2018/19 - in the midst of the Black Summer bushfires Many people are glad to see the back of 2020. For all our projections of 2020 vision at the start of the year, our hopeful plans of what was to come, our 2020 hindsight is vastly different. I know that when Victoria opened up (in… Continue reading Ushering in the New Year
To end a Covid-constrained year we now have a Covid-constrained holiday period. My thoughts go out to all the people who can't share festivities - from all cultural and religious backgrounds - with their families this year. My heart is heavy from the people who are no longer with us, due to Covid (and indeed… Continue reading Covid Christmas
Live webcam Lightbulb moment: the West Gate Bridge is thusly named because it is the Gateway to the West! Seems obvious, doesn’t it? Yet it’s something I never questioned: this feat of construction is something that was always in my childhood and I never stopped to think about its whys and the wherefores. I had… Continue reading West Gate Stories
Fifty years ago Australia experienced its second-worst construction disaster. Here are my memories: my humble contribution to this story of national psyche. The West Gate Bridge today The West Gate Bridge is a vital piece of infrastructure which connects Melbourne's Central Business District to the Western suburbs. Prior to the bridge's completion this route was… Continue reading West Gate Story
Aniko's inagural issue I recently sent an entry in to a new online magazine, for their inaugural issue. The delightedly-overwhelmed (to clarify, that means that she was overwhelmed for all the right reasons) editor, Emily Riches, sent this reply to my submission: Dear Annabel,Thank you so much for submitting Mopping Up to Aniko Press Magazine.… Continue reading Longlisted
What is the measure of a person's life? How is someone's entire existence encapsulated, their legacy summed up? It's an impossible task ... the effects of a life stretch far and wide, with ripples seen and unseen, in ways that can sometimes be tangibly recognised and more often amorphously, intrinsically, yet not definably felt. Recently… Continue reading Andrew James
Renewal by Sandeep Nath This book captures the zeitgeist: it has so many "Aha!" moments it benefits from re-reading. Its premise is a selected audience with Guru Pranachandra, whose message the author Sandeep Nath channelled. Through this forum ten habits of renewal in three areas (Self-Renewal, Symbiotic Renewal and Systemic Renewal) are presented. The content… Continue reading Reedsy Review #7
This book found its way to my bookshelf by direct contact from the “Reedsy Runners” – the movers and shakers behind this amazing platform. Sheer delight is an understatement to describe how I felt when I read this book. It’s a dip into bliss. I hope you enjoy my review. https://reedsy.com/discovery/book/anatomy-of-a-self-indulgent-moongazer-prateek-joshi
Juice Newton in 1981 Sequentially-random scrolling1 through YouTube + Ultimate Guitar led me to this song. The simple chords and structure make it a joy to play, and Juice Newton's angelic voice is divine. (Juice's release is not the original: according to Wikipedia, although not the first recording/release, the honour of the first version to… Continue reading Angel of the Morning
https://7chakrastore.com/blogs/news/the-meaning-and-symbolism-of-lotus-flowerhttps://callmeoil.com/what-is-rose-essential-oil-used-for/ I know I'm overtired when I lose my compassion. I see pictures of pain and agony on the TV, hear the pain of people's anguish through the radio waves ... and sense my invisible internal wall building up to protect me. I can't face the despair of the world because I know I can't… Continue reading Ripple of Kindness
