Category Archives: Spirit of Place

Hope is the thing with feathers*

Recently, while sitting under a tree in the Domain, trying to eat an egg sandwich, I was attacked by a Noisy Miner. Claws in the head. Several times. With one arm helicoptering desperately above me to ward it off, I … Continue reading

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The Tiny Chapel

This enchanting little travellers’ chapel is in the Megalong Valley, a few kilometres from Little Hartley. It was created by Sherry Weller, inspired by the many tiny roadside churches she saw along highways in the USA. Places for weary travellers … Continue reading

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The Sky Beyond The Bell Fry

A metaphysical experience: I don’t understand what happened but it happened. Continue reading

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Edgelands

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

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The Rat Before Christmas

A few years ago, when we lived in the art-deco flat in Double Bay, I was woken by a mysterious night visitor. It was the week before Christmas and as I lay in my bed in a state of alarm … Continue reading

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Stacks and Snacks

When I was a child I had to go to Italian School every Saturday morning. I hated Italian school. But I loved that afterwards I was allowed to walk to nearby Liverpool Library where my mum would pick me up … Continue reading

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Like living on a yacht

The windows of our one bedroom flat open to both the south and north. In the early hours of the morning after a hot summer day I hear the cords rattle against the blinds, like rigging slapping the mast of … Continue reading

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Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver and other books that marked my year

If you’ve ever looked at the world and asked yourself, ‘What the hell just happened?’ you’ll enjoy ‘Unsheltered’ by Barbara Kingsolver, one of my favourite fiction writers. Set in Vineland, New Jersey, in 2016, we meet Willa Knox, a woman who’s just … Continue reading

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The Desire Path

The clock on this silly season is counting down and I only have a few days left to indulge my passion for beautiful objects in the name of gift giving. I leave the house and head into the city but … Continue reading

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The windswept doorstep of the year

August is almost over. And so is winter. I’ve loved the slowly lengthening days that carry the hope of spring. The newly lit hours that creep in after the solstice always seem so familiar; like a lost memory returned, promising … Continue reading

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