Another day, another protest

  These past few weeks I’ve found myself part of three community protests: first greeting the dawn with anti-fracking campaigners at Bentley in Northern New South Wales, then rallying with more than 8000 other citizens at Sydney’s March in May, all of us reeling from the just-released federal budget, and then pounding the city streets […]

Sunshine Coast Local Knowledge

There’s a page on GoodIsBetter called Local, which is my spot for sharing fabulous discoveries from where I live. Now that home is Sydney, here’s an archive of what used to be in the Local List when local was the Sunny Coast in Queensland: The Lane at Palmwoods (http://www.facebook.com/thelaneatpalmwoods) and Renae’s Pantry (https://www.facebook.com/RenaesPantry) Friday afternoons/evenings and […]

Stepping up

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has” – Margaret Mead Imagine where we’d be without those thoughtful committed citizens.Imagine where we could be if more of us felt okay about joining them. I’ve been held back countless times from stepping up. Correction. I’ve […]

Cauliflower and broccoli: rediscovered

What are your early memories of eating cauliflower or broccoli? My most vivid memory is at my grandparent’s house. Actually, the memory is replicated with each set of grandparents, maternal and paternal. As you wish, you may picture either house – the one heaving with cozy family love matched by Central Queensland humidity or the other, one of the […]

"In Sydney, the forest speaks Polish at Easter"

…and Diego Bonetto listens. Last weekend, I had the privilege of participating in an edible weeds walk on the Cooks River. Led by Diego, about fifteen of us spent an enthralled couple of hours discovering some of the culinary and medicinal gems that typically just disappear below our shoes. Some of these weeds are comfortable […]

Sustainable house. Sustainable food. Sustainable life.

Michael Mobbs is a national treasure. I learned about him, and his micro-revolution, earlier this week at a Transition Bondi event in Sydney. He’s a recovering lawyer who has taken his inner-city house off the grid. Yes, that’s right. Disconnected from the sewer system. Disconnected from the water supply. Disconnected from the electricity grid. And, […]

city sustenance

Oh hello blog! It’s been a while. Lately, life has dashed by, with me racing to keep up. Living simply is replaced by living hastily. In between flights, deadlines and meetings I’ve still found some treasured moments though. Moments for farmers market shopping. Moments for exchanging ideas and dreams with friends new and old. Moments for grilled cheese sandwiches […]

Showered with love

Last Saturday it rained at moy pocket. At the family farm we hosted around twenty intrepid land for wildlife enthusiasts who were there to explore the astounding bush regeneration project that my parents, especially my tireless mama, have devoted themselves to ever since we moved to the clapped out ex-dairy subdivision in the early 1980s. […]