Category Archives: My Mother and Me

Edgelands

Posted on November 18, 2020 by sagesomethymes

I’m on my way to visit my mother but I’m early. I don’t want to interrupt her while she’s watching her favourite soapie, the one I’ve dubbed Italian Doctors in Love, so I decide to take a detour. I get … Continue reading →

Posted in Habitat, My Mother and Me, Spirit of Place | Tagged 1980s, Cowpasture Road, edgelands, flaneur, psychogeography, Sydney walks, The Dairy, urban sprawl, walking, walking Western Sydney, Walks in Sydney, Western Sydney Parklands | Leave a comment

‘Cucinati al umido’ – Italian for what I just said.

Posted on July 22, 2020 by sagesomethymes

I now have a spice cupboard. Well I have spices in my cupboard. Two spices. Paprika and Chilli. They are enabling spices. Over the years I have discovered that much is possible with these two friends in the house. And … Continue reading →

Posted in Experiments with Food, My Mother and Me, Uncategorized | Tagged cabbage recipes, chilli, cooking, cooking with a wok, cooking with spices, food traditions, Italian food, lemon juice, like a fish on a bicycle, pandemic eating, paprika, recipes, rice noodles, sauteed dishes, Thai food, vegetarian recipes | 2 Comments

Lepidoptera

Posted on April 7, 2019 by sagesomethymes

Did you know that a lepidopterist is an entomologist who studies butterflies? But what is someone called who kills butterflies? A little while ago I realised there was a problem with my Lime. It’s three years old and lives in a terracotta … Continue reading →

Posted in Habitat, My Mother and Me, The Animal Kingdom, Writing Nature and Place | Tagged butterflies, caterpillar pests, caterpillars, caterpillars on citrus, citrus, Citrus Swallowtail Buttefly, Citrus swallowtail caterpillar, cocoon, curry tree, dragons, gardening, killing caterpillars, King Aegeus, larvae, Lepidoptera, lepidopterist, lime tree, monsters, Papilio aegeus, pupa, removing caterpillars, silk worms | 1 Comment

Imaginary Good

Posted on January 14, 2019 by sagesomethymes

“Why is it, that doing something, is so much harder than thinking about doing something? This fascinating existential question confronted me recently while I was thinking about my mother’s solar panels. She lives in a suburb where roofs outnumber trees … Continue reading →

Posted in climate change, Habitat, My Mother and Me | Tagged climate change, photovoltaic membrane, procrastination, solar array, solar panels, solar power | 1 Comment

Burke & Wills and Me

Posted on May 6, 2018 by sagesomethymes

I’m standing at Redfern Station waiting to catch the train to Canley Vale to visit my mother who lives exactly 9.2 km from there along the Orphan School Creek bike track. Usually I catch a bus from the station to her house … Continue reading →

Posted in Habitat, My Mother and Me | Tagged Burke and Wills, Canley Vale Station; Spaghetti Bolognese;, cycling; bike riding; taking your bike on a train;, Orphan School Creek; Bike Riding; Cycle NSW; trains; | 1 Comment

The Next Big Thing

Posted on October 13, 2017 by sagesomethymes

“Bowl head! Bowl head!” “Stupid wog! Look at her hair!” I’d thought my 1920s Parisian style bop was quite sophisticated. “Did your mother put a bowl over your head to cut your hair?” one of them snarled, as the rest … Continue reading →

Posted in My Mother and Me, The Sages, Time | Tagged 1980s, bowl head, bullies, bullying, hair cut, hair dressers, Lady Di, Simon Le Bon, skunk stripe, skunks, style cut | Leave a comment

A Sapphire Blue Sydney Sky

Posted on April 6, 2017 by sagesomethymes

“We’re going to stick it where the sun don’t shine.” That’s not actually what he said. It’s just what I imagined he was thinking. I blame such crassness on several days of ‘low residue white food’ diet followed by 24 hours of … Continue reading →

Posted in My Mother and Me, The Sex Diaries, Time | Tagged bowel cancer, Canopic jars, colonoscopy, death, guts, hospital, intestines, medical procedures, menstruation, nurses, periods, show bag, sunshine, viscera | 2 Comments

Bugs, Birds and Bees

Posted on November 30, 2016 by sagesomethymes

Recently I was talking to my mother. My phone call interrupted her in the shed where she was wrestling with the pesticide pump. She was removing the original hose and replacing it with a longer one. By way of making conversation I … Continue reading →

Posted in My Mother and Me | Tagged bees, bees and pesticide, cockroach baits, European Parliament, pesticides, toxic chemical warfare | 4 Comments

When the Moon is Missing

Posted on June 12, 2015 by sagesomethymes

My mother is a busy woman. Not only is she a retiree with a very healthy social life, she is a lawn bowls champion at state and national levels. Finding time to catch up can sometimes be quite a challenge. A … Continue reading →

Posted in My Mother and Me, Time | Tagged almanac, biscuits recipe, manual bottle capping machine, old wine in new bottles, planting by the moon, vintage, waning moon, wine barrels, wine bottling, wine cellar, wine making, wine tasting | 2 Comments

The Curse

Posted on December 10, 2014 by sagesomethymes

I am thirteen years old. I have just discovered blood in my underwear. I have heard the horror stories. I have witnessed the distress in the girls’ toilets. I know this is a curse. I know that now I should not touch pickles, wash … Continue reading →

Posted in My Mother and Me, The Sages, The Sex Diaries | Tagged biology, celebration, curse, hormonal instability, hot flush, labels, menopause, menses, menstruation, night sweats, periods, sexuality, woman | 1 Comment