This is the first in an ongoing series “My Top Five” If you are travelling to Las Vegas for a convention, and the chances that you will go to Las Vegas for a convention are pretty high, much of your time will be filled with trade shows, workshops, networking events, etc. But not all of […]
Melbourne’s baristi, I salute you
Melburnians have many love affairs. Footy, horse racing, culture (high and low), comedy, ragging on Sydneysiders, trams… and coffee. My list is not comprehensive. Today I want to salute all the baristi who are slogging away in the heat, making our long blacks, short maccs, lattes, half and halfs, skinny caps, soy caps, choc top […]
Be enchanted by the Lost Art of Keeping Secrets
In the Lost Art of Keeping Secrets Eva Rice perfectly recreates the breathless wonder of girls on the verge of womanhood. Penelope and Charlotte meet by chance and become fast friends in the early to mid fifties when the world and all its rules were changing. It’s a very English sort of novel, with […]
A tiny rant about water
Melbourne has great water! Drink Tap Water! It’s clean and it tastes great. That’s a fact. Water is an ideal drink, when you’re out and about it’s the most convenient beverage to take with you. And I don’t begrudge anyone who gets caught short and buys a bottle of water when they are out because they forgot to bring […]
A must read for anyone interested in modern India
In Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity Katherine Boo has given voice to real people that most people won’t ever get a chance to hear. She takes you to Annawadi, a place you may not have heard of, and brings Abdul, Asha, Manju and a host of other residents to life. And […]
This guide to dying is a novel about life
The Household Guide to Dying: A Novel About Life by Debra Adelaide Delia Bennett, the narrator of the Household Guide to Dying has written a number of household guides and she’s dying (of cancer). So turning to what she knows best, she decides to write her last guide, to dying. Yes a guide to dying. Odd? A bit. […]
Would you like a second chance to get your life right?
Kate Atkinson’s Life After Life asks the question, what if you had the chance to live your life again and again, until you finally got it right. That back cover blurb (it made me think of Ground Hog Day) almost inspired me to put this book down and walk away. But a recommendation from someone […]
Travelling by shank’s pony
Until I moved to Australia I had never heard of shank’s pony. It’s slang for walking. Walking I had heard about. I was a confirmed walker and runner and was I hoped well on my way to creating a car free life. Now I don’t run, except sometimes (for short distances) to catch public transportation. […]
What’s happening at Vagabond Gal?
I’m in the process of amalgamating and moving content from wordpress . com blogs A vagabond life for me and Marvellous Melbourne