Kindly Yours

The mulberry plant was nearly uprooted and a new nursery plant had half its branches and leaves snapped from gusty winds on the last Sunday of September 2009. I had got off relatively light, there were roofs blown off in nearby suburbs. The air plunged into obvious cold temperatures after a rather warm day on the following day,September 28. Daylight savings was to begin on the first Sunday of October, when 2am became 3am. The sun had already risen by 530am, and this made me even easier to get to work early. Apart from the red dust storms of Wednesday dawn on 23 September 2009, sunlight was already intense by breakfast time. Malaysian nasi lemak, Aussie cupcakes, Shanghai crispy chicken and Chinese dessert of white fungus with paw paw slices were the order of the day on the last weekend of September. Not being able to go away from the Sydney or Wollongong areas as planned that day, I plunged into a series of other appointments that were punctuated by hanging around in shopping centres, ...

Copyright Shayne Ward

September, and I have memories of misty nights on top of a hill. How it seemed to be only yesterday, and how clearly I can still see it now. My mates and I had budding ambitions, growing urges and a convulating sense of togetherness. For a few nights we relished this escape from the routine and the usual. More than that, each of us could look out into the bright lights - and expanse - of our otherwise ordinary lives back there below the lookout point. Was that first week of September a momentary escapade, or an opportunity of a pause between what we were leaving behind - early adolescence - and what we had to build ourselves - future adulthood? The bungalow offered lazy afternoons and group nights, where we could gather to offer our inner thoughts, make fun of each other and unknowlingly get to know each other better. The cooler air induced us into a kind of comfort zone that we longed for in contrast to where we first met - the humid heat of classrooms in regimented schedules. We dabb...

Starters Entree of Roast Pork Duck Thilmere Mains Dessert

It was early September and it felt just right good to just shrug off the demands of the past week and go walkabout in retail land. The devoted Calvin Klein store was on sale. May be a rare occasion, but it was obvious they were clearing old stock for new. However, CK products can be timeless, and this time it was a bargain moment. Thompson green seedless grapes were so crunchy sweet these days, and it's not even the full swing of the season. Deep reds are gorgeous looking, but somehow they have not managed to produce seedless ones for retail, or it's just me who have not encountered red skinned grapes that I can swallow whole. Mandarins continued to be available in abundance, whether they are the honey murcotts or others, and they can be so refreshing after a meal, even if some quarters now hold the view that fruits should be eaten before one. The Body Shop has its classics, and an orderly fashion in its displayed lay out. Spurred on by consumer preferences for better treatment...

August in Wollongong, and the signs of approaching spring are clear. The geraniums in my garden continue to bloom, and the kumquats, miniature mandarins and Tahitian limes spring back to life. What winter there was, we wonder, apart from the rainy episodes and howling winds at night. The last week of August heralds the arrival of the flowers and the promise of the fruits of late spring. Festivals beckon, and blue skies are abundant. Between August and September, and I enjoy a magical window of a hiatus. The hard yards were done, the possibly stinging snakes are kept at bay and I can fully enjoy a glass of wine, so to speak. There is nurturing warmth all around! My fav fruits at the grocers are currently golden kiwis, red delicious apples, Queensland bananas and sweet thin-skinned imperial mandarins - that is what is available anyway for me here. On a winter's evening, treats would be Streets Almond Magnums, King Dairy Island blue brie from Tassie and Dairy Farmers thick and creamy ...

Home Party, Balgownie Underwater World, Home Aquarium Cakes and Pastries, Asian Bakery Lazy Sunday Morning, Sydney Suburb University Campus, Wollongong, August 2009 On Golden Pond, Gywenville