Veronika Wild

Forgot to show the food, but you can see the band belting out "Amore"in the background I hate to admit it,  but I‘ve just had another terrific morning tea. I’ll have to stop this, I’m putting on too much weight, but the consolation is that it was for a good cause. This was part of  Australia's Biggest Morning Tea which is held right around the country on May 24, to raise money for the Cancer Council. The money goes towards research, prevention and support for those who are suffering from cancer, and their families. Since one in two Australians are likely to be diagnosed with cancer before they turn 85, it is not surprising that this is the most popular and successful fundraiser in Australia. Money raised within the state stays here.  That's Romilla in the centre, thanking the band and those who helped in the kitchen, the donors of prizes and the guests Ours was hosted by a lovely local lady, Romilla who has been doing it since 2003. So ...

Not so imposing from the street these days, but Hadley's Orient Hotel is once again grand and decadent inside There is no doubt about Hadley’s Orient Hotel. It has the ambience and romance which the Canberra to Sydney train lacked -prices to match of course, but a lovely experience now and then. Mother’s Day was the perfect occasion. Potted palms, comfortable leather armchairs and paintings fill the lounges Hadley’s is a Hobart institution. Established in 1834, it has had chequered fortunes in its 184 year history, but was always the place to be. Many of the infant colony's leading lights such as surgeon, naturalist and parliamentarian William Crowther, or lawyer, and esteemed expert on biology and zoology, Morton Allport made their home here and it was also popular with the odd premier, Prime Minister and politician. Other distinguished guests included stars of stage and screen such as Errol Flynn and Dame Nellie Melba (1909), triumphant Antarctic explor...

A local Cubby seen on the Dave Burrows Walk  - someone needs no lessons or encouragement! As the  post about Parks and Playgrounds has been one of the more popular ones of late,   I wanted to write a bit more about outdoor play, especially as I have just read that only 8% of Australian children now play outside. This seems unthinkable. I’m showing my age here, but when I was growing up, staying inside was a form of punishment. It only happened when we were sick or naughty or hadn’t done our homework. Of course there wasn’t much television then, nor were there any distracting computers and not only hadn’t we heard about stranger danger,   there weren’t too many strangers about either. Nevertheless, despite these changes, several things are happening here and there to make outdoor play both possible and safe again. It’s a pity that enjoying nature now requires organisation and direction, but over in Yanchep in Western Australia they have just had their ...

The 'ducks' converge, Lake Ginninderra, Canberra It was like a scene from Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds.” We –that is my two year old granddaughter, her Dad and I had gone down to Lake Ginninderra in Canberra to do a bit of duck feeding. We called them 'ducks' but really they included all kinds of water birds   both native and domestic– coots, herons – colloquially known as “garbage chickens,”   one large black and white domestic duck, several native ones and a swan. It was an experiment really. Knowing that it wasn’t a good idea to feed them bread, especially the native birds, we had three kinds of duck food with us – mixed bird seed, dried peas and cooked rice to see which the ‘ducks’ would prefer.  They came from near and far, even this swan.... ...  and an actual duck Soon they were converging on us from all directions and they weren’t at all fussy about what they ate. There was a veritable feeding frenzy which got so bad that w...