Harrogate means a whole lot of things, but especially Bettys Bakery and Agatha Christie. My friends call me Miss Marple , so it’s no surprise that I went to Harrogate recently on a pilgrimage to the Old Swan Hotel. Agatha Christie sought refuge here during a personal
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For many years my partner Rob and I travelled around the UK staying in Bed & Breakfasts. Some were absolutely charming, with equally charming hosts. Others were….well pretty awful (read ‘Unravelling With My Aunt’ on this website and you will get the picture). But as we both
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Hello from Editor Des and some English friends Well I have been traveling around England and OH MY WORD, I do like all the lollies here. I have to remember to call them sweets though, because English people think lollies are only on sticks! I thought
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WILLIAM WIMMERA, CHILD OF THE WOTJOBALUK The ruins of Ebenezer Aboriginal Mission are located near the tiny, West Wimmera settlement of Antwerp, 22 kilometres north of Dimboola, in western Victoria. Strangely enough, the history of the mission is entwined with that of a young Aboriginal boy, who
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OLD MEMORIES LINGER! I grew up on a hilltop farm in Tasmania….next stop ANTARCTICA! In winter, biting winds and sleet often prompted my father’s diary entries to begin, “Very rough day!” No wonder we appreciated my mother’s ‘comfort cooking’ ; rabbit pies, rich beef stews, pastries and
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Hello. Here is the first article from my trip to Lille, in northern France. Pauline Conolly helped me, but not very much. Dr Bob Conolly took the photographs. I hope you like our work. Editor Des. xxx IN THE BEGINNING In
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Australians have always been enthusiastic travelers. Sadly, ‘grey nomad’ caravanners and thousands of cruise passengers are now experiencing very difficult times. I was reflecting on this, and the fact that travel is not always pleasant. The word derives from the medieval Latin – trepalium; ‘an instrument of
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Hello, I’m Editor Des. I spend most my life buried away in the boring old Blue Mountains…and I don’t even eat gum leaves! However, Pauline Conolly, (she’s my guardian and employer) took me on a little tour of Sydney recently. We only went for a couple of
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The spectre of climate change and periods of prolonged drought have created an upsurge of interest in the growing of Australian native plants. However, we have been slow to embrace them. I suspect this would surprise and disappoint women pioneers such as Elizabeth Macarthur, who began
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MEMORIES FROM OLD COOKBOOKS We all become a bit nostalgic around Christmas time, especially when it comes to food. One of my favourite photos is of my mother Myra making Kiss Biscuits with her grandchildren back in the 1980s. Katey and Graeme now have children of their
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