far from home
Our number one favourite summertime holiday spot was the very swish sounding Lake Eildon Country Club. It was only a couple of hours from home but it felt so far away. The nights were always hot and we were pretty much always sunburnt. But we didn’t care, it was summer and we were on holidays.
mafia, mangoes and mosquitos
After almost 40 hours on a series of crappy buses from Dar es Salaam, we were very happy to finally arrive in Malawi. Except that we still had a wad of Tanzanian notes that nobody wanted.
climbing kili
We must have seemed like absolute cowboys. Everyone else seemed to have ‘the gear’. We on the other hand had mostly packed for the desert and the tropics, and had done zero training to climb Africa's highest mountain.
diving in the desert
It’s a tall order to truly absorb or explain the wonder of Egypt, because its reputation precedes it. So I will simply tell you about a few things that I really loved...
red bike london
Life had quickly ceased to feel intrepid and adventurous. And then an old red bicycle came into my life. Together we had some great times and some mishaps too...
words and pictures: the lab report
I’ve just completed a writing series called ‘words and pictures’. Before I move onto the next series I thought it would be interesting to share my process. This is for anyone who wants to write.
a teacup full of sky
A few weeks ago I did the Cooloola Great Walk (Queensland, Australia) and contemplated the sky in my teacup - amongst other golden moments.
what is the present moment?
If you’ve ever tried to meditate, you’ve almost certainly come across the phrase - Become aware of the present moment. But what does that actually mean?
i love my sisters
I’d love to say I was a loving, protective, inclusive big sister, but that would definitely not be the whole truth. I could be a real bitch too.
one for me and one for bob
“Oh, didn’t you know? Bob was killed. Every night when I get home from work I get out two beers. One for me and one for Bob. I drink mine and then I let Bob know I’ll drink his for him too.”
watching things grow
A little seed, full of potential, watered with love and persistence, has grown into a tree with deep roots and many branches.
star ruby of jaipur
“Yes, yes, no worries, it will be ready. We will meet you at the station.” Let me tell you a crazy little story, about a star ruby ring made quickly in Jaipur, India.
god in my coffee cup
While it is plainly obvious that yes of course God is in my coffee cup, it’s worth some deeper diving beneath the surface of this most holy of creations.