We arrived in Germany on Tuesday 21 December. It was wintertime. When my husband Tony and I left Brisbane, the temperature was 32 degrees Celsius; when we arrived in Frankfurt am Main, 24 hours later, the temperature was -2 degrees … Read More
We met our snow angels at the bakery in Cottbus on January 5, 2016. The chance encounter lasted about 1½ hours. The three “snow angels” rescued my husband Tony and me and cared for us in our time of need. … Read More
Damper is an iconic Australian soda bread made from wheat flour, water or milk, a pinch of salt and a rising agent. You may use milk powder instead of fresh milk, and add butter or oil. Using these simple ingredients, you … Read More
This Christmas, I’m making Betty’s Jelly Slice as a special treat for my family and friends. It’s colourful (fitting for the season), melt-in-your-mouth delicious and (most importantly) super-easy to prepare. If you have been following my blog, you may remember … Read More
Do you wonder what school was like for children growing up in Australia 100 years ago? My mother Evelyn, who grew up in rural Queensland in the 1920s, often spoke of her schooldays and the small one-teacher school she attended. … Read More
In Victoria between 1907 and 1923, four, possibly five, of the six siblings of the Lowe Family died after contracting tuberculous. All were young adults, in the prime of their lives. The first, in 1907, was a female, 23. The … Read More
I have fond memories of my mother’s two-layered Ginger Sponge cake. It was one of the cakes she included in her Saturday morning baking and slices of which ended up in my school lunchbox the next week. Another cake my … Read More
In October 2019, as part of a western Queensland road trip, my husband and I took the Kennedy Development Road from Boulia to Winton, a distance of 362 kilometres. The road traverses a vast, lonely and seemingly desolate part of … Read More
My first experience of “Italian” food was my mother’s spaghetti with bacon, onion, tomato and grated cheddar cheese. As a child, I thought it was really delicious, but my father was not so enthusiastic. After all, he had tasted real … Read More
During a visit to Croydon last year, my husband and I spent time exploring the historic Croydon Cemetery. Gazetted as a cemetery in 1889, the heritage-listed Croydon Cemetery is the only one of ten cemeteries in the district still in … Read More
On Anzac Day, Tuesday 25 April 1944, the citizens of Rockhampton together with service men and women and returnees from both wars came out in their thousands to pay homage to the district’s war fallen. World War II – and … Read More
This short story is about my late mother Evelyn and her faith in the One whom Mary Magdalene met in the garden on that first Easter morn. It’s a companion piece to My mother’s latter years: Living with dementia (March … Read More
This story is about my mother, Evelyn, her latter years and the impact dementia had on her and her loved ones. It’s a sequel to two earlier stories, My mother, a young woman (May 6, 2016) and A precious death … Read More
Some of us have the privilege of meeting and getting to know our grandparents. I was fortunate to meet all four of my grandparents and to get to know each one, to some extent, even from afar. This story is … Read More
My Christmas baking this year has included a special Aussie Christmas treat: Chocolate Slice. I made this sweet slice for two pre-Christmas functions last week and, on each occasion, it was a great hit. So much so, many people asked … Read More
