The year I was 15, my father, Ralph, gave me for Christmas a small jar containing strange white curds. He said it was a yoghurt bug. But it wasn’t like any yoghurt bug I’d ever seen. It wasn’t the kind of present Dad usually gave me. He was great at choosing gifts for...
Most people think Alice in Wonderland is an amusing story for kids. But it’s never been that for me, thanks to the name my parents gave me. For many years there was no love lost between me and that other Alice. But I’ve warmed to her. I’ve been inspired to write about...
This is a post about local food. I love eating food grown in my region, the Waikato in New Zealand’s heartland. I don’t think local food is just an idealistic middle class fad, as some cynical commentators claim. But the local food economy is an interesting and...
Like a zillion other people, I love Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series. Her novels are packed with romance, feisty heroines, brave heroes, swashbuckling adventure, hot sex, and characters you’re happy to spend 700-odd pages with. Plus a bit of time-travelling to...
I’ve been dreaming up a new modality. Wisewoman. It’s a problem solving modality, rather than a body of specialized knowledge or expertise. A Wisewoman is someone (actually it could be a woman or a man) who could offer informed, helpful, non-judgemental, confidential...
I’ve been reading Ecoman, the lively and inspiring book by Ecostore founder Malcolm Rands. He’s one of New Zealand’s creative entrepreneurial thinkers, and also a pioneer of ethical business practice. Like its author, this book is brimming with ideas and...
