Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers
The Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers has been a Spring celebration for the past 65 years. And to my shame, despite living within two hours drive of…
Thanks for the limericks
Limericks have been flowing in – mainly through my Facebook pages – and I’ve had a lot of fun reading them as I travelled around Ireland…
Mateship starts at home
ANZAC Day holds a special place in the hearts of Australian and New Zealanders. For many of us, it is a day with personal meaning, as…
Macbeth: treachery, murder, mud and blood
“Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble…” “Out damned spot! Out, I say!” “Is this a dagger which I see before me…?” They’re…
What I saw at Woodfordia
For the past 28 years, the Woodford Folk Festival has been an end-of-year tradition for many Australians. Beginning life in Maleny in the Queensland’s Sunshine Coast…
Here’s to better blogging
As the sun hit the beach on Australia’s Gold Coast last weekend, I was there. But instead of splashing in the surf, basking on the sand…
Kicking up at Cabaret de Paris
Many years ago, on a best-forgotten bus tour of Europe, I fell in love with Paris. In the years since then, I’ve been back a few…
Review: Other Desert Cities
Life imitates art, they say. Or is it the other way around? As Australia suffers through an election campaign, I’m guessing that Prime Minister Kevin Rudd…
Photo blog: Shooting the spectators
One of the wonderful things about attending a festival is the people-watching. At the Laura Aboriginal Dance Festival last month, I turned my Nikon away from…
Dancing in the dust
In an ancient ceremonial bora ring on remote Cape York, the dust is rising as feet pound the earth in what must be one of Australia’s…
A Glass Half Full 