The Journal

How do I remove milk from velvet? I put this question to Google this morning when confronted with a smelly mess in the laundry. Velvet cushions - Earlier in the week The Socialite had misjudged the recline gradient on our sofa and dropped a freshly brewed milky coffee all over the couch. Ouch. She phoned me for…

It was so hot today even the cicadas pulled up stumps. The dog shuffled from one shady spot to the next, panting, pooped. The laundry basket festered and the pantry moths multiplied. I looked at the pile of dishes beside the sink, the greasy pots and pans too grubby for the dishwasher, and walked away.…

Good news. Vinay, the air conditioner repair man, is coming on Sunday. Sunday. Mid-morning. What a champion. Heat The city is sweltering through a summer spike and our fossil-fuel guzzling refrigeration unit has been caput for six weeks. Most of that time we've been out of town, but not now. And we're melting. We could spend…

Some days it all just falls into place. There's a conversation or event or a remarkable tree that tickles your fancy and boom, there's a Note. Other days, like today, are barren. Blogging Today I read a post by an author who offers helpful, encouraging words to writers, especially those who are just starting out. So far…

On the final approach to Boonah on the Ipswich Road there's a sweeping bend, taking drivers to the crest of a hill to reveal the farmland and mountain views which give the scenic rim its name. David's tree At the apex of the bend, elevated on the cutting's bank, is a solitary tree. It's gnarled,…

It's a long walk from the one public car park on site to the Prince Charles Hospital mental health unit. The fastest route snakes past the front entrance and the adjacent private hospital, skirts the emergency department, doglegs down a pathway between the education centre and the satellite endoscopy unit before finally delivering travellers to their destination. There…

"You can't put a price on a permanent shirt," according to the voice holding forth from my kitchen bench. Only you can. And that price is $US875, which is, apparently, a good deal. The three gorgeous girls glued to this tiny screen are all health nuts. They'd been swimming and just cooked themselves lunch; bacon,…

I delivered The Ballerina to the studio today for a pre-rehearsal-week rehearsal. Months of dancing with Ballet Theatre Queensland will culminate in four performances at the Performing Arts Centre in a few weeks. Final rehearsals commence tomorrow and a few cast members decided to dust off the pins with an informal run-through at our local…

When I get home from The Farm I look at the home garden through fresh eyes. I re-engage. It's a big yard, but after The Farm it feels a lot more manageable. So after hanging the washing this morning I wandered over to admire my herbs. They're loving the hot, wet weather this summer. I…

Dropping In Today we visited Todd and Verena who live at the bottom of the road. While the rest of us tinker with gardening and bee-keeping and possibly a horse or two, this couple is the real deal. They farm. They grow hay, routinely cutting and baling cops between midnight and dawn, returning to the…

We spent this evening in the company of good neighbours. We invited Phil and Mary for pre-dinner drinks and waved them off close to midnight. They brought home-made chicken and vegetable pies and a jar of honey from their apiary. We drank their wine, then sat around our kitchen bench eating nachos from mismatched bowls.…

Lawn therapy As a boy, The Husband liked to mow. He’d gladly push and pull the family Victa across the family’s sprawling corner block and trim the surrounds with a rotary edger. He loved lawn. Nothing much has changed since then. Here at The Farm, he loves to crank up the tractor and slash the…

The storm A storm pummelled The Farm in December, ripping tree limbs from giant ironbarks and flinging them about the paddocks, one crashing to earth across our front fence. A kind neighbour 'phoned us with the news and another local ventured up the road with a chainsaw to assess the damage. He dislodged the offending…

The Farm Swatting at flies between keystrokes today. This morning I removed the coral paint from my fingernails and swapped sandals for elastic-sided boots. Party season's over and there are jobs to be done. Rather than open two week's worth of mail or deal with the pantry-moth infestation in my kitchen, I've run away to…

Resolutions The first day of a new year should set the tone for how the calendar unfurls. It's like feeding a newborn baby; while you might find yourself resorting to tinned food by Easter, lemonade by mid-year and pouring them hard liquor by Christmas, new year's day should be strictly breastfeeding on demand. Measured against…