I am a proud Kiwi with a Kiwi Mother from fine Scottish ancestry and a Manx father. My pseudonym reflects my love of my late father. The Isle of Man, aka Ellan Vannin, is well known for TT Races and i
I have long had a real soft spot for Sir Tim Shadbolt. In my brief time living in Invercargill, it reminded me of a town that had a heart and a soul… not just a collection of people living in a particularly cold huddle at the bottom of the South
Back in the 1970s, women got liberated. They became free to have children and work, have careers and generally hone their skills at multi-tasking. I was one of those young Mums. I got up at 5 am, did the washing, pegged it out, vacuumed and then woke the family. Cooked
I have long suffered from depression. It is, as has been said, a Black Dog that sits on your shoulder and whispers in your ear. It is sneaky, cunning and always manages to say all the things guaranteed to make you feel hopeless, helpless and horribly alone. I have found
In 1971 there was a time I was dying. In a yacht on Lake Tarawera. And my brother saved me. I was a young girl in my yacht with my brother. We canned out and I, like my brother, fell into the dark and cold gloom of Lake Tarawera. We
When I was a child, a rainbow was something that gave me pleasure. According to my Sunday school teacher, it was the sign that God was watching over us and that we were being looked after by him. To me, it was a magnificent display of nature that all was
It’s my birthday at the time of writing this post. And it’s not looking good for a fun day out or in for that matter. I have a swollen and painful ankle. It could be gout but it seems more likely, given my healthy lifestyle, that it is
Lego Masters is my new favourite show. I have never played with Lego, nor have I ever felt any inclination to do so. My kids never played with it. So how come Lego Masters is my must-watch TV every week? When I stumbled on it while channel surfing, I couldn’
I was out on a rare visit to a shopping mall the other day. I was wandering around the food court, trying to decide what to eat. I don’t often ‘eat out’ – it is too expensive, and more often than not, I worry about the hygiene of the food
Where did the teachers go? Somewhere, over the Rainbow? Kids having story books read to them by bearded men with lipstick seems wrong to me. Where did all the ?real ? teachers go? Those that taught us to think for ourselves, not to think as they think? To be a teacher
Where Sir Edmund Hillary conquered the heights of Mount Everest and Sir Ernest Rutherford split the atom; where Sir Peter Snell ran faster than anyone else and where Sir Peter Jackson went from “Bad Taste” to “Lord of the Rings,” there is that spirit that seeks adventure and to hell
When I think about Bill Shorten and the dilemma he faces with the Adani debacle, I am reminded of the story of the tigers that turned to butter. When I was a little girl, I read the story of Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman. It was written in 1899
The importance of the humble Anzac Biscuit should never be underestimated. It is steeped in tradition and is part of our National heritage and identity. Everyone has their favourite recipe ? mine has always been my tried and true original Edmond?s recipe and it is always a crowd pleaser. Coming
I read this on a thread on another post. Apparently, Julian Assange was quoted as having said this, and people leapt to the conclusion that he was mentally unwell. Apparently, he was admitting to being schizophrenic. But when I look at what a schizophrenic really is, I think it is
When I heard that Notre Dame Cathedral was burning, I could not help but feel a portent that trouble is brewing. Having spent many years in Rotorua, much of the time at the family home on Lake Tarawera, it took my mind back to the view from our lakeside windows.
Listening, thinking… and blinking. It is time for Simon Bridges to start speaking and acting and, most importantly, to stop blinking. We all played the game when we were kids “Simon says touch your head”? or “Simon says sit down. Stand up.” And if you followed an order without it
When I was a kid, one of my favourite books was Washday at the Pa. Even today, when I do my sheets and big weekly wash, everyone who knows me knows that I am having Washday at the Pa. Mum still has washday at the Pa and it is never
